The day that you’ve trained so long and hard for has finally arrived. As you meet the Charity Challenge representative and the rest of the team at the airport, it’s time to say goodbye to family and friends before heading off for Tanzania.
Fly over Tanzania on our flight to Kilimanjaro Airport from your stopover in Ethiopia or Kenya. We meet our local Charity Challenge representative who will transport us to our hotel in Marangu. Here we have the rest of the day to relax and get to know each other. Later the evening will be spent enjoying our first team dinner, while checking through our kit and listening to a full briefing. Overnight in hotel.
It’s a short drive to the Rongai National Park gate where we register. We begin our climb at the traditional village of Nale Moru at 1,950m. The track climbs through fields, pine forest and rainforest which shelter a variety of wildlife, including Colobus monkeys. Our first camp is on the edge of the moorland zone (2,600m). We camp at Rongai One after gaining 650m in altitude.
Ahead lies a tough climb of 1,000m, so after a hearty breakfast we head away from the main trail across moorland to the jagged peaks of Mawenzi. Breaking for lunch, the route up ahead passes through picturesque valley and past many caves. Tonight’s campsite is situated in a sheltered valley surrounded by giant senecio plants near Kikelewa Caves at 3,600m.
The day begins early, ahead of a steep climb at high altitude. Leaving the vegetation behind, we reach our next camp Mawenzi Tarn at 4,330m, which lies in the shadows of Mawenzi. In order to continue acclimatising to the high altitude, the afternoon is free to explore the surrounding area. The night will be spent camping above the clouds.
The day will start with an unexpected – but much needed – lie-in! After breakfast, there’s a short acclimatisation walk up the scree slopes of Mawenzi, before returning back to base for lunch and free time. Although we have gained 250m of altitude practise, we will return for dinner and sleep at our Mawenzi Tarn camp at 4,300m to help prepare for summit day.
One day before summit and the nerves are likely to be kicking in. Today we’ll venture across the lunar desert that creates the ‘saddle’ between Mawenzi and Kibo. Ultimately, we are aiming for the campsite at the bottom of the Kibo-crater wall. The group will now be 420m closer to the goal, so the rest of the day will be spent mentally preparing for the challenge ahead.
You’ll be woken at midnight for the final push up the scree slopes to Gilman’s Point. The spectacular sunrise will push us on towards the summit –Uhuru Point (5,895m). Your prize will be the amazing views and sense of achievement. There’s plenty of time for those all-important victory shots, before our descent to Horombo. The campsite is at 2,700m and where we spend our final night camping.
We descend towards the Moorland to Mandara Hut at 2,700m before returning to the Marangu Gate at 1,800m. This is a long and gently sloping walk from the lower heath and into the rainforest. Our vehicles await us at the finishing point for the drive back to our hotel in Marangu. Finally, it’s time to relax with our final team dinner and a celebratory drink.
After breakfast, you will be driven to see our Tanzanian community partners – Pamoja Tunaweza Boys & Girls Club where you will see first-hand where your donations are going to and you have a chance to purchase unique club-made souvenirs. Emotions are likely to be mixed as we say goodbye to Kilimanjaro and head back home to the UK. Take the time during the flight to sit back and reflect on your once-in-a-lifetime experience, while also swapping contact details with new-found friends and trekking partners.
Head home to share your special memories with friends and family.
BELIEVE >> ACHIEVE >> INSPIRE
We hold an Air Travel Organiser's Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 6546. Many of the flight-inclusive challenges on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. This ATOL protection only covers challenges that include flights booked by Charity Challenge and that originate in the UK. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLcertificate
Link to share:
https://www.charitychallenge.com/expedition/itinerary/1851/Kilimanjaro-Summit-Climb-Rongai-Route
Share link via: