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HIKE 4 FRIENDSHIP KILIMANJARO INFORMATION

Men's Trip

Join Team Friendship on a Hike 4 Friendship Kilimanjaro trip on February 19th- March 2rd, 2023 for a meaningful and exhilarating experience.
 

• Upon registering, you’ll receive a personal fundraising page (yay!). It’s not your name on a building (yet), but it’s still pretty cool.
• Next, you’ll get a training plan and weekly emails with training tips, tricks.
• And of course, we won’t leave you out in the cold when it comes to fundraising. We’ve got tried-and-true fundraising tools and methods, which we’ll share with you in our fundraising guide. 
   

• Lodging: We’ve got you covered. 
• Food: From breakfast to snacks to midnight treats, it’s all taken care of. Come hungry! All meals will be strictly kosher and designed to provide hikers with sufficient energy for the hikes.

 
TRAINING PLAN, COACHING, AND SAFETY:

The Ultimate Travel Company will be leading the hike, and will make sure that all hikers have what they need to safely participate. Additionally, hikers are provided with a Hike Manual which outlines more specific safety details such as hydration, calorie counts, and weather. The manual also includes varied training plans to meet the hiker’s specific athletic level and help them prepare for Grand Canyon.
 

General Information:

Conquer the tallest freestanding volcano in the world, Mount Kilimanjaro.

Kilimanjaro is one of Africa’s most magnificent sights, and at 5985m it is her highest peak. It is the tallest freestanding volcano in the world and Kibo, which is the central crater, rests on its two sisters Mawenzi and Shira.

We will be ascending by the Rongai route, which retains a sense of untouched wilderness. It has a relatively gentle gradient and short daily stages. From cultivated farmlands on the lower levels, our route takes us through lush jungle, alpine meadow, and finally across a barren lunar landscape to the summit of Kibo where we start our final ascent to stand on the roof of Africa!

THE ITINERARY: *Subject to change*

So, the hike schedule looks a little bit like this, but just a lot more magnificent in real life:
 

Sun:    TRAVEL DAY                                    

Mon:    TRAVE: DAY                                                       

Tues:   Free day- for those who arrive on Monday                                                                     

Wed:   Naremoru Gate to Simba Camp, 3-4hrs (2600m)

Early start for a 3-4 hour drive to Rongai. Upon arrival, we will meet our guides and porters, and complete the park formalities. Our ascent begins from Naremoru Gate (1950m), and we trek through farmer’s fields and the forest zone. There is a good chance to see the colorful Colobus monkeys on the route; and if the weather is clear, we should get good late afternoon views across Tsavo in Kenya. Our camp is just out of the forest.                   

Thurs: Simba Camp to Kikelewa Camp, 7-9hrs (3678m) 

We leave Simba Camp and climb through the moorland. As we climb, the trees

become sparser and later disappear; even the heather starts to shrink at higher altitudes. We break at a lava tube for lunch before traversing to our campsite at Kikelewa Cave.                      

Fri:      Kikelewa Camp to Mawenzi Tarn, 4-5hrs (4295m), arrival before sunset 

A steeper trek to Mawenzi tarn Hut at 4295m, arriving for lunch. Set in moraines in a glaciated valley our camp has good views of the jagged peaks of Mawenzi above us. In the afternoon we will have a short circular acclimatization walk to a higher altitude.

Sat:     Mawenzi Tarn Acclimatisation Day (Sabbath)                                                                    

Sun:    Mawenzi Tarn to Kibo, 5-6hrs (4700m)

A slow trek across “the Saddle” – an alpine desert between the volcanic peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo. Upon arrival at 4700m, we will rest and prepare for the summit day.

Mon:    Summit day, 12-16hrs

This is an extremely long and challenging day, walking up to 16 hrs. We get up shortly after midnight and climb from our camp at Kibo to Gilman’s point (5680m) on the rim of the volcanic crater for sunrise. If the day is clear there are spectacular views over the savannah plains with the possibility of seeing Mt Kenya some 360km away.

We then continue across the snow around the rim for a further 2 hrs for the final push to Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Africa’s highest point. It is a hard hike, but is well worth it to see the glaciers and have your photo taken with a sign confirming your achievement.

We descend to Gillman’s Point and then onto Kibo where there will be the opportunity to have a short rest and refuel before our trek to Horombo Huts where we stay overnight.

Tues:   Horombo to Marangu Gate

We retrace our steps and stop at Mandara for lunch. Transport will then be waiting at Marangu gate for the journey back to our hotel in Arusha. Gala Dinner and overnight.

Wed:   TRAVEL DAY                                                        

Thurs: TRAVEL DAY
 

Typical Day:

We will be woken early with a bowl of warm washing water. After packing our bags and getting them out of the tents we will have breakfast around 7 am in the mess tent. We normally start walking around 8 am. We will stop for a cooked or packed lunch on route for approximately an hour. On arrival at camp in the evenings, we will have a hot cup of tea and some rest before an early dinner in the mess tent and briefing about the next day’s trek.

Shabbat will be an acclimatization day to adjust to the altitude.