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UMBWE ROUTE ITINERARY
DAY 1:
Arrive Tanzania and transfer to the hotel.
DAY 2
Umbwe Gate (1800m) - Bivouac (first) camp
(2940m): After breakfast you will be driven to
the Umbwe Gate at 1800m, passing through
villages with banana and coffee plantations. On
arrival at the Parks Gate your guide and porters
will meet you. You will have to sign the
register before you enter the park. As you head
into the forest, temperature scan rise to about
35 degrees C, but as you quickly rise in
altitude, they will progressively drop, by about
1 degree for each 200m climbed. The paths can
also be quite muddy. The route initially follows
a forestry track winding up through the natural
rain forest. It then narrows and becomes steeper
as you climb the ridge between the Lonzo and
Umbwe rivers, with huge trees surrounding you.
The path offers some spectacular views of deep
gorges and if you are lucky, glimpses of
Kilimanjaro towering above you in the distance.
The camp is perched between huge trees and thick
undergrowth.
DAY 2: Bivouac (first) camp (2940m) - Barranco
camp (3950m): Shortly after leaving the camp
the forest starts thinning and is replaced by
rockier terrain, sparser undergrowth and
straggly, moss-covered trees. The path continues
along a narrow, but spectacular ridge and as it
ascends through the heath, the
 idge narrows and
sharpens quite quickly. As you gain higher
altitude, you will note how quickly the various
vegetation zones change. Sighting of Lammergeyer
are quite common. The path flattens as you
approach Barranco Valley . From the Umbwe ridge
the route descends slightly to the Barranco
camp.
The camp is situated in the valley below the
Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should
provide you with a memorable sunset.
DAY 3: Acclimatization This day will be
spent at Barranco camp to aid with
acclimatisation. You can spend the day walking
around to explore the surrounding areas such as
up to the Barranco wall, take in sights of the
magnificent Scenecio’s, or just rest.
Day 4: Barranco camp (3950m) – Barafu Camp
(4600m): After breakfast you will begin the
scramble up the Great Baranco Wall and then
begin the traverse over the scree towards the
Karanga Valley at 4000m. It is here that you
will get the incredible views of the Heim,
Kersten and Decken glaciers. After leaving the
Karanga Valley , you will continue along the
trail to Barafu Hut. You will now find yourself
completely in the alpine desert of crushed stone
and scree. The campsite is very cold and gets
buffeted by the wind.
Day 5: Barafu – Kilimanjaro Summit (5895m) to
Mweka: You will wake around 23h00 and after
a cup of tea and a biscuit, shuffle off into the
night for the summit of Kilimanjaro. The route
heads up between the Rebmann and Ratzel Glaciers
towards Stella Point and then on to Kilimanjaro
Uhuru Peak where you will enjoy the magnificent
views and a well deserve photo opportunity.
You will then descend back down to Barafu camp
from the summit, which takes about 3 hours. The
route is not difficult and will take you down
the rock and scree path into the moorland and
eventually into the forest. Mweka camp is
situated in the upper forest and mist or rain
can be expected in the late afternoon. Dinner,
and washing water will be provided as well as
drinking water.
DAY 6: Mweka camp (3100m)- Mweka Gate (1980m): After an early and well-deserved breakfast,
it is a 2-3 hour, scenic hike back to the Park
gate. At Mweka gate you sign your name and
details in a register. This is also where
successful climbers receive their summit
certificates. Those climbers who were too tired
to continue from the crater floor and diverted
back down via Stella Point (5685m) are issued
with green certificates and those who reached
Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive gold certificates.
From the Mweka Gate you will continue down into
the Mweka village, normally a muddy 3 km (50min)
hike. You will then drive back to Moshi for a
long overdue hot shower and celebrations!!
Overnight in the hotel.
DAY 8: After breakfast, transfer to the
airport for you flight home.
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