Machame Route

7 days—Experience is the New Currency

$1670-2300 USD

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Safari summary

Known for being beautifully scenic, the Machame Route also has the best summit success rate. This route allows you to “climb high, sleep low”, giving your body time to adjust to the changes in altitude over several days. Climbs can take six or seven days; the difference between six and seven days Machame route is that with six days, you won’t camp at Karanga campsite, so you will walk for a longer distance to reach the base camp passing Karanga campsite.
The climb begins at Machame Gate, at an altitude of 1800 metres, with an approach to the southwest of the mountain. It passes through majestic rainforest on the first day, before continuing up the mountain to reach Shira Camp, where the Lemosho route joins from the west. From here you traverse the southern side of the mountain to Barranco via Lava Tower, and climb the Great Barranco Wall on your way to Barafu Camp. After reaching the summit, you will descend by the Mweka trail, rather than retracing your steps along the ascent route.

The Machame route is nicknamed the ‘Whiskey Route’ as it is considered more difficult than the ‘Coca Cola Route’, the nickname for the Marangu route. In reality, it is not more technically difficult, but is longer and in places steeper. The longer distance and the opportunity to ‘walk high, sleep low’ offer much better acclimatisation and as a result a very high success rate.

About this tour

	Tour type	Custom, tailor-made, private
	Main focus	Hiking \| trekking
	Activity level	Strenuous activity
	Best months	January, February, March, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
	Countries	Tanzania
	Parks	Kilimanjaro

Fine details

Safari highlights

Hiking | trekking

What’s included?

Accommodation
Airport transfers
Meals
Park fees
Private vehicle and driver

What’s not included?

Alcoholic beverages
All drinks
Internal flights
International flights
Laundry
Premium alcoholic beverages
Spa treatments
Tips and gratuities
Visas

Itinerary

Machame Gate & Machame Camp.

The first day trekking begins at Machame Gate (1,640 meters). The first day trek on the Machame Route is a long one (~11km / 7miles) and takes approximately 5-7 hours to complete. We mostly supply packed lunch for this route and 2-3 liters 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.

Machame Camp To Shira 2 Camp.

On day two 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 characterized 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. Day two takes approximately 4-6 hours and covers a distance of 5km / 3miles.

Shira 2 Camp To Barranco

Day three is a long and tough trek east off 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). After lunch we will descend to Barranco Camp, following the ‘walk high, sleep low’ golden rule of acclimatization.

Barranco Camp To Karanga Camp.

A short, but fun, day starting with a scramble to the top of the Great Barranco Wall. We then traverse over scree to the Karanga Valley (3930m) beneath the icefalls of the Heim, Kersten and Decken Glaciers. We will stay overnight at Karanga campsite. This is a shorter day meant for acclimatization.

Karanga Camp To Barafu Camp.

We leave Karanga and hit the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail. We continue up to the rocky section to Barafu Hut. At this point, you have completed the Southern Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here we make camp, rest and enjoy an early dinner to prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are viewable from this position.

Barafu Camp To Uhuru Peak.

Very early in the morning (around midnight), we begin our push to the summit. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. Near Stella Point (18,900 ft), you will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see coming over Mawenzi Peak. Finally, we arrive at Uhuru Peak- the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. From the summit, we make our descent straight down to the Mweka Hut, stopping at Barafu for lunch.

Mweka Camp To Mweka Gate.

On our last day, we continue the descent to Mweka Gate and collect the summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. From the gate, we continue another hour to Mweka Village. A vehicle will meet us at Mweka Village to drive us back to the hotel in Moshi for shower and then later our driver will pick you and be transferred to Moshi at the hotel of your choice and this will mark the end of our tour.

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