Moshi
Your Moshi hotel
Budget, midrange or luxury — your base for the briefing before the climb and a hot shower after it.
Kilimanjaro · Rongai Route
7-Day Rongai
Route
A gradual, uncrowded climb from the north, with an extra day for acclimatisation and a camp beneath Mawenzi.
- 7 days on the mountain
- Challenging
- Quiet northern approach
- Private climb
The climb
Gentle, quiet
and well paced.
The seven-day Rongai climb approaches Kilimanjaro from the remote north. Gentle gradients, thin crowds and wide views over Kenya make it a favourite for first-time altitude trekkers and for climbers who value solitude.
The extra day lets your body adapt slowly, lowering the risk of altitude sickness and raising your chances on summit night. A camp at Mawenzi Tarn is a highlight before you cross the Saddle and descend through the Marangu rainforest.
Route & elevations
From the gate
to the Roof of Africa.
Every climb is led by a professional mountain guide with a full support crew.
- Day 01 Moshi Arrival & briefing
- Day 02 Simba Camp 2,600 m
- Day 03 Second Cave 3,450 m
- Day 04 Kikelewa Camp 3,600 m
- Day 05 Mawenzi Tarn 4,330 m
- Day 06 Kibo Hut 4,700 m
- Day 07 Uhuru Peak 5,895 m
- Day 08 Marangu Gate 1,870 m
Day by day
Your climb, step by step
Times and distances are a guide — your lead guide sets the pace on the mountain.
Day 1: Arrival in Moshi
Welcome to Kilimanjaro
Overnight: Hotel in Moshi (budget, midrange or luxury)
Our team meets you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and drives you to your hotel in Moshi, the gateway town to the mountain.
In the evening your lead guide talks you through the climb, checks your gear and answers your questions. The rest of the day is for resting and drinking plenty of water.
- Stay
- Hotel in Moshi (budget, midrange or luxury)
- Meals
- Dinner
Day 2: Rongai Gate → Simba Camp
The quiet northern start
Overnight: Simba Camp (tents)
A morning drive to Rongai Gate, close to the Kenyan border, puts you on Kilimanjaro's least-visited side.
The trail climbs gently through farmland and pine forest, where colobus monkeys are often seen, to Simba Camp on a grassy ridge with views north into Kenya.
- Stay
- Simba Camp (tents)
- Elevation
- 1,950 m → 2,600 m
- Walking
- 8 km · 4–5 hrs
Day 3: Simba Camp → Second Cave
Onto the open moorland
Overnight: Second Cave Camp (tents)
A steady climb across open moorland brings Kibo and Mawenzi into full view.
You reach Second Cave, beside an old lava tube, by early afternoon. After lunch, an optional short walk to higher ground helps your body adjust before dinner.
- Stay
- Second Cave Camp (tents)
- Elevation
- 2,600 m → 3,450 m
- Walking
- 9 km · 5–6 hrs
Day 4: Second Cave → Kikelewa Camp
Deeper into the moorland
Overnight: Kikelewa Camp (tents)
The route heads deeper into the moorland, with Mawenzi's jagged outline ahead.
The ground grows rougher on the approach to Kikelewa, a sheltered valley camp with wide wilderness views.
- Stay
- Kikelewa Camp (tents)
- Elevation
- 3,450 m → 3,600 m
- Walking
- 9 km · 6–7 hrs
Day 5: Kikelewa → Mawenzi Tarn
Beneath Mawenzi's spires
Overnight: Mawenzi Tarn Hut
A short but steep climb brings you right beneath the towering spires of Mawenzi.
Mawenzi Tarn is one of the most dramatic camps on the mountain. The afternoon is free for rest and a short acclimatisation walk.
- Stay
- Mawenzi Tarn Hut
- Elevation
- 3,600 m → 4,330 m
- Walking
- 6 km · 4–5 hrs
Day 6: Mawenzi Tarn → Kibo Hut
Across the Saddle
Overnight: Kibo Hut
You cross the moon-like Saddle, a bare plateau between Mawenzi and Kibo.
Kibo Hut, your base for the summit, is reached by mid-afternoon. An early dinner and rest follow before the night climb.
- Stay
- Kibo Hut
- Elevation
- 4,330 m → 4,700 m
- Walking
- 9 km · 5–6 hrs
Day 7: Kibo Hut → Uhuru Peak → Horombo Hut
Summit night
Overnight: Horombo Hut
Just after midnight you climb switchbacks of loose scree to Gilman's Point (5,681 m) on the crater rim.
From Stella Point the rim leads to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) in time for sunrise. You then descend to Kibo Hut for a meal and continue to Horombo Hut.
- Stay
- Horombo Hut
- Elevation
- 4,700 m → 5,895 m → 3,720 m
- Walking
- 22 km · 11–15 hrs
Day 8: Horombo Hut → Marangu Gate
Down through the rainforest
Overnight: Hotel in Moshi (budget, midrange or luxury)
The descent leads back through moorland into lush rainforest alive with birds and colobus monkeys.
By midday you reach Marangu Gate to collect your summit certificate, then drive to Moshi to shower and celebrate.
- Stay
- Hotel in Moshi (budget, midrange or luxury)
- Elevation
- 3,720 m → 1,870 m
- Walking
- 20 km · 6–7 hrs
Day 9: Departure
Farewell from Tanzania
Depending on your flight time, we drive you to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your journey home.
Continuing on safari or to Zanzibar? We arrange the connection so your next adventure begins smoothly.
Where you will sleep
Rest well,
climb strong.
On the mountain
Camps and huts
Tented camps on the quiet northern slopes, then nights at Kibo Hut and Horombo Hut on the way up and down.
Included
Your climb includes
- Airport pick-up and drop-off
- Return transport to and from the trailhead
- Two nights in a Moshi hotel (before and after the climb)
- Park, conservation and rescue fees, plus VAT
- Professional mountain guide and full crew, wages and allowances included
- First-aid kit and emergency oxygen
- Rescue vehicle on standby
- Sleeping and dining tents at the camps, plus huts at Kibo and Horombo
- Three meals a day on the mountain
- Morning wake-up call, hot washing water and ginger tea on summit night
Not included
Not included
- Flights
- Travel and health insurance
- Tips for the mountain crew
- Drinks at the hotel
- Personal items and gear
- Taxis and extra transfers
Good to know
Extras, transfers
& tipping.
Optional extras — private toilet $150 per trip · private tent $5 per day · Kailas X3 alpine tent $10 per day · thicker sleeping mattress $10 · Therm-a-Rest sleeping pad $15.
Private transfers — Kilimanjaro Airport to Moshi (or back) $50 · Arusha to Moshi (or back) $100. Pre-booking recommended.
Suggested crew tips per climber — lead guide USD 20–25 · assistant guide USD 15–20 · cook USD 12–15 · porter USD 8–10.
Make more of your trip — add a wildlife safari in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro or Tarangire, a few days on Zanzibar's beaches, or a cultural visit to Maasai and Chagga communities and a coffee tour near Moshi.
Prices for this route are quoted on request for your dates and group size.
Start planning
Tell us when
you want to climb.
Every climb is private and planned around your dates, fitness and pace.
Send us the details below and our team will put together your 7-Day Rongai Route proposal.
Good to know: Your enquiry does not commit you to a booking. It simply gives our team what we need to plan your climb.
Request your climb proposal
Ready for the Roof of Africa?
Tell us your dates and group size. We reply within 24 hours with a climb plan and a clear price.