Rongai Route
About Kilimanjaro Climbing via Rongai Route (7 Days)
The Rongai route ascends Kilimanjaro from the northeastern side of the mountain, along the border between Tanzania and Kenya. This route retains a sense of unspoilt wilderness and offers a different perspective of Kilimanjaro by approaching it from the north.
The topography of the route does not allaow for the application of the climb high and sleep low principle and hikers generally suffer more from altitude sickness on the Rongai route compared to other routes (an additional acclimatization day is highly recommended on this route). The Rongai route use the scree summiting path from Kibo hut to Gilman’s point and descend via the Marangu route. The main itinerary difference between the Rongai 6 day and 7 day routes is the additional acclimatization day at Mwenzi Tarn.
- Arrival
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- 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
- You will have an early breakfast. Transfer by our vehicles through many villages and coffee and plantations for 2-3 hour drive to Rongai Gate (1,950 m/6,398 ft). After signing in and preparing the porters, you will start hiking on a wide path winding through fields of maize and potatoes, and then enter into montane forest. You will then start to climb gently but consistently through attractive forest that shelters a variety of wildlife. The forest begins to thin as you arrive at Simba Camp (2,600 m/8,530ft) with fantastic views over the Kenyan plains.
- After an early breakfast you will have a steady ascent to the second cave where you will stop for lunch. You leave the direct trail at this point and strike out across the moorland on a smaller path toward Mawenzi Peak to Kikelewa Camp in a sheltered valley. At the Kikelewa Camp you will settle for your dinner and overnight rest.
- After breakfast you will face a short, steep climb up grassy slopes; rewarded by superb all-round views, immersed in the vast surrounding wilderness. Soon after, you leave the vegetation behind and arrive at the Mawenzi Tarn Camp, which is situated in a spectacular cirque directly beneath the towering spires of Mawenzi Peak. After this hike, you will reach to the Mawenzi Tarn Hut Camp where you will also see the amazing lake (tarn) with no inlet as well as no outlet. Here you will have lunch, rest, then dinner and overnight at this camp.
- This is your extra day on the mountain, and you will spend an extra night at Mawenzi Tarn. You will hike up towards Mawenzi for a splendid acclimatization hike. Then after return back to the camp for lunch the dinner and overnight.
- After an early breakfast you will cross the lunar desert of the saddle between Kibo Peak and Mawenzi Peak to Kibo Huts Camp at the bottom of Kibo’s crater wall. You will spend the remainder of the day resting and preparing for your summit climb.
- Wake at midnight to a light breakfast and then prepare for your summit ascent. The goal is to climb before dawn so that you can reach Uhuru Peak shortly before or after sunrise. Leave to the peak at 12; 00AM, switchback up steep scree or possibly snow, and reach Gilman’s Point on the crater rim at 5,861 m/18,640 ft between 4 and 6 AM. At this point, you will have views of the fabled crater and its icecaps facing you. Then after 2 hours of hiking along the Kibo Crater Rim near the celebrated snows takes you to Kilimanjaro’s true summit, Uhuru Peak here you will spend some minites for taking photos and denjoying the achievement. After your summit activities done, descend back to the Kibo Huts Camp, have lunch, rest, collect your equipment, and continue on down, re-crossing the saddle to the Horombo Huts. Have dinner and overnight at Horombo Camp.
- After a long and enjoyable sleep you will be awaked for breakfast and pack up, start descend through the moorland to Mandara Huts. Here you will have lunch then precede with your triumphant recessional down through lush forest to Marangu Gate. Here you will sign out then after a vehicle will take you to back to the hotel where it is definitely time for certificate presentation and celebration!
DAY 1: Moshi to Rongai Gate to Simba Camp
Elevation(m): 1,387/915 m to 1,950 m to 2,750 mDistance: 9 km
Hiking Time: 4 hours
Habitat: Montane Forest
DAY 2: Simba Camp to Kikelewa Camp
Elevation: 2,750 m to 3,600 mDistance: 17 km
Hiking Time: 7 hours
Habitat: Moorland
DAY 3: Kikelewa Camp to Mawenzi Tarn Hut Camp
Elevation: 3,600m to 4,330mDistance: 7km
Hiking Time: 4 hours
Habitat: Semi-Desert
DAY 4: Acclimatization day
DAY 5: Mawenzi Tarn Hut Camp to Kibo Huts Camp
Elevation: 4,330 m to 4,695 mDistance: 8km
Hiking Time: 5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
DAY 6: Summit Day! Kibo Huts Camp to Uhuru Peak to Horombo Huts Camp
Elevation: 4,695 m to 5,895 m to 3,690 mDistance: 4 km up, 14 km down
Hiking Time: 10-15 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert.
DAY 7: Horombo Huts Camp to Marangu Gate to Moshi
Elevation: 3,690 m to 1,830 m to 1,387 mDistance: 18 km
Hiking Time: 5-7 hours
PRICE PER PERSON (US DOLLAR):
- GROUP SIZE
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PRICE
- 1 Person
- $ 2500
- 2 People
- $ 2450
- 3 - 6 People
- $ 2400
- 6 - 10 People
- $ 2350
- 10++
- $ 2300
Price Included:
- All accommodations per itinerary
- All meals per itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
- All tours and entrance fees per itinerary (unless listed as excluded)
- All transportation and transfers per itinerary
- 2 nights accommodations in Moshi
- Round-trip transfers for the Kilimanjaro Airport
- National Park gate fees
- Transport from Moshi to trail head and return to Moshi
- Hut fees
- Certified, experienced, English-speaking guides for all routes
- Salaries for all crew members
- Rescue fees (as required by national park)
- Tents, foam sleeping pads, cooking equipment, and eating utensils
- Oximeters & Emergency Oxygen (2L canister)
Price Exclude:
- International and domestic flights
- Meals not listed, Beverages and alcohol
- Tips for guides, porters, and cooks($20per guide/day, $15 cook/day, $10 per porter/day is reccomended)
- Optional tours
- Personal expenses (visas, airport taxes, Internet, etc.)
- Sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and personal gear
- Optional tours
- Sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and personal gear