Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro via Machame Route

Machame route is one of the scenic routes for those climbers climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Machame route starts from Machame village at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. Machame route is also known as Whisky route due to its beautiful scenic as well as its land escarpment.

Those people climbing Mount Kilimanjaro through Machame route feels prestige as this (Machame route) is one of the harder route in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Though the Machame route is harder there is no technical climb when climbing Mount Kilimanjaro using Machame route. Machame route start from Machame gate to Machame Camp and proceed to Shira camp, lava tower camp, Barranco camp, Karanga valley camp, Barafu camp, Uhuru Peak and descending through Millennium camp, Mweka camp and thereafter to Mweka gate.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro using Machame route differ from Marangu route since your equipment and supplies are carried by porters and a cook prepares all you meals. Where accommodation on the Marangu route is in huts, the Machame route offers strictly tents only.

This makes climbing Mount Kilimanjaro better suited to the slightly more adventurous hiker, rewarding him with a scenic brilliance such as not seen on the Marangu route. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro from late afternoon using Machame route as the sunsets at Shira, which takes not less than six days, provides the slide slow as the misty revelations of Kibo at the great Barranco Wall, the Machame route offers the adventurous hiker a stunning scenic.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro via Machame route has an added advantage of automatically acclimatization to climbers on day three which takes you high to Lava Tower (4630 m) and brings you down by nearly 700m for an overnight at Barranco camp (3950m). The other way of acclimatization is by increasing one more day and make climbing Mount Kilimanjaro via Machame route a seven day activity. Some climbers even decides climbing Mount Kilimanjaro using Machame route for eight days.

6 Days / 5 Nights Itinerary for Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Machame route

The Machame route is strictly done for not less than 6 days (from 2006) while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro since fewer days spent climbing Mount Kilimanjaro using Machame route bring more risk on Mountain sickness and tiredness which all in all led to less performance to the roof top of Africa the Uhuru peak.

The arrival day you will meet our tour guide at arrival point/airport who will transfer you to Moshi in a designated hotel for overnight stay bed and breakfast!!

Day 1: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route

Transfer from Moshi town to Machame Gate (1490m) - Machame camp (2980m).
Hiking time:  7 hours.
Distance: About 18 km's.
Habitat: Montane forest.
Elevation change: + 1490 m

Early in the morning the guide of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro will be with you for briefing after breakfast around 9:00 am drive to Machame gate which takes about 40 to 45 minutes. With your picnic lunch climbers will do registering at the gate office, thereafter you start your ascent and enter the rain forest almost immediately. There is a strong possibility of rain in the forest, which will transform the trail into a very soggy, muddy and slippery experience. You will have a welcome lunch stop about half way and will reach the Machame camping area in the late afternoon. Tents and other belonging will be take care by porters and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro guide. Most of the time porters and cook happens to reach to the camping site before you for preparation of meals as well as erection of tents for your accommodation. Sometime weather condition in the night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at Machame campsite.

Day 2: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route

Machame camp (2980m) - Shira campsite (3840m).
Hiking time: 6 hours                             
Distance: About 9 km's.
Habitat: Moorland. 
Elevation change: + 860 m

Early in the morning after breakfast, the day is spent to reach Shira campsite (3840 m) with our picnic lunch. The night at this bare camp will even be colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing. The trail take us for an hour or so to the top of the forest and then for about two hours at a gentler gradient through the moorland zone. After a picnic lunch and rest, you continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira plateau. Hiking to this point you will be able to see in an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its spectacular glaciers. You are now due west of Kibo and after a short hike you will reach the Shira campsite.

Day 3: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route

Shira (3840m) - Lava Tower (4630m) - Barranco camp (3950 m).
Hiking time: 6hours                          
Distance: About 15 km's 
Habitat: Semi desert.
Elevation change: + 790 m, - 680 m
Final Elevation: 3950 m

The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4630m after about a four hours walk. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4630m). Definitely, the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability and headaches. After lunch you descent again by almost 680m to the Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp takes about two 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, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for the preparation of your dinner.

Day 4: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route

Barranco camp (3950m) - Barafu camp (4550m).
Hiking time: 6 hours  
Distance: About 13 km's 
Habitat: Alpine desert       
Elevation change: + 600 m

Early in the morning after breakfast at the Great Barranco Wall you will appreciate how beautiful climbing Mount Kilimanjaro via Machame route really is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys, and then joins up with the Mweka route.

After spending a night at the Great Barranco Wall (a very imposing sight at first), you make your way up this awesome looking obstacle, which in the end normally turns out easier than what you anticipated. Topping out just below the

Heim Glacier, you now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys, and then joins up with the Mweka route. This is the preferred route down from the summit, so remember it. Turn left up the ridge and after another hour or so, you reach Barafu Hut.

The last water stop on the route is the Karanga Valley, as there is no water at Barafu camp. Barafu is the Swahili word for "ice" and it is a bleak and inhospitable camping area to spend the night. Totally exposed to the ever-present gales the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure that you familiarise yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. The summit is now a further 1345m up and you will make the final ascent the same night. Prepare your equipment, ski stick and thermal clothing for your summit attempt. This should include the replacement of your headlamp and camera batteries and make sure you have a spare set available as well. To prevent freezing it will be wise to carry your water in a thermal flask. Go to bed at round about 19h00 and try to get some precious rest and sleep.

Day 5: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route

SUMMIT ATTEMPT, Barafu camp (4550m) - Uhuru Peak (5895m) - Mweka (3100m).

Hiking time: 6 hours to reach Uhuru Peak. 
5 - 7 hours to descend to Mweka. 
Distance: About 7 km's ascent - 23 km's descent. 
Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit.
Elevation change: + 1345 m, - 2795 m
Final Elevation: 3100 m

You will wake up around 2330hrs, and after some tea and biscuits you start climbing to Uhuru peak into the night. You will head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This 6-hour walks to Stella point is for many climbers, mentally and physically the most challenging on the route. At Stella Point (5685m) you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting). From Stella Point you will normally encounter snow all the way on your 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak. The time you will spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions. Do not stop here for too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue. Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your life. The walk back to Barafu from the summit, takes about 3 hours. Here you will have a well earned but short rest and collect the rest of your gear, before heading down to Mweka hut (3100m). The route is not difficult and will take you down the rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest. The camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Dinner and washing water will be prepared.

Day 6: Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route

Mweka camp (3100m) - Mweka Gate (1980m).
Hiking time: 4 hours.
Distance: About 15 km's   
Habitat: Forest  
Elevation change: - 1120 m

After an early and well-deserved breakfast, it is a short 3-hour and scenic hike back to the Park gate. At Mweka gate you sign your name and details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Those climbers who reached Stella Point (5685m) are issued with green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive gold certificates. From the Mweka Gate you will continue down into the Mweka village, normally a muddy 3 km (1 hour) hike. At the Mweka Gate, meet Mount Kilimanjaro National Park Officials gives you the Certificate of Achievement. You now drive back to Moshi for a long over due hot shower.