8 Days Northern
Circuit Route

A member of Jerry Tanzania Tours hospitality team greets you upon your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). He will drive you to Chanya Lodge, where you will have all the essentials for a comfortable stay after a long flight, such as: pleasant rooms with hot showers, a restaurant with delicious choices, genial service team and access to the Internet. Your briefing, in the course of which your guides will provide all the details of the forthcoming trek, takes place at the appointed time. They will answer your questions and make sure you are properly equipped for the trek, providing rental gear when necessary.

Journey time and Distance: 77 minutes’ drive, from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Chanya Lodge

After an early breakfast (07.00hrs), you will leave the Chanya Lodge one hour later to arrive at the Londorosi Gate to acquire climbing permits around 11.20hrs, and in time to have your cooked lunch. After having lunch, you will continue by vehicle upwards towards starting altitude of 3,407 called Morum Picnic Site. Here you will see stunning views of the Shira Plateau for the first time.

The trail from your starting altitude to your first high-altitude camp, Shira 1 features a small gain in altitude and is not very challenging physically. Due to this, you will be able to begin the process of acclimatization properly. You project to reach 3,610 metres at Shira 1 in 1-2 hours, your walking distance today is only 5 km/3 miles. By the time you reach the camp, your professional mountain crew will have already prepared everything necessary, put up the tents, and begun preparing dinner.

Hiking time and Elevation: 2 hours’ walking from Morum Picnic Site at 3,407 m to Shira 1 Camp at 3,610 m

Today you will potentially have less climbing to do than yesterday, so you celebrate (!) with a later breakfast, at the leisurely hour of 08.00 and a departure about one hour later. We say ‘potentially’ as your guide will explain that today you have the option of ascending Cathedral Peak – 3,872 metres, one of the highest points of the extinct Shira volcano.

Besides the captivating hiking experience, reaching the summit of Cathedral Peak on a clear day offers breathtaking views down into the valley. In our decade of experience arranging Kilimanjaro expeditions, the valley below resembling a lost world is among our favourite views. This is a straightforward hike with no technical challenges. Although the peak may be shrouded in clouds at times, there's a stella providing an opportunity for a memorable photograph.

If you prefer to skip this ascent or encounter unfavorable weather, heading directly to Shira 2 is an option. This choice doesn't impact acclimatization since Shira 2 and Cathedral Peak stand at a similar elevation. Nevertheless, we believe the hike to Cathedral Peak is worth it and wholeheartedly recommend it.

The standard walking distance you will cover today will be about 7 km/4 miles. It is a steady climb and you should expect about 3.5 to 4 hours of walk time in total. By this standard route, you intend to reach Shira 2 Camp at 3,850 metres by 13.00hrs, in time to be served a cooked lunch. Dinner tonight will be at 18.00hrs.

Hiking time and Elevation: 3.5 – 4 hours’ walking, from Shira 1 Camp at 3,610 m to Shira 2 Camp at 3,850 m

Today you are back to your early, 07.00hrs breakfast time, ready for 08.30hrs departure. You would expect to spend about 6.5 to 7 hours walking today, covering a distance of 14 km/9 miles. You will finish your day 350 metres higher than you started it, in between you have to climb to the base of the famous Lava Tower at 4,600 metres. This part of the route is rife with ups and downs and may bring some discomfort. You will spend one or two hours at higher altitude in order to properly acclimatize yourself, so the lunch break will take place at Lava Tower itself.

The afternoon part of the route climbs slightly before descending down to Moir Hut Camp. Your guide may decide to bypass Lava Tower altogether, taking the porter trail instead, if any of the members of a party do not appear to have acclimatized properly. In this case the highest altitude you will reach, will be 4,400 metres, rather than 4,600 metres.

Hiking time and Elevation: 6.5 – 7 hours ’walking, from Shira 2 Camp at 3,850 m to Moir Hut Camp at 4,200 m

On this day, you will climb out of the Moir Valley (where you camped for the night) and take a short detour to reach the summit of Lent Hills at 4,375 metres. After admiring the views, you will return to the trail and head eastwards around the northern circuit trail. Here the trail passes through a field of rock slabs that clink as they are walked on. The final section of today’s walk will undulate until reaching the location of the Buffalo Camp at an altitude of 4,020 metres. At the camp, there is a huge feeling of space as the Kenyan plains stretch out far below to the north.

Hiking time and Elevation: 6.5 – 7 hours’ walking, from Moir Hut Camp at 4,200 m to Buffalo Camp at 4,020 m

You will finish trekking up the northern circuit trail and stop for the night in Third Cave Camp, where the route will meet up with the classic Rongai route. On this day, trekking is shorter than on the day before, and by this time your body should have already become completely acclimated to the altitude of 3,800 metres, which will contribute to your general well-being.

Hiking time and Elevation: 5.5 – 6 hours’ walking, from Buffalo Camp at 4,020 m to Third Cave Camp at 3,800 m

On this day you will be trekking to the School Hut Summit Camp 4,800 metres. The trekking itself is not very hard, but it is good to remember to choose an appropriate pace in order to keep your strength up for the final push to Uhuru Peak 5,895 metres for the climax of your adventure. You will arrive at the School Hut in about 4.5 to 5 hours and go to bed earlier after dinner as the summit calls for an early start, at approximately 23.00hrs.

Hiking time and Elevation: 4.5 – 5 hours’ walking, from Third Cave Camp at 3,800 m to School Hut at 4,800 m

Today is the most challenging day, but hopefully with the great sense of achievement of reaching your goal – the summit of Kilimanjaro! Your schedule for your ‘Summit Day’ is necessarily very different to your other days on the mountain. Rising at 23.00hrs, you take your tea and biscuits at 23.30hrs before a midnight departure. The day starts with the long, tough climb from School Hut Summit Camp at 4,800 metres to Gilman’s Point at an altitude of 5,685 metres for some of this you will be walking on scree, making your trek more difficult. From Gilman’s Point, there will be still another 210 metres of ascent and 1 hour’ walk to the summit. Your goal is to reach the top by around 07.00hrs then celebrate (of course!) take your precious photos and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience. After the summit, you descend to an altitude of 4,673 metres at Barafu Camp, where you rest for a couple of hours, take a brunch and then leave again at 13.30hrs to continue to descend to Mweka Camp 3,100 metres where you will spend the night. You would expect to arrive there at 17.00hrs and take your dinner at 19.00hrs. (In total, you cover around 17 km today with about 11-14 hours of walking – tough going, but with your objective hopefully achieved!)

Hiking time and Elevation: 11-14 hours’ walking, from 4,800 m at School Hut to the summit at 5,895 m, then down to 3,100 m at Mweka Camp

Still thrilled by your achievement, breakfast is taken at 07.00hrs and at 08.00hrs you can take the chance to reward your trekking team at the ‘Tipping Celebration.’

Although you will still have 10 km/6 miles to walk, departure is at a leisurely 09.00hrs and you will descend down to the Mweka Gate which sits at an altitude of 1,640 metres. There, you will be served a cooked lunch at midday and be presented with your hard-earned certificate. Your driver will be waiting to bring you back to Chanya Lodge, where you can choose to relax – or, if you have any energy left, to celebrate!

Hiking time and Elevation: 3 hours’ walking, from Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate, descending from 3,100 m to 1,640 m

After a good night’s rest at Chanya Lodge, you will take breakfast ready for the scheduled check-out by 10.00hrs. In case you need a late check-out because of an evening flight, there is the option to extend your hotel stay for an extra fee.