8 Days Kilimanjaro Trek Machame Route

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1Arrival – Arusha⌄

   On your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport KIA with a code JRO, our guide will meet you and drive to your hotel in Arusha. You will get a chance for a briefing about your trek to Kilimanjaro and check on your pack list.

   Meals: Breakfast

   Overnight: Overnight at Kibo Palace Hotel Arusha

2. 2Machame Gate to Machame Camp⌄

   In the morning around 08:00 it will be a pickup time. Our guide will be at the hotel, ready to pick you up to the Kilimanjaro gate and start your trek. The drive from Arusha to the Machame Gate takes about 60 minutes. The journey passes through the village of Machame which is located on the lower slopes of the mountain. As we leave the park gate, we walk through the dense rain forest on a winding trail up a ridge until we reach the Machame Camp. Elevation: 5,380 ft to 9,350 ft Distance: 11 km/7 miles Hiking Time: 5-7 hours Habitat: Rain Forest

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at Machame Camp

3. 3Machame Camp to Shira Camp⌄

   After waking up and having a breakfast our guide will take a lead for you to another camp. Leave the glades of the rain forest and continue on an ascending path up to a steep, rocky ridge. On the Shira Plateau, we pass through heather and open moorlands, then cross a large river gorge to Shira Camp. Elevation: 9,950 ft to 12,600 ft Distance: 5.3 km/3 miles Hiking Time: 4-5 hours Habitat: Heath & Moorland

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at Shira Camp

4. 4Shira Camp to Lava Tower to Barranco Camp⌄

   In the morning after waking up and having a breakfast our guide will take a lead for you to another camp. Continue to the east up a ridge and then head southeast towards the Lava Tower – a 300 ft tall volcanic rock formation. We descend down to Barranco Camp through the strange but beautiful Senecio Forest to an altitude of 13,000 ft. Although you begin and end the day at the same elevation, the time spent at higher altitude is very beneficial for acclimatization. Elevation: 12,600 ft to 15,190 ft Distance: 7 km/4 miles Hiking Time: 4-5 hours Habitat: Semi Desert Lava Tower to Barranco Camp Elevation: 15,190 ft to 13,044 ft Distance: 3 km/2 miles Hiking Time: 2-3 hours Habitat: Semi Desert

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at Barranco Camp

5. 5Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp⌄

   In the morning after waking up and having a breakfast our guide will take a lead for you to another camp. Begin the day by descending into a ravine to the base of the Great Barranco Wall. Then we climb the non-technical but steep, nearly 900 ft cliff. From the top of the Barranco Wall we cross a series of hills and valleys until we descend sharply into Karanga Valley. One steeper climb up leads us to Karanga Camp. This is a shorter day meant for acclimatization. Elevation: 13,044 ft to 13,106 ft Distance: 5 km/3 miles Hiking Time: 4-5 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert

   Overnight: Overnight at Karanga Camp

6. 6Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp⌄

   You will be waking up in the morning and having a breakfast, our guide will take a lead for you to another camp. 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. Elevation: 13,106 ft to 15,331 ft Distance: 4 km/2 miles Hiking Time: 4-5 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at Barafu Camp

7. 7Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp⌄

   Waking up around midnight. Our guides will take a lead for you on the way to the summit. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. The wind and cold at this elevation and time of day can be extreme. We ascend in the darkness for several hours while taking frequent, but short, breaks. 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 continuing straight down to the Mweka Hut camp site, stopping at Barafu for lunch. The trail is very rocky and can be quite hard on the knees; trekking poles are helpful. Elevation: 15,331 ft to 19,341 ft Distance: 5 km/3 miles Hiking Time: 7-8 hours Habitat: Arctic Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp Elevation: 19,341 ft to 10,065 ft Distance: 12 km/7 miles Hiking Time: 4-6 hours Habitat: Rain Forest

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

   Overnight: Overnight at Mweka Camp

8. 8Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate to Arusha⌄

   On the last day, our guides will take a lead for the descent to Mweka Gate and collect the summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. A vehicle will meet us at Mweka gate and drive us back to the hotel in Arusha. On the next day it will be a departure day. Depends on your flight departure time we will take you from your hotel and transfer to airport for a departure to your home or another destination.

   Meals: Breakfast · Lunch

   Overnight: Overnight at Kibo Palace Hotel Arusha, 4-star hotel.