Kilimanjaro Umbwe Route 6 days

As compared to the Machame Route, Umbwe is steeper and shorter. Once you arrive at the Barranco Hut, you can join other fellow trekkers who arrived via the Machame route. You then descent down the Mweka trail.Since it is a very short and direct route, it is not recommended for people with little altitude experience.

Day 1: Drive to Kilimanjaro National Park Umbwe Gate, Hike to Umbwe Cave Camp.

Elevation: 1660m/5450ft to 2850m/9350ft

Distance: 11km/7mi Hiking Time: 5-6 hours

Habitat: Montane Forest

Meals: LD Budget

Lodging: Umbwe Cave Camp

Day 2: Umbwe Cave Camp to Barranco Camp..

After breakfast, we leave the glades of the forest and follow an ascending path on the open moorland to Barranco Camp.

Elevation: 2850m/9350ft to 4000m/13,000ft

Distance: 6km/4mi Walking Time: 4-5 hours

Habitat: Semi-desert

Meals: BLD

Budget Lodging: Barranco Camp

Day 3: Hike Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp.

After breakfast, we leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge up the Barranco Wall to the Karanga Valley and the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail.

Elevation: 4000m/13,000ft to 4050m/13,250ft

Distance: 5km/3mi

Hiking Time: 34 hours

Habitat: Alpine Desert

Meals: BLD

Budget Lodging: Karanga Camp

Day 4: Hike Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp.

We continue up to the Barafu Camp. You have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day.

Elevation: 4050m/13,250ft to 4700m/15,350ft

Distance: 4km/2mi

Hiking Time: 3-4 hours

Habitat: Alpine Desert

Meals: BLD

Budget Lodging: Barafu Camp

Day 5: Barafu Camp to Summit, down to Mweka Camp

In the midnight to 2 am, we’ll resume our journey to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. Following the northwestern direction, we’ll ascend down the mountain towards Stella Point through heavy screen. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. You’ll have a short rest at Stella Point and you’ll see view of the sunrise from here you’re ever going to see. Faster hikers may view the sunrise from the summit.You may encounter heavy to moderate snowfall on your 1-hour ascent from Stella point all the way to the summit. Once you arrive at the Uhuru Peak, you’ll have reached the highest point on Mt. Kilimanjaro and the entire continent of Africa!From the summit, we’ll descend down to Barafu where we’ll have our lunch and then to the Mweka Camp. You may want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. We arrive at Mweka Camp and enjoy our last evening on the mountain.

Elevation: 4700m/15,350ft to 5895m/19,340ft Down to 3090m/10,150ft

Distance: 5km/3mi up / 13km/8mi down

Hiking Time: 5-7 hours up / 5-6 hours down

Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit

Meals: BLD

Budget Lodging: Mweka Camp

Day 6: Hike Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate, drive to Arusha

After breakfast we continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. Shorts and t-shirts, either full or half, will be more than enough, but do keep rain gears and warmer clothes.From the gate, continue another hour to Mweka Village. A vehicle will meet you at Mweka gate to drive you back to your Arusha (about 30 minutes).

Elevation (ft): 12,205 ft to 6,046 ft

Distance: 20 km/12 miles

Hiking Time: 5-7 hours

Habitat: Rain Forest