Daily Routine
In The Morning
You will start your day on Kilimanjaro around 6:30 when you will be awakened by a staff member. You'll have hot water in your wash basin to wash your face and brush your teeth. You will pack your day pack and duffel bag, and move to the mess tent or occasionally outdoors where chairs, tables, dinnerware and silverware are set up for breakfast. You'll enjoy a delicious breakfast with a hot tea or coffee and also at this time there will be a daily brief followed by a health check. We'll start the hike as soon as everyone is deemed fit and healthy, which is normally around 8 am. We'll be hiking at a slow to moderate pace with trekking poles in hand, stopping frequently so you can catch your breath, grab a snack, and take in the magnificent beauty of this particular mountain. The porters stay behind to clean up and then move up quickly to establish our next camp, prepare food, collect water and make sure everything is ready when you arrive.
Day Trekking
Your guides will accompany you on the hike, ensuring that everyone stays together frequently reminding you to move slowly. Slowing down the pace promotes acclimation and keeps everyone from being overly exhausted. Your guide will determine the speed that will allow everyone to acclimate to the increasing altitude. The stops are normally every hour. While the hours vary from day to day, you should expect to walk for four to six hours every day on average. A hot lunch is offered halfway through your day's hike or after you arrive at the campsite.
In The Evening
When you arrive at camp, you'll find your tent set up with your duffel bag inside. Before traveling over to the mess tent for a tea time snack and hot beverage, it's vital to change out of any sweaty or damp clothing and to roll out your sleeping bag in your tent. Dinner is usually served at 6:00 p.m. in the evening. Another health check is performed and after dinner, the guide will brief the group about the happenings of the following day. Time off is spent speaking with other climbers and staff, reading, or simply relaxing. As part of the "hike high, sleep low" routine, we'll do an acclimatization hike up to a higher elevation some afternoons. We believe the daily schedule is straightforward and not overly rigorous and that's how it looks on most days on the mountain.
The Summit Day
Summit day on Mt. Kilimanjaro is a tough, 11 to 16 hour, day that requires effort and determination. Setting off early at midnight, you'll ascend in the darkness, cold and wind. Climbing is difficult, but the trek to the summit will be worth it. You'll take short breaks, eat a snack, and drink some water to keep up your energy. The guides will check in on a frequent basis to see how everyone is doing and offer assistance to those who may require it. Altitude sickness, tiredness, or a variety of other issues could force someone to turn around on the mountain. Each group will have a summit porters who can help climbers descend the mountain if needed and a lead guide and assistant guides will continue with the group. You can expect the summit time to be anything between 7am and 9am. CONGRATULATIONS! On top you'll have some time to celebrate and take photos before you start your descent to the high camp which may be Barafu or Kibo Hut. Due to the short amount of sleep, the energy required to reach the summit, and the exceptionally long distance traveled that day, most people become tired during the long descent that follows summiting. This is entirely typical. Getting to a lower altitude will cure symptoms for folks who might be experiencing sickness due to the altitude.
