Day 1 – Kilimanjaro Gate (1,700m) to Mandara Hut (2,740m)
Distance: 7km | Trekking Time: 4-5 hours | Zone: Montane Forest | Meals: L, D

After enjoying breakfast at your hotel, you’ll meet your experienced guide and embark on a scenic one-hour drive to Kilimanjaro National Park Gate, where you’ll complete registration formalities before beginning your adventure through the spectacular rainforest. The well-maintained trail winds steadily upward through the lush montane forest where you’ll be surrounded by towering Eucalyptus trees, listen to enchanting birdcalls, and watch for the striking black-and-white Colobus monkeys swinging through the canopy, before reaching Mandara Hut at 2,740 meters. In the afternoon, take a rewarding side trip to Maundi Crater for breathtaking panoramic views stretching across Northern Tanzania into Kenya, then return to your cozy mountain hut for dinner and your first night sleeping on the slopes of Africa’s highest mountain.

Day 2 – Mandara Hut (2,740m) to Horombo Direction, then Return to Moshi
Distance: 11km | Trekking Time: 3-4 hours up, 2+ hours down | Zone: Heathland

After breakfast, you’ll leave the cool shade of the rainforest behind and follow an ascending path that opens onto the dramatic moorlands, where the landscape transforms into rolling heathland dotted with otherworldly giant lobelias and groundsels unique to Kilimanjaro’s high-altitude environment. As you trek toward the Horombo direction, you’ll be rewarded with stunning views of the jagged Mawenzi Peak and Kibo’s snow-capped summit rising majestically above, giving you a true sense of the mountain’s grandeur. After enjoying a hearty lunch back at Mandara Hut and soaking in your final mountain moments, you’ll descend through the rainforest to the park gate and drive approximately one hour back to Moshi, carrying with you unforgettable memories and a deeper appreciation for Mount Kilimanjaro.