6 Day Kiliamnjaro Climbing Machame Route

The Machame route is perhaps the most popular climbing route. It is a choice for many people because it provides impressive views and a variety of habitats. The Machame Route involves steeper trails, for longer distances and you will sleep in tents. It is approximately 62 km/ 37 miles from gate to gate. It is designed for physically fit people with some hiking experience.

Day 0 : Arrival Day

You will be picked up from the airport by a Lion King representative and driven to your accommodation in Arusha or Moshi where you will overnight, relax, and prepare for your upcoming adventure.

Note: Please note your accommodation for this night of  your arrival day is not included in your package price but once you confirm your booking we will share different accommodation options that suit your budget.

Day 1

• Trekking from Machame Gate to Machame Camp
• Machame Gate (1,500m/4,921ft) to Machame Camp (2,835m/9,301ft)
• Hiking distance: 11km
• Hiking time: 5–7hrs
• Habitat: Montane Forest

Your first day begins with an early morning briefing, followed by breakfast. you will then drive to Machame Gate (1,490m/4,890ft) from Arusha or Moshi. After registering at the park authority, you will have a hot lunch and will then begin your climb.  The habitat here is beautiful rain forest. Heavy rains often transform the trail on this side of the mountain into mud, so good footgear, gaiters, and trekking poles are extremely helpful.  You will arrive at Machame Camp in the late afternoon. Porters will have already set up camp and begun cooking dinner.

Overnight: Machame Camp (All meals included)

Day 2

• Trekking from Machame Camp to Shira Cave
• Machame Camp (2,835m/9,301ft) to Shira Cave (3,750m/11,303ft)
• Hiking distance: 11km
• Hiking Time: 6-8hrs
• Habitat: Moorland

After breakfast, you will climb for an hour to the top of the forest and then begin 2 hours of walking through gentle moorland. You continue up the rocky ridge to the Shira Plateau. At Shira Plateau, you will be able to see Kilimanjaro’s Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. You are now on the opposite side of the mountain from the Marangu Route and west of Kibo. After a short hike west, you arrive at the Shira Cave campsite.

You will have a hot lunch at the camp followed by a leisurely afternoon. In the evening, you will visit the Shira cave for a short history about the cave and the surroundings. Later in evening, you will be served a hot dinner before going to bed. The night at this exposed camp will be colder and temperatures will drop below freezing.

Overnight: Shira Cave Camp (All meals included)

Day 3

• Trekking from Shira Cave to Barranco Camp via Lava Tower
• Shira Cave (3,750m/12,795ft) to Barranco Camp (3,900m/12,795ft) via Lava Tower (4,600m/15,091ft)
• Hiking Distance: 10km
• Hiking Time: 6-8hrs
• Habitat: Moorland

Your hike begins by climbing eastward; the path becomes steep above the highest vegetation towards Kilimanjaro. After several hours, you walk through a rocky landscape to Lava Tower (4,630m/15,190ft). This remnant of Kilimanjaro’s volcanic past is several hundred feet high. The trail passes right below it. After a lunch at Lava Tower, you will descend for 2 hours below the lower cliff of the Western Breach, to the Breach Wall to Barranco Camp (3,950m/12,960ft).

Barranco Camp is in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Walls. This provides a scenic sunset while waiting for dinner. On this day, you may experience signs of altitude sickness.

Overnight: Barranco Camp (All meals included)

Day 4

• Trekking Baranco Wall to Barafu Camp
• Baranco Camp (3,900m/12,960ft) to Barafu Camp (4,667m/15,311ft)
• Hiking Distance: 13km
• Hiking Time 7- 8hrs
• Habitat: Alpine Desert

This is a great mountain day. You descend into the start of the Great Barranco and then exit steeply up onto the southern slopes of Kibo. You pass beneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers and head up to the Karanga Valley, the last place where you can find water below the summit. You will pass Karanga campsite and the junction of the Mweka Trail before a final push across some scree to the Barafu campsite. From here you can see both the peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo.

Overnight: Barafu Camp (All meals included)

Day 5

• Summit Day!
  Barafu Camp (4,667m/14,930ft) to Uhuru Peak (5,895m/19,340ft) down to Mweka Camp (3,100m/10,170ft)
• Elevation (ft): 15,300ft to 19,345ft (and down to 10,000ft)
• Hiking Distance: 15.5km
• Hiking Time: 8hrs up and 7-8hrs down
• Habitat: Ice Cap

At 11:30 PM, you will wake up to steaming tea and biscuits. You will then take off into the night. Your 6-hour climb northwest through heavy scree between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers to Stella Point on the crater rim is the most challenging part of the route for most climbers. At Stella Point (5,685m/18,650ft) you stop for a short rest and a chance to see an outstanding sunrise. You cannot stop for long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to fatigue and cold. Depending on the season and recent storm activity, you may encounter snow on the remaining part of your hike along the Uhuru Peak rim.

On the summit, you can enjoy your accomplishment, knowing you are creating a day you will remember for the rest of your life. After a 3-hour descent from the summit back to Barafu Camp, you will have a well-earned but short rest, collect your gears, and hike down a rock and scree path to the moorland below and enter the forest to Mweka Camp (3,100m/10,170ft). This camp is in the upper forest, where you can expect rain and mist in the late afternoon.

Overnight: Mweka Camp(All meals included)

Day 6

• Descend to Mweka Gate
• Mweka Camp (3,100m/10,170ft) to Mweka Gate (1,980m/6,500ft)
• Hiking Distance: 12km
• Hiking Time: 3hrs
• Habitat: Montane forest

After breakfast, you will take a short scenic 3-hour hike back to the park gate.

At Mweka Gate, you can sign your name and add details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive summit certificates. Climbers who reached Stella Point are issued green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak receive gold certificates.

From the Mweka Gate, you will continue down to Mweka Village for Hot Lunch with your Mountain Crew and a small celebration before your drive to your hotel for warm shower and leisure.

For the climbers who do have a flight to catch, we will drive back to our office building in Arusha for quick shower and short rest before you are transferred to your respective airport for your inbound or outbound flight. This service is on complimentary.

Package Price Includes

• Airport pick and drop off
• Transfer to / from the mountain
• Kilimanjaro National Park Permits, camping / hut fees & rescue fees
• Service of a professional & qualified mountain guide
• Cook and adequate porters to carry both trip provisions & passenger private bags
• Oxygen systems and pulse oximeters
• First Aid Kit
• 3 square meals daily. The menu includes different soups, garnishes, several types of fish and meat, fresh fruit and vegetables; vegetarian options are available upon request
• Spacious tent for camping
• Free walking poles
• Free quality sleeping mats
• Camping equipment (dining tent, table, chairs, crockery and cutlery)
• International certificates for a successful ascent
• Free storage of excess baggage not required on the mountain hike
• Flying Doctors rescue insurance for the time of the tour with us

Package Price Excludes:

• International airfare and related costs such as personal international travel insurance, visas, and vaccinations
• Accommodation before and after the tour
• Any increase in government taxes that occur prior to the start of your trip
• Cost of any client-requested itinerary modifications while the trekking is in progress
• Any expenses of a personal nature such as extra beverages, laundry, etc.
• Personal mountain gears
• Tips & gratuities for your mountain crew.
• Any excess luggage more than 15Kg per client while trekking