Machame is probably the most beautiful route up Kilimanjaro.For this route, you don't need any mountain climbing skills, but you must be fit.
Porters will carry all your personal items, equipment and supplies and a cook prepares your meals.
As a tent experience, the Machame route (also known as the whisky-route) is better cited to more adventurous hikers who are rewarded with fantastic scenic wonders and great panoramas.
From late afternoon sunsets at Shira to the misty revelations of Kibo at the great Barranco wall. A photographer's delight!
An added benefit to this camping route is the most valuable commodity on the mountain acclimatization.
The Machame route takes you high to Lava Tower (4.600m) on the day 3 and brings you down by nearly 700m for an overnight at Barranco camp (3.900m). This is the secret to successful acclimatisation.
For the 7-day route, add an additional acclimatisation day at Shira Camp on the itinerary below (an extra day between day 3 and day 4).
On the extra day you can make a scenic walk towards Shira Cathedral. The extra day helps to get used to the high altitude.
Kilimanjaro
Day 1
Kilimanjaro Airport - Moshi Town
Arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport in the evening, meet and greet by your guide, then make a short transfer to Moshi Town (35 minute drive) to the hotel for an overnight. Briefing about the Kilimanjaro climb by your guide. Your Kilimanjaro guide will also check your equipment. Anything missing can be rented the next day.
Day 2
Moshi Town - Machame Gate - Machame Camp
Machame Gate (1.800m) - Machame Camp (3.000m)
Pick up from the hotel in Moshi Town, do some brief shopping around town before we leave the town and go to Machame Gate (1.800m / 5,900ft). Meet your Kilimanjaro team: guide, assistant guide, cook and porters. Start hiking from Machame Gate to Machame Camp. Today we walk through a mystic jungle, home to black and white colobus monkey, blue monkey and many exotic bird species. On our way we have our lunch and on arrival in the camp a hot dinner is waiting for you.
Today we can see a beautiful sunrise, and Uhuru Peak in the distance. After breakfast we walk to Shira Camp for lunch and overnight. Today we leave the jungle and enter a new, open world with strange big plants, Giant Erica and Giant Heather. Optional walk to a beautiful viewing point in the afternoon. From this camp you have a fantastic view of the Summit.
Another beautiful day with different sceneries. We start walking in the morning and we enter into the moorland zone, with interesting vegetation with giant groundsels and giant lobelias, up to 5 meters high. We climb up to Lava Tower (4.600m / 15,100ft), a huge rock standing up right. We have a hot lunch on this beautiful point. After lunch we descend to our camp for dinner and overnight. This day will help you to get used to the high altitude, to increase our chances of reaching the summit.
Another beautiful day with stunning panoramas. We start the day with a steep climb of the Barranco Wall. An exhausting experience, but a fantastic reward when we are on top of Barranco Wall, a magnificent view of Uhuru Peak. We now enter the Alpine Dessert Zone. After lunch we walk to Barafu Camp for dinner and overnight. On our way we are rewarded with fantastic views of the glaciers and Mawenzi Peak (the second peak of Kilimanjaro).
Day 6
Barafu Camp – Uhuru Peak – Mweka Camp
Barafu Camp (4.600m) - Uhuru Peak (5.895m) - Mweka Camp (3.100m)
Your guide wakes you up before midnight and after a hot cup of tea and some biscuits you will start your trekking to the summit! When we reach Stella Point (5.700m / 18,700ft) we see a spectacular sunrise with Uhuru Peak in the background. We take a short rest to enjoy the spectacular view of the sunrise and Kibo Crater. We continue to walk on a relatively flat path, surrounded by beautiful glaciers, to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak (5.895m / 19,340ft). Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your live! After taking photos we start to descend to our base camp, Barafu Camp (2 to 3 hours walk). We reach the camp, where we will have a rest and a good lunch. After lunch we descend the southern slopes of the Mweka route, to Mweka Camp (about 3-4 hours). Exhausted, proud and excited we will have a well-deserved dinner and very good sleep.
Day 7
Mweka Camp – Mweka Gate – Moshi Town
Mweka Camp (3.100m) - Mweka Gate (1.980m)
After a good night's sleep we start our final descend to Mweka Gate. We go through the misty and beautiful forest again, all the way to Mweka Gate. The monkeys say goodbye and we realize we are about to end this great experience. After getting our certificates we will celebrate our Kilimanjaro adventure with our guides, cook and porters. We all did a great job! Transfer to your hotel for your much-needed shower and very comfortable bed.
Day 8
Moshi Town – Kilimanjaro Airport
After a good night's sleep we wake up in our hotel where we will relax. Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home, or proceed with the second part of your Tanzanian holiday.
Day 1 Kilimanjaro Airport - Moshi Town
Day 2 Moshi Town - Machame Gate - Machame Camp
Day 3 Machame Camp – Shira Camp
Day 4 Shira Camp – Barranco Camp
Day 5 Barranco Camp - Barafu Camp
Day 6 Barafu Camp – Uhuru Peak – Mweka Camp
Day 7 Mweka Camp – Mweka Gate – Moshi Town
Day 8 Moshi Town – Kilimanjaro Airport
Includes
Airport and destination transfers
Meals mentioned in your hotel
All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and drinks during the tracking
Accommodations (hotel and tents with sleeping mattress)
