• 7 Days from
    $1800 p/p in USD
  • departures icon
    Departures
    Year Round
TRAVEL PARTNER

Great Lake Expedition

  • Tanzania
Destinations

Destinations

Tanzania,

Tour Type

Tour Type

Guided, Large Group, Small Group

Safari Standard

Safari Standard

Budget, Camping, Mid Range

Tour Overview

Make your way up the iconic Mount Kilimanjaro via the popular Machame Route, offering climbers the greatest chance of success for reaching the famous summit of the ‘roof of Africa’. A 7-day trekking safari that will take you through rainforest, moorlands and alpine desert as you climb from 5,380 ft to 19,341 ft on a journey with spectacular views of the surrounding Kilimanjaro National Park. Discover the overwhelming feelings of accomplishment as you reach the top of the mountain and enjoy the most magnificent sunrises you have ever seen. A truly beautiful adventure awaits those who wish to conquer the snow-capped giant of Tanzania.

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General Information

  • Safari types:
    Camping Safari, Guided Safari, Mountain Safari, Trekking Safari
  • You will visit:
    Kilimanjaro National Park
  • Wildlife:
    Birds, Colobus Monkey
  • Activities:
    Trekking, Hiking
  • Getting around:
    Transfer Vehicle
  • Start/end:
    Start/end in Moshi
  • Minimum age:
    12

Price Per Person – USD

From USD 1,800 per person

What's Included

  • Tents & mattresses while on the mountain
  • 2 x nights hotel accommodation in Moshi
  • All meals & drinking water during the climb
  • Professional English speaking guides & mountain crew
  • Services of porters & cooks during the climb
  • Emergency oxygen, pulse oximeters & first aid kit
  • Mountain rescue fees in case of emergencies
  • All camping equipment required & private toilet
  • Return transfers between Moshi & Kilimanjaro
  • Pick-up & drop-off airport transfers
  • Government taxes & park fees
  • 24-hour support from our office during safari

What's Excluded

  • Flights & visas
  • Travel & medical insurance
  • Personal expenses & tips
  • Personal hiking gear

Disclaimer

  • This itinerary is owned and delivered by ‘Great Lake Expedition
  • All prices are ‘From’ and may vary at the time of booking
  • Display price is usually based on two people sharing
  • Great Lake Expedition‘ reserves the right to change the content and price of the itinerary
  • All itineraries are subject to availability

Day by Day Overview

Make your way from Moshi to Machame Gate for the start of your climb. The journey passes through the Machame village, located on the lower slopes of the mountain. You will hike through the rain forest on a winding trail up a ridge until you reach Machame Camp where you will spend the evening.

Elevation: 5,380ft – 9,350ft | Distance: 11 km’s | Hiking Time: 5-7 hours | Habitat: Rain Forest

Today you leave the rain forest and continue your journey up a steep rocky ridge until you reach the Shira Plateau. Pass through the heather and open moorlands before crossing a large river gorge and arriving at Shira 2 Camp.

Elevation: 9,350ft – 12,500ft | Distance: 5 km’s | Hiking Time: 4-6 hours | Habitat: Heath

Initially you will head towards the east as you make your way up a steep ridge before turning towards the south as you hike up to the Lava Tower, a 300ft volcanic rock formation. You will then descend down to Barranco Camp through a beautiful Senecio Forest. End the day at a similar altitude that you started at after making your way higher up the mountain, aiding in your acclimatization.

Elevation: 12,500ft – 15,190ft – 13,044ft | Distance: 10 km’s | Hiking Time: 6-8 hours | Habitat: Alpine Desert

Begin the day by descending into a ravine at the base of the Great Barranco Wall before climbing a non-technical but steep 900ft cliff. After the Barranco Wall you will cross a series of hills and valleys before dropping down into the Karanga Valley. One more steep climb leads you to Karanga Camp where you will spend the evening.

Elevation: 13,044ft – 13,106ft | Distance: 5 km’s | Hiking Time: 4-5 hours | Habitat: Alpine Desert

Leave Karanga in the morning and make your way towards the Mweka Trail. Continue up a rocky section, completing the southern circuit, offering stunning views of the summit. Reach Barafu Camp for a chance to rest and have an early dinner as you prepare for your summit day while enjoying views of the Mawenzi and Kibo peaks.

Elevation: 13,106ft – 15,331ft | Distance: 4 km’s | Hiking Time: 4-5 hours | Habitat: Alpine Desert

A midnight wake up for your push to the summit. This is the most challenging portion of the hike as you ascend the slopes in the the cold winds, surrounded by darkness. Stop for short breaks to catch your breath as you make your way to Stella Point at 18,900ft where you will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you have ever seen. Complete the final stretch and finally arrive at the summit, having made it to the top of this iconic mountain. Enjoy the views from the ‘roof of Africa’ and take some photos before heading back down to Mweka Hut with an en-route stop at Barafu Camp for lunch. Enjoy your last dinner on the mountain and a well deserved sleep.

Elevation: 15,331ft – 19,341ft – 10,065ft | Distance: 17 km’s | Hiking Time: 11-14 hours | Habitat: Arctic & Rain Forest

Your last day of the trek sees you making your way to Mweka Gate to collect your summit certificates. Head to Mweka Village from the gate where you will meet your transfer vehicle that will take you to the hotel in Moshi.

Elevation: 10,065ft – 5,380ft | Distance: 10 km’s | Hiking Time: 3-4 hours | Habitat: Rain Forest

Kilimanjaro up to Uhuru Peak

Customer Reviews (2)

Overall Rating:

100%

Booking Process:

100%

Flexibility:

100%

Value:

100%

Support:

100%

Incredible and safe

Written by: Sasha Miktovic on 26 July 2021

Thanks to all Great Lake Expedition team, they are really good organised, all time taking care of us really feel like part of their family, every day we have a delicious surprise from our friend chef Dani and well attended with Dude who always has a big smile and the correct words to make every day a good day!

During all day walking our guide Emanuel was close to us and be sure we were safe and make our dream came true and read Uhuru point! All our experience since day one we schedule out trip until the last day in Moshi. Great Lake Expedition was close to us making sure everything was ok!

Went with a mountain vision , left with a new found family!

Written by: Elvis Lopez on 26 July 2021

I can’t say enough about our recent trip to Kilimanjaro and our experience with Great Lake Expedition! From the guides meeting us at the airport to the owner spending the day with us with absolutely no obligation, helping us get COVID tested a week after our climb. Every porter was so friendly and Saidy as they sped past us hauling our camp ahead of us each day. Our four guides were all so positive and supportive of us all. My daughter was a bit nervous the day before the summit attempt, one of our guides Omary sat with us and explained how we would feel physically and to be nervous was totally normal and that the guides were there to help in and way. She felt so much better mentally and ended up having a much better summit experience because of his kind knowledgeable words. It really felt like we were all in it together “one team, one dream!” The summit was great however, one of my favorite memories was when one of the two porters that summited with us held my daughters hand on the way down the mountain. Another special moment was having all the porters leaving base camp in the rain, sleet and snow to climb up part way to greet us and congratulate us in our accomplishment. The last 30 minutes of our decent into base camp was continuously met with big smiles, offers to take our packs, hand shakes and encouragement. At every camp site our tents were pitched and our duffle bags in the tent. One of my biggest surprises was the quality of the food. Every morning and evening we gorged ourselves on multiple course meals with fresh delicious ingredients. We had a glutton allergy and a vegetarian in our group and the chefs made excellent extra dishes for them that we all joined in and ate because the portions were huge. If our lead guide Saidy overheard something we desired it would just appear, be it a birthday cake at over 16,000 feet, to popcorn awaiting out tired arrival at camp, to individual pizzas and beer awaiting us for the van ride after the end of our climb! I would recommend Great Lake Expedition to anyone who want a wonderful experience with very qualified local guides, local porter, and a wonderful local owner.

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