Day 1: Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) and transfer to Arusha / Moshi in a hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: After breakfast you drive to the starting point. From the gate, you ascend a cleared ridge trail, formerly a vehicle track to Mandara Hut. The cleared trail is the fastest way to Mandara, but opportunities to see wildlife or enjoy the forest are limited due to the heavy foot traffic. An alternative is to ascend along the parallel forest trail and descend on the main trail. The forest trail branches off to the left, a few minutes after the gate, and follows the edge of a stream through the undergrowth. About halfway (11/2 hrs from the gate) you can choose to cross the stream and rejoin the main trail, or continue on the forest trail. Both trails continue on opposite sides of the stream, merging about one hour before Mandara Hut (2700m). Here the night will be spent in huts.

Day 3: From Mandara Hut the trail passes through a short stretch of forest and skirts the base of Maundi Crater, crosses a meadow and a wooded stream, then emerges into grassland. It is well worth the short detour to scramble up to the rim of Maundi Crater for a superb view of the mountain and its surroundings. The trail crosses numerous moorland ravines before ending at Horombo Hut (3720m), which is set in a rocky valley with a fine stand of giant senesces or groundsels. Overnight will be spent in hut at Horombo Hut.

Day 4: From Horombo Hut there are two trails to the Saddle. The right fork is very stony and eroded and is most direct route to the Saddle and Mawenzi. From the Saddle (about 2 hours from Horombo), there are trails to Mawenzi Hut (1/2 hr) or Mawenzi Turn Hut (2 1/2 hrs) and across the length of the Saddle to Kibo Hut (3hrs). The left fork from Horombo Hut is an easier trail and emerges on the Saddle much closer to Kibo and about one kilometer from Kibo Hut (4700m). Overnight will be spent in hut at Kibo Hut.

Day 5: The trail to the summit lies directly behind Kibo Hut, to the west. It is normal to start this day's climb at 2 am or earlier. (The reasons for this are to see the sun rise over Mawenzi from the top of Kibo, the loose stone scree is frozen - making it easier to climb, and you can get back in good time). The first part is an uneven trail, which leads to the Hans Meyer Cave , a good rest point. After that, the trail makes more regular switchbacks most of the way to the top, with a last scramble over rocks to Johannes Notch and Gilman's Point. From there, the trail continues along the rim past Stella Point to Uhuru Peak (5895m). As you descend the scree from the rim back to Kibo Hut, it is tempting to run fast, but this can result in clouds of irritant dust and even unpleasant falls. The return to Horombo Hut will seem surprisingly fast compared to the ascent. Overnight will be spent in hut at Horombo Hut.

Day 6: Descend from Horombo Hut. You can easily make Mandara Hut by lunchtime, and continue to the Park gate in the afternoon. Then proceed to Moshi/Arusha for hot shower dinner and overnight.