Umbwe is the steep one. It climbs hard out of the forest, gains height quickly and is the route we are most careful about recommending. For the right person it is quiet and wild; for the wrong person it is a hard lesson.
Days
5 or 6 on the mountain
Sleeping
Tents
Starts
Umbwe Gate, south
Finishes
Mweka Gate
Highest sleep
Barafu, about 4,600 m
Crowds
Very quiet
What Umbwe is
Umbwe begins on the south side and goes straight up a narrow forest ridge. It meets the Machame route near Barranco, so from the second or third day you are on the same trail as Machame climbers. Together they go on to Barafu, the summit and Mweka.
The point of Umbwe is directness. It is the shortest path to the crater rim. The drawback is directness: you gain height faster than your body wants to, and there is little built-in acclimatisation.
Umbwe route itinerary, day by day
Day one. Steep, forested, rooty, sometimes muddy. You are hauling yourself up over tree roots, and the camp at around 2,900 m is reached after five or six hours of steady work.
Day two. Out of the forest to Barranco at around 3,950 m. Another steep stretch, with exposed ridges and views back to the plains.
Onward. From Barranco the days are like Machame: the Barranco Wall, Karanga, Barafu. With six days you get an extra night at Karanga.
Summit and down. Same as Machame: midnight start, Stella Point, Uhuru Peak, then Mweka.
5-day Umbwe route schedule
The fastest and most demanding itinerary on the mountain.
Day 15 to 6 h
Umbwe Gate to Umbwe Cave Camp
2,940 m · farmland and forest edge to montane rainforest
Day 25 to 6 h
Umbwe Cave Camp to Barranco Camp
3,950 m · montane rainforest to heath and moorland
Day 36 to 8 h
Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp
4,670 m · heath and moorland to alpine desert
Day 412 to 15 h
Barafu Camp to Mweka Camp
3,100 m · alpine desert to arctic summit zone to heath and moorland
Day 53 to 4 h
Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate
1,640 m · heath and moorland to farmland and forest edge
6-day Umbwe route schedule
An extra night at Karanga makes this steep route more manageable.
Day 15 to 6 h
Umbwe Gate to Umbwe Cave Camp
2,940 m · farmland and forest edge to montane rainforest
Day 25 to 6 h
Umbwe Cave Camp to Barranco Camp
3,950 m · montane rainforest to heath and moorland
Day 33 to 4 h
Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp
4,035 m · heath and moorland to alpine desert
Day 43 to 4 h
Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp
4,670 m · alpine desert
Day 512 to 15 h
Barafu Camp to Mweka Camp
3,100 m · alpine desert to arctic summit zone to heath and moorland
Day 63 to 4 h
Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate
1,640 m · heath and moorland to farmland and forest edge
It is the toughest of the main routes. The steepness is not technical, but it asks a lot of your legs on day one and of your lungs from day two. Five days is a serious push; six days is more reasonable.
Our honest advice: take Umbwe only if you have recent altitude experience, are very fit and have a flexible schedule. Otherwise a seven-day Machame or Lemosho will serve you better.
Quick take
Good: quiet, wild trail
Good: shortest route to the top
Hard: steep from the start
Hard: little time to acclimatise
Hard: not for first-timers
Umbwe route price and packages
What you pay depends on the number of days, the group size and the comfort level. The packages below show their own starting price per person from our live price list, and the cost page explains what moves it. Park fees are a large fixed part of any climb, which is why the cheapest quote is not always the best value.
+All meals on the mountain (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
+Experienced lead guide + assistant guide
+Hotel transfers
+Kilimanjaro National Park fees
+Pre-climb briefing & gear check
+Rescue fee / emergency evacuation insurance
Not included
-International flights
-Personal expenses and snacks
-Personal trekking gear
-Tanzania visa ($50 USD)
-Tips for guides and porters
-Travel & medical insurance (required)
Who Umbwe suits
Experienced hill and mountain walkers who have already been to high altitude and who want quiet. If that is not you, choose another route.
Best time to climb the Umbwe route
The forest on the south side is very wet in the rains, and the trail becomes difficult. Pick the dry windows, June to October or late December to early March. See best time to climb.
Questions people ask
It is as safe as the other routes if you are well prepared and listen to your guide, but the altitude gain is quick. Choose six days, not five.
We do not recommend it. A longer route gives you a far better chance of finishing well.
The first two days are quiet. After the junction near Barranco you share the trail with Machame climbers.
Many people reach the top in their forties, fifties and sixties, and plenty are not athletes. What decides it is time and preparation, not youth: choose a long route (seven or eight days), train with hills and long loaded walks for at least two or three months, and walk slowly on the mountain. If you have a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition, see your doctor before you book.
Acetazolamide is a prescription drug that some doctors recommend for altitude. It does not replace a slow ascent. Talk to your own doctor well before the trip, try it at home first if they prescribe it, and tell your guide you are taking it.
Six days works best on Machame, Rongai or a six-day Marangu, if you are fit and have recent altitude experience. If you can find a seventh day, Machame or Lemosho gives your body a much easier ride. See six days or seven.
Yes. Choose a policy that explicitly covers trekking to 6,000 m and emergency evacuation. Standard holiday cover often stops at a lower altitude. Read the exclusions before you buy and carry the policy number with you.
Facts on this page were checked against these sources and written up in our own words. Camp heights and times differ between sources by up to about 100 m and an hour; we give rounded figures.
