KILIMANJARO CLIMB: UMBWE ROUTE, 8-DAY TREK & HOTEL STAY
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The Umbwe route has a well-deserved reputation of being the most challenging route on Mount Kilimanjaro. Due to the fast ascent to high altitude, this route does not provide the necessary stages for acclimatization. Although the number of people on this trail is very low, the chances of success are also low. Umbwe is considered to be very difficult, taxing route – one that should only be attempted by strong hikers who are confident in their ability to acclimatize quickly to altitude.
Included/Exclude
- One night at the Hotel before starting the climbing trip.
- One night at the hotel after finishing the climbing trip.
- Entry Fees at the Mountain Kilimanjaro National Park.
- Rescue Fees, Guides, Porters and Cooks Fees
- Mountain Staff/Crew salaries and allowances.
- All meals on the mountain, Breakfast, Lunch, evening refreshments and dinner.
- Drinking water will be provided during the climb.
- Oxygen cylinder, Ox-meters and Special daily check-up care while on the mountain.
- Mountain Gears, Sleeping Tents, Dinning Tents, sleeping form mattress are provided
- Plastic cover for your day packs, to cover baggage, porters will carry for protection of wet and rain on the mountain.
- Pick up and drop off to and from hotel to starting point for climbing the mountain.
- Pick up transfer after descend from mountain and transfer back to Hotel.
- Government Taxes, Office Agent fees, Operational costs.
- Airports pick up and drop off transfers.
- Gratuities / Tips, Extra service Laundry,
- Other personal care like massage (Can be offered as special Service after Kilimanjaro Climb)
- Alcohol, International flights tickets, but can be booked on requests.
- Domestic flight tickets ie, Flight to Zanzibar, Mafia Island, or to Parks like Serengeti, Selous, Ruaha and Gombe within Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda or to Amboseli Park in Kenya (Can be booked on requests)
- Medical services in case of sickness or you will need to get Insurance cover from your country.
Tour Plan
At the Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam International Airport, and meet by our representative load all your luggage, belongings in a shuttle for transfer to the hotel for Overnight.
This day you will woke up early around 6am and prepared, ready for breakfast and check out at the Lodge/hotel and depart from Moshi (890 m/2,920 ft)to Umbwe entrance gate.
After registering at the gate, then you start your ascent at the small umbwe gate just above the village and follow a gentle winding vehicle track for an hour to a signboard that announces, the small steep umbwe trail.
The umbwe camp is in the forest, and there are some caves nearby. You will be reeted here with a graciously served hot meal.You will commence the climb through the rain forest with packed lunch on route. To the First encampment at 2800m dinner and overnight at the First cave campsite.
Your day starts early with a steaming cup of tea or coffee. After breakfast, you will Climb steeply through leave the glades of the forest and follow an ascending path on the open moorland to the Barranco encampment located at 3 900 m. The clouds will part to reward you with a view of Uhuru peak looming overhead. After lunch, you enter a zone of giant ground sells (scenario Kilimanjaro) that seem to guard the heights, and this garden is one of Kilimanjaro’s special treasures you may find. After dinner you overnight at Barranco campsite.
After spending a night under the imposing Great Barranco Wall, you climb this awesome obstacle, which turns out to be easier than it looks. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you can now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley and goes over intervening ridges and valleys to join the Mweka Route, which will be your descent route. This day you will overnight at Karanga Valley where you will have much time to acclimatize before the next day hike to the Summit, top of Arica Continent. Lunch and Overnight will be at Karanga Valley Campsite.
After breakfast at Karanga Valley, You have now completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. For now, all eyes are still on the summit, so turn left and hike up the ridge for another hour to the Barafu Hut. The last water on the route is in the Karanga Valley; there is no water at Barafu Camp, even though Barafu is the Swahili word for “ice.” The famous snows of Kilimanjaro are far above Barafu Camp near the summit of the mountain. Your tent will be pitched on a narrow, stony, wind-swept ridge, so make sure that you familiarize yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. Prepare your equipment and warm clothing for your summit climb. This should include replacing your headlamp and camera batteries, and to prevent freezing, consider carrying your water in a thermal flask. Go to bed by 07:00 PM, and try to get a few hours of precious sleep. You will rise around 10:30 PM, and after some steaming tea and biscuits, you shuffle off into the night. You will start the summit hike walk at around 11:00pm from Barafu Camp to Summit.
Your 6-hour climb northwest up through heavy scree between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers to Stella Point on the crater rim is the most challenging part of the route for most climbers. You will reach Stella Point (5,685 m/18,650 ft) at around 05:30am and you will stop for a short rest and a chance to see a supremely sanguine sunrise. After your 3-hours descent from the summit back to Barafu Camp, you will have a well-earned but short rest, collect your gears, and hike down a rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest to Mweka Camp (3,100 m/10,170 ft). This camp is in the upper forest, so you can expect mist or rain in the late afternoon or evening. Dinner, and washing water will be prepared, and the camp office sells drinking water, soft drinks, and chocolates! After Dinner you will overnight at Mweka Camp. FB
After a well-deserved breakfast, it is a short, scenic, 3-hours hike back to the park gate. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Some climbers likes to get their Certificates at the Hotel or where they will be staying and have a celebration lunch or Dinner and drinks with your crew, Porters and Guides and get Certificates with photos of a Give presenting the Certificates to each member of the Group for Good Memory after accomplish the DREAM and later be transferred to stay in a Hotel/Lodge.
Depart for safari to Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Tarangire or other Parks in Southern part of Tanzania like Selous /Nyerere Park and other historic attractions like Bagamoyo, Kilwa ruins and Zanzibar. A trip to Zanzibar beaches is a good way to recuperate. We can arrange as many for reasonably priced trips around East Africa.
