Holiday information: This is 8 days Machame route.
* Machame, known as the “Whisky” route, is a popular route to the mountain and the best route to climb Kilimanjaro for charity. Compared to Marangu, the days in Machame are longer and the hikes are steeper. It is considered a difficult route, better suited to the more adventurous and those with some hiking or backpacking experience. Approaching from the southwest, Machame descends via Mweka, rewarding climbers with views of the vast Shira Plateau.
Day 1: Pick up from the airport – Drop off at the hotel
Our guide will be waiting for you at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). You will make your way to your accommodation in Moshi/marangu. The participants receive a short briefing for the ascent the next day. Kits and necessary equipment are also checked.
Accommodation and meals:
8 days Machame route!
Kilimanjaro, Day 02: Arusha- Machame Gate(1,800m/5,905ft)
*Elevation Gain: 1,200 meters/ 3,935 feet
*Hiking Duration: 6 to 7 hours
After breakfast, we will pick you up from your Hotel in Arusha and drive for 1 hour to Machame gate (10,000 ft) for registration. Here you will meet the rest of the crew (Cooks and Porters) and we shall all prepare for the climb. We will start the climb through the rain forest and the giant heathers for 6 hrs. until we reach our first overnight camp.
Accommodation and meals: Machame Camp (3,000m/9,840ft)
Kilimanjaro, Day 03: Shira Camp (3,840m/12,600ft)
*Elevation Gain: 840 meters/ 2,760 feet
*Hiking Duration: 6 to 8 hours
This will be a short day but rather a steep rocky and dusty trail. It’s a slow hike with plenty of breaks and enough time to acclimatize. Most of the route is rather bare of vegetation providing little shade from the heat.
Accommodation and meals: Machame Camp (3,000m/9,840ft)
Day 04: Barranco Camp (3,950m/12,960ft)
*Elevation Gain: 690 meters/ 2,264 feet
*Hiking Duration: 6 to 8 hours
We will start climbing over boulders and very few rocks, then make our way to a steady uphill climb to Lava tower and there we stop for lunch around noon. For those interested, we may climb up the Lava tower, which is 14850ft (you may start to get a mild headache due to the altitude change). From Lava tower, we will go down for about 2 hrs through dusty and rocky trails to the Barranco Camp at 13000ft.
Accommodation and meals: Machame Camp (3,000m/9,840ft)
Kilimanjaro, Day 05: Karanga Valley Camp (4,200m/13,780ft)
*Elevation Gain: 250 meters/ 820 feet
*Hiking Duration: 3 to 5 hours
We start scrambling up the Barranco wall for an hour and a half. As this is steep, you will be using your hands to reach and steady yourself like rock climbing, although not as challenging. At the top of the wall, you can see the Barranco valley and the campsite you spent the night before. You will walk up and down the greener valley, which is the last water point of the mountain.
Accommodation and meals: Machame Camp (3,000m/9,840ft)
Day 06: Barafu Camp (4,600m/15,100ft)
*Elevation Gain: 400 meters/ 1,320 feet
*Hiking Duration: 3 to 4 hours
This will be a short but steep uphill climb across the barren landscape with lots of boulders and shattered rocks. You will see the deck glaciers on your left. We will keep going through a very steep ridge until we reach a rocky section for more scrambling, which will last for about 1.5 hrs. Our next camp will be on large rocks with very steep cliff faces. We will cap off the night early as we need to wake up at 11:00 pm for the summit.
Accommodation and meals: Machame Camp (3,000m/9,840ft)
Kilimanjaro, Day 07: Summit Day to Mweka Camp (5,895m/19,340ft)
*Elevation Loss: 2,795 meters/ 9,170 feet
*Hiking Duration: 6 to 7 hours to the rim, 1 hour to Uhuru peak, 3-4 hours descent back to barafu camp rest and lunch then 4 hours down to Mweka camp
We will start the climb at around midnight. We will start with very steep rocks for 1 hour and enter a snow-covered area where you can see glaciers above. If it’s a moonlit night, you may turn off your headlamp and continue a moonlit guided walk; indeed, a wonderful experience. The next 2 hours are headed towards Stella Point and we will take a break every 15 minutes as the climb gets more mentally and physically challenging.
Afterward, we will make our way to Stella Point where the Lava fields are like loose sand. It’s a rather enjoyable and frustrating experience because you will take a step up and slide back gaining 0 distance and if you’re not careful, you will slide back 2 steps and gain negative 2 steps.
After breakfast, we will climb to Uhuru peak for 1 hr just as the sun appears over the Mawenzi peaks. We will be at Uhuru peak (19370ft) around 6-7 am. We will start our descent, which is steep and rigorous via Stella Point to Barafu Hut Camp.
Accommodation and meals: Mweka Camp (3,100m/10,170ft)
Day 08: Mweka Camp (3,100m/10,170ft) Descent and transfer back to Arusha
*Elevation Loss: 1,600 meters/ 5,250 feet
*Duration: 4-5 hours
Today’s hike will take us about 4 to 5 hours to make the 4,500 feet descent to the park gate. We will check out and receive the Kilimanjaro climbing certificate at the park gate office, then eat our lunch and say goodbye to our mountain staff. After lunch, we will drive through very beautiful coffee plantations and small villages of the Chagga people back to Arusha. There you will be dropped off and is the perfect time for you to take a nice swim, a hot shower, and have a well-deserved celebration!
Accommodation and meals: Ilboru Safari Lodge (3,000m/9,840ft)
For information about Mountain Kilimanjaro,
It’s possible to combine 8 days Machame route with Zanzibar beach holiday!