The Machame route is our most popular and successful route leading to the summit of Kilimanjaro. Hikers sleep in tents which are carried up the mountain by porters. The Machame route is a very scenic and beautiful route, which can be completed in 6 days, though we recommend hiking the route in 7 days, allowing for more time to acclimatize. The key to the success of the Machame route is its topography, allowing hikers to climb high and sleep low, helping towards better acclimatization.

Day 1: Machame Gate-Machame Camp

Following breakfast, you will have a briefing from your guide. At 9 am, our staff will drive you from your hotel in Moshi to the Machame Village, where your guides and porters will prepare your equipment and supplies. Here you will also receive your lunch pack and have an opportunity to purchase bottled water for your first day. If the road is dry, you will continue your drive to Machame Gate. If the road is too muddy for the vehicle to pass, the 3 km walk to the gate will take you an hour. After registration with the Kilimanjaro Park Office, you will begin your ascent into the rain forest. Be sure to have good footgear, trekking poles, and gaiters. They will prove to be useful when the trail gets soggy. You will stop for lunch about halfway up and reach the Machame Camp in the late afternoon.

Day 2: Machame Camp-Shira 1

You will wake up early for breakfast and pack up for the day’s trek. Your trek will begin with an hour’s hike through rainforest glades before ascending into the open moorlands where the vegetation is sparse with small shrubs. After 2 hours of trekking through the moorland, you will stop for lunch and a short rest, and continue up onto the Shira Plateau where you will get your first glimpse of the Western Breach and its stunning glaciers. You’ll continue west to the Shira Campsite. Again, the porters will boil drinking and washing water before serving dinner. Shira Camp is quite exposed and will be much colder, with temperatures dropping below freezing.

Day 3: Shira 1-Lawa Tower

After breakfast and packing, you’ll start your trek east up a steep path above the last bit of Kilimanjaro’s vegetation. After 5-6 hours, you’ll reach the well-known landmark Lava Tower (15,190 ft/ 3,950 m). You will stop here for lunch and some bonus acclimatization before you descend for 2 hours below the Western Breach into the Barranco Camp. Day 3’s hike offers multiple terrific opportunities for photos, especially if the walls are covered with ice. While you wait for your dinner, you will have a chance to experience one of the most memorable sunsets you have ever seen as the sun drops through the valley. Pay attention to your body and keep your guide informed of any signs of altitude sickness.

Day 4: Barranco Camp-Karanga Camp

After sleeping below the Great Barranco Wall, you’ll get your chance to tackle this hurdle. Don’t worry. It’s much easier than it looks. You’ll continue up until you reach just below the Heim Glacier. Then, you’ll head down through the Karanga Valley. This is the last place for your porters to gather water. They will collect all the water for the remainder of the ascent here. You will settle in here at the Karanga Camp. After lunch, you can spend the afternoon doing light exploring or resting while taking in the views of Mawenzi’s towering spires.

Day 5: Karanga Camp-Barafu Camp

After breakfast, you’ll head east, crossing over multiple ridges and valleys until you join up with the Mweka Route and turn left to continue up the ridge for an hour to reach the Barafu Hut. You will arrive at camp to find your tent pitched on a rocky ridge with high winds. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the camp before dark to be safe. Also, have your headlamp/flashlight handy if you need to leave the tent after dark. You will prepare your equipment (replace batteries for headlamp and camera) before you go to bed by 7 pm and try to catch a few hours of shuteye before your summit attempt!

Day 6: Barafu Camp-Uhuru Peak

Barafu on your bid for the peak. You will climb 6 hours through thick scree following multiple switchbacks between the Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers until you reach Stella Point (18,650 ft/5,685 m). You have just completed what most climbers consider to be the most challenging part of their trek. Depending on your pace to this point, you may get the chance to enjoy the majestic sunrise during your short rest here. Although you will be fatigued, it is important to keep moving due to the extreme cold. At Stella Point, you have joined up with the last bit of the Marangu Route. You will hike along the rim for another 1-2 hours until you reach your ultimate goal of Uhuru Peak. Congratulations, you are now standing on the Roof of Africa! You will have time to take pictures with the world-famous Uhuru Peak sign, but it is important to begin your descent soon to allow yourself enough time to rest at the Barafu Camp.

Day 7: Mweka Camp-Mweka Gate

You’ll wake up for breakfast, as usual, pack, and descend through a short, scenic, 3-hour hike to Mweka Gate. Wait until you and all of your gear have reached the gate before you tip your staff. After registering at the gate, you will wait to receive your summit certificates (green for those who reached Stella Point and gold for those who reached Uhuru Peak). From the gate, if the road is too muddy for vehicles, you will continue your hike for 1 hour to the Mweka Village, 3 km away. There you will enjoy a hot lunch before being driven back to Moshi, where you can have your first hot shower in days!