7-Day Kilimanjaro Trekking via the Machame Route

• You'll be collected from the airport.
• Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.

Machame Gate-Machame Camp

Your guide will give you a briefing after breakfast. Our crew will take you by car from your Moshi hotel to Machame Village at 9 am, where your porters and guides will set up your supplies and equipment. Here you will also receive your lunch box and have an option to purchase bottled water for your first day. You will drive on to Machame Gate if the road is dry. The three-kilometer walk to the gate will take you an hour if the road is too muddy for the car to pass. You will start your ascent into the rain forest once you have registered with the Kilimanjaro Park Office. Make sure you have hiking poles, gaiters, and appropriate footwear. When the trail becomes wet, they will come in handy. About halfway up, you will pause for lunch, and in the late afternoon, you will arrive at the Machame Camp.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• On Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included)
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Machame Camp-Shira1

You will get up early to prepare for the hike that day and have breakfast. After an hour of hiking through glades in the rainforest, you will ascend onto the wide moorlands, where the vegetation is made up mostly of small shrubs. You will travel over the moorland for two hours, stopping for lunch and a short rest before climbing onto the Shira Plateau, where you will see the Western Breach and its magnificent glaciers for the first time. Proceed westward until you reach the Shira Campsite. Once more, the porters will heat up water for drinking and washing prior to serving meals. Shira Camp will experience significantly lower temperatures—below freezing—due of its exposed location.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• On Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Shira 1-Lava Tower

Following packing and breakfast, you'll begin your eastward journey on a steep path above the final stretches of Kilimanjaro's vegetation. You will arrive at the well-known Lava Tower (15,190 feet/ 3,950 meters) after five to six hours. After stopping here for lunch and a little extra acclimatisation, you will descend into the Barranco Camp, which is located two hours below the Western Breach. The hike on Day 3 provides plenty of amazing photo opportunities, particularly if the walls are covered with ice. As the sun sets over the valley, you will have the opportunity to witness one of the most breathtaking sunsets of your life while you wait for your meal. Pay attention to your body and keep your guide informed of any signs of altitude sickness.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• On Mt Kilimanjaro

+3 Photos

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Barranco Camp-Karanga Camp

Your chance to overcome this obstacle will come after you've spent the night beneath the Great Barranco Wall. Remain calm. It appears more harder than it is. Proceed up until you are directly beneath the Heim Glacier. After that, you'll descend via the Karanga Valley. This is the last site for your porters to obtain water. This is where they will get all the water needed for the rest of the climb. This is where you will become settled at Karanga Camp. You can spend the afternoon relaxing or doing some light touring while admiring the views of Mawenzi's tall spires after lunch.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• On Mt Kilimanjaro

+2 Photos

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Karanga Camp-Barafu Camp

Following breakfast, you will go eastward, navigating a number of ridges and valleys until you meet the Mweka Route. At that point, you will turn left and ascend the ridge for an additional hour to arrive at the Barafu Hut. When you get to camp, there will be strong winds and your tent positioned on a rocky ridge. To be safe, make sure you are comfortable with the camp before nightfall. Also, in case you need to exit the tent after dark, make sure your headlamp or torch is ready. Before attempting to reach the summit, you will set up your equipment (change the batteries in your torch and camera) and try to get some sleep, ideally by 7 pm.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• On Mt Kilimanjaro

+5 Photos

+4 Photos

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Barafu Camp-Uhuru Peak

Bravo for attempting to reach the top. After six hours of climbing via dense scree and several switchbacks between the Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers, you will arrive at Stella Point (18,650 feet/5,685 meters). You have just finished what most climbers find to be the hardest portion of their journey. Depending on your pace to this point, you may get the chance to watch the gorgeous sunrise during your short respite here. Despite your exhaustion, you should not stop moving because of the bitter cold. You have connected to the final section of the Marangu Route at Stella Point. After another one to two hours of hiking along the rim, you will arrive at Uhuru Peak, your ultimate destination. You are presently standing on the Roof of Africa, congratulations! While you will have time to take photos with the iconic Uhuru Peak sign, you should start your descent as soon as possible to give yourself ample time to relax at the Barafu Camp.

Main Destination:

Mount Kilimanjaro

Accommodation:

Budget camping

• On Mt Kilimanjaro

Meals & Drinks:

• All meals included
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

Mweka Camp-Mweka Gate

You'll wake up for breakfast, as usual, pack, and descend through a short, scenic, 3-hour hike to Mweka Gate. Wait until you and all of your gear have reached the gate before you tip your staff. After registering at the gate, you will wait to receive your summit certificates (green for those who reached Stella Point and gold for those who reached Uhuru Peak). From the gate, if the road is too muddy for vehicles, you will continue your hike for 1 hour to the Mweka Village, 3 km away. There you will enjoy a hot lunch before being driven back to Arusha where you can have your first hot shower in days!

Main Destination:

Mweka Gate (Mt Kilimanjaro)

Accommodation:

No accommodation (End of tour)

Meals & Drinks:

• Breakfast & lunch (Dinner not included)
• Drinking water (Other drinks not included)

• Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
• You'll be dropped off at the airport.