Kilimanjaro trekking routes
NORTHERN CIRCUIT
12 days
ITINERARY
8 days
TREKKING
5,895m
ALTITUDE
Dates
2024 & 2025
The Quieter and Remote Side...
In Febuary 2019 – 10 years after the 1st Comic Relief celebrity climb – more celebrities returned to the mountain – this time trekking the epic Northern Circuit. Our classic 8 day itinerary follows in their footsteps taking you on an unforgettable journey around all sides of Africa’s highest mountain.
The Challenge
Reach the Roof of Africa in 8 days...
You can join one of our Open Group Climbs throughout the year – which bring together like-minded people to share an adventure together. You can sign up as an individual, a couple, or with a group of friends or family, The Northern Circuit is one of the quieter Kilimanjaro routes, including the rarely visited northern slopes of the mountain t- with fantastic views that overlook Kenya. It approaches Kilimanjaro from the west and offers 360 degrees of beautiful scenery. With 8 days trekking on the mountain it provides excellent acclimatisation and a high chance of success!
- 12 day trip - 8 day trekking
- Starts in the West
- Quieter side of the mountain
- Remote paths & trails
- Experience the Comic Relief route
- Great acclimatisation
- UK mountain leader & UK doctor
- Pre & post Trekking hotels
The Experience
Life On the Trek
On an Action Challenge trip you’ll be part of a team which takes on a Kilimanjaro adventure together – and that’s what makes the experience so special. Getting to know others, supporting each other when the going gets tough on summit day, laughing together, and sharing those special moments & the new friendships that will stay with you for many years. Led by a UK Mountain Leader and supported by a Medic overseeing the group’s wellbeing – you’ll be in safe hands, and our expert local Kilimanjaro logistics team & guides will ensure it all runs like clockwork. These are ‘fully inclusive’ Kilimanjaro trips – leaving you to focus on your challenge, and to enjoy it!
An Action Challenge trip is much more than a holiday! It brings like-minded people together in fantastic landscapes, provides the best support & great hospitality, and enables the group to take on a tough & unforgettable challenge which forges new friendships, broaden horizons, and leaves you wanting more of life’s adventures!
The blueprint for Action Challenge trip is based on delivering a high quality enjoyable experience – and doing it all safely. An experienced UK Mountain Leader ensures that all aspects of the challenge run to plan – and one of our UK Medics with an expedition med kit is on-hand to look after the group’s wellbeing – enabling everyone to have the best chance of successfully competing their challenge.
We go to great lengths to ensure that we only use the best local organisations to supply the all-important ground logistics and the on-challenge support, catering, and hospitality teams – with experienced guides leading the way on the trails with their deep local knowledge and authentic style.
Like minded people with a similar sense of adventure – but often from very different backgrounds, and with a wide range of experience, ages, levels of fitness, and personal ambitions. Our trips are perfect for individuals, couples, and small groups of friends to join – and then to take on a unique challenge as part of a larger group which shapes & bonds as the adventure unfolds!
Whether its’s the hotels, restaurants & transfers before & after the main challenge – or the challenge accommodation & meals whilst out on the trails – our all inclusive packages mean that you will get a top quality experience at a great value price! Flights are generally included, but there’s a ‘land only’ option if you’d prefer to book your own – and single supplement accommodation upgrades are available.
The group comes together – takes on a tough challenge together – and then celebrates its achievements in style on the final night of the trip in a local restaurant or hotel, with medals, awards, and a maybe a bit of a party! Many of our participants make new special friends on our trips – and quite a few come back together for another challenge in the following years!
A successful challenge starts with good preparation. The better prepared you are the more confident you’ll be, and the more you’ll enjoy it! Our ‘Challenge App’ will have all the info & details of what to expect on your challenge – and how to prepare for it – and we have optional training walks, training weekends , and a place on one of our UK Ultra Challenge events to get out on the tails and test your fitness, kit, & equipment.
SPRING DEAL
FREE 50KM ULTRA CHALLENGE PLACE
Join us on one of our UK Ultra Challenges,
get active and kickstart your training with
a free 50km entry worth £139.
*Conditions apply & ends 30 April '24
Itinerary & Route
Departing London, we fly overnight before landing into Tanzania. Upon a morning arrival, we transfer to our hotel, check in, before a welcome briefing & kit check. We have an evening meal together before an early night.
Trekking out from the Londrossi gate, to the west of the mountain, we set out from the foothills through lush vegetation. Our 1st night is spent camping at ‘Mt Mkuba Camp’ (2,785m). The next day we make our way slowly towards Shira Camp where the landscape turns more into ‘Moorland’ with unique shrubs & flora. We camp at the Shira Plateau which is above the cloud line, at 3,850m. From here we head towards Lava Tower for an acclimitsation walk, up to 4,600m, before heading down to Moir Hut when we camp.
We will take a steep climb out of the Moir Valley, and skirt the northern slopes of Kilimanjaro. From here, there will be altitude gains and descents skirting around the Northern slopes of Kibo to Buffalo Camp., but no steep changes in altitude. We will come close to the border with Kenya, giving us unique views across the Tsavo & Amboselli Valleys. We will continue our traverse East around Kilimanjaro’s Northern slopes, camping at Rongai 3rd Cave camp. steady incline up and over the Saddle which sits between the peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi Peak. We then continue trekking south-west, up to School Hut, otherwise known as the Outward Bound Camp. This sits at 4750m, and represents the highest point of the trek so far. This is also our last stop before the summit push.
Expect a midnight wake-up call for our final push to the summit. After ‘breakfast’, we take a long trek up the winding path to crater rim. The slope is steep over loose rocks with some boulders as you near Gilman’s Point (5,712m). Each pair of trekkers will be assigned a personal guide for this part of the trek. The trek from Gilman’s Point at the edge of the crater, to the summit is less demanding, and depending on your pace, you can reach it after a further 1½-2 hours. After a short time at the summit of Kilimanjaro, you have the option, depending on time, to descend to a nearby glacier. Then we hike down to Barafu Camp via a different route for a short two-hour rest, before descending to Millennium Camp at 3820m. Here you will tuck into dinner, and settle in to your tent for a glorious night of rest after a stunning achievement.
We descend to the gate from Horombo Camp which takes us between 4-5 hours, before boarding a bus to head back to the hotel. After a rest & a hot shower we have the afternoon to relax by the pool before a celebratory dinner. The next day we have a free morning, before heading to the airport for an overnight flight back to the UK.
Costs & Fundraising
We’ve three payment & fundraising options for you to take on this challenge.
Self Funding
Sign up with a £395 online deposit & balance payment due 12 weeks before, with no fundraising target.
Fundraise for Charity
Sign up with a £395 online deposit & fundraise for a charity of your choice, with different target options.
Our Brochure
The Challenge brochure details the full itinerary, inclusions, dates & prices – download for a full run down of the challenge details.
