DETAILED ITINERARY
Total hiking distance: Approximately 65 kms
This is probably the most beautiful route up Kilimanjaro. All your equipment and supplies are pottered and a cook prepares all your meals. Where accommodation on the Marangu route is in huts, the Machame route offers strictly tents only. This makes Machame (also referred to as the “Whiskey route”) better suited to the slightly more adventurous hiker, however rewarding him with a scenic splendor such as not seen on the Marangu route. From late afternoon sunsets at Shira, to the misty revelations of Kibo at the great Barranco Wall, the Machame route offers the adventurous hiker a stunning scenic “slide show” over 6 days. The Machame route is normally completed in a minimum of 6 days. There is an added benefit to this, as you are afforded the most valuable commodity on the mountain – acclimatization. The Machame route takes you high to Lava Tower (4630m) on the day 3 and brings you down by nearly 700m for an overnight at Barranco camp (3950m). This is the secret to successful acclimatization.
Day 1: Arusha or Kilimanjaro Airport / Moshi
You will be picked up from the airport at Kilimanjaro in the evening and driven to your hotel in the town of Moshi. Sleep well!
Overnight: Springlands Hotel
Springlands Hotel situated near Moshi in Tanzania is an ideal base for mountain walking trips and safaris to Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru and other wilderness areas in northern Tanzania. The modern hotel is located on the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro. The hotel features a large and modern swimming pool, an airy dining area set in pleasant gardens and indoor and outdoor bars. The accommodations all have spacious tiled en suite facilities with showers, windows fitted with mosquito netting and fans. The hotel is named after the freshwater springs which is located just a short distance away from the hotel.
Meal Plan: Half Board
Day 2: Machame Camp, Mount Kilimanjaro – Machame Gate (4,888 ft.)/Machame Camp (9,776 ft.)
Hiking time: 7h
Distance: Approximately 11.1 miles
Habitat: Montane Forest
Begin the day with a briefing and a breakfast, then you will be driven from Moshi to the Machame village 45 minutes away. After our guides pack your supplies and equipment, we may drive to the Machame gate if the weather is on our side. If not, the muddy, 1.9-mile walk will take about an hour. You will register at the gate office and start your ascent, immediately entering the rainforest. The strong possibility of rain will likely cover the trail with soggy, slippery mud. After a welcome halfway lunch stop, you will reach the Machame camping area in late afternoon. Porters will already have tents erected, water boiled for cooking and washing, and the cook will prepare dinner. Just a heads up: night temperatures can drop to freezing here.
Overnight: Machame Camp
The Machame Camp is one of the first pitstops along the Machame Route of Mount Kilimanjaro. From the Machame Gate, climbers will hike for about 7 hours through the rainforest to get to Machame Camp. They would overnight at the camp before heading through the moorland towards Shira Camp.
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 3: Shira Camp, Mount Kilimanjaro – Machame Camp (9,776 ft.)/Shira Camp (12,600 ft.)
Hiking time: 6h
Distance: Approximately 5.6 miles
Habitat: Moorland
After an early-bird breakfast at Machame Camp, there’s an hour climb to the top of the forest, then a 2-hour trek at a gentler incline through the moorland zone. You will rest while eating lunch and continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira plateau. From your vantage point, due west of Kibo, you will see the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. It’s just another short hike before reaching the Shira campsite at 12,600 ft. Your porters will again prepare drinking and washing water, as well as dinner. This exposed camp will be even colder than last night, with temperatures well below freezing. But we suspect you are well prepared for them.
Overnight: Shira Camp
Shira Camp forms part of the second leg of the journey up Mount Kilimanjaro. There are 2 camps – Shira Camp 1 on west side and Shira Camp 2 on the east. The Shira Plateau landscape features a tropical rainforest and shrubland where a range of flora and fauna species are found. Climbers might also spot the White Naped Raven.
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 4: Barranco Camp, Mount Kilimanjaro -Shira Camp (12,600 ft.)/Lava tower (15,190 ft.)/Barranco Camp (12,960 ft.)
Hiking time: 7h
Distance: Approximately 9.3 miles
Habitat: Semi-desert
The five-hour walk east, through semi desert and rocky landscape, will end at Lava Tower, over 15,000 ft. up. Along the way, there will be lunch, then the ascent of the rocky scree path to the Tower. It is normally around this point that some climbers start to experience breathlessness, irritability and headaches. No doubt, this is the most challenging day so far. Now the climb descends and the benefit of acclimatization becomes clear. The two-hour descent to Barranco Camp covers 2,230 ft. and with it, comes the chance to photograph the magnificent Western Breach and Breach Wall. Tonight’s camp is in a valley below them and sunset will, in all likelihood, be spectacular. Eat hearty and reward yourself for today’s efforts with rest.
Overnight: Barranco Camp
Barranco Camp is the third pitstop along the Machame Route climbing up Mount Kilimanjaro. This area of the mountain is semi-desert and the camp is set in a valley close to the Great Barranco Wall.
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 5: Barafu Camp, Mount Kilimanjaro- Barranco Camp (12,960 ft.)/Barafu Camp (14,927 ft.)
Hiking time: 7h:
Distance: Approximately 8.1 miles
Habitat: Alpine desert
This morning, you make your way up the great Barranco Wall, a totally awesome sight. This imposing obstacle usually turns out to be an easier climb than what you anticipate. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, it will provide a pivotal moment: you will be struck at how gorgeous Kilimanjaro really is. The route now heads down through Karanga Valley and joins the Mweka route, the preferred path down from the summit. Karanga is the last water stop on the climb; there is no available water at Barafu Hut, which you will reach after another hour or so. Barafu is Swahili for “ice” and the reason why will be no secret. This is a bleak, inhospitable spot to spend the night, totally exposed to the ever-present gales. Tents are pitched on a ridge that’s narrow, stony and dangerous. Climbers are advised to familiarize themselves with it before dark. The summit is 4,412 ft. up and you will begin your ascent tonight. Thorough preparation is non-negotiable; you will concern yourself with your equipment, ski stick, thermal clothing, headlamp and camera batteries and a thermal flask to keep water from freezing. By 7 pm, you should be in bed, focused on rest despite your adrenaline.
Overnight: Barafu Camp
Mount Kilimanjaro climbers would approach Barafu camp at about the 5th day of the journey. The word ‘barafu’ is the Swahili word for ‘ice’, which refers to the cold climate at this altitude.
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 6: Mweka Camp, Mount Kilimanjaro -Barafu Camp (14,927 ft.)/Uhuru Peak (19,341 ft.)/Mweka (10,170 ft.)
Ascent time: 8h to Uhuru Peak
Descent Time: 7 – 8h to Mweka
Distance: Approximately 4.3 miles ascent – 114.3 miles descent
Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit.
This is the moment — your summit attempt. You will rise around 11:30 pm of Day 6 and after tea and biscuits, shuffle off into the night, ascending through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. For many climbers, this leg is the most mentally and physically challenging. When you stop to rest after six hours, you will be at 18,651 feet and if the gods are with you, there will be a life-defining sunrise! After a short rest here, begin the two-hour ascent to the summit, expecting snow all the way. We wouldn’t dare describe the moment when you stand at the highest point in Africa — you will write your own script for the experience. The walk down to Barafu will take 3 hours; here you will take a well-earned, but short rest, collect your gear, and then head down to Mweka at 10,170 ft. The descent is not difficult, but the camp is situated in the upper forest where mist and rain are likely in late afternoon. We suspect you will savor dinner this evening and your exhausted, exhilarated frame of mind!
Overnight: Mweka Camp
Mweka Camp is the final campsite on the journey up Mount Kilimanjaro. Climbers would arrive here after a 7-hour hike from Summit Uhuru Peak.
Meal Plan: Full Board
Day 7: Springlands Hotel , Moshi- Mweka Camp (10,170 ft.)/Mweka Gate (6,496 ft.)
Hiking time: 3h
Distance: Approximately 9.3 miles
Habitat: Forest
This morning after breakfast, it’s a short, 3-hour hike, scenic and downhill, back to Mweka Gate. (Be sure you and all your gear have arrived safely before your porters are tipped!) Sign your name and the details of your climb in the register — it contains the names of an exclusive group who can forever say they climbed Kilimanjaro. Now continue down to Mweka Village, a muddy-but-who-cares one-hour hike. Who deserves a delicious hot lunch more than you do? Eat hearty, and don’t let the promise of your upcoming hot shower hurry you. Now you’ll be driven back to Moshi for everything you deserve: the shower, dinner and unabashed celebration.
Overnight: Springlands Hotel
Springlands Hotel situated near Moshi in Tanzania is an ideal base for mountain walking trips and safaris to Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru and other wilderness areas in northern Tanzania. The modern hotel is located on the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro. The hotel features a large and modern swimming pool, an airy dining area set in pleasant gardens and indoor and outdoor bars. The accommodations all have spacious tiled en suite facilities with showers, windows fitted with mosquito netting and fans. The hotel is named after the freshwater springs which is located just a short distance away from the hotel.
Meal Plan: Half Board
Day 8: Moshi/ Arusha City or Kilimanjaro Airport
After breakfast you will be transferred to the Airport for your return flight or to Arusha to start your safari.
END OF YOUR SAFARI!!
QUOTES:
VALIDITY: 01 Jan 2024 – 31 Dec 2024
NO OF PAX |
PER PERSON |
1 PAX |
$2,960 |
2 PAX |
$2,680 |
3 PAX |
$2,590 |
4 PAX |
$2,310 |
5 PAX & ABOVE |
$2,280 |
SRS |
$100 |
VALIDITY: 01 Jan 2025 – 31 Dec 2025
NO OF PAX |
PER PERSON |
1 PAX |
$2,600 |
2 PAX – 5 PAX |
$2,500 |
5 PAX & Above |
$2,400 |
Includes:
- Two nights’ accommodation at the Spring lands Hotel in Moshi (before and after the climb)
- Return transportation from Arusha / Moshi to/from the starting/finishing point on the mountain.
- Qualified guides with mountain crew
- National Park fees
- Tents and sleeping mattresses
- Cutlery / Crockery / Eating utensils
- Mess tent (for dining) / Mini camping chairs / Tables / Candles
- Rescue Fee
- Pulse oximeters
- First aid kit
- Guides, porters, cook, waiter salaries
- Boiled water on the mountain
- All meals on the mountain (breakfast, lunch & dinner)
- Guides, porters, waiter, cook accommodation and entry fees on the mountain.
- Emergency oxygen”
Excludes:
- Other meals not mentioned as included, items of a personal nature,
- Mountain Equipment.
- Insurance
- All type of Drinks
- Gratuities to Porters and Guide/s, the driver guides.
- Visa and visa fees for Tanzania.
- Flying doctors’ coverage: Optional @ US$ 50.00 per person.
Enquiries and Bookings
Please fill in the form below to book or make further enquiries