8 Days Mt Kilimanjaro Machame Route

Machame Gate (1,800m/5,905ft) to Machame Camp (3,000m/9,840ft) Elevation Gain: 1,200 meters, 3,935 feet Distance: 10 kilometers.

At 9am, leave Moshi/Arusha for Machame Gate, where you will meet the our porters, guides, and cooks that will spend the next seven days trekking with you to Uhuru Peak, the roof of Africa. Once you arrive, wait at the gate while TopiAdventureregisters your climb and the porters and guides make final preparations. Your first day’s destination is Machame Camp. On your day one youo would hike through the moss-covered trees of Kilimanjaro’s cloud forest. Towards the end the forest will get thin and the vegetation would change to heathers, tall grasses and wildflowers. On a clear weather you can take a panoramic view of the surrounding areas. Remember, each day your porter and the cook would arrive prior to you at your stop point to make the necessary arrangement.

Machame Camp (3,000m/9,840ft) to Shira Camp (3,840m/12,600ft) Elevation Gain: 840 meters, 2,760 feet Distance: 7 kilometers.

Although considered to be the easiest day on the Machame Route, today’s trek includes several uphill sections. It might be hectic and tiresome . On a clear day you may be dehydrated, hence always carry plenty of water with you to compensate your body’s desire. You would pass through several view points from where you can see the plains and forests below and the peaks like Kibo and Mawenzi above. As you gain altitude, notice the change in vegetation. The trees diminish in size, giving way to Kilimanjaro’s famous high altitude plants, Sceneciokilimanjari and Lobelia deckenii. After eating lunch, climb the Shira Plateau, created when Kibo’s lava flows filled the Shira crater. From Machame to Shira it is around 7 Kilometers and the elevation gain is 840 meters.

Shira Camp located on (3,840m/12,600ft) to Barranco Camp (3,950m/12,960ft) Total Elevation Gain: 690 meters, 2,264 feet Distance: 10 kilometers.Distance: 10 kilometers.

It would be surprising to know that this up and down day ends with an elevation gain of only 110 meters but by the early afternoon, you might have climbed 690 meters to a height of 4,530 meters before beginning your descent to Barranco Camp. This day is crucial for acclimatization. After breakfast, hike east on the Shira Plateau before reaching the junction for the Shira and Lemosho Routes. Continue on through the barren landscape before stopping for lunch. Shortly after lunch, reach the highest point of the day before descending quickly to Barranco Camp. Faster hikers can take a detour via Lava Tower, a 300-foot lava formation jutting out of the mountainside. Barranco Camp, set among stands of Seneciokilimanjari, is considered to be the most scenic campsite on the Machame Route.

Barranco Camp (3,950m/12,960ft) to Karanga Valley (4,200m/13,780ft) Elevation Gain: 250 meters, 820 feet Distance: 7 Kilometers .

Leave Barranco Camp after breakfast for Karanga Valley. The day begins with a 1.5 hour scramble up Barranco Wall. This is the hardest part of the day and in some places you will have to use your hands to pull your body up. After reaching the top make a short descent into the greener Karanga Valley. We generally camp on the ridge above the valley to allow for greater acclimatization.

Karanga Valley (4,200m/13,780ft) to Barafu Camp (4,600m/15,100ft) Elevation Gain: 400 meters, 1,320 feet Distance: 6 kilometers.

After breakfast, begin the hike to Barafu Camp. On the way to Barafu, view several of Kibo’s glaciers as well as the junction that connects the descent route, Mweka, with the Machame trail. Pass through the Heim, Kersten and Decken Glaciers on your day four hiking. Remember the trail to Bafafu wold pass through the alpine desert with little vegetation, but the stunning views of Kibo and Mawenzi peaks from this point would remain awe-inspiring. Make sure that tomorrow is our summit day and you have to get up from the mid-night. So better, take your dinner and go to the bed as early as possible.

Barafu Camp (4,600m/15,100ft) to Uhuru Peak (5,895m/19,340ft) to Mweka Camp (3,100m/10,170ft) Elevation Gain: 1,295 meters, 4,240 feet Elevation Loss: 2,795 meters, 9,170 feet Distance: 18 kilometers .

Around midnight, begin the final ascent to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. For the next six hours, hike by the light of your headlamp. The last part of the hike to the summit has always been very difficult andchallenging due to ti’s steepness till you the Stella point. From Stella to Uhuru , it is a gradual climb and not so hard but the altitude and the tiredness would make you feel weak. Within one hour of trekking you would arrive at your dream point” Uhuru “where you would feel the real thrill of the mountain in clouds and the glacier. Take the photographs and the breakfast at Barafu Camp and get ready to take an 3 to 5 hours walk to reach at Mweka Camp.

Mweka Camp (3,100m/10,170ft) to Mweka Gate (1,500m/4,920ft) Elevation Loss: 1,600 meters, 5,250 feet Distance: 10 kilometers.

After breakfast, finish the trek with a descent to Mweka Gate. Your last hike on Kilimanjaro is a beautiful one, passing through Kilimanjaro’s cloud forest. Watch your step during the descent, as the trail can be slippery. Our vehicles will be waiting at the lower station of Mweka Gate to take you back to Moshi Park view Hotel. You will be able to buy t-shirts and sodas at the gate.