While keeping your sights set on the goal Uhuru Peak—the highest point of Mount Kilimanjaro—enjoy endlessly varied topographies along the way on the Marangu Route, including cactus-speckled deserts, tropical rainforests plus the magical beauty of “the saddle”.
Day 0: Arrival and orientation.
Day 1: Head for Arusha, Tanzania’s safari center.
Day 2: Enjoy Kilimanjaro National Park with lots of chances to see lots of animals on the way to Marangu. Scramble to an elevation of 2,800 meters through dense rainforests. Spend the night in Mandara Hut.
Day 3: Take a voyage through more rainforests, slowly ascending on a five- to seven-hour trek. Arrive at Horombo Hut (3,700m), from where you can gape at beautiful mountains.
Day 4: Ascend through forests and deserts en route to the saddle (4,700m)
Day 5: Midnight trek, arriving at Gillman’s Point (5,700m) at dawn to watch the day’s first rays of sunlight color up the rim of a volcano. Continue on to Uhuru Peak, from where much of Kenya and Tanzania can be seen. After enjoying the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, make your way down, ending the day at Horombo Hut.
Day 6: Continue farther downhill to the park gate, where you’ll be met by representative of your hotel.
Day 7: It’s back to Moshi and your respective host families/hostels.
The program fee is $1,400 for RCDP volunteers.
The mission of RCDP-Nepal is to encourage international volunteers to contribute in sustainable community development that benefits the underprivileged and extremely poor. By developing the places and the communities, the volunteers are also developing themselves and learning new perspectives and ideas that will ultimately change their lives.