After breakfast at your hotel in Moshi or Arusha, you drive to Machame Gate for registration. The trek begins through dense rainforest where you may see blue monkeys, colobus monkeys, and beautiful birdlife. The trail can be muddy, but the forest is stunning and alive.
After 5–7 hours of hiking, you reach Machame Camp where your crew has already set up tents and prepared hot food.

Hiking time: 5–7 hours
Zone: Rainforest
Overnight: Machame Camp

You leave the rainforest and enter the heath and moorland zone. The trail becomes steeper and more open, with views of Kibo Peak appearing for the first time. The air becomes cooler and you begin to feel the altitude.
By afternoon you reach Shira Plateau, one of the highest plateaus in the world. Sunset views here are exceptional.

Hiking time: 4–6 hours
Zone: Moorland
Overnight: Shira Camp

This is a critical acclimatization day. You climb high to Lava Tower, where many climbers feel the effects of altitude for the first time (headache, slower breathing). After lunch at Lava Tower, you descend to Barranco Camp.
This “climb high, sleep low” strategy dramatically improves your body’s adaptation to altitude.

Barranco Camp sits in a beautiful valley below the famous Barranco Wall.

Hiking time: 6–8 hours
Zone: Alpine desert
Overnight: Barranco Camp

The day begins with the exciting climb up the Barranco Wall. It looks intimidating but is actually a fun scramble with no technical climbing required. From the top, you get incredible views across the mountain.
The trail then continues through ridges and valleys to Karanga Camp, an important acclimatization stop before summit.

Hiking time: 4–5 hours
Overnight: Karanga Camp

Today you hike slowly to Barafu Camp, the base camp for your summit attempt. The environment becomes dry, rocky, and cold. After early dinner, you rest and sleep before being woken around 11pm for the summit push.

Guides will brief you carefully on pace, breathing, and safety before summit night.

Hiking time: 3–4 hours
Overnight: Barafu Camp

Summit day begins around midnight. You climb slowly in darkness with headlamps. This is the most physically and mentally challenging part of the trek.
You reach Stella Point at sunrise, then continue to Uhuru Peak — the highest point in Africa. Photos, emotions, achievement.
After summit, you descend carefully back to Barafu for brunch, then continue down to Mweka Camp for overnight.

Hiking time: 12–14 hours
Summit altitude: 5,895m
Overnight: Mweka Camp