The Northern Circuit Route is the newest and the longest route on the mountain.
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9 Days
Challenging
5,895m
The Northern Circuit Route is the newest and longest route on the mountain. It is the least crowded as it wraps around the mountain’s north side. Along with low crowds, this route is known to have the best views throughout the trek so that you can enjoy your time on the mountain in peace with the breathtaking views surrounding you.
There is a great success rate of summiting, with people who take this route as you spend 9 days on the mountain. This extra time allows your body to acclimatize to the high altitudes better, with less chance of developing altitude sickness and summiting safely.
1 person | $2975 |
2 persons | $2775/ person |
4 persons | $2615/ person |
6 persons | $2405/ person |
Upon arrival, a Mahiri African Tours representative will pick you up and greet you at Kilimanjaro Airport. You will be transferred to your accommodations for the night in Moshi, where you will have a briefing about the trek and a review of your equipment and trekking gear.
We will drive to the Londorossi gate entrance. Here your guides will finalize registration, and all the bags the porters will be carrying will be weighed. After completed, we will take a quick drive to Lemosho trailhead. Here the trek will start as you walk through the rainforest with curious blue and colobus monkeys around in the trees. We camp at Mti Mkubwa.
Elevation: 2,100m -2,780m
Distance: 6km
Hiking Time: 3-4hrs
As the trail heads to Shira 1 camp, you will soon leave the rainforest and be walking through the heather and moorland zone. If the clouds clear, you can get a great view of Kibo, the summit cone of Kilimanjaro. We will hike until reaching camp, where a delicious meal will be set up for you.
Elevation: 2,780m- 3,500m
Distance: 9km
Hiking Time: 5-6hrs
The trek will continue through the moorland zone with low grasses and shrubs. Various walks are available on the way to camp, making this an excellent acclimatization day where you can climb to a higher elevation and sleep at a lower elevation. This campsite has spectacular views of Mount Meru if the weather permits.
Elevation: 3,500m- 3,900m
Distance: 7kms
Hiking Time: 3-4hrs
Today after breakfast, we start the trek toward the lava tower. Before getting to the lava tower, the route connects with the Machame route, where you notice more crowds appear as numerous trails intersect here. But don't worry about the crowds today. The lava tower is only a detour we use as an acclimatization day. You will come across the fascinating lava tower and we will stop to have lunch here to acclimatize to the elevation change before descending to the lower elevation at Moir Hut Camp. Depending on the group's ability, your guides may choose not to go to lava tower and instead directly to Moir Camp.
Elevation: 3,900 m- 4,630m (Lava tower) - 4,200m
Distance: 14km
Hiking Time: 5-7hrs
On today's trek, after breakfast, you will take a short detour to the top of Lent Hills for the views, then continue the climb to Buffalo Camp. Today you will lose some elevation, so the extra climb to Lent Hills will be helpful with your acclimatization. As you continue, you will wrap around the northern side of Kilimanjaro, and below see the Kenyan valleys.
Elevation: 4,200m- 4,020m
Distance: 12km
Hiking Time: 5-7hrs
On the trek today, you will walk through the valleys and ridges of the alpine desert and moorland zones finishing at Third Cave camp. Here, the trail meets up with the Rongai route. Weather permitting at this campsite you will have Kibo as a backdrop.
Elevation: approx. 4,020- 3,870m
Distance: 8kms
Hiking Time: 5-6hrs
This is your final day of trekking before your midnight summit that you will start tomorrow. Today is a steady ascent to the saddle. “The Saddle” sits between Kibo and Mawenzi. After reaching the saddle, you will head towards the School Hut campsite. It will still be early when you arrive, so rest because tomorrow will be difficult. You should sleep right after dinner tonight, as your summit attempt will start at midnight.
Elevation: 3,870 m to 4,800 m
Distance: 7km
Hiking Time: 4-5hrs
Today is your summit night, with a very early start to the day. The trek will start at about midnight as you walk towards the summit, making this your most challenging day on the mountain, between the significant elevation gain to the summit and the significant descent after the summit.
The high altitude makes this a very challenging summit night. This will be your most difficult day, but your guides will assist you. The lack of oxygen, the closer you get, will be challenging, and you will need to focus on your breathing. Walking along the crater rim towards Uhuru Peak, you can see the glaciers covering Kibo up close.
After reaching the summit, the amount of time spent here will depend on the weather and your health status at the current time. You will then descend down to Barafu Camp for lunch and a quick rest. After this, you will continue your descent to Mweka Camp. This camp is the final stop of the day, where you will relax for the night and have a delicious dinner as you will be exhausted from the long day.
It is important to go slowly during your descent from the summit and make sure you are watching your footing as you will get tired. The descent is a common place for injuries to occur from falling and losing your footing if moving too fast.
Elevation: 4,800m - 5,895m (Uhuru peak) - 3,100m
Distance: 18kms
Hiking Time: 14-16hrs
Today is your final day on the mountain as you leave camp and head towards Mweka Gate. You will walk through the beautiful forest before arriving at the gate. At the entrance, you will receive your summit certificate if you successfully summited Uhuru Peak. Your driver will be waiting for you here and will drive you back to your accommodations for the night.
Elevation: 3,100m - 1,700m
Distance: 9kms
Hiking Time: 3-4hrs
Today we will have a driver take you to the airport for your departure flight. If you choose to continue on another tour after your climb, we will take care of that for you to ensure a seamless transition to your next tour.
Contact us for all your Tanzania adventures, and our team about any questions regarding planning your Tanzanian trip. We are happy to discuss and tailor any adventure to your needs.