Embark on an 8-day Rongai Route Kilimanjaro trek. Experience diverse climates, stunning views, and wildlife. Conquer Kilimanjaro’s peaks and explore unspoiled wilderness.
Embark on an 8-day Rongai Route Kilimanjaro trek. Experience diverse climates, stunning views, and wildlife. Conquer Kilimanjaro’s peaks and explore unspoiled wilderness.
Arrival Day
Moshi - Upon your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be greeted by our driver in the arrival hall. Look for a sign with the lead traveler’s name or your own name if you are traveling solo.
Nale Muru Gate to Simba Camp
Kilimanjaro National Park - After breakfast, your guide will brief you. At 10 am, our…
Arrival Day
Moshi - Upon your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be greeted by our driver in the arrival hall. Look for a sign with the lead traveler’s name or your own name if you are traveling solo.
Nale Muru Gate to Simba Camp
Kilimanjaro National Park - After breakfast, your guide will brief you. At 10 am, our staff will drive you from Keys Hotel to the village of Nale Muru. The 4-5 hour drive passes through villages and coffee plantations. Upon arrival, your guides and porters will prepare your gear while you register at the Kilimanjaro Park Office. Your trek begins through maize and potato fields before entering a pine forest. The ascent starts in the forest, home to various wildlife. As you reach Simba Camp near the First Cave, the forest thins out. Your camp, set up by porters, offers stunning views of the Kenyan plains. Boiled drinking water and washing water will be provided before dinner.
Simba Camp to Kikelewa Camp
Kilimanjaro National Park - After breakfast, you will pack for the day’s trek through moorland terrain. The trek to Second Cave is steady in grade and ascent, offering great views of Kibo and the ice fields on the Eastern crater rim. The moorland shrubs thin out as you approach Second Cave, where you’ll rest and have lunch. You will then head east on a less-traveled path toward Mawenzi. After a 10km trek, you will reach a valley with giant Senecios plants near Kikelewa Cave. You will camp at Kikelewa Camp for the night.
Kikelewa Camp to Mawenzi Tarn
Kilimanjaro National Park - After breakfast and packing, you will hike up steep, grassy slopes. At the top, enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view. You will then enter semi-desert terrain, leaving vegetation behind. Mawenzi Tarn, beneath the peaks of Mawenzi, is your destination. Spend the afternoon exploring the area.
Acclimatization Day at Mawenzi Tarn
Kilimanjaro National Park - Today is an acclimatization day. You will start with a short hike towards Mawenzi, ascending for 2-4 hours depending on your pace. The round trip takes 3-6 hours. Spend another night at Mawenzi Tarn before continuing to Uhuru Peak.
Mawenzi Tarn to Kibo Huts
Kilimanjaro National Park - After an early breakfast, you will hike across the lunar desert-like saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo. Start early to reach the next camp in time to rest before your summit attempt. You will camp at Kibo Huts, just below the Kibo crater wall, joining the Marangu Route for the summit hike. Prepare your gear and go to bed by 7 PM to rest before the summit attempt.
Kibo Huts to Uhuru Peak to Horombo Huts
Kilimanjaro National Park - Wake up at midnight for breakfast and start your summit ascent at 1 AM. The goal is to reach the peak at sunrise. The trek involves switchbacks up steep scree to Gilman’s Point on the crater rim (18,640 ft/5,861 m) between 5 and 7 AM. From there, hike along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak, arriving around 9 AM. After taking photos, begin your descent to Kibo Huts for lunch and rest. Then, continue to Horombo Huts for dinner and sleep.
Horombo Huts to Marangu Gate
Kilimanjaro National Park - After breakfast, pack and descend through the moorland to Mandara Huts for lunch. Continue through the rainforest to the park gate, arriving around 2 or 3 PM. A 45-minute drive will take you back to Keys Hotel in Moshi for a celebration!
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Laundry service available at 4$ per cloth
- Laundry service available at 4$ per cloth
Starting from the Rongai gate, the route traverses several diverse climate zones, and each produces its own amazing views and experiences. Because of its remote location, the route offers trekkers a relatively unspoiled wilderness experience where it is possible to see large wildlife like antelope, elephants, and buffalo. Heading up to Kikelewa Caves on…
Starting from the Rongai gate, the route traverses several diverse climate zones, and each produces its own amazing views and experiences. Because of its remote location, the route offers trekkers a relatively unspoiled wilderness experience where it is possible to see large wildlife like antelope, elephants, and buffalo. Heading up to Kikelewa Caves on day two, the views start to open up, with the Amboseli Plains of Kenya stretching into the distance. The route continues up to the mountain’s second summit at Mawenzi, before crossing the Saddle, a barren plain that connects the two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo. After reaching the summit, the descent is along the more heavily traveled Marangu route, offering you the chance to see Mount Kilimanjaro from both sides.
Lying in the rain shadow of Kilimanjaro, the Rongai route is one of the best routes to make the attempt on Kilimanjaro during the rainy season.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
