The Umbwe Route is a challenging, steep and direct climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, known for its beautiful, dense forest and stunning views. It is only meant for extremely fit individuals who want to challenge themselves and know what they are getting into.

Highlights of Umbwe Route

  • MOST CHALLENGING

    The Umbwe route is deservedly considered most challenging because of the fast direct ascent to high altitudes. It does not provide the time needed for acclimatization, which leads to altitude sickness.

  • NON-TECHNICAL CLIMB

    Despite its difficulty, the Umbwe route is a non-technical climb. It offers steep ascents and requires trekkers to scramble over rocks and tree roots at certain points.

  • FANTASTIC VIEWS

    The early days of this path have arguably the best views of any part of the mountain, save perhaps the summit itself. At times, there are stunning vistas to be seen to both the left and the right as you make your way up the trail.

  • LOW SUCCESS

    Because of it’s steep, direct approach, the success rate on Umbwe route is lower than some of the other routes.

  • LEAST CROWDED

    Because of its reputation as a difficult climb, very few people actually walk this trail, leaving it open and relatively untouched.
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5-Star Reviews for Popote

Below are some reviews specifically from clients who did Umbwe Route with us. See more of our fantastic testimonials on Tripadvisor and Google.

Tripadvisor ReviewsGoogle Reviews

  • "First, I heard about Popote thru word of mouth. As a female, solo traveler first time traveling in East Africa, I felt safe booking with them. Sabi, accommodated my last minuteUmbweroute. Florian, the guide, made sure I'll successfully summit Uhuru and I did!..."

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  • "Cannot say enough great things about Sabino and the rest of the team at Popote!! They were strongly recommended to me by a friend, and even with that, my actual experience exceeded expectations in fun and meaningful ways...."

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  • "I cannot recommend Popote Africa Adventures highly enough! Everything from the airport pickup, hotel transfer, trek to the summit, guides and food was top notch. First of all, we had some difficultly getting to Tanzania because of ..."

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Is Umbwe Route for Me?

Being a short, steep and direct route, Umbwe is considered to be very difficult and is the most challenging way up Mount Kilimanjaro. Due to the quick ascent, Umbwe does not provide the necessary stages for altitude acclimatization. Although the traffic on this route is very low, the chances of success are also low. It is recommended to very strong hikers who are confident in their ability to acclimatize.

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The Popote Advantage

We have guided more than 10,000 climbers on Kilimanjaro since 2011. The following 4 aspects are the most important for anyone wanting to climb Kili. And we guarantee uncompromising quality for all and more.

#1 Highly Experienced Guides

Popote's guides know the ins and outs of Kilimanjaro, are trained in emergency procedures and can provide vital support in case of any unexpected situations. They also bring a wealth of knowledge about the local culture, flora, and fauna, which will make your climb even more enriching. Besides, they also play a crucial role in making the climb fun and enjoyable. It can be through singing along the way, narating anecdotes from the past, or by bringing a sense of camaraderie to your team. As as you will see, they offer every encouragement and support you will ever need.

#2 Reliable Porters

Porters carry equipment and supplies, allowing climbers to focus on the climb without carrying heavy loads. They setup your camps each day, and dismantle them when its time to move on. Without their support climbing Kilimanjaro will be next to impossible for most of us. At Popote, we value our porters highly because of the part they play in making each climb, week after week, a success.

#3 Lip-Smacking Meals

Our chefs will serve large, healthy meals to keep you happy and well-fed on your Kilimanjaro climb. You’ll have hot meals at breakfast and dinner, freshly prepared with locally-sourced ingredients. We prepare all our food to strict hygiene standards, ensuring it’s delicious and safe to eat. Our menus are designed to be nutritionally-dense, with plenty of variety to cater to the energy demands of the trek.

#4 Top Quality Equipment

We only use Mountain Hardwear’s rugged, 4-season tents, designed specifically for mountain conditions. Built to accommodate three people, we only ever have two people in a tent. These tents are manufactured to withstand high winds, heavy rain and snow cover, making them ideal for the environment on Kilimanjaro.

Umbwe Route Itinerary

The itinerary below describes the 5 nights/6 day Kilimanjaro climb via the Umbwe route. Popote Africa offers Umbwe as a 7-day private climb. The 7 day variation adds an acclimatization day on day three at Barranco Camp.

Day 0: Arrival in Tanzania

You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your arranged hotel in Moshi town. You will meet your guide who will brief you on your upcoming trek and do an equipment check to make sure you have all the necessary mountain gear. Gear which is missing can be rented on this day.

  • Driving distance: 55 km
  • Driving Time: 1 hour

DAY 1: UMBWE GATE – UMBWE CAVE CAMP

The climb starts from Umbwe Gate, where the path follows a ridge between two deep valleys up through the dense montane forest. The camp is perched between huge trees and thick undergrowth. There is no water available at this campsite, so we must carry from the gate all the water needed for drinking, food preparation and cleaning.

  • Distance: 11km/7miles,
  • Hiking Time: 5-7hours,
  • Elevation:5,249 ft – 9,514 ft
  • Vegetation: Rain Forest

DAY 2: UMBWE CAVE CAMP – BARANCO CAMP

The path gets steeper on this section, as you get out of the forest along the Umbwe ridge the route descends slightly to the Barranco camp situated in the valley. In this camp you will meet with other trekkers from Machame route and Lemosho route. The camp will be so busy due to the joining with other three famous route.

  • Distance: 6km/4miles,
  • Hiking Time: 4-5hours,
  • Elevation:9,514 ft – 13,044 ft
  • Vegetation: Heath

DAY 3: BARANCO CAMP – KARANGA CAMP

Our day starts by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. We then exit steeply, up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a climb over rock, not technical but long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, we head towards the Karanga valley. From here we have a steep climb up from Karanga valley to our night’s camp at Karanga camp, set at 3963m. For those feeling strong we will go for a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek up to around 4200m before descending back to camp for the night.

  • Distance: 5km/3miles,
  • Hiking Time: 4-5hours,
  • Elevation:13,044 ft – 13,106 ft
  • Vegetation: Alpine Desert

DAY 4: KARANGA CAMP – BARAFU CAMP

After a good night’s rest and breakfast, we set off on our walk to Barafu camp at 4640m. The climb will take us across desolate scree slopes with no vegetation around us at all. It’s a tough steep walk made more difficult by the altitude. On arriving at camp, we eat and spend the afternoon resting as we prepare for a long night and day ahead. It is important to keep hydrated and warm. We have an early dinner and then try to get some sleep as we will be getting up at between 11pm and 12pm to start the climb to the summit.

  • Distance: 4km/2miles,
  • Hiking Time: 4-5hours,
  • Elevation:13,106 ft to 15,331 ft
  • Vegetation: Alpine Desert

DAY 5: BARAFU CAMP – UHURU – MILLENNIUM CAMP

We start off at around midnight and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Mweka Camp for a long well-earned rest.

  • Distance: 5km/3miles and 7km/4mile
  • Hiking Time: 6-8 hours and 2-4 hours
  • Elevation: 15,331 ft to 19,341ft and 12,434 ft
  • Vegetation: Arctic to Heath

DAY 6: MILLENNIUM CAMP – MWEKA GATE

A gentle trek takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We are then met by our vehicles and return to the hotel in Moshi, where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower then celebrate with cold drinks. Overnight at your arranged Hotel

  • Distance: 12km/7miles,
  • Hiking Time: 5-7 hours,
  • Elevation:12,434 ft – 5,380 ft
  • Vegetation: Rain forest

Day 7– Departure

Whether you go on a safari with us, or fly to Zanzibar or any other destination, out vehicle will be ready for your transfer at a time of your choosing.

Umbwe Route Prices

We do no compromise on safety and quality, so our prices are not the cheapest. However, they are also not unreasonably high like some other companies. We take a lot of pride in the value for money we provide to each and every client.

The per person prices below are based on how many people are booking the trek together.

  • 7-Day Route Price

  • 6-Day Route Price

    1 person - $1,860

    2-5 persons - $1,680

    6-10 persons - $1,590

    11+ persons - $1,500

  • The climb cost includes

    Transfers:

    • Return transfer from Kilimanjaro International Airport to accommodation in Moshi
    • Return transfer from accommodation in Moshi to the entry gate into Kilimanjaro National Park

    Entry fees:

    • Park Fees: all park fees collected by Kilimanjaro National Park (conservation fees, camping fees, crew fees, vehicle fee, rescue fee and all others). 

    Accommodation:

    • Accommodation at 3* hotel in Moshi (WeruWeru Lodge) one night before and one night after the expedition. You will have all for a comfortable stay - friendly staff, clean rooms, Wi-Fi, restaurant and swimming pool
    • Tented accommodation on Mount Kilimanjaro (modern comfortable 4-season North Face VE-25 tents)

    Please note: by default, you will share a room and a tent with your travel companion. If you travel solo on a group expedition, we will room you with a same-sex participant. Single supplement is available upon request.

    Meals:

    • Breakfast in the hotel before and after the hike
    • All meals on the hike. You will find delicious energy-rich meals on our mountain menus. Our professional chefs will prepare assorted soups, garnishes, several types of fish and meat, fresh fruit and vegetables. Vegetarian/gluten-free/halal options are available at no extra cost
    • All drinks on the hike (coffee, tea, hot chocolate and water)

    Hiking and safety equipment:

    • 4-inch (10-cm) thick and comfortable sleeping mats;
    • All group equipment (dining tent, table, chairs, crockery and cutlery)
    • If you choose extra comfort package you additionally will have walk-in tents, sleeping cots, hot water bottles for the night as well as portable toilets included
    • Oxygen cylinders and oximeters
    • GPS-tracking service
    • Complete medical kits including Diamox.

    Climbing crew:

    • Professional guides licensed by Kilimanjaro National Park. All guides are holder of Wilderness First Responder certification. All of them have 7+years of successful experience
    • Dedicated support crew (assistant guides, camp master, porters, cooks, etc.)

    It goes without saying that we treat our porters, cooks and guides as well and fairly. It is an unbiased evaluation of our commitment to fair treatment of our mountain crews.

    Taxes:

    • 18% VAT, 1% TDL and 0.3% Service Levy. Popote Africa is an honest and responsible tour operator working in full compliance with the tax law of the United Republic of Tanzania.

  • The climb cost excludes

    • International flights
    • Tips (250-300 USD per climber for the whole mountain crew)
    • Visa fee (100 USD for American citizens and 50 USD for all others)
    • Personal gear rentals
    • Lunch and dinner at the hotel (before and after the climb)
    • Portable toilets (if required - 250 USD per unit, one can be shared between 3 people)
    • Mountaineering insurance. You'll need special insurance for climbing Kilimanjaro that covers high-altitude trekking up to 6000 m

FAQs for Umbwe Route

  • How difficult is the Umbwe Route?

    The Umbwe route is a steep and direct climb to the Uhuru peak. It offers the least time for the body to acclimatize to the rising altitudes. That combined with the physical exertion on this trek makes it the most difficult route to hike up Kilimanjaro.

  • How long is the Umbwe Route?

    The short Umbwe Route is approximately 52kms (32miles) from start to finish. It is usually done over 6 days, but a shorter 5-day itinerary is also possible. The average daily altitude gain is about 840m per day, with the summit day gain of 1200m from Barafu camp to Uhuru peak.

  • What is Umbwe Route's summit success rate?

    The Umbwe Route is one of the shortest routes up Kilimanjaro which has a very poor chance for acclimatization due to it’s steepness and days spend in the mountain. Whilst there are no official statistics, the average success rate across all operators is 70%. However, we have a summit success rate of over 90% for the Umbwe Route!

  • How is the scenery on the Umbwe Route?

    The first two days of the Umbwe Route trek are through tree plantations and then beautiful and rich rain forest, before continuing into the steep Western Breach and Arrow’s Glacier path, scramble up to the Reutsch Crater (5,800 meters) where trekkers spend the night near one of Kilimanjaro’s last remaining glaciers, Furtwangler Glacier.

Why choose Popote?

Read about all that make us one of the best outfitters running Klimanjaro climbs.

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