Your own group trip up Kilimanjaro
| country: | Tanzania |
| location: | Kilimanjaro |
| departures: | You can create your own group with 6 (min) - 12 (max) people. In addition there will be a leader and appropriate local staff. The minimum age for this holiday is 18. We can arrange for a member of our staff to meet your group to discuss the options |
| price: | From £1313 - £1713 (10 days) excluding flights. Kilimanjaro tax £330 per person is paid with final balance |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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the amazing things you'll be doing
The Rongai Route approaches the highest mountain in Africa from the north and retains a sense of untouched wilderness lost on the crowded Marangu and Machame trails. The easiest of all the routes, it has a relatively gentle gradient, and short daily stages as it winds its way from the starting point just south of the Kenya-Tanzania border.
It passes through farmland and forest, past Alpine moorland to the beautiful summit cone. There are magnificent views throughout, with possibilities for wildlife viewing, and an extra day to aid acclimatisation as the trails climbs beneath the towering spires of Mawenzi. The final ascent is arduous and made in darkness, but the reward is a spectacular dawn view of the glaciers and ice cliffs of the summit, and across the East African plains far below. Descending through lush forest, there is time to relax and recover before the flight home.
It passes through farmland and forest, past Alpine moorland to the beautiful summit cone. There are magnificent views throughout, with possibilities for wildlife viewing, and an extra day to aid acclimatisation as the trails climbs beneath the towering spires of Mawenzi. The final ascent is arduous and made in darkness, but the reward is a spectacular dawn view of the glaciers and ice cliffs of the summit, and across the East African plains far below. Descending through lush forest, there is time to relax and recover before the flight home.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart London |
| Day 2: | Arrive Kilimanjaro and transfer to Marangu |
| Day 3: | Begin ascent of Kilimanjaro through Rongai Forest (2600m). |
| Day 4: | Climb to Kikelewa moorland (3600m). |
| Day 5: | Steady ascent beneath jagged peaks of Mawenzi (4330m). |
| Day 6: | Cross the lunar desert of the 'Saddle' to Kibo, at the bottom of the crater wall (4750m) |
| Day 7: | Early start to reach Gillman's Point in time for sunrise over the crater rim: on to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa (5895m) Descend to Horombo (3720m). |
| Day 8: | Continue descent to the forest at Mandara and on to Marangu |
| Day 9: | Rest or explore the local village or possible day safari to Arusha N.P. Afternoon depart |
| Day 10: | Arrive London |
travellers' tales
The most memorable part was the last night in the bar when we all made it. (more)
travelling in your own group
To classify as a group, we usually require a minimum of 6-8 clients although we can often accommodate larger numbers up to 16. We are often limited by the size of our accommodation or transport, but we will endeavour to accommodate your group wherever possible. If our stated dates are not available we will do everything we can to arrange a similar trip to fulfil your requirements. All trips are competitively priced, but it should be noted that a number of circumstances, such as flight availability, can affect the cost. We therefore recommend, booking and planning your trip as early as possible.how this holiday makes a difference
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The Nale Moru (Rongai) route offers the advantage of attempting the climb in relative seclusion compared to the more crowded Marangu and Machame routes.
The most obvious and visible responsible tourism action on this trip is the treatment of our porters. We ensure that the porters on our trips are provided with the proper shelter, clothing and food required on the mountain. They have access to the same medical kit as clients, and in case of a need to descend due to illness they will still be paid for the trip. In case of illness incurred directly as a result of their work, we also assist with any necessary hospital treatment. We pay the recommended wages directly after the trip which can often be an issue with budget operators. We also run the porter education project, along side our local operator, which provides our porters with the opportunity to learn or improve their English from beginners through to an advanced level. For many of our porters this is a second chance at schooling that many will have had to for go the first time around due to a variety of reasons. These 8 week classes also include HIV awareness, accountability and general money management. The overall aim of the project is to give our porters the best training possible in order for them to progress and become Guides on Kili or to work as teaching assistants in local schools. We are also members of Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project. The local Kilimanjaro tax goes towards preserving the parks and other local smaller parks in the area. As an optional activity clients can on the last day (depending on flights) go for a village walk, where the entrance fees and guide payment go directly into the Marangu community. The payment for entering the Serengeti also goes a long way to helping the other smaller parks in Tanzania. We have worked with The African Walking Company for several years and have built up a long standing relationship. This operator is also committed to responsible travel issues and all of their staff are local people. All the leaders on our trips are locals, who have been extensively trained by us in several areas including language, briefing, client handling, flora and fauna, geology and first aid which is regularly refreshed. All the accommodation on this trip is also locally owned and employ local staff. Local produce is used extensively. We always provide responsible tourism advice to our clients including information regarding porter treatment, the sensitive topic of tipping and responsible behaviour on the mountain (for example no litter, care with soap in the few streams, no use of firewood). The small group sizes of no more than 16 limit the strain on natural resources and on the porters, guides and Safari parks. We also have an optional village walk that explores Marangu for half a day. This village is a fascinating mixture of small but fertile coffee and banana farms, friendly Chagga people, and some beautiful scenery with waterfalls and magnificent views. Part of the revenue from these walks goes directly to a locally managed project that aims to improve the poor facilities in local schools. In our UK Office we have worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism. Carbon balancing - Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit! |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |