7 Days Machame Route

The itinerary below describes the 6 nights/7 day Kilimanjaro climb via the Machame route. To shorten the below itinerary to 6 days you skip the night in the Karanga Valley and instead walk straight from the Barranco Huts to the Barafu Huts in one day.

Day 0: Arrival in Tanzania

You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your arranged hotel in Moshi town. You will meet your guide who will brief you on your upcoming trek and do an equipment check to make sure you have all the necessary mountain gear. Gear which is missing can be rented on this day.

• Driving distance: 55 km
• Driving Time: 1 hour

Day 1: Machame Gate to Machame Hut Camp

The drive starts from Moshi to Machame gate by passing through the Machame village which is located on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. After gate formalities and permits we start the hiking in the montane rainforests through mossy trails until we reach Machame hut camp.

• Distance: 11km/7miles
• Hiking Time: 5-7hours
• Elevation: 5,380ft to 9,350ft
• Habitat: Rain Forest

Day 2: Machame Camp to Shira 2 Camp

The trail begins with a gentle ascent through the moorland zone, which is characterized by large expanses of open grassland with low-growing shrubs and alpine flowers. The terrain is rocky and volcanic, with stunning views of the surrounding landscape. The hike offers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, and a chance to see some of the unique and diverse flora and fauna of the area. Upon reaching Shira 2 Camp, you’ll set up camp and spend the night in preparation for the next day’s hike.

• Distance: 5km/3miles
• Hiking Time: 5-6hours
• Elevation: 9,350ft to 12,500ft
• Habitat: Heath

Day 3: Shira 2 Camp to Lava Tower to Barranco Camp

This day is characterized by a challenging hike from Shira Cave Camp (12,500 ft) to Lava Tower (15,000 ft) and then to Barranco Camp (13,000 ft). The trail begins with a gentle ascent through a high-altitude moorland landscape, with breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. After a few hours of hiking, you’ll reach Lava Tower, a towering rock formation that was once an active volcano. You’ll take a break here to rest before continuing on to Barranco Camp. The day will be spent at altitude (up to 4600m), but we will have followed the mountaineering code of ‘walk high, sleep low’ to aid your body’s acclimatization to altitude.

• Distance: 10km/6miles
• Hiking Time: 6-8 hours
• Elevation: 12,500ft to 15,190ft to 13,044ft
• Vegetation: Alpine Desert

Day 4: Baranco Camp – Karanga Camp

Our day starts by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. We then exit steeply, up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a climb over rock, not technical but long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, we head towards the Karanga valley. From here we have a steep climb up from Karanga valley to our night’s camp at Karanga camp, set at 3963m. For those feeling strong we will go for a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek up to around 4200m before descending back to camp for the night.

• Distance: 5km/3miles
• Hiking Time: 4-5hours
• Elevation:13,044 ft – 13,106 ft
• Vegetation: Alpine Desert

Day 5: Karanga Camp – Barafu Camp

After a good night’s rest and breakfast, we set off on our walk to Barafu camp at 4640m. The climb will take us across desolate scree slopes with no vegetation around us at all. It’s a tough steep walk made more difficult by the altitude. On arriving at camp we eat and spend the afternoon resting as we prepare for a long night and day ahead. It is important to keep hydrated and warm. We have an early dinner and then try to get some sleep as we will be getting up at between 11pm and 12pm to start the climb to the summit.

• Distance: 4km/2miles
• Hiking Time: 4-5hours
• Elevation:13,106 ft to 15,331 ft
• Vegetation: Alpine Desert

Day 6 –  Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp

We start off at around midnight and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Millennium Camp for a long well-earned rest

• Distance: 5km/3miles and 7km/4miles
• Hiking Time: 6-8 hours and 2-4 hours
• Elevation: 15,331 ft to 19,341ft and 12,434 ft
• Vegetation: Arctic to Heath

Day 7 – Millennium Camp to Mweka Gate

A gentle trek takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We are then met by our vehicles and return to the hotel in Moshi, where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower then celebrate with cold drinks. Overnight at your arranged hotel.

• Distance: 12km/7miles
• Hiking Time: 5-7 hours
• Elevation:12,434 ft – 5,380 ft
• Vegetation: Rain forest 

Departure

Whether you go on a safari with us, or fly to Zanzibar or any other destination, out vehicle will be ready for your transfer at a time of your choosing.