This special 9 days climb offers excellent views from all sides of the mountain, including the quiet, rarely visited northern slopes. The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the west, beginning with a long drive from Moshi to Londorossi Gate.The Northern Circuit route is certainly one of the best routes on Kilimanjaro.
While you trek, you will see nearly 360 degrees of beautiful scenery as you traverse the mountain at 13,000 feet. As the longest route on Kilimanjaro, the Northern Circuit also has the longest acclimatization time, giving you the highest chance of reaching the summit successfully. Thus, the Northern Circuit route is highly recommended.
From there, the first two days are spent trekking through the rainforest to Shira Ridge, before crossing the Shira Plateau. Afterwards, the route heads north and circles clockwise from Moir Hut to Buffalo Camp to School Hut, before summiting from the east. Descent is made via the Mweka route.
Upon arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport you will be meeting with our representative. After greetings you will be transferred to Moshi town to a designated accommodation for hot shower and overnight.
Londorossi Gate (2,100 meters) – start point 2,360 meters to Mti Mkubwa Camp (2,820 meters)
Distance: ~5.5km / 3 miles
Trekking time: 3-4 hours
Zone: Rainforest
The Northern Circuit Route begins at Londorossi Gate (2,100 meters) in the West, the same start point as the Lemosho Route. The drive to Londorossi Gate takes approximately two hours from Moshi town. Registration with the Kilimanjaro National Park authorities occurs at the gate and then you will be driven further up the mountain to the trailhead starting point. We will serve lunch here before the short first day trek to Mti Mkubwa Camp (2,820 meters) begins. You may get lucky and spot large wildlife like elephant and buffalo that sometimes emerge from the rainforest onto the path as you trek towards your first camp. Dinner will be served when you reach Mti Mkubwa Camp.
Distance: ~8km / 5 miles
Trekking time: 5-6 hours
Zone: Rainforest / Low Alpine Zone
In the morning after breakfast you will spend the first hour trekking through the last section of rainforest path before entering the low alpine moorland zone which follows up onto the Shira Plateau. The trek is relatively short and gradual, ending at Shira Camp 1 (3,610 meters) for dinner and overnight.
Distance: ~7km / 4 miles
Trekking time: 3-4 hours
Zone: Rainforest / Low Alpine Zone
In the morning after breakfast the trek crosses the Shira Plateau from Shira Camp 1 to Shira Camp 2. Nine day trekkers usually spend the night at Shira Camp 2 where they will join trekkers from the Machame Route. At Shira Camp 2 it is worth trekking a little higher up the plateau to enjoy the stunning view across the valley below and Western Breach of Kilimanjaro above. The plateau is exposed so be prepared for a cold night with temperatures getting below zero. Note: Trekkers on an eight day hike will continue east up the Shira Plateau ridge and on to Lava Tower (4,600 meters) and then back down via the Northern Circuit to Moir Camp (4,200 meters).
Distance: ~14km / 8 miles
Trekking time: 5-7 hours
Zone: Low alpine zone / High alpine zone
In the morning after breakfast follows a long trek heading east which passes through the ‘Garden of the Senecios’ and then enters the high alpine desert zone. The morning is spent trekking up to Lava Tower and the iconic Shark’s Tooth rock formation at 4,600 meters, where you will have lunch. After lunch you will join the northern circuit heading down to Moir Camp at 4,200 meters. This is an important day in your trek as you will get to experience high altitude and then sleep low, which is good for the acclimatisation process.
Distance: ~12km / 7 miles
Trekking time: 5-7 hours
Zone: High alpine zone
In the morning after breakfast involves a moderately steep climb out of Moir Valley. Trekkers can take a small detour here to climb the summit of Little Lent Hill at 4,375 meters before returning to the Northern Circuit trail. From here the route follows a series of inclines and declines, skirting around the northern slopes of Kibo to Buffalo Camp (4,020 meters).The trek gives great vistas out across the plains that lie north of Kilimanjaro and stretch out to the Kenyan / Tanzanian border. You will arrive at Buffalo Camp just after midday, where you will have lunch and have time to rest after a long day hiking.
Distance: ~8km / 5 miles
Trekking time: 5-7 hours
Zone: High alpine zone and low alpine zone
In the morning after breakfast starts with a climb up the Buffalo ridge and down into Porfu Camp where lunch is usually served. The route then continues east around the northern slopes to the Rongai Third Cave at 3,800 meters. The trek is shorter than the day before and by now you should be feeling well acclimatised to the altitude. You will arrive at the Third Cave just around mid-afternoon.
Distance: ~15km / 8 miles
Trekking time: 4-5 hours
Zone: High alpine zone and glacial zone
In the morning after breakfast involves a steady incline up and over the Saddle which sits between the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi Peak. Trekkers then continue walking south-west up to School Hut (4,800 meters). After arriving at School Hut you will be served an early dinner and then you should get some shut-eye as you will be awoken before midnight to start your summit attempt. Remember to prepare all your gear, including warm clothes, insulated water bottles, snacks, headlamp and camera before going to bed.
Distance: ~6km / 3.5 miles ascent and 10.5km / 6 mile descent
Trekking time: 6-8 hours ascent and then 4-6 hour descent
Zone: Glacial zone and all preceding zones
You will be awoken around 11:30 with hot tea and biscuits and will then begin the steep incline up the slopes of Kibo under the cover of darkness. Your first check-point is Hans Meyer Cave where you will take a short break. The climb steepens as you approach Gilman’s Point (5,681 meters), which will be around 5-6 hours after departing School Hut. Take a moment to enjoy the approaching dawn and incredible view out and across to Mawenzi Peak, but remember you still have 2 hours trekking to reach Uhuru Peak so dig deep for the energy. The slope flattens as you head west around the crater rim and you should arrive at the summit at or just after sunrise. Your stay here will be brief so get as many pictures as you can of the incredible views and surrounding glaciers. You will then retrace your steps back around the carter rim to Stella Point (5,739 meters) where you will turn south and head down the heavily screed slopes of Kibo to Barafu Camp (4,680 meters). Most trekkers take a short break here before continuing down to Millennium Camp (3,950 meters) for your final night on the mountain. In total you will be trekking for 14-16 hours on day eight so it is important to pace yourself, remain hydrated and keep your blood sugar levels up.
Distance: ~10km / 6.5 miles
Trekking time: 3-4 hours
Zone: Rainforest zone
In the morning after breakfast you will be descend and this is the final day is a short hike through the dense montane rainforest from Millennium Camp (3,950 meters) to Mweka Gate (1,640 meters). At the gate you will need to sign-out with the authorities, who will also provide you with your official certificate – a green certificate for those who made it to Gilman’s Point and a gold certificate for those who reached Uhuru Peak. After sign out to the park gate you will be transferred to a hotel in Moshi for hot shower probably dinner and overnight or otherwise in the evening you will be transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport to connect with your flight back home.
You can climb for 8 or 9 Days
Kilimanjaro - Tanzania
We had an excellent tour with mboni. We made our reservation online one month before the trip, and we were able to talk to the staff to address some questions prior to the trip. I had previous hiking experience but my wife did not. High point of a great holiday. It was absolutely incredible , through this company we got a lot of individual attention.
My family and I just came back from 15 days in Tanzania. The purpose of the trip was to climb mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. Mboni adventures and Safari Company who was our host were excellent and hard working. We did a 3 days trip to Mount Meru which was amazing and very beautiful. We had a crew of 11 portes, one cook, one guide and a park ranger who clearly made sure that we were safe and protected throughout our journey, many thanks to him.
I Climbed Mount Kilimanjaro via machame route and my entire trip was amazing.
The company and its people are well organized and welcoming, I found them waiting for me at the airport and I was received with so much joy and humbleness.
I had a quick chat with JACKSON who introduced himself as Mboni Adventures and Safari representative where i later came to find out He is the owner!
Thanks to the quick and accurate responses i received from MBONI, i was able to plan my kilimanjaro trek and safari in no time. Everything was good organized, the hotel was good, perfect food and good service. During climbing our guides told us interesting facts about mountain. We had a wonderful trip with kindly guides, cook and porters. We are extremely satisfied with Mboni Adventures and our trip as whole.
