9-Day Kilimanjaro · Northern Circuit
Day-by-Day Itinerary
9-Day Kilimanjaro · Northern Circuit
- 1
Day 1: Lemosho Gate → Mti Mkubwa
2,100 m → 2,750 m · ~6 km · 3-4 hrs
Drive from Moshi to Lemosho Gate (2,100 m) for registration. Three-hour climb through dense rainforest to Mti Mkubwa Camp ('big tree camp'), surrounded by the namesake giant trees and the calls of black-and-white colobus monkeys.
- Accommodation
- Mti Mkubwa Camp
- Meals
- Lunch en route, dinner
- 2
Day 2: Mti Mkubwa → Shira 1
2,750 m → 3,500 m · ~8 km · 5-6 hrs
Climb steeply out of the forest into heath and moorland, with the Shira Ridge to the north. A long but gradient-friendly day onto the western edge of the Shira Plateau.
- Accommodation
- Shira 1 Camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 3
Day 3: Shira 1 → Shira 2
3,500 m → 3,840 m · ~7 km · 4-5 hrs
An easier day, traversing the Shira Plateau eastwards. The plateau is one of the largest high-altitude plateaux in the world, wide open, windswept, otherworldly.
- Accommodation
- Shira 2 Camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 4
Day 4: Shira 2 → Lava Tower → Moir Hut
3,840 m → 4,600 m → 4,200 m · ~10 km · 6-7 hrs
Classic climb-high acclimatisation day. Up to Lava Tower at 4,600 m for lunch (the highest point of the day) and a descent to Moir Hut at 4,200 m for the night. Moir is a quieter camp tucked in a side valley off the standard route.
- Accommodation
- Moir Hut
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch at Lava Tower, dinner
- 5
Day 5: Moir → Buffalo Camp
4,200 m → 4,020 m · ~12 km · 5-7 hrs
Onto the northern slopes, a part of the mountain visited by very few climbers. Open terrain with vast views north into Kenya. Camp at Buffalo (4,020 m) takes its name from the buffalo herds that occasionally roam these slopes.
- Accommodation
- Buffalo Camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 6
Day 6: Buffalo → Third Cave
4,020 m → 3,870 m · ~8 km · 4-6 hrs
Continue the northern traverse, wide, gentle, remote. The northern ice fields appear directly above.
- Accommodation
- Third Cave Camp
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, dinner
- 7
Day 7: Third Cave → School Hut
3,870 m → 4,800 m · ~5 km · 4-5 hrs
Climb steeply up to School Hut (4,800 m), summit base camp for the Northern Circuit. Arrive by lunch, rest in the afternoon, early dinner, into sleeping bags by 19:00.
- Accommodation
- School Hut
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch, early dinner
- 8
Day 8: Summit day → Mweka
4,800 m → 5,895 m → 3,068 m · ~20 km · 13-15 hrs
Midnight start. Steady ascent to Gilman's Point on the crater rim (5,681 m) at sunrise, then a 45-minute walk along the rim to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m). Long descent back to School Hut for a hot lunch, then continue down the southern Mweka trail to Mweka Camp at 3,068 m.
- Accommodation
- Mweka Camp
- Meals
- Hot tea, breakfast, hot lunch and dinner
- 9
Day 9: Mweka → Moshi
3,068 m → 1,640 m · ~10 km · 3-4 hrs
A final three-hour walk through the rainforest to Mweka Gate. Summit certificate and transfer to your hotel in Arusha.
- Accommodation
- Hotel in Arusha
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch at the gate
Tell us your dream of Africa.
We will compose the rest.
Every itinerary is built one conversation at a time. Share your dates, your travellers, and the wildlife or summit you'd most like to meet - a specialist replies within 24 hours.