2024/2025 US $1,295 $975 $825 $725
per person, double occupancy (single supplement US $75)
• Walk on ancient trails between the national park forest and local villages
• Observe rainforest, waterfalls and rivers, farm plots full of coffee and banana trees
• Pass through the land of the Chagga people
• Lead by a qualified Chagga mountain guide
We walk 7 – 22 kilometers per day on mountain trails between 1400 and 2200 meters elevation. The walking is strenuous on steep trails that can be slippery when wet. The route includes some challenging hiking as there are many ridges and valleys, but your guide will set a slow pace appropriate for your group. Trekking poles strongly recommended. Overnights are spent in our comfortable camp with spacious walk-in tents for 1-2 people or families, and locally-inspired meals served in a dining tent and prepared by our expert mountain cooks.
Day 1: Mweka to Wondo. Hiking distance: 4.9mi / 8km.
Day 2: Wondo to Tema. Hiking distance: 4.3mi / 7km.
Day 3: Tema to Kidia. Hiking distance: 5.6mi / 9km.
Day 4: Kidia to Mbahe Village. Hiking distance: 13.6mi / 22km.
Day 5: Mbahe Village.
Morning pick-up from your hotel and vehicle transfer to the trailhead. We begin on a low trail used by villagers to access their fields, passing through villages and into the forest. We cross many rivers on small wood bridges or rock to rock to reach the other side. We will encounter the traditional irrigation channels, used by local farmers for more than 100 years, to grow coffee, bananas and other fruits and vegetables. After 5km and a walk along the channels of the Rau river valley, we come upon a high waterfall. Save some energy as the last ascent to camp will be demanding!
Overnight: Kilimanjaro View Camp.
Meals: L,D.
Hiking distance: 4.9mi / 8km.
Day 2: Wondo to Tema
Start the day by following our noses and the sweet smell of the eucalyptus trees that create a natural border between the Kilimanjaro National Park and the villages. The trail passes above several homesteads and past an ingenious electrical system that uses the water channel. As the day progresses, the hiking increases in intensity as we pass a dramatic landscape of high ridges and deep valleys, all covered by tropical rain forest. If we are lucky, we may spot blue monkeys hanging in the trees above our route. As you pass through the farms and forests, you will hear from your SENE guide about his own
knowledge of the mountain on which he grew up. Our campsite at a primary school overlooks Moshi Town and the surrounding plain.
Overnight: Tema School Camp.
Meals: B,L,D.
Hiking distance: 4.3mi / 7km.
Day 3: Tema to Kidia
After a night camped at 1900 meters, the trail proceeds through more colorful mountain villages, past coffee and maize farms and rivers where you can refresh in the cool and crystal clear water. We pass Kidia village, the site of the first European settlement in the Kilimanjaro region. There are many large Catholic and Lutheran churches on the mountain, each with its own story of missionary work among the Chagga people. Our last camp is at another primary school high up the mountain.
Overnight: Fumyuhu School Camp.
Meals: B,L,D.
Hiking distance: 5.6mi / 9km.
Our last day is a perfect day to savor the landscape. The route is longer than the other days but the trails are gentler! We reach several superb viewpoints down over Moshi, and also up toward the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, which emerges as we approach Mbahe Village and Simon Mtuy’s family farm. Stay the night at SENE’s Mbahe Farm Cottages. Nestled among the lush tropical forests near the border of Kilimanjaro National Park, the farm consists of 15 acres of land on which Simon Mtuy’s ancestors raised cattle and today is used as a small ecologically sustainable farm with 8 semi-detached guest rooms.
Overnight: Mbahe Farm Cottages.
Meals:B,L,D.
Hiking distance: 13.6mi / 22km.
Day 5: Mbahe Village
Rest, recover, and relax at Mbahe Farm House. Enjoy delicious “homebrew” coffee, grown and roasted on the farm, meals made with fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden, and perhaps take a refreshing swim below the Moonjo River waterfall that sits on the property. It is the perfect spot to relax after your adventure walk on Kilimanjaro! For those returning home you will be transferred to the Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your flight. Those staying in Tanzania will start your next adventure today.
Meals: B,L.
- All accommodations
- All meals as indicated (B.L.D.)
- Bottled or filtered water (by Katadyn Expedition® filter) and coffee, teas, cocoa
- Services of hiking guide and camp crew
- All camping equipment (excluding sleeping bag)
- Portable private toilet with bio-degradable waste system (Cleanwaste®) at all camps
- Transfers to/from Kilimanjaro International Airport, Moshi, Arusha
