Detailed 10-Day Bwindi Gorillas and Kilimanjaro Hiking Tour Itinerary
Day 1: Arusha to Machame Gate, Machame Camp
Our representative will pick you up and drive you to Machame Village, where you will collect your lunch box and buy mineral water. Depart for Machame Gate, stopping at the park offices for registration before starting your ascent up the world’s tallest free standing mountain.
The Machame route is quite scenic, with trekking poles helping you over slippery trails in the rainforest. Take a short break halfway for lunch, then continue to Machame Camp, arriving in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at the camp.
Day 2: Machame Camp to Shira Camp
Early in the morning, leave the rainforest and continue up a steep, rocky ridge with good views. The plants change into Kilimanjaro’s high altitude species, the Lobelia deckenii and Senecio kilimanjari, as you climb.
Take a break halfway for a meal, then continue your ascent to the Shira Plateau for views of the mountain and Kibo glaciers, weather permitting. Reach Shira Camp shortly after. Dinner and overnight stay at the camp.
Day 3: Shira Camp (Lava Tower) to Barranco Camp
Continue your ascent east, an important day for acclimatization. Hike east across the Shira Plateau, with the junction of the Shira and Lemosho routes as your first milestone.
Stop for lunch and a short rest before descending gradually to Barranco Camp, set in a valley close to the Barranco Wall. Dinner and overnight stay at the camp.
Day 4: Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp
After breakfast, climb the Barranco Wall. Once at the top, descend into the greener Karanga Valley. One more climb brings you to Karanga Camp for lunch and a short break before continuing to Barafu, or “ice,” Camp, completing the South Circuit.
The summit is now a further 1,345m up, and you will make the final ascent that same night. Prepare your gear and have an early dinner and rest ahead of a cold night at Barafu Camp.
Day 5: Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak (5,895m) to Mweka Camp
A wake up call around 23:30 hrs or midnight brings hot coffee, tea, and biscuits before you set off northwest through heavy scree toward Stella Point. Reaching this point earns you a certificate, but continue on to Uhuru Peak at 5,895m (19,341 ft).
At Uhuru Peak, take photos and enjoy the views. Time on the summit depends on weather conditions. Descend to Mweka Camp with a lunch break and a brief rest at Barafu Camp. Dinner and overnight stay at Mweka Camp.
Day 6: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate to Arusha
After breakfast, continue your descent to Mweka Park Gate, where you receive your summit certificate. Your driver will take you to Mweka Village for lunch, then to your hotel in Arusha for a shower, a good meal, and rest.
Day 7: Transfer to JRO Kilimanjaro Airport, Flight to Entebbe, Uganda
Enjoy a well deserved rest this morning. After breakfast, your driver will take you to Kilimanjaro JRO Airport for your flight to Uganda, the Pearl of Africa.
Our driver guide will welcome you at the airport in Entebbe and take you to Entebbe or Kampala to check in at your hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 8: Transfer to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
After breakfast, very early in the morning, your guide will pick you up for the journey to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in southwestern Uganda, passing rolling hills, swamps, acacia grassland, farms, and lakes.
Stop at the Equator line in Kayabwe, then Mbarara for lunch. Arrive in the evening to check in, relax, and enjoy the view. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 9: Gorilla Trekking in Bwindi
After breakfast, with your packed lunch, head to the park headquarters for a briefing on gorilla trekking rules before being assigned to a gorilla family group and heading into the forest with ranger guides.
Trekking time varies from 2 to 8 hours. Once you find the gorillas, spend a full hour in their presence, taking photos and asking questions. Return to the starting point where your driver will take you back to your lodge to relax, with an option to join a village walk or visit the Batwa community. Dinner and overnight stay at your lodge.
Day 10: Transfer to Entebbe
Wake up early, have breakfast, and begin your journey back to Kampala or Entebbe, where you will be dropped at your hotel or the airport for your flight home.
Book this 10-Day Bwindi Gorillas and Kilimanjaro Hiking Tour today and combine a summit climb with mountain gorilla encounters in Bwindi.
