Day 01 - After breakfast at the lodge you will be met by your team of guides and porters and travel together to Machame Gate where you will register for the climb. This can take a while but it will give you time to get to know your team. Once registered, you will begin your ascent which follows the track through forests up to Machame Huts where your team will have set up your first camp. (3032m) Today’s walk is around 4 – 5 hours.

Day 02 - Today’s climb is short but steep and likely to be very hot and dusty. As this stage takes around 4 hours, there is plenty of time so take things slowly and enjoy the views! You will be camping at New Shira Camp. (3847m)

Day 03 - You will see spectacular views of Kibo today as you steadily ascend on a meandering path towards Barranco campsite The highest point of today’s walk is 4530m so do not be surprised if you are feeling the effects of altitude It is quite common to suffer from headaches. To aid acclimatisation you will sleep at a lower level. Barranco Campsite has spectacular views, hopefully making up for a tough day! (3985m)

Day 04 - Today is a long day with approximately 8 hours climb. The hardest part of the day is at the beginning as on leaving Barranco Huts there is a steep scramble up the Great Barranco Wall. You then have a slight descent into Karanga Valley. You then have a slight descent into Karanga Valley (3940m) then a short ascent to your next campsite. Here you can rest for the rest of the day giving yourself a chance to acclimatise. (4040m)

Day 05 - From Karanga Valley Campsite you will head to your next camp at Barafu Huts. Again this is another short day allowing extra acclimatisation. You will have plenty of time to rest before the tough next stage. (4681m)

Day 06 - At Barafu Huts you will be woken with tea and biscuits at around midnight for the long push to the summit, Uhuru Peak via Stella Point. This is a tough stage, climbing in the dark and feeling cold and tired! After around 5 long hours you will reach Stella Point. This earns you a green certificate! If you want the gold certificate however you need to continue a further 45 mins to the summit, Uhuru Peak. From here you can take a short time to enjoy your achievement and see unrivalled views as the sun rises. You will then begin descent via the Mweka route for around 1 hr 20 mins back to Barafu Huts for a brief rest and hot drinks then continue down to Mweka Huts to arrive after a further 1 hr 30 mins for lunch and rest and your overnight stay.

Day 07 - The final part of your descent, from Mweka Huts down to Machame Gate where you will sign out of the Registration book and receive certificate (hopefully!). You will be met at the gate by Forsters Staff and a hot lunch. Once all the registrations are over and certificates obtained you will be transferred back to your hotel in Arusha for dinner and overnight stay. Half board accommodation (dinner, bed & breakfast) at either Karama Lodge or Ilboru Safari Lodge

Departure day - You will be transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flight.

Private trek 2011: US$ 2,040 per person based on 2 adults sharing

Group price 2011: US$ 1,820 per person 

Group size: Min. 2 Max. 8

Single supplement US$ 130

Price includes: airport transfers, dinner, bed & breakfast at an Arusha hotel before & after trek, transfers between Kilimanjaro and Arusha, all park, camping & rescue fees, all meals on trek, purified water on trek, use of all camping equipment including portable toilet (excluding sleeping bags*), first aid kit, stretcher, emergency oxygen cylinder, medical evacuation cover

Price excludes: international flights, Tanzania entry visa, travel & medical insurance, meals other than stated at hotels, drinks at hotels, items of personal nature, tips for guides, cooks, porters and lodge staff

*Sleeping bags for hire - US$ 20 per trek. Advance booking required. Please enquire for other hire equipment prices

*Sleeping bags for hire - US$ 20 per trek. Advance booking required. Please enquire for other hire equipment prices

Marangu 6

Arrival Day - You will be met on your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Arusha for dinner and overnight stay. Half board accommodation (dinner, bed & breakfast) at either Karama Lodge or Ilboru Safari Lodge

Day 01 Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut - After breakfast at the hotel you will meet your guidea and porters and travel together to Marangu Gate (1970m) where you will register for the climb. This can take a while but it will give you time to get to know your team. Once registered, you will begin your ascent which follows the track through farmland then into the forests up to Mandara Hut situated in a forest clearing. (2710m) Today’s walk is around 5 hours.

Day 02 Mandara Hut to Horombo Hut  - Today’s climb takes you through the forest, around the base of Maundi Crater and onto the moorland. (Optional: short detour to the rim of Maundi Crater for good views of Kibo Crater). You will reach Horombo Huts late in the afternoon. (3725m) Today’s walk is around 6 hours

Day 03 Acclimatisation Day – base is Horombo Hut - Today you will climb high and sleep low to aid acclimatisation. Your hike today takes up to Zebra Rocks, across the alpine desert to Mawenzi hut then back to Horombo Huts for dinner and overnight stay. Today’s walk is around 4.5 hours

Day 04 Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut - Today takes you across the alpine desert, through the ‘saddle’ between Mawnzi and Kibo peaks and into the highlands desert where it is very barren with extreme conditions. On arriving at Kibo Hut you will be encouraged to relax as much as possible and have a very early night to prepare for your midnight start at the summit attempt. (4710m) Today’s walk is around 6 hours

Day 05 Kibo Hut – Uhuru Peak – Horombo Huts - At Kibo Huts you will be woken with tea and biscuits at around midnight for the long push to the summit, Uhuru Peak via Hans Meyer Cave (5150m) and Gilmans Point (5680m). This is a tough stage, climbing in the dark and feeling cold and tired! After Gilmans point you will continue up to the summit, Uhuru Peak as the sun rises (5895m). From here you can take a short time to enjoy your achievement and see unrivalled views on a clear day. You will then begin descent to Kibo Huts (3 hours) for a brief rest and hot drinks then continue down to Horombo Huts to arrive after a further 3 hrs for hot food and rest and your overnight stay. Today’s walk is around 14 hours.

Day 06 Horombo Huts to Marangu Gate - After an early breakfast you will hike the last stage of the descent to Marangu Gate. You will be met at the gate by Forsters staff and a hot lunch. Once all the registrations are over and certificates obtained you will be transferred back to your hotel for dinner and overnight stay. Half board accommodation (dinner, bed & breakfast) at Karama Lodge or Ilboru Safari Lodge

Departure Day - You will be transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your onward flight home

Private trek 2011: US$ 1,730 per person based on 2 adults sharing

Group price 2011: US$ 1,540 per person

Group size: Min. 2 Max. 8

Single supplement US$ 130

Price includes: airport transfers, dinner, bed & breakfast at an Arusha hotel before & after trek, transfers between Kilimanjaro and Arusha, all park, camping & rescue fees, all meals on trek, purified water on trek, use of all camping equipment (excluding sleeping bags*), first aid kit, stretcher, emergency oxygen cylinder, medical evacuation cover

Price excludes: international flights, Tanzania entry visa, travel & medical insurance, meals other than stated at hotels, drinks at hotels, items of personal nature, tips for guides, cooks, porters and lodge staff

*Sleeping bags for hire - US$ 20 per trek. Advance booking required. Please enquire for other hire equipment prices

Why Choose Us

The most important aspect of the mountain treks for us is safety – for both clients and all staff. We ensure that all teams embarking on a trek are fully prepared for what lies ahead in terms of knowledge and equipment.

As Kilimanjaro is a ‘non-technical’ climb, it can often be underestimated. Trekking in harsh conditions and at high altitude can present many difficulties. It is our aim to minimise those by having experienced, highly trained, licensed crew members and enough appropriate equipment to make the experience as comfortable and problem free as is possible on a mountain!

We are proud to say that our usual feedback from clients is that the trek was tough but enjoyable, the food was great and the crew made everyone feel they were in safe hands and even had fun!

We know we are not the cheapest company around so we would like to explain why..........

Crew selection and treatment

All of our guides are trained guides with licences allowing them to guide on Kilimanjaro. They have to undergo many treks as assistant guides before being allowed to lead a group themselves. The cooks and porters are all registered with the Kilimanjaro Porters Association and the team will always have a balance of experienced and trainee porters. You will find that there will be a Head Porter who will supervise the others. Within the team there are jobs of varying responsibility such as dealing with the chemical toilet (not the nicest job!), carrying first aid equipment and helping clients when needed. Some of the porters may not have much contact with you as they will speed up to the next camp to set up ready for your arrival.

All of the crew have suitable clothing and footwear for the mountain which they must bring to each trek. Their kitbags are checked on the first day and if they have not brought the appropriate clothing, footwear or license then they are not allowed to go as we will not have their safety compromised.

All of the guides and assistant guides are first aid trained as well as some of the more experienced porters. We issue the crew with long wave radios to be able to contact head office at any time plus short wave radios to communicate with each other on the mountain.

We provide transport to and from Arusha for all of the guides and porters as well as the clients. We pay all of the park fees for the crew and provide all of the meals from the beginning to the end of the trek. We also provide a porters ‘dorm’ tent which allows them to rest when they wish and provides shelter from the harsh conditions rather than having to wait for the clients to go to bed so they can sleep in the ‘mess’ tent.

We guarantee to pay the staff their full salaries even if the clients do not summit.

Equipment

 There is a surprising amount of equipment required for a safe trek even if there are only two clients in the group! Apart from the luggage and tents for clients, there are: mess tent for dining, table and stools, kitchen tent, all food, gas cylinders for cooking, all cooking pots and utensils, eating plates and utensils, dorm tent for porters, single tents for guide and cook, first aid kit, stretcher, oxygen cylinder, crew luggage and sleeping bags, chemical toilet, toilet tent ........

We prefer to carry a chemical toilet and tent as this allows the camp to be set up slightly away from the standard facilities. If the camps are busy then they can be noisy plus the campsite facilities are often not of a high standard!

 We adhere to the guidelines issued by the Kilimanjaro Porters Association as to the weight each porter can carry. They carry up to 15kg per porter plus an additional 5kg for their personal bag.

For 2 clients we usually require 1 guide, 1 cook and around 12 porters*

For 4 clients we usually require 2 guides, 1 cook and around 16 porters*

The number of porters required varies depending on luggage brought by clients. Each person is allowed a 15kg bag plus their day-sack. Some people choose to bring less which may reduce the number of porters. We weigh all of the equipment at our office to ensure we have the right number of crew. Everything is reweighed at the official gate on the mountain to check we have adhered to the rules!

*camping routes. Marangu route with hut accomodation requires slightly fewer porters

Food

Our cooks are very experienced and understand the necessity for good food on an arduous trek! All of the shopping is done as per the requirements of the client. We will ask you if you have any dietary requirements or preferences and base our shopping lists on your answers.

We provide three meals a day: a hot breakfast, either a packed lunch or a hot lunch at the camp depending upon the itinerary of that day, and a 3 course dinner in the evening. There will be tea, coffee and juice available in the mess tent at each camp plus purified water throughout each day.

We also provide extra hot drinks on the summit day as you will be very cold. We are one of the few companies who will provide a hot lunch at the gate after your descent. This is prepared in Arusha and will be waiting for you at the bottom of the mountain!

We do recommend that you bring some of your favourite snacks for extra energy (particularly for summit day) such as chocolate or sweets. There will be an opportunity to purchase snacks on your journey to the mountain gate if you have not brought anything from home.

Tipping Guidelines

One of the most regular questions we are asked is ‘How much should we tip the guide and porters?’

A useful guideline is to base it on the average tips given by previous clients. The following amounts would be from the group as a whole.

• Head Guide: $20 per day
• Guides: $15 per day
• Cooks: $10 per day
• Porters: $5 per day

Example: A 7 day climb = $140 tip for the Head Guide from the group.

We recommend that tips are handed out at the end of the trek either when everyone is at the gate or on the bus back to Arusha. The tips can be dispersed directly by the clients or by the office representative.