13 Days Mount Kenya & Kilimanjaro Climbing Adventure

We depart Nairobi at 07:30hrs, then we proceed to Nanyuki Town which takes like 2-3 hours. On arrival we have cup of coffee as we finalize with the crews and purchase of food. There after we proceed to the Sirimon Gate, this normally takes not more than 1 hour, on arrival at the gate we will have lunch as we formalize the entry process and payments of the fees as required by the Park Authority. After the process the walking start from the gate to the camp, this normally takes 2-3 hours to get to Old Moses. Dinner and overnight in the camp

Wake up call at 0630hrs and you will be served with breakfast, after the breakfast prepare yourself and re-arrange the bag as we ascend the Sirimon Track to Likii North Valley, in this beautiful little valley below the subsidiary peaks of Teleki and Sendeyo, two ancient parasitic vents of the main peaks. {3990m}. Climb out of the North Valley and into the Mackinders Valley one of the broadest valleys on the Mountain, with many giant groundsels with good views of the main peaks and a brief stopover for picnic lunch along the valley on top of the cliff. After lunch we will have like 3 hours to ascend to Shipton Camp just bellow the main peak of Batian and Nelion this normally takes 7-8hrs to get to the Shipton Camp. On arrival you will find your cup of hot coffee or tea is ready as our crews always goes ahead to make sure the services are provided always on time. After refreshments you can either have a short walk for acclimatizing and then descend to the Camp as you wait for the dinner to be served. Dinner and overnight in Shipton Camp 4200m. The weather at this camp sometimes may go bellow 10 degrees depending with the climate

Wake up call at 0730am have your breakfast and then pack, leave at 0900am and ascend uphill to Simba col which is about 4610m, then proceed on a gradual trail along samba tarn to join the trail that joins to Mintos Hut from Austrian Hut. Proceed on to the Austrian Camp on time for lunch having done half circuit of the summit clockwise. The hike takes 3-4 hours. The lest of the afternoon spent in the camp relaxing as we await hitting the summit the following morning. Dinner and overnight in Austrian Hut

Wake up call at 04:30am, have a cup of Coffee or tea biscuits will also be served but keep it right to avoid constipation due to slow digestion, then we start the Alpine ascent to the highest peak Pt. Lenana {4985m} m (17,058ft) starts at 05:00hrs, taking 1 hr to reach Pt. Lenana 4985m (the hikers summit) in time to watch the sunrise. This is the most challenging bit of the Mount Kenya Trekking and will require a strong mind and the will as well as the spirit of Adventure to reach to the summit but its not challenging like Hiking Kili at Stella Point. On a clear day you can see the snow capped summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the South of Mt. Elgon to the west and the Indian Ocean to the East. We normally get to the summit around 0600.0630hrs before the sun rise, take the photos as many as you can. After your photography and viewing opportunity surrounded by glaciers and ice rock caves, descend leisurely to Mintos hut, 2hrs, for hot breakfast. There after descend further down for about 2-3 hours to Road head for picnic lunch. At this point your body will be gaining strength as you are now going down from high altitude to normal and your mind will be calm though might be tired for the long day walk. In the next 2 hours you arrive in Chogoria Bandas where the memories of Mt. Kenya becomes real, you will be received by our crews who always walks ahead and you will have hot African Tea or Coffee while dinner and overnight will be served as early as 1900hrs

The day will be calm and the breakfast will be served at around 0700am, after a leisurely breakfast, you walk about 10 km down through the forest to meet our driver who will drive you down the rest of the track and on to Chogoria town where we normally part ways with the other crews and we head back to Nairobi and have hot lunch on the way back to Nairobi arriving late afternoon with a drop off to your respective residential places of residence.

Pick you from your Hotel, Guest House or Residential house at about 0630am then proceed to the departure point in the city center where we board the Tourist designed shuttle bus and head to Tanzania. The Drive normally takes like 3-4 hours to arrive to the Kenya Tanzania Namanga border, on arrival head straight to the Migration office where you will obtain your visa just in case you had not applied for one before, the Visa goes for 100usd for American and 50usd for Non Americans, There after head to Arusha for the next 1.5hrs, there will be a short break for about 30min, here you will have lunch as you proceed to Moshi for the next 2 hours and arrive late afternoon around 1700hrs. Check in the QWine hotel in Moshi for dinner and overnight as you meet other crews who will be with you in the entire trekking.

After the breakfast drive to Machame Park Gate, this normally takes 40min to get to the Machame Gate.On arrival you go through the registration with the park authority as we weigh the bags and food, this process normally takes like at least 45min depending with the number of people. The Kilimanjaro trek in this World Heritage Site begins at the end of the tarmac road, walking for about 6 hrs, gradually ascending through the cloud forests of Kilimanjaro and onto giant heather forested hills at Machame Camp (2850 m).

Wake up at 07:00am have the breakfast, then trekkers ascend an enjoyable ridge, lunch will be served in one of the lunch point which is about halfway to shira Camp, after lunch traverse along a stream gorge and finally emerge on the Shira plateau volcanic moorland (3840m). Total trekking time for this day is approximately 6 hrs. Dinner and overnight in Shira Camp.

Trekkers follow the trail to Lava Towers (4500m), have lunch prior to spending an hour at Lava Towers, and then descend into the scenic Barranco gorge. Continue to Barranco Camp at 3950m. Total trekking time is approximately 6 hrs.

Trekkers cross the Barranco Valley, ascend the well known and fascinating Barranco wall (not technical climbing), then follow the Kibo South Circuit. Descend and ascend again for about 2 additional hours to arrive at Karanga Camp (4000 m) for lunch and overnight. Total trekking time is approximately 5 hrs.

Another half day trek takes you across some splendid volcanic lands, with Kibo Volcano (highest of the Kilimanjaro volcanoes) and its remaining glaciers as the backdrop. Enjoy the final ascent to Barafu Camp (4673 m). Total trekking time between camps is approximately 5 hrs. After lunch and a couple of hours of rest, you begin a short trek up to Kibo Camp for further acclimatization, and then descend for dinner. Sleep until 11:00 p.m. and then begin all night ascent. The summit is attainable since you should be properly acclimatized by now.

Trekkers move “polepole” (Swahili for “slowly”) to the north-west, with mountain guides at their side, up a defined trail toward Stella Point on the crater rim. Summit day is scheduled to coincide with a waxing moon, which will be nearly full. This 6-hour trek to Stella Point (5756 m) is the most mentally and physically challenging on the route. Temperature is usually -10° Celsius, and winds can make it even more challenging. At Stella Point, the group re-nourishes, enjoys the famous Kilimanjaro sunrise, and then continues for another hour to the true summit of Africa, Uhuru Peak. Photos and celebrations ensue. A slow descent back to Stella Point, followed by a quicker descent on scree slope trails back to Barafu Camp for a well deserved rest and brunch. Break camp and hike down to Lower Mweka Camp by mid-afternoon. This is the day you appreciate your trekking poles and honor your guides and porters – you descend over 2800 meters from Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp. If weather thwarts your summit bid, an extra day has been allowed if the group decides delay is advisable.

The 3 hr descent to Mweka Gate is very enjoyable, provides good views of yesterday’s accomplishment, and provides excellent photo opportunity of Mount Kilimanjaro’s unique vegetation of the cloud forest. Check-out at Mweka trail head, and then shuttle to Arusha with a drop off to the hotel of your choice