SHIRA ROUTE 6 DAYS 5 NIGHTS

After breakfast shira camp 2, 3810Mt/12500Ft Barranco Campsite via lava tower 4630mt/15190Ft Distance: 10km Walking Time: 5-6 hours Habitat: Semi-desert. From Shira Plateau, you continue to the east up ridge, passing the junction between Lava Tower and Barranco Campsite at 4470MT towards the peak of Kibo. Continue, your direction changes to the South East towards the Lava Tower 4630MT for Acclimatization, called the "Shark's Tooth." Shortly after the tower, we come to the second junction brings up to Arrow Glacier campsite at an altitude of 4870mt you now continue down to  Barranco  campsite at an altitude of 3950mt/13044Ft) meters, Here you rest, enjoy dinner, and overnight. Although you end the day at the same elevation as when you started, this day is very important for acclimatization and will help your body prepare for summit day adaptation.

Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp 3950m to 4200m Barranco wall. Distance: 5 km Hiking Time: 3-4 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert. After breakfast, we leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall,  or known as breakfast to  Karanga Valley campsite stop for Lunch before leaving for Barafu campsite at 4600mt.

Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp 3950mt to 4600m Distance: 11km Hiking Time: 6 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert After breakfast, leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge up the Barranco Wall, through Karanga Valley (lunch at3937mt and the reach the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail nearly base camp. Continue up to the Barafu Hut 4600mt.  Now you have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here make campsite, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are to be seen from this point.

Barafu Camp to the Summit and Mweka Campsite 4600m to 5895m (down to 3100mt Distance: 5km ascent for summit / 21km descent Mweka campsite Hiking Time: 5- 6 hours ascent / 3-4 hours descent Habitat: Stone screen and ice-capped summit. Very early in the morning (midnight at 12am), you continue your way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. You head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy screen towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. At Stella Point (5739mt you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting). From Stella Point, you may encounter snow all the way on your 45min ascent to the summit if it has been raining. At Uhuru Peak, you have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. Faster hikers will see the sunrise from the summit. It can be very cold at night at these elevations, but it will be quite warm by the end of the hiking day. You will want clothing for both extremes with you. From the summit, we now make our descent continuing straight down to the Mweka camp site, stopping at Barafu for lunch 4600mt and short rest about 2 hrs. There after descend down to. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Ascending from Base camp to Uhuru peak 5Km the descent back to Base camp 5KM. Time; ascent for summit 6-7Hrs Descent back to BASE camp Barafu 3 Hrs Distance: Down to Mweka Campsite from Base camp 12km down to Mweka Campsite. Time: 4 hrs down to Mweka Campsite, 3-4 hrs while you are increase Oxygen dinner overnight Mweka Campsite.

This is by easiest day as it is downhill and the oxygen supply increase as you go down, you will reach  Mweka Gate 1640Mt (5380Ft) at about  11:00am  complete  signing out  and meet your vehicle here drive to the hotel in Moshi or Arusha (B&B). Distance: 10Km Time: 3-4hrs