Mount Kilimanjaro Trek
Join Team RNIB for the adventure of a lifetime and climb the highest freestanding mountain in the world whilst raising money to support people living with sight loss.
Dates:
- 20 Aug 2021 - 29 Aug 2021
- 24 Sep 2021 - 03 Oct 2021
- 08 Oct 2021 - 17 Oct 2021
- 26 Dec 2021 - 04 Jan 2022
Rising from the plains of Tanzania, Kilimanjaro’s snow-capped summit soars to an impressive 5896m. For those bold enough to take on the challenge, spectacular views and beautiful ice formations are the reward for pushing your limits both physically and mentally. This demanding 10 day trek is sure to be an experience you’ll never forget!
Trip costs
Fundraising option:
- Registration fee: £499
- Fundraising target: £4,800
Find out who's helping make this possible
RNIB is working in partnership with Discover Adventure to deliver this incredible challenge. With over 20 years’ experience operating fundraising adventures worldwide, and fully ATOL protected; you can rest assured you’re in safe hands!
What support will you receive?
Join Team RNIB and help us support people when they need us most. In return we’ll give you everything you need to smash your running and fundraising goals. You’ll receive from us:
Expert fundraising advice
A fundraising pack full of top tips
An RNIB t-shirt and fundraising materials
Personalised support from our friendly events team
Top tips and training advice
How does your fundraising help?
Every day, 250 people in the UK start losing their sight and their lives will change completely. Too many people still face isolation and depression, unable to achieve their potential in a world that blocks their way.
But we won’t stop until every last psychological and physical barrier has gone for good – from classrooms to workplaces, from local shops to far-flung holidays. Together with your support, we can smash through the barriers that stop people with sight loss thriving.
What to expect?
Day 1: Depart London
Day 2: Arrive at Moshi
Arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport; transfer to Moshi town, where you can admire the views of Kibo, the crater at the summit and the youngest of Kilimanjaro’s three volcanic cones. You’ll check in and relax, with time to sort out our kit for the next day before dinner and a briefing. The Night will be spent in a hotel.
Day 3: Machame Gate – Machame Camp
One hour’s drive from Moshi lies the gate to the Machame route, where you will complete park formalities, meet the crew of porters and start to climb! The first section of the route climbs steadily and passes through magnificent, dense rainforest. This path is less well-trodden so it can get somewhat overgrown in places and it is often wet and muddy underfoot. Night camp: Machame Camp (3100m).
Day 4: Machame Camp – Shira Caves
The route continues on up through the forest until you reach the steep ascent onto the Shira Plateau, where there are rewarding views of the mountain. Looking back, you will be able to see Mt Meru rising high above Arusha town in the distance. Night camp: Shira Caves (3840m).
Trek approx 9km / 4-6 hours
Day 5: Shira Caves – Barranco Hut
Walking now on high moorland, the landscape changes the entire character of the trek. You will traverse the southwest side of Kilimanjaro, passing underneath the Lava Tower and the final section of the Western Breach and finally reach camp at Barranco Hut (3900m), a tin shack where we pitch our tents. The day has been spent at altitude (up to 4600m), but you will have followed the mountaineering code of ‘walk high, sleep low’ to aid your body’s acclimatisation to altitude. Night camp: Barranco Hut (3900m).
Trek approx 15km / 8-10 hours
Day 6: Barranco Hut – Barafu Camp
The day starts by descending into the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. You will then exit steeply, up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides the group from the south eastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a climb over rock, not technical, but long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, you’ll head towards the Karanga valley, which is the last stop for fresh water before the summit. Scree now forms the terrain as you walk through arid and desolate land towards camp. Night camp: Barafu Camp (4600m).
Trek approx 18km / 7-9 hours
Day 7: Barafu Camp – Summit – Millennium Camp
You will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. You’ll be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surrounding you and the views to jagged Mawenzi – Kilimanjaro’s secondary but more technical peak – and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes you to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5896m).You’ll then begin the descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to camp for a long well-earned rest. On the descent they’ll be fabulous views of the plains and Mawenzi. Night camp: Millennium Camp (3720m).
Trek approx 20km (7km climb); 10 – 12 hours
Day 8: Millennium Camp – Mweka Gate – Moshi
A gentle trek will take you down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where you’ll complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! You are then met by our vehicles and return to the hotel in Moshi, where
you can treat yourself to a welcome shower (and a cold beer or two!) before the big celebration. The Night will be spent in a hotel.
Trek approx 10km; 5 hours
Day 9: Free time Moshi – Flight
Free day, allowing you to explore Moshi, where there are some good markets, and relax with your fellow achievers. You can also opt to visit a Community Project DA support on a long-term basis – a children’s home on the outskirts of Moshi. You’ll then return to the hotel mid-afternoon in time to transfer to the airport for your international flight home.
How does it work?
• Sign up and pay a £499 registration fee to reserve your place
• Commit to a sponsorship pledge of £4,800
• Send your 80% of your Sponsorship (£4,800) to RNIB 10 weeks before your event start date to confirm your place
What's included?
• All transport from London to Moshi return
• All meals except where specified, accommodation and camping equipment
• Discover Adventure leaders; doctor with group of 12 or more participants; local guides, porters and cooks
• Back-up equipment
• Entry permit to National Park
