9 Days Northern Circuit Route
Northern Circuit route is one of our preferred routes due to its low traffic, beautiful scenery and a high summit success rate.
This route starts off from the west, beginning with a long drive from Moshi to Londorossi Gate. From there, the first two days are spent trekking through the lush rainforest to Shira Plateau.
Northern Circuit joins the Rongai route at Third Cave Camp and then follows that route through the northern circuit and descending at Mweka Gate
Our 9 days northern Circuit Trekking Route includes information such as transportation details, accommodations, and activities for each day. We want to ensure that our clients are able to make the most of their time in this particular destination.
You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Moshi town, you will meet your guide who will brief you on your upcoming trek and do an equipment check to make sure you have all the necessary mountain gear. Gear which is missing can be rented on this day. Overnight: Parkview Inn (or alternative).
Meals: No Meals Included
You will be picked up at your hotel at around 08:00am and transferred to the Lemosho gate located on the western side of Kilimanjaro. After the registration process you will still start our climb steadily through the forests of the Lemosho glades to reach Big Tree camp where you will be spending the night.
Distance covered: 7km / 4.3mi
Approx. time taken: 4 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Today you will trek across a plateau of grassy moorland and heather scattered with volcanic rock formations. Our destination for today is the Shira 1 Camp from where there are often views of Kibo Peak floating on the clouds. We gain a reasonable amount of altitude today and parts of the route are fairly steep.
Distance covered: 8.5km / 5.3mi
Approx. time taken: 7 hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Today we have the chance to view the Northern ice fields from the western side of the mountain with some unusual views of Kibo. The terrain during our steady climb will change from the moorland of the Shira Plateau to the broad upland desert beneath the Lent Hills with great panoramic views. Our camp is close to Moir Hut (4175m). In the afternoon we do an acclimatization walk to the lower part of the Lent Hills group, to an altitude of 4300m.
10kms > 5-6hrs > Altitude gain 675m
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
We walk heading North to Moir Valley, we climb out of this to the summit of Little Lent Hill at 4,375m before striking eastwards around the Northern Circuit Trail and Finish our day at Buffalo/Pofu Camp.
12kms >4-5hrs >Altitude down 140m = Acclimatization Day = Afternoon
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
The day starts with a climb up heading east around the northern slopes to the Rongai Third Cave at 3,800 meters. The trek is shorter than the day before and by now you should be feeling well acclimatized to the altitude. You will arrive at the Third Cave just around mid-afternoon.
8kms >4-5hrs > Altitude down 50m
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
We begin a day with a steady incline up and over the Saddle which sits between the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi Peak. We then continue walking south-west up to School Hut (4,800 meters). After arriving at School Hut you will be served an early dinner and then you should get some shut-eye as you will be awoken before midnight to start your summit attempt. Remember to prepare all your gear, including warm clothes, insulated water bottles, snacks and headlamp before going to bed.
15kms>4-5hrs >Altitude gain 850
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
We start off at around midnight and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking.
Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Millennium Camp for a long well-earned rest.
School hut>>Uhuru Peak 6km/7hrs
Uhuru Peak>>Millenium Camp 9km/6hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
A gentle trek takes us down through the rain forest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We are then met by our vehicles and return to the hotel in Moshi, where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower (and a cold beer or two!) before our big celebration.
Overnight: Parkview Inn (or alternative)
Distance covered: 12.1km / 7.5mi
Approx. time taken: 6 hours
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch Included
Travel information provides essential details to help you make informed decisions and enhance your overall travel experience. We have prepared some important travel information including weather, documentation and recommendations to allow you to navigate our destinations with confidence and ease.
It is of course impossible to predict exact weather conditions, and mountains are notorious for creating their own, localized conditions. The highland areas of East Africa, including Northern Tanzania where Kilimanjaro and the parks of Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara are located, have a pleasant, temperate climate throughout the year. There is a long rainy season in April/May and a second, shorter rainy period in November/early December. Temperatures vary greatly with altitude. At the foot of Kilimanjaro it’s usually approximately 25- 28⁰C, dropping to 15⁰C at night. At 3000m, daytime temperatures can be around 15⁰C. Above 4000m, the night-time temperatures will fall below freezing and it is usually no more than 10⁰C in the day.
It is recommended that you do not photograph Tanzanians without their express permission. However, you will find that many people enjoy having their pictures taken especially if they can see the instant results of a digital image. If individuals do refuse to be photographed, please respect this decision
In some cities and towns in Tanzania, expensive-looking clothing, jewelry and electronics could put you at an unnecessary risk for robbery or worse. Individuals with electronic equipment such as laptops, cameras, and music players are asked to use them discreetly.
Tipping is not a common practice in Tanzania, with exception of the tourism industry. It is customary for visitors climbing Kilimanjaro or going on Safari to tip the guides and crew. This is discretionary and should depend on the level of service you received and be a mirror of your satisfaction of the professionalism of the team.
We strongly feel this should not depend on whether or not you reached the top. Whilst discretionary, many of our guests ask us for a guideline so we suggest the following percentages:
Kilimanjaro Expeditions: 10-15% of total sum shared across the crew
Safaris: 5-7% of total sum shared across the crew
Local Excursions: 10% of total sum shared across the crew
Though Tanzania is a rather tolerant country, people tend to dress rather conservatively and it is a sign of respect that you dress the same. Women should never dress in what the local people might interpret as a provocative fashion. We recommend that skirts or shorts at or below the knees or long pants should be worn at all times. Spaghetti strap tops, halter tops, or tank tops are not worn by local women very often, but are definitely seen more now than they used to be. Tight fitting or revealing clothing should be avoided – mainly to avoid stares from local men rather than any other reason.
Men can wear shorts or trousers, although you will find the local men rarely wear shorts. It is also advisable that men avoid wearing sleeveless shirts. It can be rainy between November – April, so we’d suggest bringing a raincoat and a sweatshirt. At other times of the year, light cotton clothing is best for the heat, though you should be prepared and pack a light sweater just in case.
We recommend that you make 3 photocopies of each of the below documents; you should scan them and email them to yourself as well.
We recommend that you make 3 photocopies of each of the above documents; you should scan them and email them to yourself as well. On your journey to Africa, you should keep one copy in your backpack, one in your day-bag and give one set to your parents or a friend back home (in case you need to contact them in case of an emergency). To be extra safe you should also bring with you photocopies of the following:
It is strongly recommended you secure travelers insurance for your upcoming trip and if climbing Kilimanjaro with us, be sure to include this additional coverage. The nearest hospitals of western standards for severe and life-threatening emergencies are located in Nairobi. For a minimal fee we can arrange Emergency Air Evacuation coverage to be transferred via helicopter to accredited facilities. Medical evacuations often cost tens of thousands of US Dollars
There are many options for this, including AMREF Flying Doctors, Air Med, Medjet Assistance, International SOS, Patriot Travel Medical Insurance and Foreignsure. Before your trip, we recommend that you consult with an insurance provider about these and other options to decide what is best for you.
As a developing country, health care costs are considered fairly low for local and basic services, and International travelers usually have to pay cash for any required medical care during travel. Few places will bill your home health insurance direction. And many health insurances plans do not cover medical care outside of your home country
We believe travel is so much more than just getting from one point to another.
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