Kilimanjaro Shira Plateau Route - 7 night/8 days

'If you have the time, the best possible itinerary"

This complete Kilimanjaro itinerary is the most successful trek on the mountain with 98% of the climbers reaching the summit. One of the best features of the route is the longer, slower ascent which gives the body time to acclimatize to the altitude gradually– this greatly increases the success rate. The route has the added benefit of traveling across the Shira Plateau: a World Heritage Site and one of the Kilimanjaro wilderness areas.

Day 1: LUXURY TENTED CAMP (see luxury camp info) Arrive in Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport and transfer to a special private luxury camp. Our camp is in the old traditional canvas style, comfortable and well staffed (see "camping"). Our campsite provides you with the opportunity to spend your first two nights in the still unchanged bush of Eastern Africa. We have a campsite inside Arusha National Park at the base of Mt. Meru. This camp is at 6,000 ft, helping you acclimatize in preparation for climbing Kili. The walking from the camp is in Montane Forest on the slopes of Mt. Meru. A half day acclimatization hike can take you to over 8,000ft, excellent for acclimatization.

Day 2: LUXURY TENTED CAMP This day is designed to give you plenty of time to relax, pack and recoup from the long journey. Your trip leader will give you a climb briefing and answer any questions you have about the climb. He will also do an equipment check with each person to be sure that you are fully prepared. We have designed this day to allow for walking, game viewing or cultural exchange with indigenous people. Activities will depend on which campsite you have chosen. Accommodation is full board.

Day 3: MONTANE FOREST (9,000') (see mountain camp info)(day 1 on the mountain) Drive approximately one hour to the Kilimanjaro National Park forest edge. From there we walk about 3 hours through the undisturbed forest to our camp for the night. With luck you will be able to see Colobus monkeys and signs of elephant and other forest wildlife on your walk to camp.

Day 4: SHIRA PLATEAU WEST SIDE (11,300') (day 2 on the mountain) Taking our time walking through the forest will help us spot some of the plentiful game and bird life. The day's hike will take us up through the Montane Forest and the Hagenia forest zone. You will see the unique environmental differences that characterize these equatorial zones.

Day 5: SHIRA PLATEAU EAST SIDE - MOIR CAMP (13,900') (day 3 on mountain) Our hike today will be about 4 hours across the Shira Plateau, a World Heritage Site, and one hour up the western slope of the Kibo Massif. Camp will be in the upper heath zone in full view of the Western Breach.

Day 6: LAVA TOWER (14,300') (day 4 on mountain) Today we will hike approximately 6 hours to camp just under Lava Tower, a 300 foot high volcanic lava plug that juts out of the side of the mountain. This will be our first introduction to the alpine zone, with the only plant life being the hardiest of grasses and lichens. We will have a spectacular view of our final ascent route up the Western Breach.

Day 7: ARROW GLACIER (16,000') (day 5 on mountain) With the Western Breach ascent route in full view we will spend 2 hours climbing to the base of the route where we will camp near Arrow Glacier. An afternoon hike further up the route before relaxing in camp will help our acclimatization and improve our performance the following day.

Day 8: SUMMIT CRATER CAMP (18,500') (day 6 on mountain) We will wind our way up the Western Breach non-technical climbing route for about six hours to the crater rim of the main Kilimanjaro summit massif. Those who still have the energy on top can explore the inner crater and the ash pit before moving to our highest camp on the crater floor. This spectacular high camp is next to the Furtwrangler Glacier with stunning views westward toward Mount Meru and the setting African sun.

Day 9: SUMMIT DAY and MWEKA CAMP (10,500') (day 7 on mountain) We will start our ascent to the summit (19,340') early enough in the morning to be on the summit by 10:00am. This final ascent is only 800 feet and can be undertaken after sunrise and a leisurely breakfast. This is quite a contrast to the 3,000 foot slog required to summit via all the other ascent routes on Kilimanjaro. After taking in the view from Uhuru Peak we will begin the long descent to Barafu Hut and down to our final camp near Mweka Hut.

Day 10: ARUSHA (day 8 on mountain & hike out) It takes about 3 to 5 hours to make the 4,500 foot descent to the Park Gate and pick-up. We will have our lunch at the gate and say goodbye to our mountain staff before heading to the hotel near Arusha. Farewell dinner, overnight and transfer to the Kilimanjaro Airport are all provided. If you are going on safari, you will continue on from the hotel on day 11.

Other climbing itineraries

Breakfast on the Shira Plateau
Hiking in the snow
Lava Tower at dawn
Crater camp
Sucessfully summiting feels good
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