Machame Route (7 Days)

The first day trekking begins at Machame Gate normally one hour’s drive from Moshi lies the gate to the Machame route. At the Gate you will meet your trekking crew, your guide, porters and cooker. There will be a flurry of activity as porters assemble gear for the trek, where we complete park formalities. The first section of the route climbs steadily and passes through magnificent, dense rainforest. This path is less well-trodden so it can get somewhat overgrown in places and it is often wet and muddy underfoot.

	Machame Camp
	Distance:	| 11km / 7 miles
	Approx. trekking time:	| 5 – 7 hours
	Zone:	| Rainforest
	Meals:	| Breakfast
		| Lunch
		| Dinner

On day two you will rise early, where by our route continues on up through the forest until we reach the steep ascent onto the Shira Plateau, 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 5.4km / 3.4miles.

	Shira Camp
	Distance:	| 5.4km / 3.4 miles
	Approx. trekking time:	| 5 hours
	Zone:	| Rainforest / Low Alpine Zone
	Meals:	| Breakfast
		| Lunch
		| Dinner

Day three, walking now on high moorland, the landscape changes the entire character of the trek. We traverse the southwest side of Kilimanjaro, passing underneath the Lava Tower and the final section of the Western Breach and finally reach camp. The day has been spent at altitude (up to 4600m), 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.

	Barranco Camp
	Distance:	| 10.8km / 6.7 miles
	Approx. trekking time:	| 8 hours
	Zone:	| Low alpine zone / High alpine zone
	Meals:	| Breakfast
		| Lunch
		| Dinner

Day four starts by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. We then exit steeply, up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a climb over rock, not technical but long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, we head towards the Karanga valley. From here we have a steep climb up from Karanga valley to our night’s camp at Karanga camp, set at 3963m. For those feeling strong we will go for a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek up to around 4200m before descending back to camp for the night.

	Karanga Camp
	Distance:	| 5.5km / 3.4 miles
	Approx. trekking time:	| 5 hours
	Zone:	| High alpine zone
	Meals:	| Breakfast
		| Lunch
		| Dinner

Day five is summit night (and day)! We start off at around midnight, and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Mweka Camp for a long well-earned rest.

	Barafu Camp
	Distance:	| 3km / 1.9 miles
	Approx. trekking time:	| 3hours
	Zone:	| High alpine zone
	Meals:	| Breakfast
		| Lunch
		| Dinner

Day six is summit night (and day)! We start off at around midnight, and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Mweka Camp for a long well-earned rest.

	Mweka Camp
	Distance:	| 16.4km / 9.6 miles
	Approx. trekking time:	| 13hours – 15hours
	Zone:	| Glacial zone and the all preceding zones
	Meals:	| Breakfast
		| Lunch
		| Dinner

Day six is the final day of trekking on the Machame Route. A gentle trek takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We are then met by our vehicles and return to the hotel in Moshi, where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower then celebrate with cold drinks. Overnight at your arranged Hotel.

	Mweka Gate
	Distance:	| 9.1km / 7.5 miles
	Approx. trekking time:	| 3 hours
	Zone:	| Rainforest
	Hotel:	| Bed & Breakfast

This day left for your next destination. A vehicle will take you back to the Hotel in Moshi, where it is definitely time for celebration. Depart for the airport or other destinations in Tanzania. If you have safari, then might be used to beginning your safari or fly to beaches in Zanzibar so as we can arrange many reasonably priced trips and safaris around Moshi and the Kilimanjaro region. If you fly back home our vehicle will be ready to take you to the airport at your time.

	Moshi
	Meals	| Breakfast