7 Day Machame Route
Machame is the second most popular and one of the most scenic routes on the mountain.
All climbers sleep in tents (tents are included) and meals are served in a dinner tent or on a blanket outside.
It is done over 6 or 7 days so acclimatization is easier, and the success rate is fairly high. It is for physically fit people with some hiking experience. Descent is down the Mweka trail staying at the Mweka camp the final night on the mountain.
Day 1
Machame Gate to Machame Camp
From the hotel or our family home to(we mean whatever you will be staying before and after the climb) Machame Gate to Machame Camp.
You will be picked up after breakfast at your accommodation, then transported to the gate for an early start of your Kilimanjaro Adventure. Once we reach the park gate we will proceed directly to Machame campsite.
The average hiking time is about 6 hours, and there will be lunch on the way, before dinner, and overnight in tents. The altitude at Machame hut campsite is 3100m.
Day 2
Machame Camp to Shira Camp
After breakfast you hike to Shira camp. The trek takes approximately 4 hours via the rain forest past the valley and a steep rocky ridge ending westward at a river gorge.
You will have a rest, and lunch about halfway. Dinner and overnight in tents at Shira hut campsite, 3,658m above sea level.
Day 3
Shira Camp to Barranco Camp
From Shira, a scenic day to Barranco camp in an average hiking time of 6 hours. We pass “The Lava Tower” and the Arrow glacier, altitude 4,876m. We descend to Barranco campsite for our third overnight on Kilimanjaro. 3,860 m above sea level.
Day 4
Karanga Valley Acclimatization Day
Leave Barranco in the morning after breakfast. A short 1, 5 hours hike to Karanga Valley, where we enjoy a warm lunch and relax in the tents.
Day 5
Karanga Valley Camp to Barafu Camp
After breakfast, we leave the Karanga valley and head towards the junction which connects with the Mweka trail. We hike to Barafu (Barafu means ice in Swahili, be ready for low temperatures!) camp where we set up camp.
This day’s walk is about 5 hours. Dinner and overnight at the campsite, altitude 4.600m with the possibility of sighting both Mawenzi and Kibo peaks. Early bedtime to prepare for the night ascent to the top!
Day 6
Barafu Camp to Mweja via Stella Point and Uhuru Peak
We rise early (around midnight) and head for Stella Point altitude 5,745m on our way to the summit Uhuru Peak (Uhuru means Freedom in Swahili) which is 5,895m above sea level.
This part of the hike takes about 6 hours. From the summit we descend to the Mweka hut campsite, 3,100m above sea level. This part of the descent takes about 5 hours.
Dinner and the last tenting night at the campsite.
Day 7
Mweka Gate to Home or Hotel
After breakfast, we descend to the Mweka Park Gate in an average hiking time of 4 hours at the gate the successful climbers who have reached the peak will be given certificates proving their successful achievement of reaching the top!
Then we will transport you to your next accommodation.
6 Day Machame Route
Day 1
Machame Gate to Machame Camp
After completing the necessary registration formalities at Machame National Park gate, we begin to trek through a beautiful and lush forest. We have a picnic lunch en route. We camp at Machame Camp (9,800 ft). [5-6 hours walking]
Day 2
Machame Camp to Shira Camp
We soon leave the forest behind and enter the moorland zone of giant heather. The trail climbs steadily through rocky hills with wide views of the Shira Plateau (11,000 ft). From our camp near Shira Hut (12,600 ft), we take in the unforgettable views of Mt. Meru as she floats among the clouds. [4-5 hours walking]
Day 3
Shira Camp to Barranco Camp
A morning of sustained ascent and panoramic views brings us to lunch near Lava Tower (14,900 ft). The trail then descends to the bottom of the Barranco Valley (12,800 ft), where we stay in the spectacular Barranco Camp sheltered by towering cliffs and with extensive views of the plains far below. [7-9 hours walking]
Day 4
Barranco Camp to Barafu Hut
A steep climb up the Barranco Wall leads us to an undulating trail on the southeastern flank of Kibo, with superb vistas of the Southern Icefields. The terrain changes to scree, with pockets of lush vegetation in sheltered hollows. We trek past Karanga Camp (13,100 ft) and continue along a path on compacted scree that gains altitude unrelentingly to reach Barafu Hut (14,800 ft) . After dinner, we sleep early to prepare for the early morning final ascent. [7-11 hours walking]
Day 5
Barafu Hut to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp
We start our ascent by torchlight about 1 a.m. so that we can be up on the crater rim by sunrise. The steep climb over loose volcanic scree has some well-graded zig-zags and a slow but steady pace will take us to Stella Point (18,800 ft), in about five or six hours. We will rest there for a short time to enjoy the sunrise over Mawenzi. Those who are still feeling strong can make the two-hour round trip from here along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak (19,345 ft), passing close to the spectacular glaciers and ice cliffs that still occupy most of the summit area. The descent to Barafu is surprisingly fast, and after some refreshments, we continue to descend to reach our final campsite, Mweka Camp (9, 840 ft). [11-17 hours walking]
Day 6
Mweak Camp to Mweka Gate
A sustained descent on a well constructed path takes us through a lovely tropical forest alive with birdsong and boasting lush undergrowth with considerable botanical interest. Our route winds down to the Kilimanjaro National Park gate at Mweka (5,400 ft); and on through coffee and banana farms to Mweka village. [3-6 hours walking].