Our whole itinerary is geared towards one single day, that is to say,
summit day.
Description
Whether you actually reach the summit depends almost exclusively upon one factor: your acclimatization. Our whole itinerary is geared towards one single day, that is to say, summit day. The day after our arrival in Tanzania we will be ready to start the acclimatization training. This means that it will be approached in a very leisurely way. Over a few days we will get ourselves accustomed to the altitude by doing a circuit of Shira-Plateau, which stands at 3500m above sea level, and spend the night there.
Back at ground level we will have another day of rest before it all gets serious. In a total of 3 different stages we will prepare ourselves at Base camp. A lot of the time we will have to push the bikes. Riding them would theoretically be possible but it would use far too much energy. We need to save most of this for the day of the summit…when we will have a climb of 1200m. There is more than enough time for this, as we will set off shortly after midnight. As a reward for reaching the summit we have a compulsory souvenir photo in store for you as well as a nearly 5000m descent. You’re guaranteed to be talking about this for a long time afterwards.
Itinerary
DAY 1 - 2
Flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Tanzania then transfer to the hotel. The second day will be spent preparing for the trip; there will be a briefing, checking that the bikes are ready, and the sorting out of backpacks.
DAY 3 - 6
The following four days will be spent acclimatizing. Over two days in two stages we will climb slowly from 2250m above sea level up to Shira Plateau, which is 3500m above sea level. We will then spend two nights at this altitude to acclimatize ourselves for the coming days. Then we will start our descent from the plateau to the gate and then transfer to the hotel.
DAY 7
A day of rest in Moshi. Explore the nearby towns by bike and visit the local markets. Or just relax at the hotel and its garden.
DAY 8 - 11
It’s a four-day climb to our Base camp. Overnight stay in the camp at 2980m above sea level, then afterwards a climb to Horombo, at 3700m above sea level. We’ll have a day of rest at this altitude with only a short climb during the day and then return to camp. We’ll reach the Kibo Hut on the 11th day and will then be at 4700m above sea level. The climbs may be manageable on a bike but sometimes we’ll need to push them.
DAY 12
We`ll spend an further day acclimatizing at Kibo hut – climbing up to Hans-Meyer-Cave – whilst mentally preparing ourselves for summit day.
DAY 13
The ascent will start shortly after midnight. The bike must be pushed and carried to the summit. We will proceed to the main peak, namely the Uhuru Peak. After this we will be rewarded with a 1200-meter-long descent. We cannot ride for around 100 metres, but for the rest we can use our bikes.
DAY 14
Going down is so much easier! Awaiting us is a 3000m descent of single trails and dirt roads. We will know the route well from our ascent. Big barbecue dinner in the evening at the lodge.
DAY 15 - 16
We will spend a day in Moshi then we will pack and Transfer to Airport.
Summary
Number of Days: 16
Path: Off road
Highlights: Cycling up Kilimanjaro!!