Pick up from your hotel, board the scheduled bus arriving in time for lunch. After spent at leisure and shopping for the provisions needed for the mountain. Dinner and overnight in an Arusha hotel.

After a sustaining breakfast you’ll be driven the 45-minute trip from your hotel

through a lush landscape of bustling villages and coffee smallholdings sheltered by banana palms to the Umbwe Gate. Here, your crew will register you for your climb, while the porters and guides make last minute preparations. After lunch the real work starts.Your journey begins through dense green mountain rainforest.

The air, warm and heavy with moisture, is redolent of the lush vegetation as you scramble and slide your way up an often muddy track through a dense canopy of rubber and giant fig trees. The route steepens between the Umbwe and Lonzo rivers, and you’ll need every ounce of strength to pull yourself upwards using the wild, strong tree roots. As you climb, you’ll see Kibo, unexpected, glimmering in the distance. Beneath your feet drop deep gorges. , nestling amongst giant trees and deep undergrowth, with the mystery of Umbwe Cave a short walk away. Dinner and overnight at the tent.

A good, energy-rich breakfast you’ll prepare for today’s climb which takes you out of the rainforest and into the drier, crisper air of moorland broken with rocky outcrops. The Barranco Camp nestles in the valley below the Western Breach and the Great Barranco Wall, which you should study as this is your first climb after breakfast tomorrow! Enjoy a filling and delicious dinner gazing on the dramatic colours of a glowing African sunset.

The first thing that greets you this morning is the scaling of the 257 meter Great Barranco Wall, often called the Breakfast Wall as it’s the first thing you’ll do after breakfast. You’ll top out just below the glorious Helm Glacier soaring above you, and from here the views are incredible. You’ll descend through a tumbling up-and-down route across scree and ridges through alpine desert towards the Karanga Valley, lying beneath the icefalls of the Decken, Heim and Kersten Glaciers. Overnight after a satisfying dinner at Karanga Camp.

After a good breakfast you’ll attack the path that starts climbing as you leave Karanga Camp. The Southern ice fields of Kibo sparkle to your left as you journey the arid and surreal high alpine landscape, such a contrast to the green lushness of earlier days. The route takes you up a constant climb then shelves into a shallow valley with a short, sharp scramble and hike leading you into Barafu Camp. You’ll be gazing at clouds below your feet and ice fields and the summit above you. It’s a tough environment for you to prepare your equipment and your mind-set for your final ascent tonight. Grab as much rest as you can before your 11pm push for the Uhuru Peak summit.

You will be climbing a steep gradient of heavy scree in darkness through the night as the temperature drops to below freezing. But as you reach Stellar Point, something amazing begins. Imperceptibly at first, then more quickly, the sky pales to the softest blue and as you look east, the sun rises apricot, pink and gold above the cloud horizon. Tramping through iridescent ice fields burnished gold by the colours of sunris. In another hour you’ll reach Uhuru Peak. You have conquered Umbwe Route. Marvel at the glorious vista with Mawenzi silhouetted against the blue skies and the dawn clouds gliding below. There’ll be time for pictures before you make your descent via breakfast at Barafu Camp. Loose gravel through ice-capped outcrops and down to the welcoming moorland of the lower reaches. Mweka Camp nestles in lush vegetation in the mists of the upper forest and you’ll enjoy good food and good company as your body recovers from the harsh but beautiful experience of the night before.

Elevation Loss: 1,600 meters Walking Time: 3-4hours Distance: 10km
With Uhuru Peak a glorious memory far behind you, you’ll begin your hike back to civilisation on a full stomach. The slope here is gentler than the ascent at Umbwe, but it can be slippery so watch those knees! You’ll have time to take in the misty cloud forest and perhaps even spot a Colobus monkey or two. Arriving at Mweka Gate you’ll receive your summit certificates and there’s an opportunity to buy sodas and t shirts. You will be transferred to Arusha for overnight and stay.

After breakfast leave for Nairobi by morning by scheduled bus.