7 Days Rongai Route
Kilimanjaro
Trek overview
7 Days Rongai Route
Route Overview
The Rongai Route approaches Kilimanjaro from the north, close to the Kenyan border. After registering at Marangu Gate, you drive round to the Rongai starting point at 1,996 m and walk up through maize fields and pine forest to Simba Camp (2,626 m).
From there the trail crosses open moorland, past First Caves, to Kikelewa Camp (3,679 m). A short, steep climb the next day brings you to Mawenzi Tarn (4,303 m), camped beneath the spires of Mawenzi, where the afternoon is spent acclimatising. Then you cross the alpine desert of the Saddle to Kibo Hut (4,730 m).
The summit attempt starts around midnight, passing Hans Meyer Cave and Gillman's Point on the crater rim on the way to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m), before a long descent to Horombo Hut. You come down the Marangu Route to Marangu Gate, where summit certificates are handed out, so the climb shows you two sides of the mountain.
Seven days in all: arrival and a briefing in Moshi, five nights on the mountain, and the walk out on day seven.
Day by day
7 Days, Step by Step
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You will meet your transfer guide who will pick you up from Kilimanjaro International Airport and drive to your hotel in Moshi. Once you reach the hotel you will meet your Mountain Guide for a short briefing on the mountain climb on the next day. Kits and the necessary equipment will be checked as well.
Meals: Half Board
- Dinner
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Hiking time: 4 hours •Distance: Approximately 6.7km •Habitat: Forest (Montane)
We depart from Moshi town and drive 45mins. to Marangu Park gate for registration. From there, we travel to Naro Moru, a further 68km and approximately 2 ½ hours on bad roads to the Rongai starting point (1996m). We begin our hike from Nale Moru village. The small winding path crosses maize fields before entering the pine forest, and then we climb gently through a forest. The trail is not steep but is rather a gentle hike through beautiful countryside. The first night’s camp is at Simba Camp (2626m). The camp facilities include a public toilet and a wooden table with benches, but no hut.
Meals: Full Board
- Full board
- 4 hours
- 6.7 km
- Forest
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Hiking time: 6 – 7 hours •Distance: Approximately 11.8 km •Habitat: Moorlands
We hike from Simba camp to Kibo (3482m). We arrive for lunch at First Caves. The distance is 5.8km. After lunch, we continue trekking until we reach Kikelewa Camp at about 3679m. Here you will have an amazing view including a stream of water below the cave.
Meals: Full Board
- Full board
- 11.8 km
- Moorlands
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Hiking time: 3 hours •Distance: Approximately 3.7km •Habitat: Moorlands
A short but steep climb up grassy slopes offers superb views of this wilderness area. The vegetation zone ends shortly before you reach your next camp at Mawenzi Tarn situated beneath the towering spires of Mawenzi. Here we spend the afternoon acclimatizing and exploring the area.
Meals: Full Board
- Full board
- 3 hours
- 3.7 km
- Moorlands
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Hiking time: 5 hours •Distance: Approximately 9 km •Habitat: Alpine desert
After breakfast, we head west and continue ascending on the east side of Kibo. We then cross the saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo taking 4 to 5 hours to reach Kibo Hut. The remainder of the day is spent resting in preparation for the final ascent, which begins around midnight. Overnight at Kibo hut.
Meals: Full Board
- Full board
- 5 hours
- 9 km
- Alpine desert
Where you sleep tonight
Kibo hut -
Hiking time: 7 to 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak | 6 to 8 hours to descend to Horombo Approximately 5.4km ascent and 15 km descent •Habitat: Stone scree/ice-cap summit
The total time spent walking on this day is around 14 hours, so be prepared for a very tough day. You will rise around 23h20, and after some tea and biscuit, we begin our ascent. The first section of the trail consists of a rocky path to the Hans Meyer Cave (5150m), also a good resting spot. The path then zigzags up to Gillman’s point (5681m), which is located on the crater rim. This section is very steep with a lot of stone scree, requiring a great physical and mental effort. This is probably the most demanding section of the entire route. From Gillmans Point, you will normally encounter snow all the way up to Uhuru Peak (5895m), the highest point in Africa!
Weather conditions on the summit will determine how long you will be able to spend taking photographs and enjoying the amazing scenery. Afterward, we begin our 3-hour descent back to Kibo hut. After a short rest at Kibo hut, we gather all our remaining gear and head down to Horombo hut (3 hours) for your overnight. The return to Horombo hut will seem surprisingly fast compared to the ascent. Later in the evening, you will have your last dinner on the mountain and have a well-earned sleep.
Meals: Half Board
- Full board
- Stone scree
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Hiking time: 6 hours •Distance: Approximately 19.7 km •Habitat: Moorland & Montane Forest
After breakfast, we continue our descent for around 6 hours passing the Mandara hut down to the Marangu gate. At Marangu Gate, successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Those climbers who reached Gillman’s Point (5685m) are issued green certificates, and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive gold certificates. Afterward, we drive back to Moshi for a long overdue hot shower and celebration.
Meals: Half Board
- Breakfast
- 6 hours
- 19.7 km
- Moorland
Transparent pricing
What This Trek Costs
Prices are per person sharing for this 7-day / 6-night trek. What the price covers is listed under What’s Included.
| Season | Solo | 2 guests | 4 guests | 6+ guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low season 1 March – 31 May The long rains. Lowest prices. | $3,800 | $2,540 | $2,230 | $2,100 |
| High season 1 November – 20 December, 6 January – 29 February Dry and green in turn. | $4,000 | $2,670 | $2,350 | $2,220 |
| Peak season 1 June – 31 October, 21 December – 5 January The driest months. Book well ahead. | $4,440 | $2,970 | $2,610 | $2,460 |
All prices are per person sharing, in USD.
Final quotes depend on season and group size — tell us your dates and we’ll confirm exact pricing free of charge.
The fine print, upfront
What's Included
Included
- Park fees
- All activities (unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodations as stated in the itinerary
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation (unless labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- All Meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
- Camping Equipment
- Porterage
Not included
- International flights (from/to home)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips (tipping guideline US$20.00 pp per day)
- Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
- Alcohol drinks
- Rescue Fee
- Climbing Gear
- Sleeping Bag
Yiqing S
A memorable journey for a lifetime 💙
This was my first time travelling in Africa. Together with my Mum and two aunties we travelled as a family group of four. Generally it was an educative, cheering and lifetime memorable journey. All of us loved the safari. A genuine big thank to Lappet Faced Safari and our guide Frank. The trip was not only well arranged, safe and sound, but also full of luck. At the trip planning stage, the company general manager Francisco was very patient to answer all kinds of questions and made adjustments according to my demands as effective as possible. The cost breakdown was highly detailed. Before starting the trip, I had some concerns because my mum and aunties whose average age are nearly 60 and do not understand English. I expected that the trip might be a bit uneasy. But our guide Frank turned out to be an easy-going guy. He is so nice and got on well with three ladies. Even they don’t really understand each other’s language, there was no barrier at all :) And the car had been kept clean and tidy every morning before we get on. The ladies often praised “Frank你真棒！” (Frank you are so reliable!)During the safari, Frank could always discover those special animals that we never had such sharp eyes to notice🤣. We managed to spot the big five without much difficulties. Apart from those, we also spotted some rare creatures such as cheetah cubs, honey badger, serval, lappet faced eagle (safari company logo :D), steppe eagle, etc. Frank is absolutely professional. He introduced me all the animals alone the way in great details. Sometimes he would carefully double check the bird species in a beautiful birds illustration book. The safari was full of joy and surprise. We enjoyed every second in the wild nature of Tanzania so much that we even feel reluctant to back to city life🥲.P.S. I fulfilled my wish —— to make my own work of animal illustrations! Check them out 👇👇👇
Ying / Aug 2026
The guide was very experienced
It was a very enjoyable trip! We were always lucky, and our wishes always came true. We had great travel companions and a great guide, and a…
catchatter2016
Best custom Private Small Group Safari Experience by Lappet Faced Safaris
Francisco was amazing at organizing exactly the trip we wanted. He took the time to answer all our questions and custom made our trip with a great price. We chose the luxury tented lodges but the mid-priced accommodations looked good too. We saw so many animals up close, right by our Land Rovers, on our custom private 10 day safari (Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro). He also arranged a three night get away on Zanzibar at the Zuri Zanzibar resort. It was fabulous! All of the accommodations were fabulous and the food was delicious. You can trust Francisco to organize your safari and make it the trip of your lifetime! This trip exceeded our expectations and that is saying a lot for our group! Our guides, Ukadi & Alfred, were also amazing, they have a lot of experience as a safari guides and have vast knowledge on the animals, plants, trees and the culture. They spotted so many animals and birds for us, and were patient while we photographed everything. We even got to see all of the Big 5! We saw huge pools of hippos, leopards, cheetahs, lions, elephants, rhinos, Cape buffalos, zebras, wildebeest, ostriches, baboons, hyenas and much, much more! We really recommend going with Lappet Faced Safari tour company, they are the best! Thank you for sharing your beautiful world with us.
Kiki / Aug 2026
A truly unforgettable trip, the local tour guide was very responsible!
Overall, our trip to Kenya was fantastic. The itinerary was excellent, and they handled a few hotel issues very promptly and efficiently. Our…
Yixin D
Lappet Faced Safari Forever!
Francisco and his team have done a very good job. Francisco has arranged everything in Tanzania and kept an eye on our trip. Francisco's response speed is very fast. He arranged a photographer for our Safari The photographer recorded all the animals we saw and the wonderful moments. Our driver Noel is like my big brother. He has eagle eyes and finds animals at any time. He knows time management, and we have nothing to worry about with him. We saw rhinoceros and even baby rhinoceros six times in Ngorongoro, and on the third day we had seen all the Big Five and their babys.This is a Great Safari.Francisco and his team are very reliable. We paid the full amount when we were in China. Francisco completed all our hotel reservation requirements and sent us a hotel reservation form.Francisco is very honest. Their profits are not high, but they take their customers very seriously, even if their company is small.Their prices are detailed and transparent, and all details will be sent. Choosing them will make you have an unforgettable trip!弗朗西斯科和他的团队非常好，弗朗西斯科为我们安排好了一切，所有酒店没有任何更改，他安排了摄影师记录了我们的游猎时光，我们在第三天的时候已经看到了Big Five 和他们的babys.
xiang / Jul 2026
A very reliable travel agency
Driving an off-road vehicle bumpily on the vast grassland, the dust raised seems to be a filter of time, instantly pulling people back to the…
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