UMBWE ROUTE KILIMANJARO CLIMB 7 DAYS
Tour Overview
The path to Umbwe is short, steep, and straight. It is thought to be very hard and is the hardest way to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Umbwe goes up quickly, so you don’t have time to get used to the higher altitude. Even though this route doesn’t get a lot of traffic, your chances of success are also low. You can do the route in as few as six days, but you should give yourself at least seven. Only very strong hikers who are sure they can get used to the altitude should try the Umbwe route. Overall, though, we don’t recommend the Umbwe route, and we tell our clients not to take it.
Day by day itinerary
You’ll meet our Mangokili Adventures driver at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), and he’ll take you to your hotel in Moshi town. There, your guide will meet you. He or she will ask you about your upcoming hike and look over your gear to make sure you have everything you need for the mountain. You can rent the gear you forgot on this day.
Spend the night at the Park View hotel or the Lindrin lodge.
Then, on our way to Umbwe Gate, we pass through villages and coffee and banana plantations. The path goes up steeply on a forest road that winds up through a thick rain forest.
As we climb the ridge between two rivers and big trees, the path gets more narrow and steep. Umbwe Camp is in a spot where trees and thick brush meet.
Height: from 5,249 feet to 9,514 feet
Distance: 11 km
Time to walk: 5-7 hours
Home: Health
On the second day of the hike, the terrain is rockier, and there is less grass and more moss on the trees. As we climb, Kilimanjaro starts to come into view. As we get closer to Barranco Valley, the path evens out. From Umbwe Ridge, the trail goes down through the strange but beautiful Senecio Forest to Barranco Camp.
From 9,514 to 13,044 feet above sea level.
Distance: 6 km
Time to walk: 4-5 hours Place: Heath
Extra day to get used to the weather. Adding this day will make your work easier and help you get used to the altitude faster.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are on the menu.
Barranco Camp is where you can stay.
We start the day by going down into a gorge until we reach the bottom of the Great Barranco Wall. Then we climb the nearly 900-foot cliff, which is not hard but is steep. From the top of the Barranco Wall, we cross a series of hills and valleys until we reach Karanga Valley, where we go down very steeply. Karanga Camp is reached by one more steep climb up.
13,044 to 13,106 feet above sea level.
Distance: 5 km
Time to walk: 4-5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
We leave Karanga and come to a place where the Mweka Trail meets another trail. We keep going up to the rocky part that leads to Barafu Hut. At this point, you have finished the Southern Circuit, which gives you many different views of the top. Here, we set up camp, rest, and eat dinner early to get ready for the day we’ll reach the top. From this spot, you can see the two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo.
13,106 to 15,331 feet above sea level.
Distance: 4 km
Time to walk: 4-5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
We start our push to the top very early in the morning, around midnight. This is the hardest part of the trek for both your mind and body. At this height and time of day, the wind and cold can be very strong. We go up in the dark for a few hours, stopping often but only for short times. Near Stella Point (18,900 ft), the sunrise over Mawenzi Peak is likely to be the most beautiful sunrise you will ever see. We finally get to Uhuru Peak, which is the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the whole continent of Africa.
15,331 to 19,341 feet above sea level.
Distance: 5 km
Time to walk: 7-8 hours
Habitat: Arctic
From the top, we now head straight down to the camp site at Mweka Hut, stopping at Barafu for lunch on the way. The trail is very rocky and can be hard on the knees, so trekking poles are helpful. Mweka Camp is in the upper forest, and in the late afternoon, mist or rain is likely. In the evening, we eat our last meal on the mountain and then get a good night’s sleep.
From 19,341 feet to 10,065 feet.
Distance: 12 km
Time to walk: 4–6 hours
Rain Forest is their home.
On our last day, we continue down to Mweka Gate and get our certificates for reaching the top. It can be wet and muddy at lower elevations. We walk for another hour from the gate to Mweka Village. At Mweka Village, a car will be waiting to take us back to our hotel in Moshi.
Loss of altitude: 10,065 feet to 5,380 feet
Distance: 10 km
Time to walk: 3–4 hours Rain Forest is their home.
Stay at the Park View hotel or the Lindrin lodge. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all part of the price.
After the Kilimanjaro trek, you have the rest of the day to relax before your flight home. Depending on what time your flight leaves, you could go to Moshi town and buy some souvenirs before going to the airport. If you want to see more, you can add Zanzibar and other places to your trip to Tanzania.
