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Kilimanjaro 6 Days Rongai Route

Mount Kilimanjaro

From

$1956

Duration

6 days

Tour Type

Tour highlights

Less crowded because of its remote location the route offers trekkers a unique wilderness experience where it is possible to see large wildlife like antelope, elephant and buffalo. As there is typically less moisture on this side of the mountain you are less likely to encounter rain and have more unclouded views of the peak. While it is flatter, it does not give the climb high sleep low option and therefore recommended to select more days for acclimatization.

The Rongai route is one of the easier routes up Kilimanjaro. Rongai is the only route to approach Kilimanjaro from the north and the descent is via the Marangu Route.Summit night from Kibo Hut is steep and follows the same path taken by the Marangu route which passes Gilman’s Point to Uhuru Peak. There are several variations; the one described is a longer route taking in Mawenzi Tarn.

 

 

Max Guests

10

Min Age

14

Tour Location

Languages Support

Journey to the Top of Africa with Confidence

Itinerary idea in detail

  • Elevation: 1997m/6552ft to 2635m/8645ft Altitude gained: 638m
Departing from Moshi a 4-5 hour drive will take you through the coffee plantations and Village of Nale Muru to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate. We will patiently wait for our permits to be issued while watching the hustle and bustle of operations as many crews prepare for the journey ahead Enjoy the beautiful wooded scenery, and windy trails while your guide tells you about the local flora and fauna and natural wildlife you are likely to see. Simba camp sits near the first cave at the edge of the moorland zone with spectacular views of the plains of Kenya.
  • Elevation: 2635m/8645ft to 3487m/11,440ft Altitude gained: 852m
After a good night sleep and a hearty breakfast, we continue along moorland terrain on a consistent ascending path. You will catch some terrific views of Kibo and get your first glimpse of the ice fields on the Eastern crater rim. The small shrubs of the moorland became thinner as you approve the Second Cave. Temperatures begin to drop.
  • Elevation: 2635m/8645ft to 3936m/12,913ft Altitude gained: 449m
After breakfast and packing, you continue your stead ascent, entering into the semi-desert terrain. This relatively short hiking day brings you closer to the Easter ice fields, continually drawing your attention to their beauty. Pay attention to your body and keep your guide informed of any signs of altitude sickness.
  • Elevation: 3936m/12,913ft to 5174m/16975ft Altitude gained: 1238m
As you depart early the semi-desert zone from the Third Cave early in the morning and begin your trek into the Alpine Desert terrain for the remainder of your ascent. Today’s hike will take you just below the Kibo crater wall to the Kibo Huts. At this point, you will merge with the Marangu Route, which you will use to hike to the summit. You will prepare your clothing and equipment (replace batteries for headlamp and camera) before you go to bed by 7 PM and try to catch a few hours of rest before your summit attempt.
  • Elevation: 5174m/16975ft to 5895m/19,341ft
  • Altitude gained: 721m Descent to 3721m/12,208ft
  • Altitude lost: 2174m
Excitement is building as morning comes with an early start between midnight and 2 a.m. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. We continue our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers trying to stay warm and focused of the amazing sense of accomplishment that lies ahead. With a switchback motion in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. You will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise during your short rest here. Faster hikers may view the sunrise from the summit. From here on your remaining 1 hour ascent to Uhuru Peak, you are likely to encounter snow all the way. Congratulations, one step at a time you have now reached Uhuru Peak the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the entire continent of Africa! After photos, celebrations and maybe a few tears of joy we take a few moments to enjoy this incredible accomplishment. We begin our steep descent down to Mweka Camp, stopping at Barafu for lunch and a very brief rest. We strongly recommend gaiters and trekking poles for uncooperative loose gravel and volcano ash terrain. Well-deserved rest awaits you to enjoy your last evening on the mountain. Overnight Mweka Camp.
  • Elevation: 3721m/12,208ft to 1905m/6250ft
  • Altitude lost: 1816m
After breakfast and a heartfelt ceremony of appreciation and team bonding with your crew it’s time to say goodbye. We continue the descent down stopping at the Mandara Huts for lunch. Remember to tip your guides, cooks, and porters, since you will be leaving them here. You return back to the Marangu Park Gate and receive your summit certificates. As the weather is drastically warmer, the terrain is wet, muddy and steep and we highly recommend Gaiters and trekking poles. From the gate, a vehicle will meet you to drive you back to your hotel in Moshi (about 45 minutes). Enjoy a long over due hot shower, dinner and celebrations!! Overnight Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel 4 stars B&B. before being transferred to your journey home, safari or relaxing trip to Zanzibar. CERTIFIED ETHICAL CLIMBING: We believe the tourism industry has an obligation and a great opportunity to protect the world’s natural habitats, cultural heritage sites and communities. We actively promote environmental sustainability and social responsibility. As a Partner for Responsible Travel, we are proud members and active supporters of the The Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project, (KPAP) an initiative of the International Mountain Explorers Connection, (IMEC). KPAP raises public awareness regarding the proper treatment of porters on Kilimanjaro and assists climbing companies with implementing procedures that ensure fair and ethical treatment of their porters. Every climb is audited to ensure crewmembers are provided proper salaries, tips, food, equipment and sleeping conditions. We think it’s pretty great and our clients do as well, check out our Tripadvisor profile to see what people are saying about us.

INCLUDES

  • All meals on the hike.
  • All Park entrance fees.
  • All prices are quoted in US Dollars.
  • Camping equipment if applicable (tents
  • mattresses
  • sleeping bags
  • pillows
  • table and chairs)
  • Flying Doctors rescue insurance for the time of the tour with Smile With Us Africa.

EXCLUDES

  • Flights (International)
  • Alcoholic and soft drinks
  • Tips for Guides, Porters & Chef
  • Personal expenses in nature such as money for souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees etc.
  • Visa fees (100 USD for American and 50 USD for non-American)
  • Immunization documents (yellow fever recommended for visa processing on arrivals)
  • Government imposed increase of taxes and /or park fees

Inquire This Tour

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Words From Our Happy Clients

Joana N
Joana N
2024-06-04
Verified
Incredible experience Just amazing! We went on a 2 day safari trip to Nyerere and it was amazing! We had not expected to see so many animals, and to get so close. The guide, Mr Maarufu was very knowledgeable. In the evening we had dinner and spent the night at Nyerere tent camp. It was a great place, with good service, and all facilities. The food was delicious! On the second day we went on a walking safari with a great Maasai guide before ending the safari with a river boat tour. We had an amazing experience. Special thanks to our friendly and skilled guide Mr Maarufu (Mr. Famous).
Fe S
Fe S
2024-05-31
Verified
Amazing experience We had a great experience in Nyerere with an amazing guide Mr Maarufu (Mr Famous) he explained and showed us everything ! We couldn’t be happier! A lifetime experience
Celine_Fodor
Celine_Fodor
2024-02-10
Verified
Fulfillment of a lifelong dream! Dear team at "Smile with us", My mom, my sister, and I had the pleasure of participating in a two-day safari organized by your company. I must say, we are absolutely thrilled! Our guide Murshid went above and beyond to provide us with the best possible safari experience, despite our limited time. His kindness and care made us feel safe and well taken care of throughout our journey. I cannot emphasize enough how grateful we are for that. As German visitors, "Smile with us" helped us fulfill a lifelong dream, and we couldn't be happier. We are already planning to come back in the next few years - this time for a whole week! We are impressed by your ability to tailor individual trips according to customers' wishes. The fact that we had the entire vehicle and our guide exclusively for us made our stay even more enjoyable. Thank you to the entire team at "Smile with us". You have made us overjoyed! Warm regards, Celine
nhaqueoi
nhaqueoi
2024-02-09
Verified
Absolutely brilliant safari From start to end the experience with Jacob and Smile With Us was brilliant. We'd never been on safari before but Jacob made it simple, suggesting a fantastic 6-day trip from Dar es Salaam to Selous and Mikumi national parks. Nothing was too much trouble. On the day we started the wonderful driver and guide Omari showed up with a rugged Land Cruiser, which is just as well as there had been a lot of rain and the vehicle's 4-wheel drive was needed at times as we sloshed through deep mud and water. Throughout Omari was incredible. Really knowledgeable and nothing was too much trouble. He also has a deep respect and love for animals and wildlife, even to the extent of waiting for a column of soldier ants to cross the road in front of us. We saw elephants, lions, hippos, giraffe, buffalo, wildebeest, impala, warthogs, hyaena, zebra and loads of birds and other animals. Perhaps one of the highlights was seeing a huge crocodile eating a zebra on land right next to our vehicle while hordes of vultures waited to come in for their turn. Omari always seemed to have a six sense when it came to finding interesting things to see. He was also one of the most friendly and sociable people I've met, always stopping to chat and exchange info with other drivers and park rangers, or helping change a tyre on another car. The accommodation was good, and we never had to worry about food or water. There were long distances covered, especially driving between Selous and Mikumi, but for us that was part of the fun, and having the opportunity to see ordinary life across Tanzania. The last night was our wedding anniversary and Jacob arranged for a group of Maasai warriors to sing and dance for us at dinner while delivering a cake. Truly special memories. We can't recommend Smile With Us Tours enough. If you choose one company, choose this one.
Anja K
Anja K
2023-12-31
Verified
Unforgettable adventure! Great time! It was a very special experience! Henry is a super friendly and pleasant guide with whom we learned and laughed a lot. The car was well maintained and in good condition. We will never forget these 6 days. The safari exceeded our expectations. Everything was organized smoothly, there was always enough to eat and drink, and the opportunity to customize the schedule. Asante 🙏 Kwa heri!
Sheela A
Sheela A
2023-12-14
Verified
1 Day Safari from Zanzibar The one day safari from Zanzibar to Mikumi was excellent! We had originally booked Nyerere, but due to the weather the location was changed. Smile with Us was great about facilitating this change and everything went smoothly. Our tour guide Jacob was amazing and made sure we got great close up photos of lions, giraffes, elephants, etc. The only small problem we had was at the end when the driver was 20 minutes late to pick us up and was not responding to us.
Katja S
Katja S
2023-11-18
Verified
Memories of a lifetime! We are back from our incredible 17-days-tour and I would highly recommend booking with Smile with us Tours in Africa! The communication and planning of the tour, choosing accommodations and activities was a very good experience. Jacob has arranged all accommodations and activities for our exciting individual itinerary and everything was very well organized, whereever we arrived. Our guide on our long safari was Erick: He is speaking very good English and is just an amazing person with so much knowledge about nature, wildlife and culture – it was really a pleasure to travel with him! Up from our arrival at the airport we have enjoyed every minute of our long safari. There is nothing, he can’t deal with or what is impossible for him. Asante sana – we left with memories of a lifetime! For sure we will plan our next trip with Jacob and his team to explore more places of this beautiful country.
eatg
eatg
2023-11-14
Verified
Great experience From start to end of the trip, Smile With Us Tours in Africa was very attentive and provided us with an unforgettable safari tour. Starting with Jacob who helped us out in the reservations and also tweaking the tour for our needs. And Hendrick, our guide and driver, who was very professional. During the two day trip to Mikumi we were able to see a total of 14 lions, giraffes, elephants, hippos, impalas, zebras, jackals, and more. We had a great time and unforgettable experience.
henrikith
henrikith
2023-10-29
Verified
Great experience with a great guide! We (couple) went on 2 day safari with Smile With Us Tours Africa. It was a great experience, much thanks to our great guide Apollo. The guide picked us up in Dar es Salaam and drove us to Nyerere National Park/Selous (app. 4 hours). The drive to the park is itself interesting. We were able to see parts of rural Tanzania we would otherwise not have seen. When we arrived in Selous we had a small breakfast before beginning the safari gane drive. It was amazing. We had not expected to see so many animals, and to get so close. The guide was very knowledgeable. In the evening we had dinner and spent the night at Selous Safari Lodge. It was a great place, with good service, and all facilities. The second day we went on a walking safari with a great Mwanda guide before ending the safari with a river boat tour. Our guide then drove us back to Dar. We had an amazing experience. Thank you so much to Smile With Us Tours and especially our friendly and skilled guide Apollo.
FussyTraveler
FussyTraveler
2023-10-23
Verified
Fantastic, Wow, Amazing!! We have just got back from an amazing safari / trip with this company!!!! From initial contact with the Jacob via email it was totally seamless .... Collection by Mr Nurdin at our hotel to airport transfer was completely private along with the tour. We had a safari jeep to ourselves, unlike others we saw that were "full" and seemed cramped Our guide 'Mr Maarufu' was superb - nothing was a problem for him and he made sure we got close to the animals but was respectful and always kept the animals feeling safe. His knowledge was outstanding, a really really nice man. The lodge which we had chosen to stay at was Selous Impala, it was very comfortable and luxurious, All the staff were very friendly. 5* Luxury We would highly recommend Smile with Us tours - 5* company Jacob and Maarufu made the whole trip amazing!!

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