9-day adventure The Machame Route.

All trekkers need to organise their own flights to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). From JRO we will arrange a private transfer to your hotel. That night or early the next morning you will meet your Guide  and have a full pre-climb briefing.

• Transport: Private transfer (0.8 hour, 40 km)
• Accomodation: Hotel

Transfer from your hotel to Machame Gate for registration. Our porters prepare and pack our supplies and luggage before we start our ascent along the forest trail to Machame Camp at 3000m. We will stay here overnight.

• Transport: Private transfer (0.8 hour, 30 km)
• Hiking time: 6 – 7 hours
• Ascent: 1200 m
• Max. altitude: 3000 m
• Accomodation: Camping
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

After breakfast we start walking, leaving the rainforest behind, and continue our ascent, crossing a small valley and up to a steep rocky ridge, covered with heather. Our route now turns west into a river gorge until we reach Shira Camp. It will be colder tonight than the previous night with temperatures possibly falling below freezing.

• Hiking time: 5 – 6 hours
• Ascent: 850 m
• Max. altitude: 3850 m
• Accomodation: Camping
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Today we will climb up to 4600m to the base of the Lava Tower for lunch and acclimatisation. This will be our toughest day so far and you may, for the first time, feel the altitude. After lunch we will descend again by almost 650m to Barranco Camp, following the ‘walk high, sleep low’ golden rue of acclimatisation. Our descent to Barranco Camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall.

• Hiking time: 6 – 7 hours
• Ascent: 750 m
• Descent: 650 m
• Max. altitude: 4600 m
• Accomodation: Camping
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Today will undoubtedly present a challenge! You’ll have another breakfast at 7:00 a.m. in preparation for a long day ahead. Today’s departure time is 08.00 a.m., with a cooked lunch at Karanga scheduled for midday. Your final destination, Barafu Camp, should be reached by 16.00 hours, and your dinner should be served at 18.00 hours. Today’s trek begins with a challenging scramble up the near-vertical face of the Baranco Wall (also known as the “Breakfast Wall” because the climb takes place right after breakfast!). Before gradually descending to the gully below and into the cold, beautiful Karanga Valley, you are treated to spectacular views of the Heim Glacier.

After that, you’ll continue up a steep series of zig-zags until you reach Karanga Camp, where you’ll have lunch. Today’s stage climbs steadily upwards after leaving Karanga, passing through a barren, rocky landscape with the Decken and Kersten glaciers visible to your left. As you descend into a valley at the top of the climb, the landscape remains desolate until you see Rebmann, another glacier. The Barafu Camp, which you reach after a short, steep scramble and a walk, is at the end of this valley.

Accommodation: in tents at Barafu Camp.
Hiking time and elevation: 7.5–8 hours of walking, from 3,900 m at Baranco Camp, up to Karanga Camp at 3,995 m, then up to Barafu Camp at 4,673 m.

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.

You will be woken around 23:30 with tea and biscuits. We start our trek to the summit between the Rebman and Ratzel glaciers through heavy scree up to Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging part of the trek. At Stella Point (5732m), we will stop for a short rest and hopefully be in time to witness the magnificent sunrise (weather permitting). We are now only an hour away from the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m), the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. From the summit, we descend down to Mweka camp site, via Barafu for lunch. Trekking poles will be needed for the loose scree going down to Mweka Camp (3100m). Later in the evening, we will enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.

After a good night’s sleep in your hotel, you’ll have breakfast ready for your 11 a.m. check-out. (If you want to stay in the hotel during the day, let us know when you book your trip and we’ll give you a quote for a ‘day room,’ which allows you to stay until 18:00 hrs., and then make the reservation for you.)

Because this package includes an airport transfer, you will be picked up from your hotel and dropped off at the airport. Our Ihana safaris guide will meet you in the late afternoon to provide you with a briefing for those who have booked to go on safari.

Your final day on the trek, departing after breakfast we descend a further 1300m to the Mweka Park Gate to pick up your summit certificates from the Park Headquarters. Transfer to your hotel.

• Transport: Private transfer (0.5 hour, 17 km)
• Hiking time: 3 – 4 hours
• Descent: 1300 m
• Max. altitude: 3100 m
• Accomodation: Hotel
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch

After a much needed nights rest, we will bid you goodbye. If you have arranged airport transfers with us or a safari / Zanzibar trip, we will collect you in the morning for your onward journey.

• Transport: Private transfer (0.8 hour, 40 km)
• Meals included: Breakfast.