Northern Circuit (7-9 days)

The Northern Circuit route is one of the best routes on Kilimanjaro, offering nearly 360 degrees of beautiful scenery including the quiet, rarely visited northern slopes. As the longest route on Kilimanjaro, the Northern Circuit also has the most acclimatization time and the highest summit success rate. Thus, the Northern Circuit route is highly recommended.

The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the west, beginning with a long drive from Moshi to Londorossi Gate. From there, the first two days are spent trekking through the rainforest to Shira Ridge, before crossing the Shira Plateau. The route then heads north and circles clockwise from Moir Hut to Buffalo Camp to School Hut, before summiting from the east. Descend is made via the Mweka route.

Chief's Tours is happy to offer you the chance to get to the roof of Africa via Northern Circuit route from 7 to 9-day tours. Please well note that the 7-day and 8-day trek skips the additional acclimatization day(s) that is usually spent at Shira Camp 2 and continues straight on to Moir Camp.

Kindly find detailed itineraries and price of each option in the following links and CHIEF'S TOURS GALLERY

- Northern Circuit route 7-day climbing: this option is more suitable for experienced trekkers, please directly contact us for more information.
- Northern Circuit route 8-day climbing
- Northern Circuit route 9-day climbing

Below is a sample program for an 8-day 7-night Northern Circuit Trekking with Chief's Tours.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT ROUTE 8 DAYS 7 NIGHTS-ITINERARY & PRICE

Itinerary

DAY 1: LONDOROSSI GATE TO STARTING POINT TO MTI MKUBWA CAMP

The Northern Circuit Route begins at Londorossi Gate (2,100 meters) in the West, the same start point as the Lemosho Route. The drive to Londorossi Gate takes approximately two hours from Moshi and considerably longer from Arusha. Registration with the Kilimanjaro National Park authorities occurs at the gate and then you will be driven further up the mountain to the trailhead starting point. Most tour operators serve lunch here before the short first day trek to Mti Mkubwa Camp (2,820 meters) begins. You may get lucky and spot large wildlife like elephant and buffalo that sometimes emerge from the rainforest onto the path as you trek towards your first camp. Dinner will be served when you reach Mti Mkubwa Camp.

Elevation: 2360m to 2820m
Distance: ~5.5km
Hiking time: 3-4 hours
Habitat: Rainforest
Meals: Lunch - Dinner

DAY 2: MTIMKUBWA CAMP TO SHIRA ONE CAMP

Today the trek will take a gain of an altitude of approximately 800m. Lunch will be served in an exciting valley just outside the Shira crater at 3004m. After lunch, we’ll go across the rim into the Shira Caldera which filled from lava from Kibo. We will camp and have dinner at Shira One camp (3610m).

Elevation: 2820m to 3610m
Distance: ~8km
Hiking time: 6-7 hours
Habitat: Rainforest & Low Alpine Zone
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch - Dinner

DAY 3: SHIRA CAMP 1 TO MOIR CAMP

Day three is a long trek heading east which passes through the ‘Garden of the Senecios’ and then enters the high alpine desert zone. The morning is spent trekking up to Lava Tower and the iconic Shark’s Tooth rock formation at 4,600 meters, where you will have lunch. After lunch you will join the northern circuit heading down to Moir Camp at 4,200 meters (see map above). This is an important day in your trek as you will get to experience high altitude and then sleep low, which is good for the acclimatization process.

Elevation: 3610m to 4200m
Distance: ~15km | Walking time: 5-7 hours
Habitat: Low alpine zone / High alpine zone
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch - Dinner

DAY 4: MOIR CAMP TO BUFFLO CAMP

Day four involves a moderately steep climb out of Moir Valley. Trekkers can take a small detour here to climb the summit of Little Lent Hill at 4,375 meters before returning to the Northern Circuit trail. From here the route follows a series of inclines and declines, skirting around the northern slopes of Kibo to Buffalo Camp (4,020 meters).The trek gives great vistas out across the plains that lie north of Kilimanjaro and stretch out to the Kenyan / Tanzanian border. You will arrive at Buffalo Camp just after midday, where you will have lunch and have time to rest after a long day hiking.

Elevation: 4200m to 4020m
Distance: ~12km
Hiking time: 5-7 hours
Habitat: High alpine zone
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch - Dinner

DAY 5: BUFFALO CAMP TO RONGAI THIRD CAVE

Day five starts with a climb up the Buffalo ridge and down into Porfu Camp where lunch is usually served. The route then continues east around the northern slopes to the Rongai Third Cave at 3,800 meters. The trek is shorter than the day before and by now you should be feeling well acclimatized to the altitude. You will arrive at the Third Cave just around mid-afternoon.

Elevation: 4200m to 3800m
Distance: ~8km
Hiking Time: 5-7 hours
Habitat: High alpine zone and low alpine zone
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

DAY 6: RONGAI 3^RD CAVE TO SCHOOL HUT

Day six involves a steady incline up and over the Saddle which sits between the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi Peak. Trekkers then continue walking south-west up to School Hut (4,800 meters). After arriving at School Hut you will be served an early dinner and then you should get some shut-eye as you will be awoken before midnight to start your summit attempt. Remember to prepare all your gear, including warm clothes, insulated water bottles, snacks, headlamp and camera before going to bed.

Elevation: 3800m to 4800m
Distance: ~15km
Hiking Time: 5-6 hours
Habitat: High alpine zone & glacial zone
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

DAY 7: SCHOOL HUT TO UHURU PEAK DOWN TO MILENNIUM CAMP

Around 11:30pm, you will be awoken with hot tea and biscuits and will then begin the steep incline up the slopes of Kibo under the cover of darkness. Your first check-point is Hans Meyer Cave where you will take a short break. The climb steepens as you approach Gilman’s Point (5,681 meters), which will be around 5-6 hours after departing School Hut. Take a moment to enjoy the approaching dawn and incredible view out and across to Mawenzi Peak, but remember you still have 2 hours trekking to reach Uhuru Peak so dig deep for the energy.

The slope flattens as you head west around the crater rim and you should arrive at the summit at or just after sunrise. Your stay here will be brief so get as many pictures as you can of the incredible views and surrounding glaciers.

You will then retrace your steps back around the crater rim to Stella Point (5,739 meters) where you will turn south and head down the heavily screed slopes of Kibo to Barafu Camp (4,680 meters). Most trekkers take a short break here before continuing down to Millennium Camp (3,950 meters) for your final night on the holy mountain. In total you will be trekking for 14-16 hours on day seven so it is important to pace yourself, remain hydrated and keep your blood sugar levels up.

Elevation: 4800m to 5895m then down to 3950m
Ascent Distance: ~6km - Descent distance: ~10km
Hiking time: 6-8 hours ascent then 4-6 hours descent
Habitat: Ice-caped summit
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

DAY 8: MILENNIUM CAMP TO MWEKA GATE

The final day is a short hike through the dense mountain rainforest from Millennium Camp (3,950 meters) to Mweka Gate (1,640 meters). At the gate you will need to sign-out with the authorities, who will also provide you with your official certificate – a green certificate for those who made it to Gilman’s Point and a gold certificate for those who reached Uhuru Peak. It is customary to give your guide and porter tips before being driven back to your hotel in Moshi town.

Elevation: 3950m to 1630m
Distance: ~10km
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
Habitat: Rainforest
Meals: Breakfast – Lunch

PRICE OF 2018

To meet a significant number of climbers’ demand, we are happy to provide you with a wide range of Kilimanjaro tours divided into 03 types: Budget – Standard – Luxury. Below is the price of Standard offers. For Budget and Luxury options, kindly contact us. Asante sana!

Route	1 person	2 people	3 people	4-5 people	6-8 people	9+ people
Marangu Route 5 days	$ 1350	$1250	$ 1180	$1150	$ 1140	$ 1120
Marangu Route 6 days	$ 1510	$ 1450	$ 1400	$ 1380	$ 1340	$ 1350
Marangu Route 7 days	$ 1680	$ 1630	$ 1600	$ 1570	$ 1550	$ 1530
Rongai Route 6 days	$ 1690	$ 1650	$ 1620	$ 1590	$ 1580	$ 1570
Rongai Route 7 days	$ 1800	$ 1780	$ 1750	$ 1730	$ 1720	$ 1700
Rongai Route 8 days	$ 1920	$ 1890	$ 1860	$ 1830	$ 1820	$ 1800
Umbwe 6 days	$ 1800	$ 1770	$ 1740	$ 1710	$ 1700	$ 1670
Umbwe 7 days	$ 1850	$ 1830	$ 1800	$ 1770	$ 1750	$ 1740
Umbwe 8 days	$ 2000	$ 1970	$ 1940	$ 1910	$ 1900	$ 1880
Shira Route 6 days	$ 1690	$ 1670	$ 1630	$ 1600	$ 1590	$ 1570
Shira Route 7 days	$ 1800	$ 1770	$ 1730	$ 1700	$ 1690	$ 1680
Shira Route 8 days	$ 1920	$ 1890	$ 1860	$ 1830	$ 1820	$ 1800
Machame Route 6 days	$ 1690	$ 1670	$ 1630	$ 1600	$ 1590	$ 1570
Machame Route 7 days	$ 1780	$ 1750	$ 1720	$ 1690	$ 1680	$ 1660
Machame Route 8 days	$ 1920	$ 1890	$ 1860	$ 1830	$ 1820	$ 1800
Lemosho Route 6 days	$ 1690	$ 1660	$ 1630	$ 1600	$ 1590	$ 1570
Lemosho Route 7 days	$ 1800	$ 1770	$ 1740	$ 1710	$ 1700	$ 1670
Lemosho Route 8 days	$ 1920	$ 1890	$ 1860	$ 1830	$ 1820	$ 1800
Lemosho Route 9 days	$ 2100	$ 2070	$ 2040	$ 2100	$ 2000	$ 1980
Northern Circuit Route 7 days	$ 1690	$ 1660	$ 1630	$ 1600	$ 1580	$ 1570
Northern Circuit Route 8 days	$ 1920	$ 1890	$ 1860	$ 1830	$ 1820	$ 1800
Northern Circuit Route 9 days	$ 2100	$ 2070	$ 2040	$ 2010	$ 2000	$ 1940

Inclusion

Exclusion

2-night accommodation in Moshi town: before the first and the final hiking day
Arrival and departure airport transfers
High-quality 4-season camping equipment
Experienced and professional mountain guides
All park fees and rescue fees
All large-portioned, nutritious food and purified drinking water on the mountain
Guides, porters and cook salaries
Pulse Oximeter for daily health check
Crisis management and safety procedures
Fair and ethical treatment of porters
Beds (for luxury tours)

International Flights & Visa & Insurance
Tips to porters and guides (customary and much appreciated)
Meals while in Moshi town
Items considered to be non-essential, such as alcohol, beverages, cigarettes, snacks, etc.
Optional Tours (for example, short safaris after your climb or Moshi day tour, etc.)
Oxygen tanks (included in luxury tours - can be rented in budget and standard tour)
Portable toilets (included in standard & luxury tours - can be rented in budget tours)

Thank you for considering us. We look forward to guiding you to the holy mountain Kilimanjaro!

Contact: +255 732 973893 / +255 7555 49872 / + 255 686 952 599 (Call/WhatsApp)

Email: info@chiefstours.com | Website: https://chiefstours.com/

Testimonials

We have recently come back from a holiday in Tanzania. Our father has been to visit Tanzania on many occasions and has had many trips organized by a local guide named Adidas who is the owner of the Chiefs tours. Adidas and Shiriwa (driver) took care of every little detail and were a well run professionally and friendly local buisness. Both Adidas and Shiriwa had an amazing range of local knowledge. Everything was planned exceptionally well from our trips.

The day before Adidas and Shiriwa came to meet us to talk about the plan for the next few days, we just told them all the trips that we wanted to do and they planned the rest. They asked us about food likes so they could make us a packed lunch for the trip. The following morning, they picked us up at 6:15 am to start our trip to Lake Manyara National Park. After Lake Manyara, we went to a campsite called Heaven Nature Safari Campsite and Lodge. This campsite was recommended by Adidas and we weren't disappointed. We were greatly welcomed by all staffs and the food was delicious. Adidas and Shiriwa sat up chatting with us that night, we talked about the differences in both our cultures.

The next morning we headed to Ngorongoro Crater where we saw all of the "big five". The road down to the crater was bit teeth clenching but Shiriwa is an excellent driver so put us at ease. After the Ngorongoro crater, we went to visit the Masai Village which was so impressive.

The final tour that we did was the coffee tour. It was just outsite of Moshi. Here we leant how coffee is handmade. We were even involved in making our own coffee and then sat down to drink it. The boys who taught us about how they make coffee were very enthusiastic and lovely. Throughout the trip with both Adidas and Shiriwa, nothing seemed to be a flaw Thank you for an excellent trip that we will never forget. I can't recommend Chief's Tours anymore.

Thank you so much!

Lorraine Coulter (Ireland)

Sarah O'Sullivan (England)

Sarah & LorraineEngland & Ireland

Successful and Amazing Kilimanjaro Trip!

We used Chief's Tours to book our Kilimanjaro trip. It was the most AWESOME and AMAZING experience ever!. What a trip!

Adidas and wife Upendo were so good, polite and accommodating. After our experience they arranged us to stay at the Selig Hotel which is only a few minutes from Chief's Tours; transportation to and from the hotel, including the airport. The day we got off the plane we started our hike in the afternoon.

We summited on New Year's day in 2018. We took the Machame route which took us 5 days to reach the top, and a day and a half to reach to the bottom. The guides, Mohammad and Freddy were so so awesome. I truly miss those guys, also need to mention the waiter and cook and the porters. The guides ensured our safety and success to reach the summit and descent. I'm not that fast of a hiker, but they were understanding and set the pace for the climb.

They not only gave us plenty of food for every meal but also brought a lot of snacks, energy bars, and candy, etc. Also after our climb, Chief's Tours arranged us for the Chagga Culture and Coffee, and waterfall tours that are also excellent!

Thank Chief's Tours for everything!

FreddricFrance

Fantastic country! Amazing people! Perfect trip!

Thanks to Adidas and Chief's Tours, we successfully summit-ted via 6 day Machame route. Chief’s Tours offer a service that is almost identical/dare I say better than that of the larger tour providers which are almost twice the cost.

Food rations were enormous and thanks to our cook were also surprisingly tasty even though we were on a mountain! All of the necessary equipment that we did not possess we provided to us free of charge such as sleeping bags/mats etc.

Our guides were very fun and knowledgeable and had ascended the mountain almost 400 times between them – our lead guide Muhammad boasted one of the highest summit success rates for clients of any guide on the mountain. We were first to reach camp each day so had a lot of time to rest and explore the area.

Following our ascent of Kilimanjaro, we had another few days remaining before we left Tanzania. On a few hours notice, Adidas planned a 2-day safari which ended up being one of the highlights of our trip. As we had booked our trek with Chief's Tours Adidas organized our safari at a ridiculously cheap price (zero profit margin to Chief's Tours) where we visited Tarangire NP and Ngorogoro Crater.

We also visited Kikuwelta Hotsprings which is one of the best swimming spots I have ever been. It is near Moshi but is very difficult to find!

On the last day of the safari (the day before we were due to fly home) I left my main rucksack in the lodge we had stayed in. This was a 4-hour drive from Moshi where we stayed before flying home. Remarkably Adidas was able to return my bag the following day before we departed Tanzania!

As students with smaller budgets, Adidas provided us with great service for a very affordable price. He met with us throughout our time in Tanzania sharing some great stories and laughs while he organized our entire trip.

Can’t recommend Chief’s Tours more strongly!!!

ChristianOslo, Norway

If you go with anyone else, you’re doing it wrong!

My wife and I, along with 8 friends, recently spent two weeks seeing Tanzania with Chief’s Tours. Adidas was there to greet us at 10:00 PM on a Saturday night when we got off the plane, and only stepped up the service from there. He arranged for a driver to pick us up the next morning and take us to relax with plenty of drinks and our own cook at some local hot springs, then gave us a thorough briefing and gear check before setting off the next day to climb Kilimanjaro on an 8-day trek of the Lemosho route.

The climb could not have been smoother. Our guides (Emmanuel, Emanuel 2, Mohammed, and Niklaus) were experienced, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to spend our eight days with. The staff of cooks and porters were equally professional. They took special care of my wife and me who have very specific dietary restrictions. Actually, they were much more accommodating of our diets than Delta/KLM was, and the food was outstanding! Ask Mateo to make you his lentil “Amaze-balls” (my term, not his). There was never a point on this trip where I felt the least bit hungry or unsatisfied. When it came time for our summit day, our lead guide, Emmanuel Washington, really put his 189 summits worth of experience on Kilimanjaro to good use. He told us exactly when to wake up, when we would get started, and how long our group would take it to make it to the rim at Stella Point by sunrise. He absolutely nailed it! We hit Stella Point just as the first rays of light hit the horizon and were rewarded with the most amazing sunrise I’ve ever seen. Emmanuel then took a camera from one of our group members and ran around (at 19,000 ft remember) taking photos of everyone in the group making their way along the rim the rest of the way to the summit!

Our guides were also accommodating when a couple other members of the group and I wanted to take a couple side trips along the way and climb Shira Cathedral and Lava Tower. They went above and beyond the whole time.

Following the climb, we went on a four-day safari. This was initially an issue because we needed to do laundry following our climb in order to have clothes for the safari and our hotel wasn’t going to be able to get it done in time. Another group member emailed Adidas hoping he’d know of a laundromat where we could take our clothes that evening. Instead, one of his employees came to our hotel within 30 minutes to get all of our laundries. It was dry cleaned and delivered to us at our first safari stop over five hours away the next morning!

The safari itself was incredible. Our driver, Arnold, knew right where to take us to see all of the animals. We had incredibly close encounters with elephants, lions, hippos, warthogs, giraffes, etc. He even got us within just a few feet of a pride of lions feeding on a wildebeest! Accommodations on the safari were the first-rate, especially considering that we went with the mid-tier option. I don’t know what’s included when you option up from mid-tier, but it would have to be pretty impressive to beat our experience.

We had a day in Moshi after our safari was over and figured we would just walk around and shop a bit. We went to breakfast and were then pleasantly surprised to see our mountain guide Emanuel waiting to greet us in the hotel lobby. He had come to walk with us around Moshi and make sure we made it to all of the best places. He even walked us to a small village of artists hidden within a park in the middle of the city where my wife and I got our favorite new painting. We would never have found that place on our own. Adidas then arrived to see us off to the airport in plenty of time for our flight back to the US.

Like I said before, if you’re going to Tanzania and not booking your activities through Chief’s Tours, you’re doing it wrong.

Daniel S.USA

An ethically credible company, with the friendliest and best staff!

My sister and I summitted Kilimanjaro thanks to Adidas and all of the Chiefs Tours crew. We had the trip of a lifetime! We both arrived from different countries on different days and Adidas made sure that the logistics were all taken care of and our arrivals and transfers were seamless.

As for Kilimanjaro, we couldn't have been happier with the experience and the team that we had. We took the Lemosho Route and summited a day early, reducing the climb from 7 days to 6, as we did not suffer from altitude sickness and were ready to go a day ahead of schedule. We organized a day trip to Arusha Hot Springs through Chiefs Tours for the extra day then returned to Moshi, all were so lovely.

I would definitely recommend Chiefs Tours to anyone considering Kilimanjaro, our guides (Msafiri and Heaven) and our entire team (particularly Juma) were amazing. They made sure all of our needs and interests were met at every step of the way, with massive smiles! Also, we really noted and liked that they all were wearing appropriate and proper gear and equipment for the climb which many other porters were not.

Adidas is running an ethically credible company, with the friendliest and best staff. Asante sana!

OleksandrKiev, Ukraine

Northern Circuit (7-9 days)

NORTHERN CIRCUIT ROUTE 8 DAYS 7 NIGHTS-ITINERARY & PRICE

Itinerary

DAY 1: LONDOROSSI GATE TO STARTING POINT TO MTI MKUBWA CAMP

Elevation: 2360m to 2820m

Distance: ~5.5km

Hiking time: 3-4 hours

Habitat: Rainforest

Meals: Lunch - Dinner

DAY 2: MTIMKUBWA CAMP TO SHIRA ONE CAMP

Elevation: 2820m to 3610m

Distance: ~8km

Hiking time: 6-7 hours

Habitat: Rainforest & Low Alpine Zone

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch - Dinner

DAY 3: SHIRA CAMP 1 TO MOIR CAMP

Elevation: 3610m to 4200m

Distance: ~15km | Walking time: 5-7 hours

Habitat: Low alpine zone / High alpine zone

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch - Dinner

DAY 4: MOIR CAMP TO BUFFLO CAMP

Elevation: 4200m to 4020m

Distance: ~12km

Hiking time: 5-7 hours

Habitat: High alpine zone

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch - Dinner

DAY 5: BUFFALO CAMP TO RONGAI THIRD CAVE

Elevation: 4200m to 3800m

Distance: ~8km

Hiking Time: 5-7 hours

Habitat: High alpine zone and low alpine zone

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

DAY 6: RONGAI 3RD CAVE TO SCHOOL HUT

Elevation: 3800m to 4800m

Distance: ~15km

Hiking Time: 5-6 hours

Habitat: High alpine zone & glacial zone

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

DAY 7: SCHOOL HUT TO UHURU PEAK DOWN TO MILENNIUM CAMP

The slope flattens as you head west around the crater rim and you should arrive at the summit at or just after sunrise. Your stay here will be brief so get as many pictures as you can of the incredible views and surrounding glaciers.

Elevation: 4800m to 5895m then down to 3950m

Ascent Distance: ~6km - Descent distance: ~10km

Hiking time: 6-8 hours ascent then 4-6 hours descent

Habitat: Ice-caped summit

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner

DAY 8: MILENNIUM CAMP TO MWEKA GATE

Elevation: 3950m to 1630m

Distance: ~10km

Hiking Time: 3-4 hours

Habitat: Rainforest

Meals: Breakfast – Lunch

PRICE OF 2018

To meet a significant number of climbers’ demand, we are happy to provide you with a wide range of Kilimanjaro tours divided into 03 types: Budget – Standard – Luxury. Below is the price of Standard offers. For Budget and Luxury options, kindly contact us. Asante sana!

Inclusion

Exclusion

DAY 6: RONGAI 3^RD CAVE TO SCHOOL HUT