6 Days Machame Route

Machame Gate – Machame Camp

Departing from Arusha and our driver will take you through the Village of Machame to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate. We will patiently wait for our permits to be issued while watching the hustle and bustle of operations as many crews prepare for the journey ahead. Enjoy the beautiful rainforest scenery and windy trails while your guide tells you about the local flora and fauna and natural wildlife. At these lower elevations, the trail can be muddy and quite slippery. We highly recommend gaiters and trekking poles here.

• Elevation: 5,400ft to 9,400ft
• Distance: 11 km
• Hiking Time: 5-7 hours
• Accommodation: Machame Camp
• Meals Plan: Lunch & Dinner
• Habitat: Rain forest

Machame Camp – Shira Cave

Once again the second day involves a steepish trek as we leave the forest behind and plow through the heath and moorland – Kilimanjaro’s second vegetation zone. (There are four or so vegetation zones on the mountain, which is why some people say that the climb is going through four seasons in four days.) During today, and fairly early on, we will also catch our first glimpse of Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s famed, snowy summit – and our ultimate destination. Mount Meru, Kilimanjaro’s nearest neighbor, is also visible during today’s trek

You will notice, too, that we will be setting a deliberately slow pace from today onwards, to help everyone acclimatize to the thinning air. Our final destination on this second day is the Shira Cave Campsite (aka New Shira Campsite), with views up the plateau towards Kibo as well as westwards towards Kili’s little-known third summit, John sells Point. As with every campsite on the route, your tent will be erected and snacks will be served upon arrival, followed by the main meal later in the evening.

• Elevation: 9,911ft to 12,595ft
• Distance: 6 km
• Hiking Time: 4-6 hours
• Accommodation: Shira cave campsite
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Habitat: Moorland

Shira Cave– Barranco Camp

The morning begins with a long crossing of the plateau as we head east toward Kibo. It’s a long walk but a very photogenic one with the snowy summit of Kilimanjaro a constant looming presence ahead; most people, say that this is their favorite part of the walk. Lunch this time is taken near the Lava Tower, at the foot of Kibo. We are now heading into some serious altitude, with Lava Tower standing at 4530m above sea level. For this reason, it is normal for people to have a slight headache when they finally reach our campsite for the evening, Barranco Camp, following a steep descent to 3986m. This is entirely normal, and only worrying if the symptoms persist. By way of compensation, Barranco is the prettiest campsite on the route, set amongst a grove of Senecio against the south face of Kibo. Snacks and then dinner is served in the evening.

• Elevation: 12,595ft to 13,077ft
• Distance: 11 km
• Hiking Time: 6-8 hours
• Accommodation: Barranco campsite
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Habitat: Semi Desert

Barranco Camp – Barafu Camp via Karanga Camp

After breakfast, we leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall, to the Karanga Valley campsite. Then, we leave Karanga and hit the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail. We continue up to the Barafu Hut. At this point, you have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are to be seen from this position.

• Elevation: 13,000ft to 15,000ft
• Distance: 9 km
• Hiking Time: 8-10 hours
• Accommodation: Barafu Camp
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Habitat: Alpine Desert

Barafu Camp– Uhuru Peak – Mweka Camp

Very early in the morning (midnight to 2 am), we continue our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. You head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. At Stella Point (18,600 ft), you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting). From Stella Point, you may encounter snow on your 1-hour ascent to the summit. At Uhuru Peak, you have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. Faster hikers will see the sunrise from the summit.

From the summit, we now make our descent continuing straight down to the Mweka Hut camp site, stopping at Barafu for lunch. You will want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Later in the evening, we enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.

• Elevation:15,300ft to 19,345ft (and down to 10,000ft)
• Distance: 5 km ascent / 12 km descent
• Hiking Time: 7-8 hours ascent / 4-6 hours descent
• Accommodation: Mweka Camp
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Habitat: Arctic

Mweka Camp – Mweka Gate

It’s just a couple of hours further now from the campsite to Mweka Gate (1633m), where those who made it to the summit or Stella Point will collect their certificates. A car will be waiting to take you back to your hotel.

• Elevation:10,000ft to 5,400ft
• Distance: 10 km
• Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
• Accommodation:Hotel
• Meals Plan: Breakfast, Lunch
• Habitat: Rain Forest