Itinerary Details
MT Sobek: Tanzania Climb Kilimanjaro Northern Circuit Route Trekking
Day 1 Welcome to Tanzania
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), where an MT Sobek representative will meet you and transfer you to the KIA Lodge, just five minutes from the airport. Tonight is yours to rest and recover. Enjoy a hot shower, a comfortable bed, onsite dining, and a savannah garden perfect for unwinding before your adventure begins.
Accommodation: KIA Lodge
Day 2 A Game Drive in Arusha National Park
2-hour private transfer
Game drive
After breakfast, meet your guide and the rest of the group in the lobby for a brief introduction and welcome orientation. Then transfer into Arusha National Park, watching for giraffes, black-and-white colobus monkeys, and Cape buffalo along the way. Pause midday for a beautifully prepared picnic lunch in the open bush, then continue on to Itikoni Tented Camp, nestled in the lush forest of Mount Meru's slopes at almost 6,800 feet. Settle into your canvas tent, relax by the fire, and join the group for a welcome dinner beneath the stars.
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Itikoni Camp
(B, L, D)
Day 3 Hike the Forested Slopes of Mount Meru
1-2 hours/2 miles optional hiking with 2,000' elevation gain; camp at 6,000'
Spend a leisurely morning soaking in camp views of Kilimanjaro, Meru, and the Ngurdoto Crater before lunch. Afterwards, gather for a briefing and gear check, separating what you'll carry on the mountain from what will be waiting for you when you return. Then head out for an afternoon hike through the cedar and podocarpus forests of Mount Meru, a 14,968-foot dormant volcano and Tanzania's second-tallest peak. A perfect introduction to the altitude, with good chances of spotting colobus monkeys, bushbuck, giraffe, and a host of bird life along the way. Look up and you'll catch impressive views of Meru's dramatic ash cone summit.
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Itikoni Camp
(B, L, D)
Day 4 Trek Through Kilimanjaro’s Montane Forest
1-hour private transfer
4.5 miles/4-6 hours hiking with 1,750' elevation gain
Today your Kilimanjaro trek begins. After an hour's drive from camp you'll arrive at the forested edge of Kilimanjaro National Park. From here, walk about three hours through undisturbed cloud forest, ascending among moss-covered trees and through mist-shrouded jungle. Keep your eyes open for Colobus monkeys, signs of elephants, and other forest wildlife along the way. Enjoy a flora-filled ascent toward camp, stopping to replenish with a hearty lunch along the way. Settle into camp near Machame Hut at 9,000 feet, then gather with your group in the mess tent for a warm, thoughtfully prepared dinner before turning in for the night.
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Kilimanjaro
(B, L, D)
Day 5 Trek to the Shira Plateau at 11,600’
7.2 miles/6 hours hiking with 3,100' elevation gain
Embark on a slow-paced hike through the forest, ascending through Kili's enchanted cloud forest and into its high-elevation Hagenia forest zone. Colobus monkeys, blue monkeys, and Hartlaub's turacos are some of the wildlife and bird life you might spot as you make your way upward through these equatorial transition zones. Over the ascent, dense forest gradually gives way to the expansive moorland and heather of the Shira Plateau, where your camp tonight sits at 11,600 feet with stunning views of the 19,341-foot Kibo peak.
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Kilimanjaro
(B, L, D)
Day 6 Traverse the Shira Plateau
6 miles/5 hours hiking with 2,000' elevation gain
Cross the Shira Plateau today, one of the highest plateaus in the world, on a relatively flat four-hour traverse through vast moorland and heather. Ancient lava flows and dramatic rock formations like the pyramid-shaped Shira Cathedral line the route as you move from the plateau's western edge toward Kili's eastern slopes. Spend another hour ascending the western slope of Kibo, the largest of the mountain's three volcanic cones, with the dramatic Western Breach coming into full view as you climb. Camp tonight at Moir Camp at 13,600 feet, one of the mountain's most remote and peaceful sites, surrounded by steep slopes and ridgelines that reward patient campers with dramatic sunsets and star-filled skies.
(B, L, D)
Day 7 Descend to Pofu Camp
6.2 miles/5-7 hours hiking with 1,071' elevation gain and 1,623' loss
The day begins with an ascent out of the Moir valley to 14,200 feet, with an optional detour up Little Lent Hill for those wanting an extra push and sweeping views across the mountain. From here the trail descends to Pofu Camp, one of the most secluded camps on the entire mountain, sitting on the quiet northern base of Kibo at 13,200 feet. Along the way, take in vast sightlines across West Kilimanjaro and the Amboseli plains below, home to the free-roaming elephant herds long studied by renowned researchers Cynthia Moss and Joyce Poole.
(B, L, D)
Day 8 Acclimatize in the Alpine Desert at Third Cave Camp
3.6 miles/3-5 hours hiking with 232' elevation gain and 457' loss
A shorter day by design, giving your body time to adjust before the big push ahead. The trail follows the transition zone between moorland and alpine desert, where hardy shrubs gradually give way to rockier, dustier terrain and the mountain starts to feel genuinely raw. Trek past massive volcanic formations before arriving at Third Cave Camp at 12,900 feet. The setting is almost lunar, with large volcanic boulders, barren open desert, and dramatic views of the Kibo cone stretching out in every direction. A good day to breathe, eat well, and let the altitude do its work.
(B, L, D)
Day 9 The Long Climb to School Camp
3 miles/5-7 hours hiking with 2,600' elevation gain
Short on miles but relentless in climb, this is a continuous 2,600-foot ascent through Kilimanjaro's rock and ice zone. Pole pole, or "slowly, slowly," is the only sensible approach as the trail climbs through an increasingly stark and dramatic alpine landscape. School Camp at 15,600 feet is often described as the quietest, least-used camp on the mountain, and arriving here feels earned. Less than 3,000 vertical feet from the summit, your expert guides will walk you through a demonstration of MT Sobek's high-altitude safety equipment, including hyperbaric chambers and supplemental oxygen systems, before the following day's ascent to Crater Camp.
(B, L, D)
Day 10 The Push to Crater Camp — Africa's Highest Campsite
3.5 miles/6-8 hours hiking with 3,500’ elevation gain
A big push today as you wind your way above School Camp to the summit crater rim at Stella Point, a major summit landmark on Mount Kilimanjaro's Kibo crater rim. From here you'll have an opportunity to explore the inner crater and ash pit before descending into the summit crater. Make your way to Crater Camp, perfectly perched beside Furtwangler Glacier at a breathtaking 18,800 feet in elevation. As the highest camp on the mountain, Crater Camp makes for a much easier summit day than most outfitter routes offer. Most trekkers face a grueling 3,000-foot overnight trek to reach the peak, while yours is a 540-foot climb. Enjoy spectacular westward views of the setting African sun on your final night before summiting.
(B, L, D)
Day 11 Summit Kilimanjaro
8 miles/8-10 hours hiking with 540’ elevation gain and 8,800’ elevation loss
Summit day is finally here. Start your 540-foot ascent in the early morning, leaving enough time to be standing on Kili's 19,341-foot top near dawn. The moment at Uhuru Peak, Africa's highest point, is yours to take in. Soak up the views, breathe it in, and relish the accomplishment. Then begins the long descent: first to Barafu Hut to refuel, then continuing down to your final camp near Mweka Hut at 10,170 feet. The trail from Barafu is rocky and steep at first, but softens into lush rainforest as you drop through the lower slopes, a fittingly beautiful end to the mountain.
(B, L, D)
Day 12 Down the Mountain & Back to Arusha
1.5- to 2-hour private transfer
Start your morning with a final 4,500-foot descent, hiking 3 to 5 hours to reach the park gate and your pick-up point. A celebratory lunch awaits, along with the chance to say a proper goodbye to your mountain staff before boarding your transfer to the KIA Lodge in Arusha. A hot shower, a comfortable bed, and a story-swapping dinner with the group round out an extraordinary journey. Rest well before your flight home, or wherever your travels take you next.
(B, L)
