7 Day Kilimanjaro Climb Shira Route

Climbing Highlights

Duration:  7 Days Climb, 2 Days in the Hotel Category:   Trekking Trekking Route: Shira Attraction: World tallest free-standing mountain at 5895M asl, The three peaks (Mawenzi, Shira and Kibo), The Snow, Five distinct climate zones. Cultivation, Forest, Heather-Moorland, Alpine Desert and Summit climate zones Tour Guides Language: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Start in: Moshi End in: Moshi Packing list: Camera set with enough zoom etc. Extra info: Provide Porters and Cookers to accompany you while on the mountain.

Climbing Overview

  The 7 Day Kilimanjaro Climb Shira Route start from the west of Kilimanjaro and encompasses the shira plateaus enroute. From the forest and moorland to the Shira volcanic caldera , guests will explore the fascinating rock formations of the plateau and then traverse down to the southern ice fields of Kibo. Shira route gives the flexibility to enjoy the magnificent mountain scenery view that extends from the volcanic summit to the vast African plains.

Shira route	Price	Special Offer	Supplement
7 Days Single Traveller	1600 $	–	–
7 Days minimum 2 Persons	1500 $	1350 $	50 $
8 Days Single Traveler	1800 $	–	–
8 Days minimum 2 Persons	1700 $	1500 $	50

Itinerary Detail

Day 0. Arrival at the Kilimanjaro International Airport

Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport. You will be met at the airport and transferred to the Hotel in Arusha for your overnight.

Day 1. Arusha 915 m/3,000 ft to Shira Gate

After breakfast and a briefing from your guide, leave Arusha and drive for several hours to the Shira Gate on the western side of Kilimanjaro, register with the national park. Begin hiking, and enter the rainforest immediately. Your walk through the rainforest is on a winding muddy trail up a ridge. At these lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy, so gaiters and trekking poles will help. Stop halfway for lunch, and reach the Shira Camp in the afternoon. Unpack, rest, and have some tea or coffee. Dinner is served during the early evening at 7 PM.

Day 3 Shira Camp 2 3,840 m/12,600 ft to Lava Tower

After breakfast, you will hike east up a steepening path above the highest vegetation toward Kilimanjaro looming mass. After several hours you will walk through a rocky landscape to reach the prominent landmark called Lava Tower at 4,630 m/15,190 ft. This chunky remnant of Kilimanjaro earlier volcanic activity is several hundred feet high, and the trail passes right below it. For extra credit, the sure-footed can scramble to the top of the tower. After a lunch stop near Lava Tower, descend for 2 hours below the lower cliffs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall to Barranco Camp at 3,950 m/12,960 ft. There are numerous photo opportunities on this hike especially if the walls are festooned with ice. Barranco Camp is in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Walls, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for your dinner. On this day you are advised to be careful to detect any signs of altitude sickness in your body.

Day 4 Barranco Camp (3,900 m/12,800 ft) to Karanga Camp

After breakfast, you continue up to a steep ridge to the great Barranco Wall and then you climb this imposing obstacle, which turns out to be easier than it looks, topping out just below the Heim Glacier you can now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. With Kibo’s glaciers high overhead, you descend into the lush Karanga Valley to the Karanga Valley campsite. From the camp you can look east and see the jagged peaks of Mawenzi jutting into the African sky. After a hot lunch in camp then you will spend your afternoon as leisure for resting or exploring especially after two long days please note this short day is very important for your acclimatization since your summit press on is about to start.

Day 5 Karanga Camp 4,200 m/13,780 ft to Barafu Camp

In the morning you hike east over superseding ridges and valleys to join the Mweka Route, which will be your descent route. Turn left toward the mountain and hike up the ridge through a sparse landscape for another hour to the Barafu Hut where you will receive a hot lunch. The last water on the route is in the Karanga Valley there is no water at Barafu Camp, even though Barafu is the Swahili word for ice. The famous snows of Kilimanjaro are far above Barafu Camp near the summit of the mountain. Your tent will be pitched on a narrow stony wind swept ridge, so make sure that you familiarize yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. Prepare your equipment and warm clothing for your summit climb, and drink a lot of fluids. After an early dinner go to bed for a few hours of precious sleep.

Day 6 Summit Day! Barafu Camp 4,550 m/14,930 ft to Uhuru Peak

You will rise around 11:30 PM, and after some steaming tea and biscuits you drag your feet off into the night. Your 6-hour climb northwest up through heavy scree between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers to Stella Point on the crater rim is the most challenging part of the route for most climbers. At Stella Point 5,685 m/18,650 ft you stop for a short rest and a chance to see a supremely sanguine sunrise. At Stella Point you join the top part of the Marangu Route, but do not stop here too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue. Depending on 3,100 m/10,170 ft the season and recent storms, you may encounter snow on your remaining hike along the rim to Uhuru Peak. On the summit, you can enjoy your accomplishment and know that you are creating a day that you will remember for the rest of your life. After your 3-hour descent from the summit back to Barafu Camp, you will have a richly deserved but short rest collect your gears, and hike down the rock and scree path into the moorland and finally into the forest to Mweka Camp. This camp is in the upper forest, so you can expect mist or rain in the late afternoon. Dinner, and washing water will be prepared, and the camp office sells drinking water, soft drinks, chocolates, and beer!

Day 7 Mweka Camp 3,100 m/10,170 ft to Mweka Gate

After a deserved strong breakfast it is a short scenic 3-hours hike back to the park gate. Please all tips to porters and guides is given once all crew and the clients gears reached the mweka gate safely, but remember to tip your staff at the gate. At Mweka Gate, you can sign your name and add details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Climbers who reached Stella Point are issued green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak receive gold certificates. From the Mweka Gate, you will continue down to the Mweka Village, possibly a muddy, 3 km, 1 hour hike if the road is too muddy for vehicles. In Mweka Village a delicious hot lunch will be served after which you are driven back to Moshi/Arusha for an overdue hot shower and comfortable night in a nice hotel in Arusha/Moshi

NEXT DAY depart for the airport or other destinations in Tanzania or Kenya. A trip to the beaches at Zanzibar is a good way to recuperate. We can arrange many reasonably priced trips and safaris around Arusha and the Kilimanjaro regions.