


Tanzania

Guided

Camping
Have a great adventure and incredible experience on a Mount Kilimanjaro trek along the Machame Route. Hike through a wide variety of landscapes including rainforest, moorland, alpine desert and the glacial zone, and finally watch dawn break across the Tanzanian beautiful landscape as you push towards the summit at Uhuru Peak.
From USD 1,980 for 1 person sharing
From USD 1,870 for 2 people sharing
From USD 1,790 for 3 people sharing
From USD 1,650 for 4 people sharing
Our staff will meet you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and welcome you to Tanzania. Drive to your hotel, where you have a welcome drink, check-in and later have a briefing on your Kilimanjaro trek: which necessary things should be carried and in general what to do while you’re on the mountain. The rest of the day is for relaxing until we will meet the next morning.
Trekking begins at Machame Gate (1,640 meters), typically you will drive from the town of Moshi or Arusha to the gate, which takes approximately an hour Moshi and two hours from Arusha. On the way you will get to see subsistence farming and the town of Machame. At the gate you will meet your trekking crew: your guide, porters and cook. There will be a flurry of activity as porters assemble gear for the trek, weighing packs to ensure they don’t exceed 20 kilograms. You, your guide and climbing team will in the meantime begin the ascent through the stunning rainforest that covers the south west of the mountain. The first day trekking on the Machame Route is a long one (~11 km/7 miles) and takes approximately 5-7 hours to complete.
Most tour operators will provide a packed lunch on route and 2-3 litres of bottled water. This is the only bottled water you will receive. From here on porters will collect water from mountain streams. The day’s trekking ends at Machame Camp (2,835 meters) which sits near the border of the rainforest zone and the low alpine zone. By the time you arrive your porters will have already setup your camp and tents, and dinner will be served.
On day three you will rise early, pack your gear and prepare for the trek from Machame Camp to Shira Camp 2 (3,850 meters). The trek is relatively steep as you enter the low alpine zone which is characterised by moorlands and grasslands. Shira Camp 2 sits on a plateau which provides you with the first views of Kibo in the north west and Mount Meru in the east.
Today is a long and tough trek east of the Shira Plateau through the ‘Garden of the Senecios’, up to Lava Tower and the Shark’s Tooth rock formation at 4,600 meters and then back down via the southern circuit to Barranco Camp (3,900 meters). The route is approximately 11 km / 7 miles in length and takes 5-7 hours to complete. Although you end the day at a very similar elevation to when you started from Shira Camp, it is arguably one of the most important days on your trek as it gives you a chance to climb high and sleep low which is important for proper acclimatization.
Day five on the Machame Route begins with a steep traverse up the Barranco Wall; a 257 meter rock face that requires basic scrambling skills to the top of the Karanga Valley. The path then follows a series of inclines and declines to Karanga Camp (3,960 meters). You will spend the night at Karanga Camp before continuing on to Barafu. This additional day is beneficial in terms of acclimatization.
Following breakfast, you will leave Karanga Camp (3959m). The trail intersects with the Mweka Route, which is the trail used to descend on the final two days. As you continue hiking for an hour, you will reach Barafu Hut. This is the last water stop for the porters because there is no accessible water at Barafu Camp (4550m). The word “barafu” in Swahili means “ice” and this camp is located on a rocky, exposed ridge. Tents will be exposed to wind and rocks so it is important for hikers to familiarize themselves with the campsite before dark. An early dinner will be served so hikers can rest before attempting the summit the same night. Your guide will brief you in detail on how to prepare for summit night. Get to sleep by 19:00!
Day seven is summit night (and day)! You will be awoken around 23:30 with hot tea and biscuits. Hopefully you have managed to get a few hours’ sleep; don’t worry if you haven’t as most people struggle to sleep before summit night. Do however make sure that all your kit, including warm clothes, headlamp, insulated water reserves and snacks are ready for a sharp departure at 24:00. The trek up Kibo is steep and slow. The trick is to keep your momentum moving forward, one step at a time.
It takes about 6-8 hours to reach the top of the crater rim where you will see the sign for Stella Point (5,739 meters). This is not the summit of Kilimanjaro. You still have another 156 meters of altitude to walk around the crater rim to Uhuru Peak (5,895 meters). We recommend resting briefly at Stella Point and potentially having some hot tea or hot chocolate. Dawn should be approaching. Take a moment to savour where you have got to and then dig deep for the energy to push for the summit. Over 60% of climbers stop at Stella Point but most can make it to the summit if they muster the metal strength to push through. Obviously if you are experiencing severe AMS symptoms you should descend immediately.
After reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro, a 4.5km / 3 mile ascent, you still have an 11km / 7 mile descent to Mweka Camp (3,100 meters)! The descent can be very gruelling on your joints. It is recommend you use trekking poles and potentially wear gaiters to avoid fine glacial scree getting into your boots. Mweka is situated in the upper part of the rainforest zone. The richness of oxygen and moisture in the air will be a very welcome surprise.
Day eight is the final day of trekking on the Machame Route. By now you will be exhausted and probably only thinking about a hot shower. The trek is a pleasant one through the lower rain-forested slopes and down to Mweka Gate (1,640 meters). Although you cover 9km / 5.5 miles, the trek only takes 3-4 hours. Assuming you successfully reach Stella Point or Uhuru Peak you will be presented with official certificates – a green certificate for the former and a gold certificate for the latter. It is customary to tip your trekking crew before being transported back to your hotel in Arusha for taking shower then we drive to airport for your flight to back home. Note: Accommodation for tonight is not inclusive in the program. If you would like us to book one (or more) nights in Arusha, please let us know.
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