11 Days Western Breach Route

Tranquil Kilimanjaro staff meet you at Kilimanjaro Airport and transport you to a nice hotel or B&B in Moshi, the starting point for your major adventure. We’ll spend part of the day going through your equipment to make sure you have everything you need, and you’ll have time to gain your bearings. If you have time, take a brief look at Moshi and then relax at one of the numerous eccentric coffee shops. Don’t get too excited; you’ll need your energy for the difficult hike ahead when you begin your 11-day trek!

Walking Time: 3,5 hours Distance: 5.4 km Altitude Gain: 397m

You’ll spend part of Day 2 of your 11-day Western Breach trek enjoying the patchwork fields of coffee and banana plantations as you’re driven down the south boundary of beautiful Kilimanjaro to the Londorossi Gate, before our journey begins on the wilder, western side of Kilimanjaro. You’ll be driven 12 kilometers through cultivated land into beautiful natural wildness, replete with pure rainforest where you’ll see colobus and blue monkeys after we’ve fulfilled the park admission requirements. There’s even a chance of spotting antelope, elephant, or buffalo on this side of the mountain, which favors the quieter side. Trek through a soundtrack of birdcalls, monkeys stumbling across branches overhead, and your own footfalls as you hike through a beautiful, foggy moss-clad woodland.

The flora may be magnificent, with fiery orange Fireball lilies, pink and white impatiens, and hibiscus variants. Forest Camp, also known as Big Tree Camp or Mti Mkubwa, is located among African yellow-wood, hypericum, and hagenia hanging flowers. You’ll fall asleep to the sound of night birds after a delicious supper.

Walking Time: 5-6 hours Distance: 9 km Altitude Gain: 529m

It’s an early start today because you’ll be leaving the density and intimacy of the Montaine forest after a delicious breakfast. On your trip up to the Shira Plateau, the trees thin out and the panorama opens up to a huge sky and high moorland. The moorland you’ll travel over has gigantic heathers intermingled with groundsel and lobelia, creating an almost ancient landscape. We’ll stop for lunch on the western border of the Shira Plateau, where you can see the Kibo Massif sweeping up to the peak, as you pass through boiling mountain streams, steep slopes, and rocky outcroppings. It may appear to be a long way off now, but you’ll get there! After lunch, we’ll continue our journey under the beautiful African sky, with lots of photo opportunities.

We’ll spend the night in Shira 1 Camp, where you’ll be able to unwind while watching the sunset into the clouds below you and enjoying a delicious supper before a well-deserved rest.

Walking Time: 5-7 hours Distance: 14km Altitude Gain: 850m

You’ll likely wake up to azure blue sky today, as you’ll appear to be floating above cloud level. You’ll continue your journey northwards after a full meal, as the countryside gets increasingly rocky and bleak. You’ll appear to have the mountain to yourself since you’re traveling to the seldom-visited and lonely Moir Camp, which is clearly and literally off the main path. You’ll pause for a break and lunch, giving you the chance to listen to the soundscape on this side of the mountain – a calm silence or, more often, the wind blowing about the rocks. You’ll have a well-deserved break and a substantial meal in Moir Camp after more climbing.

Walking Time: 4-5 hours Distance: 5km Altitude Gain: 138m

After a good night’s sleep and a filling breakfast, you’ll travel through a clearly volcanic environment that is so rocky and desolate that you’ll think you’re on the moon. During eruptions, black, crystalline obsidian rocks and pebbles are thrown forth. You can climb over, over, and through all of the remnants of its terrible history. Tonight, we’ll camp in Sheffield Camp, where you’ll enjoy a hearty, substantial meal and the prospect of a day off tomorrow!

Day 6 of this 11-day hike to Kilimanjaro’s summit via the Western Breach route is an acclimatization day. Even though you’ve ascended high, there’s still more climbing to be done, and it’s critical that you acclimate to the thinner air – especially because you’ll be sleeping high at Crater Camp tomorrow night. So you’ve decided to spend the day at Sheffield Camp, where you can relax in your warm sleeping bag and take in the expansive views, big skies, and rolling clouds below you; make friends with the friendly chatter that floats around the tents; and perhaps spot a white-necked raven or the soaring elegance of a bearded vulture high above you.

Take a guided walk to one of Kilimanjaro’s most iconic structures, the 300-foot Lava Tower, a breath-taking lava plug – a geological “cork” over a volcanic vent – built when Kilimanjaro was an active volcano, to truly get a sense of this incredible area. Were we not clear that Kilimanjaro is a volcano? It’s ok, it’s dormant. Of course, you must rest your legs and lungs in preparation for the next endeavors. Enjoy a well-deserved day off by eating, snacking, taking photographs, producing films, and reading. It’s also a good time to reflect on what you’ve accomplished thus far and gather your strength for the difficult climb ahead.

Walking Time: 3 hours Distance: 2km Altitude Loss: 462m

We hope your acclimatization day at the camp left you feeling refreshed and revitalized but don’t expect an easy day today! After an early start and a hearty meal, you’ll bid farewell to your temporary home. The trek today is challenging, but it is compensated for by its beauty and the opportunity to delve deeper into your own character. After navigating frozen streams, you’ll be ascending up the ridgeline, which offers spectacular views – but be careful of slippery scree. You’ll be just below the Western Breach, surrounded by cliffs and sharp falls.

It’s an exciting scene, and you’ll begin to believe that the peak is within reach. Arrow Glacier Camp is famed for its breathtaking sunsets and unparalleled vistas. Relax and enjoy the sunset while eating a hearty meal since it’s time to retire as the temperature decreases.

Walking Time: 6 – 7 hours Distance: 2km Altitude Gain: 950m

The Western Breach, the most demanding of the three summit climbs, awaits you today. You’ll start early in the morning, fueled by food, and the ascent will be rather simple at first. Temperatures will climb when the sun rises over the Breach, and you’ll feel great as the sun warms your muscles. You’ll come across some difficult rocky spots that will need you to scramble with your hands, and you’ll be deep within the snowline. Because the environment changes constantly, there are no trails through the Western Breach, but your guides will choose the safest approaches. The vistas are breathtaking. The Great Barranco Valley opens out in front of you, with breathtaking vistas of the Lava Tower and a view back over the Shira Plateau — remember that? A sense of accomplishment will energize you and give you wings. With amazing views of the lonely Furtwangler Glacier, the only vestige of an ice cap that formerly covered the peak, and the Northern Icefield, you’ll ascend through a breach (thus the name!) in the crater rim. The crater bottom is soft volcanic sand, which is gentle on your feet but demanding on your calves compared to the rough rocks. If you’re feeling very brave, our guides may bring you to the Reusch Ash Pit, a 400-foot-wide pit at the crater’s center. The sulphurous emissions you may smell as you approach a dormant volcano will let you know. Otherwise, it’s early tonight in Crater Camp, Africa’s highest camp, because you have a huge day ahead of you tomorrow: the summit push!

Walking Time: 2 hours up, 7 hours down Distance: 16km Altitude Gain: 145m Altitude Loss: 2805m

Today is a significant day, the pinnacle of your experience! It’s a shorter ascent than other summit routes, so you won’t have to start your trek at midnight and will be well-rested. It’s the most difficult route, although it’s well-marked. You’ll be climbing up the crater rim towards Uhuru Peak in the dark and stillness, so after a light breakfast, go single file with head torches, slowly and methodically. It’s a completely different environment than anything you’ve ever experienced, and you’ll realize the magnitude of what you’re accomplishing when the early dawn lightens the sky to the east gradually.

The sky will get bolder and bluer as the African daybreak lights your route, and you’ll take in the majesty of the landscapes surrounding you. Finally, you’ll reach the summit of Uhuru Peak, where you’ll stop for a picture opportunity and to take in the magnificence of hiking up on Africa’s rooftop. Continue down the route towards Barafu and the Mweka Camp, passing through practically all of the terrain zones in one day – from snowy alpine slopes to moorland and woodland.

Your high and excitement from your successful ascent will carry you through today’s exhausting downhill descent. However, a nice meal awaits you at Mweka Camp as you celebrate your accomplishment.

Walking Time: 4 – 6 hours Distance: 10km Altitude Loss: 1450m

We’ll make sure you have a nice breakfast to fuel your final trekking day, which will take you down into the humid rainforest on a 4 to 6-hour climb. After the windswept solitude of the high plains and dusty crater, the rustle of the trees and birdsong, as well as the color of the blooms, will be a welcome change from the monochrome scenery of the icefields you’ve just left. It’s a nice change after the otherworldliness of the peak, and it can seem weird to be back in civilization — at least as far as jungle society is concerned!

It’s time to flaunt your climbing certifications – and there’s also the option of a T-shirt. We’ll transport you back to Moshi, where you can relax and unwind with a beer and a swim before sleeping in a nice bed for the first time in almost a week.

This marks the end of the 11-day Western Breach Route tour. Spend some time after the climb, if your flight schedule permits, roaming around colorful Moshi, a vibrant blend of Asian and African influences with lots of places to get a great lunch. If you want to go on a safari, that’s another trip altogether, and we’ll take care of everything for you! Otherwise, it’s time to bid farewell to your life-changing week as we transport you to Kilimanjaro Airport in time for your return departure.