DAYS | 9
TREK ROUTE | Machame (6 days)
CHARITY | Any
REG FEE | £490
DIFFICULTY | Extreme
DATES | Various 2024
THE TREK
Rising from the savannah at 5,895m above sea level stands the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. Summit the highest point in Africa on an extraordinary adventure which will see you making your way through beautiful cloud forests, passing ridges and valleys and otherworldly, lunar landscapes towards the snow capped peaks of the Roof of Africa, where you will be rewarded with breathtaking sunrises, star-filled skies and far-reaching views across the wild plains of Tanzania.
This is a multi-day trek to significant altitude, led by experienced guides. You will need to be determined and resilient to face the sub-zero temperatures and very thin air of the mountain peak. Tough, but truly rewarding, this challenge will leave you with memories to last a lifetime.
Our trips are inclusive of accommodation, meals, transport and more, so all you need to do is focus on the challenge ahead!
TRIP ITINERARY
DAY 1 - ARRIVAL AND ORIENTATION
You will meet your group at the accommodation in Moshi. Check in will be available from early afternoon, please ensure to be there in advance of 5pm, where you will be given a detailed plan for the days ahead and have the opportunity to ask any questions. Twin-share accomodation. Dinner Included.
DAY 2 - TREK DAY 1
You will wake for an early breakfast and transfer to Machame Gate, set deep in the forests that surround Mount Kilimanjaro. After signing into the National Park, you will begin a slow and steady walk from Machame Gate (1,800m) to Machame Hut (2,980m), trekking through thick cloud forest. Once you arrive in camp, you will have some time to relax and enjoy the incredible views of Kibo Peak in the distance.Tented accommodation. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
VIEW FULL ITINERARY +
DAY 3 - TREK DAY 2
After breakfast at Machame Hut, a steep ascent takes you along the Machame ridge line, which gradually works its way up the Shira Plateau. Spectacular views of Kibo Peak follow you along the way. Lunch will be taken en route before arriving onto the Shira Plateau in the early afternoon and onwards to Shira Hut at 3,840m. You will be rewarded with views of both Kibo Peak and out west towards Mount Meru and the Maasai Highlands. In the afternoon you will have the opportunity to rest or go on an optional short acclimatisation trek. Tented accommodation. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
DAY 4 - TREK DAY 3
After breakfast at Shira Hut, you will head east across the plateau on a gradual incline. You will reach new heights as the ascent over
the Shira Plateau to Lava Tower takes you to an altitude of 4,600m, helping your body to acclimatise. After lunch by Lava Tower you will descend to Barranco Campsite, set at the base of Barranco Wall at 3,950m. The Barranco campsite offers some of the most spectacular
views of Kibo Peak. Having completed a slightly longer day of trekking, you will enjoy a well-deserved dinner and retire for the night. Tented accommodation. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
DAY 5 - TREK DAY 4
You will have a very early wake-up call and head east up the Barranco Wall, climbing a further 200m. From here, you will continue over ridges and valleys to the Karanga Valley where you will stop
for lunch before ascending to Barafu Camp, the base camp for Kilimanjaro at a height of 4,600m. Today’s trekking will be particularly challenging due to the very high altitude. An early dinner will ensure that you have plenty of time to sleep before you make your attempt at the summit. Tented accommodation. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
DAY 6 - TREK DAY 5
Snacks and hot drinks will be provided before you begin your slow ascent around midnight. First light comes at roughly 5.30am; by sunrise, you will reach Stella Point. From here, there is a gentle ascent for the final push to Uhuru Peak - the Roof of Africa. You will have a small amount of time to admire the stunning view and take some photos before descending back to Stella Point and further down
to Barafu Camp. At camp you will rest have lunch and then descend down to Mweka Hut, arriving in the late afternoon/early evening for dinner and a well-earned night’s rest. Tented accommodation. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
DAY 7 - TREK DAY 6
After breakfast, you will descend to Mweka Gate, a gradual decline through the heath and cloud forest. At Mweka Gate, you will sign out of the National Park and transfer back to your hotel in Moshi where you will enjoy a welcome shower and celebratory meal before receiving your certificates. Twin-share accommodation. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
DAY 8/EXTENSION DAY 1 - DEPENDING ON YOUR CHALLENGE OPTION
After breakfast, you are free to continue on your own itinerary. Or if you are joining us on the extension trip, this starts today! (please see separate itinerary below)
“You arrive in Barranco Camp and you can see the summit of the Roof of Africa peaking out of the clouds in the moonlight. You turn 180 degrees round and you can see Moshi town where you started from - the entire experience is absolutely breathtaking.”
TRIP COSTS & INCLUSIONS
We provide several funding options for our trekking challenges, to provide you with the maximum possible flexibility.
First, decide whether to pay for your challenge outright (Self Fund option) or fundraise for your challenge. If you’re fundraising, you can choose our Minimum Sponsorship option with a full fundraising target, or opt to Flexi Fund: pay some of your trip costs yourself, and cover the rest with a reduced fundraising target.
The separate funding options are detailed in full below:
SELF FUND
Registration fee:
£490
Balance payment:
£1,555
Fundraise:
No fundraising required
Read more...
The full cost of this challenge is £2,045. You will be required to pay the registration fee of £490 at the time of booking and the final balance of £1,555 which is due 10 weeks before departure.
Whilst registering for the challenge, you will still be asked to select a charity. This charity will receive a notification of your registration and may support you with any fundraising you may wish to do alongside your challenge - however, there is no obligation to fundraise and there is no minimum sponsorship amount due.
Once your final balance has been settled at or before 10 weeeks prior to departure, your place on the trip will be confirmed and you'll be ready to take on the challenge of a lifetime!
MINIMUM SPONSORSHIP
Registration fee:
£490
Fundraise:
£3,110
Read more...
You will be required to pay the registration fee of £490 at the time of booking, and you'll then need to raise a minimum sponsorship amount of £3,110 for your nominated charity, which usually needs to be raised in full by 8 weeks prior to your departure.
When taking on a challenge with us, you can rest assured that all of the money you fundraise throughout the year will go directly to the charity you are supporting.
Once you hit that all-important fundraising target and your place on the challenge is confirmed, the charity will use this money to cover the remaining costs of your challenge (which will never exceed 50% of your fundraising target).
The remainder of your fundraising (never less than 50% of your fundraising target) will stay with your charity, as a donation to their vital work. In addition, 100% of any Gift Aid and every single pound that you raise above your target will stay with your charity.
FLEXI FUND
Registration fee:
£490
Flexi payment:
£195 or £395
Fundraise:
£2,720 (£195 flexi) or £2,320 (£395 flexi)
Read more...
You will be required to pay the registration fee of £490 at the time of booking, and then you will make a further contribution of either £195 or £395 to your trip costs, due 10 weeks before departure. You will also have a minimum fundraising target.
The benefit of the Flexi Fund option is that it gives you the best of both of the other funding options: your contribution toward your trip costs will decrease the minimum fundraising amount you need to raise. The more you contribute with your Flexi Fund payment, the greater the discount on your fundraising target:
- If you opt for the £195 Flexi Fund amount then your fundraising target will be £2,720.
- If you opt for the £395 Flexi Fund amount then your fundraising target will be £2,320.
When taking on a challenge with us, you can rest assured that all of the money you fundraise throughout the year will go directly to the charity you are supporting.
Once you hit that all-important fundraising target and your place on the challenge is confirmed, the charity will use this money to cover the remaining costs of your challenge (which will never exceed 50% of your fundraising target).
The remainder of your fundraising (never less than 50% of your fundraising target) will stay with your charity, as a donation to their vital work. In addition, 100% of any Gift Aid and every single pound that you raise above your target will stay with your charity.
INCLUSIONS & EXCLUSIONS
Your full itinerary, in the Challenge Information Pack below, gives details of the specific inclusions for your trip.
Please note that international flights are not included in our public challenges in order to allow you maximum flexibility on when to arrive, how long to extend your trip, which airline you fly with, where you depart from or which class you fly (lucky you if not in economy with us!).
Take a look below to see at a glance the inclusions and exclusions for this challenge.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Ground transfers
Accommodation as specified
All meals on the trek and other meals as specified
All National Park fees, entrance fees, taxes, and permits
English-speaking professional guides
Safe drinking water during the trek
Communal camping equipment including tents & crockery
Porter service on the trek
Equipment hire facilities
Comprehensive pre-departure support and advice
24-hour emergency line for use during your trip
what’s not included
International flights to Kilimanjaro Int’l Airport
Tips and gratuities
Visas
Travel insurance
Medical expenses in case of emergency on your trip
Any necessary vaccinations or medications
Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary
Optional excursions
Personal camping equipment and clothing
Other items of a personal nature
WHICH CHARITIES CAN I CHOOSE FROM?
You’re free to choose to fundraise for whichever charity you like, as long as they are registered in the UK or Ireland.
When you register, you’ll see a list of charities to choose from - this list includes our Partner Charities and also other causes and charities registered across the UK and Ireland who have already agreed to support fundraisers taking part our in challenges.
If you’d like to fundraise for a charity which is not already a partner of ours, just let us know and we’ll link up with them!
know before you go:
How difficult is this challenge?
We have four difficulty levels for our treks, which take into account factors like altitude, terrain, weather conditions and more. The rating for this trip is as below:
Extreme - you will find yourself in remote environments with limited facilities as you take on a tough challenge with the added test of altitude.
Training is essential for our extreme challenges as you will face extremely difficult terrains, long trekking days and often adverse weather conditions.
These challenges are made for those looking for the ultimate adventure.
What is the accommodation like?
Whilst in Moshi you will stay in a comfortable hotel.
During the challenge, you will stay in shared tents in campsites on the mountain. The campsites are very basic yet comfortable. You will be housed in good-quality 3-person tents on a twin-share basis. There will also be kitchen and dining tents, and your food will be served communally in the dining tent by the cooks each night.
Toilets on the mountain are ‘long drops’ rather than the Western facilities you are used to, and on the mountain there is infrequent access to running water. There are no washing facilities at the campsites, but the staff will provide bowls of hot water daily for washing.
Do I need mountaineering skills?
Nope! One of the huge benefits of the Kilimanjaro challenge is that you do not need any specialist mountaineering skills, experience or equipment to reach the summit.
This non-technical climb will be a real test of your mental and physical resilience - but it does not require you to be a seasoned mountain climber.
What will the group size be?
Group sizes may vary, but will almost always include somewhere between 10 - 30 participants.
READY TO GET SIGNED UP? book now!
SAFARI & ZANZIBAR
EXTENSION TRIP
ADDITIONAL DAYS | 8
REG FEE | £125
ACCOMMODATION | Beach bungalows
ACTIVITIES | 2-day Safari & 5 days in Zanzibar
BALANCE | £995
safari & zanzibar
An iconic extension trip that includes it all. You will first head on safari and then to the island paradise of Zanzibar. Instead of heading straight home after your trek, why not indulge in this stunning optional extension trip, and relax after your summiting successes on Kilimanjaro?
Taken over two days and one night, the first part of this extension trip will give you a short introduction to the many wonders of two of Tanzania’s famed national parks: Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara.
Afterwards, unwind on the beach and relax on sunset cruises on the beautiful Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar.
Explore the full itinerary and inclusions below, take a look at our Kilimanjaro Challenge Info Pack for further details or get in touch to add our trip extension to your challenge!
VIEW FULL EXTENSION ITINERARY
DAY 1 - NGORONGORO CRATER
You will be collected by your guide from the hotel in Moshi and head North to the Great Rift Valley in specially-adapted 4x4 vehicles, arriving at the Ngorongoro Crater at lunchtime. In the afternoon you will explore the crater floor, searching for the rhinos, elephants, buffalo and lions that inhabit the area.
Accommodation in twin-share rooms. Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
DAY 2 - LAKE MANYARA
You will set off early in the morning to Lake Manyara, to begin your search for leopards, elephants and lions. Then, you will depart on a domestic flight to Zanzibar. From the airport, it's a 1-hour transfer to Kendwa, where your beach bungalows await.
Accommodation in twin-sharing bungalows. Breakfast and lunch included.
DAYS 3-6 - ZANZIBAR
Free days to enjoy Zanzibar. Optional activities include snorkeling, sunset cruises, water sports and day tours to Stone Town and spice farms (you can book and pay for these activities when you arrive). Alternatively, you can spend your time relaxing on the beautiful white sand beaches and swimming in the Indian Ocean!
Accommodation in twin-share bungalows. Breakfast included each day.
DAY 7 - RETURN TO THE UK
After breakfast you are free to continue on your own itinerary. Please ensure you make your travel arrangements from Zanzibar, not Moshi. Breakfast Included.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Accommodation as specified
Ground transfers
Meals as specified in the itinerary
All safari park fees, entrance fees, taxes, and permits
English-speaking professional guides
Water on safari
24-hour emergency line for use during your trip
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
Tips and gratuities
Supplementary travel insurance
Medical expenses in case of emergency on your trip
Meals and drinks not specified in the itinerary
Optional activities or excursions
Items of a personal nature
2024 dates
LENGTH: 8 DAYS/7 NIGHTS
STATUS: AVAILABLE
