Umbwe Route, 7 Days: The Steepest Climb, With a Rest Day

From $4,500 per personPark fees, permits, guides, porters and all mountain meals included

Description

Itinerary

Included/Excluded

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro via Umbwe Route

The Umbwe Route on Mount Kilimanjaro is known for its challenging and steep ascent, making it one of the more difficult routes to the summit. This route is typically completed in 6 days, allowing for acclimatization to the high altitude.

The Umbwe Route starts in the lush rainforest, offering stunning views of the surrounding landscape. As you ascend, the terrain changes to moorland and eventually rocky terrain as you reach the summit.

One of the highlights of the Umbwe Route is the Barranco Wall, a steep climb that provides a thrilling challenge for climbers. The route also offers breathtaking views of the glaciers and the African plains below.

While the Umbwe Route is one of the more physically demanding routes, it is also one of the least crowded, providing a more secluded and intimate experience on the mountain. Some people think this route is for experienced hikers who looking for a more challenging and adventurous trek to the summit of Kilimanjaro. But as far as I have guided this route is the one I have 100% summit successful with all types of climber, from beginners to experienced

Included

All Tanzania transportation
Scheduled accommodations, including two-night accommodations before the climb, and one night after the climb. (Double occupancy)
Quality expedition camps on the mountain.
All group camping and cooking equipment, walk-in tent, sleeping cot, mattress and pillows. Mess tent, Utensils, stoves, etc.
Private portable toilet
Park fees and climbing permits.
Experienced Guides, Chef, Waiter and Porters
All meals during the climb. (excluding drinks)
All land transportation on scheduled arrival and departure dates and times
Safety equipment, including oxygen for emergency, first aid kits, stretcher, radio communication, safety protocols, etc
Wi-Fi where there is cell service
Kosovo camp a.k.a Respicius camp

Excluded

International round-trip airfare Tanzania
Tanzanian and/or Kenyan visas
Travel or Medical Insurance is required and you should ask for Recommendation
Meals, transport, and lodging outside the regular itinerary
Bottled Beverages
Excess baggage charges and airport taxes
Personal gear (see gear list)
International vaccinations
Optional Single Room Supplement: $280.00
Charges incurred as a result of delays beyond the control of SEVEN SUMMITS KILIMANJARO
Airport Departure Taxes
Travel Insurance
Immunization
All prices and dates are subject to change.

Tour Plan

Day 1 ARRIVE IN TANZANIA

Seven Summits Kilimanjaro representatives and our mountain guides will welcome you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transport you directly to the hotel.

Day 2 REST AND ORIENTATION

This day is spent relaxing and recovering from your travels. You will have an opportunity to meet the rest of the Kilimanjaro team and our mountain guides.

Morning. Your time to relax and explore a little as you stroll around Moshi town.

Afternoon, orientation. We meet as a group. Your guide gives the trip briefing and reviews your equipment. You pack your own mountain gear into a duffel bag, up to 18 kilos, which the porters will carry. You leave a second bag with travel and safari clothes in storage at the hotel.

Day 3 UMBWE GATE TO UMBWE CAVE

2,950m | 11km

After a short drive through grasslands and scattered villages we arrive at the forest edge of the Umbwe Gate. Once your guide has taken care of the paperwork and you have signed in, we begin the climb, walking through undisturbed lush jungle to our camp just above Umbwe Cave.

We stop at the halfway point for a picnic lunch, and your guides share their knowledge of the local ecology as we pass through remarkable plants and trees, listen to exotic birds and watch for wildlife. With luck you may see black and white colobus monkeys. Your tent will be set up when you arrive, and there is hot tea and snacks in the dining tent. Dinner and overnight at camp.

Day 4 UMBWE CAVE TO BARRANCO CAMP

3,950m | 6km

Your waiter greets you at your tent with a hot drink and water for a quick wash before breakfast. We take our time walking through the forest so that we acclimatise comfortably to the increasing altitude, with plentiful bird life and long views through the jungle.

Today’s hike takes us to Barranco Camp. Your guides will point out the environmental changes that characterise this equatorial zone as we climb. We stop en route for a picnic lunch. Dinner and overnight at camp.

Day 5 BARRANCO TO KARANGA CAMP

3,995m | 5km

This is the extra day that helps you acclimatise. The first challenge is the Barranco Wall, not technical but a challenge nonetheless. Most of the day is spent skirting the base of Kibo peak over your left shoulder. We descend into the Karanga Valley and climb the other side, where we rest before the climb to high camp. Lunch, dinner and overnight at Karanga Camp.

Day 6 KARANGA TO KOSOVO CAMP

4,800m | 4km

It is all uphill to Kosovo Camp, also known to our team as Respicius Camp. It is windy and cold at this altitude, and there is a buzz of excitement in the air as climbers anticipate the toughest day just ahead. Lunch, dinner and overnight at Kosovo Camp.

Day 7 KOSOVO CAMP TO UHURU PEAK AND BACK

5,895m | 4km

We follow a picturesque back route for the final ascent, using an exclusive and rarely walked summit footpath that gives access to isolated country and remarkable views of East Africa’s peaks and plains. The summit leg is timed to reveal a new dawn over Africa.

Early in the morning we climb towards the crater rim, a non-technical route to the crater floor edge at Stella Point. From Stella Point it is forty five minutes to an hour to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa at 5,895m. We arrive at the summit and are rewarded with clear views before the midday cloud rolls in. There is time to take in what you have done, eat something and take photographs.

After the summit we begin the descent, with lunch on the way back below Stella Point, then down to Kosovo Camp for dinner and overnight.

Day 8 KOSOVO CAMP TO MWEKA CAMP

3,000m | 8km

After breakfast we descend to Mweka Camp, four to five hours of hiking. Lunch on arrival, then a wash and time with the team. Dinner and overnight at camp.

Day 9 FINAL DESCENT AND CELEBRATION DINNER

1,650m | 10km

Hiking time varies with trail conditions as we travel through the lush vegetation at this elevation. Rain can fall at any time of year here and can make the trail muddy. Moving at a slower pace has its benefits and gives you time to take in the surroundings.

Once we have descended to the road head we sign out at Mweka Gate, have lunch, and say goodbye to the mountain staff before heading to the hotel. There you can shower and relax, and a celebration dinner completes the adventure.

Summiting Kilimanjaro marks the end of one adventure and the start of another. You can extend your stay with a safari, a trip to Zanzibar, or both.

Day 10 DEPARTURE OR ONWARD TRAVEL

Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home, or continue to your safari or Zanzibar extension.