Umbwe Route- 6 Days Mount Kilimanjaro

Umbwe Route- 6 Days Mount Kilimanjaro

Probably one of best and shortest routes to Uhuru Peak though considered by many to be the hardest on the mountain, It gives you best scenic views and plenty of time to acclimatize. It is a tough trek and requires an iron will and legs of steel to conquer it. Most endurance athletes who have ran Mount Kilimanjaro for record times have used Umbwe trail and its really nice to be on this trail. With proper preparation it is the best you can use to get to Uhuru Peak.

Itinerary

Day 1: From Hotel to Umbwe Cave

Stop At: Mount Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro National Park 00255 Tanzania
Right after your breakfast we will pick you up at your hotel for a 45 minutes drive to Machame gate where we will do registration and get our permit. Umbwe gate is not fully operational and all payments have to be made at Machame gate. We will then drive for another 30minutes -45 minutes to Umbwe gate for another check-in before our hike.

From Umbwe gate we will hike 6 miles (10KM) to Umbwe Cave camp and spend the night there. It is in the montane forest zone and it has very beautiful vegetation cover and receives a lot of rain annually.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Umbwe cave camping overnight.

Day 2: Umbwe Cave to Barranco huts

Stop At: Mount Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro National Park 00255 Tanzania
This is the day we don`t skip our breakfast because right after, we are going to hike one of the best sections of the Umbwe trail. Its approximately 4 miles (6Km) to Barranco huts and very steep with few sections requiring a little of rock scrambling. With the presence of giant heathes and trees you might need them for support as we hike up. This is the heath-moorland zone with the trees shrinking in size compared to the montane zone. We will have plenty of breaks along the way to drink and eat snacks. Once we arrive at Barranco will set up camp and spend the night here.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Spend a night at Barranco.

Day 3: Barranco to Lava Tower and back

Stop At: Mount Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro National Park 00255 Tanzania
We will spend our third day acclimatizing. Right after breakfast we will hike out to Lava Tower. Lava Tower at 4,627m (15,180ft) is higher than Barranco huts 3,986m (13,077ft) and just slightly lower than Barafu our base camp at 4,662m (15,295ft). We will make sure to carry enough water and a lunch box and eat at Lava Tower Campsite. We will turn back and return to Barranco huts to spend the night there.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Overnight camping at Barranco.

Day 4: From Barranco huts to Barafu camp

Stop At: Mount Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro National Park 00255 Tanzania
After a second night at Barranco huts we leave for Barafu camp a hike of about 5.75 miles (9.2Km). The main attraction for the day is the vertical barranco breakfast wall. We scale this wall and will be rewarded with beautiful views at the top. At Karanga Valley campsite we will make a brief stop for lunch. Right after lunch we will finish our final push to Barafu camp. Once at Barafu we rest,get our gear ready for summit night, and enjoy the atmosphere.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
Accommodation included: Sleep at Barafu Camp.

Day 5: Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak, Then Mweka Camp

Stop At: Mount Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro National Park 00255 Tanzania
We get up at 11PM, prep our summit packs, dress and have a cup of warm tea as our guides do a briefing for the summit hike. At midnight we leave for the summit and make our way with other hikers. Cold or not its the perfect time to dress properly and be ready to add layers if you feel cold or shade off a few if you get warm.

About a mile we arrive at Kosovo high camp the last camp before summit. The terrain changes as we hike towards Stella Point with loose rock and switch backs along the trail. With consistent pace we arrive at Stella Point around 6AM ready for a quick break and enjoy the rising sun.

From Stella Point to Uhuru Peak is another 1Km or less than a mile as we shuffle through the loose sand to the summit. You are Uhuru Peak. Congratulations.

From Uhuru we make our way back to Stella Point and all the way back to Barafu. At Barafu we rest, eat and leave for Mweka Camp which is another 6miles (10Km) away.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner
No accommodation included on this day.

Day 6: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate.

Stop At: Mount Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro National Park 00255 Tanzania
This is our last day and we can`t wait to get back into the city for a proper shower and bed.We leave a little after breakfast with our legs tired but we move at a steady pace back into the montane forest.

Once we arrive at Mweka gate we collect our certificates and meet with our drive to drive us back into the city.
Duration: 12 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.