7 Days Shira Route
Kilimanjaro
Trek overview
7 Days Shira Route
Route Overview
The Shira Route starts high. Instead of walking up through the lower forest, you drive onto the Shira Plateau to the trailhead, and a short hike of about an hour brings you to Shira Two Camp at 3,850 m on the first night.
Starting that high leaves your body less time to adjust, so the route builds in acclimatisation from the second day. You climb to Lava Tower (4,600 m) for lunch and drop back down to sleep at Barranco Camp (3,950 m), beneath the Great Barranco Wall. A short day to Karanga Camp follows, then Barafu Camp, the base for the summit.
The summit attempt leaves Barafu at 2 am, climbing through scree to Stella Point on the crater rim in time for sunrise, weather permitting, and on to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m). You descend the same day to Mweka Camp, and on the last morning walk down through the rain forest to Mweka Gate for your summit certificate before the drive back to Arusha.
Seven days in all: arrival and a briefing in Moshi, five nights on the mountain, and the descent on day seven.
Day by day
7 Days, Step by Step
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Meet and greet your transfer guide who will pick you from Kilimanjaro International Airport and driven to your hotel in Moshi. There you will meet you Mountain guide for a short briefing of the Mountain climb that you will start on next day. Kits and the necessary equipment will be checked as well.
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Keys hotel Moshi- Dinner
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Altitude range: 1,500 meters (4,900 ft) – 3,850 meters (12,600 ft)
•Hiking time: 1 hour •Distance: 3 km •Habitat: Rain Forest
After breakfast, we start a long drive to Londorossi Gate where you will complete the necessary registration. Afterwards, we continue our travel up the Shira Plateau to the trailhead. You will have a short hike through the rain forest to Shira Two Camp where your tent will be pitched.
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- 1 hour
- 3 km
- Rain
Where you sleep tonight
Shira Two Camp -
Altitude range: 3,850 meters (12,600 ft) – 4,600 meters (15,100 ft) – 3,950 meters (12,950 ft)
•Hiking time: 7 hours approx •Distance: 14 – 15 km’s (9 miles) •Habitat: Semi desert and rocky terrain
From Shira Camp, the route turns east towards Kibo and you will find yourself hiking through semi-desert up to the fairly rocky conditions that surround Lava Tower at 4,600 meters (15,100 ft). After lunch, we descend approximately 650 meters to Barranco Camp. Along the way, you will have good views overlooking Western Breach and Breach Wall. Tonight’s camp is located in a valley just below the Breach and gives an impressive view of Great Barranco Wall.
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- 7 hours
- Semi desert and
Where you sleep tonight
Barranco Camp -
Elevation (ft): 13,000ft to 13,100ft •Distance: 5km
•Hiking Time: 4-5 hours •Habitat: Alpine Desert
This is a short day meant for acclimatization. From Barranco Camp the trail climbs the Great Barranco Wall, then heads through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys to Karanga Camp, where you spend the night.
The last water stop on the route is the Karanga Valley, as there is no water available at Barafu camp.
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- 4-5 hours
- 5 km
- Alpine
Where you sleep tonight
Karanga Valley Campsite -
Elevation (ft): 13,100ft to 15,300ft •Distance: 4 km
•Hiking Time: 4-5 hours •Habitat: Alpine Desert
After breakfast, we leave Karanga and hit the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail. We continue up to the Barafu Hut. At this point, you have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are to be seen from this position.
Barafu is the Swahili word for “ice” and it is a bleak and inhospitable camping area to spend the night. Totally exposed to the ever-present gales, the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure that you familiarise yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents.
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- 4-5 hours
- 4 km
- Alpine
Where you sleep tonight
Campsite -
Elevation (ft): 15,300ft to 19,345ft (and down to 10,000ft) •Distance: 5 km ascent / 12 km descent
•Hiking Time: 7-8 hours ascent / 4-6 hours descent •Habitat: Arctic
At 2am, we start our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. We head in a northwest and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek.
At Stella Point (18,600 ft), you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise (weather permitting). From Stella Point, you may encounter snow all the way on your 1-hour ascent to the summit. At Uhuru Peak, you have reached the highest point of Mount Kilimanjaro. Faster hikers will see the sunrise from the summit.
From the summit, we now make our descent continuing straight down to the Mweka Hut camp site, stopping at Barafu for lunch. You will want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in late afternoon. Later in the evening, we enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and have a well-earned sleep.
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- 7-8 hours
- 5 km
- Arctic
Where you sleep tonight
Mweka Hut -
Elevation (ft): 10,000ft to 5,400ft •Distance: 10 km •Hiking Time: 3-4 hours •Habitat: Rain Forest
After breakfast, we continue the descent down to Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. Gaiters and trekking poles will help. From the gate, we continue another hour to Mweka Village where our vehicle awaits to drive us back to the Hotel in Arusha.- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- 3-4 hours
- 10 km
- Rain
Where you sleep tonight
Sg Resort
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
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