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Simba Pride Safaris

Kilimanjaro · Rongai Route · 7 days

the rongaiRoute

The quiet way up, from the dry northern side near the Kenyan border. Gentle gradients, a night and a rest day under Mawenzi’s towers at Mawenzi Tarn, a midnight climb from Kibo to Uhuru Peak at 5,895 metres, and a descent down the Marangu side so you see two routes in one.

  • 7days
  • 6nights on the mountain
  • 5,895 mUhuru Peak
  • Fullcrew & guide
01 · Overview

The route, and why it runs this way

Rongai starts on the side of the mountain that gets the least rain and the fewest climbers. Our seven-day version adds a rest day at Mawenzi Tarn, which gives it a far better acclimatisation profile than the shorter versions. The seven days are all on the mountain, gate to gate; the hotel night before you start is included on top.

From Moshi you drive round the east of the mountain to the Rongai gate near the Kenyan border, and walk up through pine plantations and a narrow band of forest onto open moorland. The trail climbs gently past Second Cave to Kikelelwa, then up to Mawenzi Tarn, a small lake under the jagged peaks of Mawenzi, where you spend two nights. From there you cross the saddle to Kibo, climb to the summit at midnight by way of Gilman’s Point, and come down the Marangu side through Horombo to Marangu Gate.

Starts

Rongai gate, day 1

We collect you from your hotel in Moshi or Arusha, where the night before the climb is included.

Ends

Marangu Gate, day 7

Off the mountain by mid-afternoon, then the drive back to Moshi or Arusha.

Style

Private climb, full crew

Licensed guide, assistant guides, cook and porters, mountain tents and a dining tent.

Summit rate

88% on this route

The figure on our Kilimanjaro page. It is not a promise: weather and your body decide on the night.

01

Trek day · B L D

Round the mountain to the north side

After breakfast your guide checks your kit and drives you round the eastern side of the mountain, through Chagga farmland, to the Rongai gate at about 1,950 metres. Lunch is at the gate while the permits are processed.

The path winds up through maize fields and pine plantation, then a strip of forest where colobus are often seen. Simba Camp sits on the edge of the moorland, with views north over the plains towards Kenya.

Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Walk
7 km, 3 to 4 hours
Sleep
Simba Camp, 2,625 m in our tents
02

Trek day · B L D

Past Second Cave to Kikelelwa

A long, steady day across the moorland, with Kibo ahead and the rocky peaks of Mawenzi to your left. Lunch is near Second Cave, at about 3,450 metres.

In the afternoon you leave the main trail and cut across towards Mawenzi to Kikelelwa, a quiet camp in a sheltered valley. The gradients are gentle, but it is a long way, so the pace is slow.

Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Walk
12 km, 6 to 7 hours
Sleep
Kikelelwa Camp, 3,600 m in our tents
03

Trek day · B L D

Up to Mawenzi Tarn

A short, steep climb through the last of the heather brings you to Mawenzi Tarn, a small lake in a cirque under Mawenzi’s towers. You arrive by lunchtime.

This is one of the most dramatic camps on the mountain, and one of the quietest. Rest in the afternoon, drink plenty, and wrap up well: nights here are cold.

Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Walk
4 km, 3 to 4 hours
Sleep
Mawenzi Tarn, 4,330 m in our tents
04

Acclimatisation day · B L D

A rest day under Mawenzi

The day that makes this version of Rongai work. After a slow breakfast you walk up the ridges above the tarn for views across the saddle to Kibo, then come back down to camp.

The rest of the day is yours: read, sleep, eat. Your guide checks your oxygen saturation and pulse morning and evening, and most climbers feel noticeably stronger by the second night here.

Meals
Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Walk
2 to 3 hours, up and back
Sleep
Mawenzi Tarn, 4,330 m in our tents
05

Trek day · B L D

Across the saddle to Kibo

You cross the saddle, a wide lunar desert between Mawenzi and Kibo, with the summit cone growing in front of you all morning. The walking is not steep, but the air is thin.

Camp is beside Kibo hut at the foot of the cone. You eat early, lay out your summit layers, go through the night ahead with your guide and try to sleep for a few hours.

Meals
Breakfast, lunch, early dinner
Walk
8 km, 4 to 5 hours
Sleep
Kibo, 4,720 m until midnight
06

Summit night · B L D

Gilman's Point, Uhuru Peak, and down

You leave around midnight and zigzag up the scree for six to eight hours to Gilman’s Point on the crater rim, at about 5,685 metres. It is steep, cold and slow, and the guides set the pace.

From Gilman’s the rim path leads on to Uhuru Peak at 5,895 metres, with the glaciers beside you as the sun comes up. You descend to Kibo for a rest and food, then carry on down the Marangu side to Horombo.

Meals
Snack, breakfast, lunch, dinner
Highlight
Sunrise from the crater rim
Sleep
Horombo, 3,720 m in our tents
07

Descent · B L

Down the Marangu side to the gate

A long but easy descent across the moorland to Mandara, then down through the rainforest of the southern slopes. It is greener and wetter than the north side where you started, and walking poles save your knees.

At Marangu Gate you sign out and collect your summit certificate, then there is lunch and a thank-you to the crew. Your guide drives you back to Moshi or Arusha, or on to Kilimanjaro International.

Meals
Breakfast, lunch
Ends
Moshi, Arusha or JRO
Next
A safari or Zanzibar after the climb

When to climb

Clear skies or quiet trails?

You can climb all year, but the rains decide how muddy the forest is and how clear the summit is. Choose a season to see what the mountain is like.

  • Best for this trip
  • Good
  • Quiet season, fewer people

Summit night is cold in every month: expect well below freezing at the top whatever the season.

What it costs

Share the crew, pay less each

Park, camping and rescue fees, your full crew, tents, all meals on the mountain, the long transfer to the north side and a hotel night before you start, priced per person. The more of you share the crew, the less each of you pays. No booking fees.

Standard fromUS$2,200per person sharing

Important information

All prices are per person and exclude international flights. Final rates depend on your travel dates, seasonal park fees and availability; we confirm them in writing with your quote.

Your selection · click a group size2 guests · Standard1 tent

Get the exact price

Climbing with children

Kilimanjaro National Park sets a minimum age of 10 for summit climbs, and we recommend 16 and over. Rongai’s gentle gradients and rest day suit a keen younger walker; we talk it through with you first.

in the price

  • Park, camping and rescue fees
  • Licensed guide, assistant guides, cook and porters
  • Mountain tents, dining tent, all meals and filtered water
  • Oxygen, pulse oximeter and first-aid kit
  • Health checks twice a day on the mountain
  • One hotel night before the climb, Moshi or Arusha
  • Transfers between your hotel and the gates

not in the price

  • International flights and visa
  • Travel insurance with altitude and evacuation cover
  • Sleeping bag and gear hire (available)
  • Tips for your crew
  • Hotel nights after the climb
  • Drinks and extras at the hotel

Make it yours

Add to the week

Tick anything you like the sound of. It goes straight into your enquiry, and we will price it with the trip.

Send my enquiry →

Before you go

The practical part

Questions

For quiet and dry trails. It is the only route from the north, it gets less rain than the southern side, and the gradients are gentle. The trade-off is less variety on the way up, which the descent down the Marangu side makes up for.

Most climbers feel some effects above 4,000 metres: a headache, poor sleep, little appetite. That is normal and usually eases with rest and water. Your guide checks your oxygen saturation and pulse twice a day and carries oxygen; if symptoms become serious, the answer is to go down, and the guide makes that call.

It is the main reason this seven-day version gives better odds than a shorter Rongai. Your body adjusts at 4,330 metres before the move to Kibo, and it is one of the finest camps on the mountain to spend a day in.

No. There is no scrambling on Rongai, only a long, high walk. Fitness, slow pacing and drinking enough matter far more; long hill walks with a daypack are the best training.

The Rongai gate is on the north-east side near the Kenyan border, about three hours by road from Moshi. We leave after breakfast, and you finish at Marangu Gate, about an hour from Moshi.

ready when you are

Seven days, the quiet side, your dates

Tell us when you would like to climb and who is coming. We reply with the day-by-day plan, an exact price and honest advice on the month.

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