Northern Circuit – Mount Kilimanjaro.

DAY 1

We go through a variety of farms with open views of the plains to get to the Lemosho roadhead after taking care of the necessary registration procedures at the Londorossi National Park gate. The last part of the road isn’t very good, and it’s hard to drive on when it rains. We sometimes have to start walking a kilometer or two below where the road starts. We often eat lunch at the beginning of the trail before we start walking. It’s a simple day to walk up a short road through a lovely, lush forest. We camp at Lemosho Big Tree Camp (2,650 m), which is about 2 to 3 hours’ walk away.

DAY 2

Soon, we’ll be out of the forest and into the wild area with big heather. As you make your way up the trail, you’ll be able to see a lot of the Shira Plateau. It really feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere, especially when the afternoon rains come in! At “Shira One” (3,550 m), we set up camp in the middle of the hill. [Walking for 6-7 hours]

DAY 3

Before we get to the next camp at Shira Hut (3,840 m), we walk to the top of Shira Cathedral. This campsite is close to the glaciated dome of Kibo and the rough edge of Shira Plateau, so it has beautiful views. This spot has some of the most beautiful views of Mt. Meru floating on the clouds. (5–7 hours of walking)

DAY 4

We take the main road up to Lava Tower in the morning. If you’re feeling really strong, you can also climb up to the broken-down hut at Arrow Glacier, which is about 4,800m. We then keep going from Lava Tower to Moir Hut, which is where we’ll be camping (4,200m). (5–7 hours of walking)

DAY 5

We leave the Moir Valley and go up Little Lent hill, which is 4,375 meters high. To get there, we take a short route. We get back on the trail and head east along the northern circle trail after taking in the views. The path here goes through a field of rock slabs that make noise when you walk on them. The last part of today’s walk goes up and down hills until it gets to Buffalo Camp (4,150m). There is a huge sense of space at the camp because the Kenyan plains are far below and to the north.[4.5 to 7 hours walking]

DAY 6

We go from Buffalo Camp to the top of “Buffalo Ridge” and then down the other side to get to Pofu. There is a small spring and some plants close. The trail keeps going east through a landscape with fewer and fewer plants until it reaches Third Cave Camp (3,900m). (5–7 hours of walking)

DAY 7

To get to The Saddle, which is a lunar scene between Kibo and Mawenzi’s peaks, you have to keep going up. From here, we keep going up until we reach the School Hut Campsite (4,700m) in the early afternoon. The rest of the afternoon is spent relaxing and getting ready for the day at the top.(4–5 hours of walking)

DAY 8

Around midnight, we’ll start our climb by flashlight so that we can be on top of the Crater by sunrise. We will get to Gilmans Point (5,685 m) in about five or six hours if we keep a slow but steady pace as we climb steeply over loose volcanic scree. We’ll take a short break there to watch the sun rise over Mawenzi. The path to Uhuru Peak (5,896 m) goes west along the edge of the crater. Along the way, it goes close to the beautiful glaciers and ice cliffs that still cover most of the peak. We go back over the rim of the valley to Stella Point and then go down through Barafu Camp to get to Millenium Camp, which is 3,800 meters below us. (11 to 15 hours walking)

DAY 9

A steady descent on a well-built road through a beautiful tropical forest full of birdsong and lush undergrowth with lots of interesting plants. Our path makes its way down to the National Park gate at Mweka, which is 1,650 m below us. Here is where we leave the national park. We then walk for another 15 minutes through coffee and banana farms to get to Mweka town, where our car is waiting. There is a shower, drink, and a swimming pool very close by. [4 to 6 hours of walking]

It’s not just Tanzania that we know!

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