Machame Route
Machame also named as Whiskey route is one of the most popular ones on Kilimanjaro, but in the same time considered a difficult route.
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Day 1-9 | Tanzania
Day 2
Start: Machame Gate (1,790 m)
Finish: Machame Camp (3,010 m)
Altitude: ↑ 1,220 m
Walking time: 5-7h
Day 3
Start: Machame Camp (3,010 m)
Finish: New Shira Camp (3,845 m)
Altitude: ↑ 835 m
Walking time: 4-6h
Day 4
Start: New Shira Camp (3,845 m)
Finish: Barranco Camp (3,960 m)
Altitude: ↑ 795 m ↓ 680 m
Walking time: 6-7h
Day 5
Start: Barranco Camp (3,960 m)
Finish: Karanga Camp (4,035 m)
Altitude: ↑ 75 m
Walking time: 3-4h
Day 6
Start: Karanga Camp (4,035 m)
Finish: Barafu Camp (4,640 m)
Altitude: ↑ 605 m
Walking time: 3-4h
Day 7
Start: Barafu Camp (4,640 m)
Finish:
Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) – Mweka Camp (3,080 m)
Altitude: ↑ 1,255 m ↓ 2,815 m
Walking time: 10-14h
Day 8
Start: Mweka Camp (3,080 m)
Finish: Mweka Gate (1,630 m)
Altitude: ↓ 1,450 m
Walking time: 2-3h
On arrival you will overnight at Parkview inn Hotel in Moshi Town
During trek you will sleep in tents.
This is a private tour and hence there won’t be any other climbers joining you. Your group will only consist of the people you chose to travel with and your mountain crew.
- Meals are included as mentioned in the itinerary.
- For breakfast there will be a choice of fruit, scrambled eggs, porridge, toast, jam, hot chocolate, coffee or tea. Lunch will be provided in form of a lunch box containing sandwiches, boiled eggs, chicken etc.
- For dinner you will enjoy soup and bread followed by meat or poultry along with starch (i.e. chips, mashed potatoes, pasta or rice) as well as vegetables.
- While breakfast and dinner are served in a mess tent equipped with a table and chairs, lunch is enjoyed en-route.
- Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements or food allergies and we will do our outmost to cater for them (only possible with advanced notification).
- There are a few things you should pack for a Kilimanjaro climb and as the list is quite extensive, you will receive a detailed packing list from us once you have confirmed the booking.
- For your convenience we also rent out all essential clothing items and other gear.
- The Machame Route, commonly known as the “Whiskey Route” is regarded as one of the most beautiful routes, offering hikers breath-taking views of the summit. On the other hand, it is also the route that is most susceptible to unpleasant weather conditions such as rain, clouds and fog. But it is thanks to these weather conditions that the vegetation is so dense and beautiful. Due to all the ascents and descents, the route is also physically more demanding than the Marangu or Rongai Route. Climbers will descend on the Mweka Route.
Kilimanjaro Trek
7 days Machame route
The Machame Route, with its diverse landscape and fantastic views, offers a unique experience to test your will power, fitness finesse and mental strength. The route takes you through lush rainforest, where colobus monkeys roam, into heath and moorland, with its many ferns and ericas, until finally reaching the icy caps of the mountain top. The varying altitudes on this 7 day tour as well as a little help from lady luck offers a good environment for acclimatization, enhancing your chances of reaching the summit. Overnights on the Machame Route will be in tents.
Day 1 Kilimanjaro Airport – Arusha/Moshi
Upon your arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport you will be greeted by our transfer driver and taken to the Hotel. The rest of the day is for you to enjoy at leisure – relax at the hotel pool or take a taxi and explore the town of Arusha/Moshi. In the late afternoon you will met by one of our Kilimanjaro team members, who will brief you on your upcoming trek.
Day 2 Arusha/Moshi – Machame Gate (1,790m) – Machame Camp (3,010m)
After breakfast you will be picked up at your lodge and taken to the Kilimanjaro National park gate. After completion of all the necessary paper work, your adventure commences. Your destination for today is the Machame Camp. Soon you will be hiking through the lush rainforest with its large ancient trees, primeval ferns and endemic flowers, like the Impatiens kilimanjaro. You might also spot black and white colobus monkeys, peeking through the leaves. Reaching the campsite you will have time to relax, stretch your legs and enjoy a hearty meal, before snuggling into your tent for the night.
Day 3 Machame Camp (3,010m) – Shira Camp (3,845m)
Today’s early start is not due to a long stretch, but rather to allow you to reach Shira Camp at around mid-afternoon. As you walk you will notice the dramatic change in the landscape – from lush and green rainforest to dry moor and heath land. Arriving at your campsite a beautiful view of the mountain range opens up before you. The glaciers of Kibo glistens in the golden hue of the setting sun as you enjoy another lovingly cooked meal before climbing into your tent.
Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Day 4 Shira Camp (3,845m) – Lava Tower Hut (4,640m) – Barranco Camp (3,960m)
Acclimatisation is on today’s menu. You will climb roughly 800 m, but sleep on a level not much higher than the previous night. Starting at Shira Plateau, you will make your way up to Lava Tower. Here you will rest a while, before continuing through the Barranco Valley to the beautiful Barranco Camp. The trek will take approximately 6 to 7 hours, but the various distractions of the alpine desert as well as the Barranco Valley with its small lobelia plants and giant senecios will keep your mind off the stretch still ahead. A well-deserved dinner and overnight awaits you at Barranco Camp.
Day 5 Barranco Camp (3,960m) – Karanga Camp (4,035m)
Today the Barranco Wall stands before you to conquer. Some stages will require you to use your hands for a better grip, but no actual climbing is necessary. Your guide will be with you every step of the way to lend a helping hand. The route with its numerous ascents and descents allow for further acclimatisation and leads you to the mountain ridge. Walking along the ridge you can take in the beautiful landscape with its stunning contrasts of desert and vegetation, before finally reaching the cloudy Karanga Camp. Your trek will take between 3 to 4 hours, leaving more than enough time to rest and play a game of rummy. Evening meal and overnight at Karanga Camp.
Day 6 Karanga Camp (4,035m) – Barafu Camp (4,640m)
Awakening to the sunlight dancing off the Kibo Summit, you will enjoy a hearty breakfast before setting out to today’s destination – Barafu Camp. Most of the day will be spent walking through very dry desertic terrain, with Kibo ever present on your left side. After 3 to 4 hours you will reach Barafu Camp, where you will have an early dinner and night as the highlight of your trip is only a few short hours away…
Day 7 Barafu Camp (4,640m) – Uhuru Peak (5,895m) – Mweka Camp (3,080m)
At around midnight you will be woken up by your guide with a warm cup of tea and biscuits to get you ready for your final ascent. The moon and your headlamps will be your only source of light as you make your way up to Stella Point (5,730m), reaching the crater rim in about 5 to 7 hours. Another 1 to 2 hours will take you to Uhuru Peak, where you can enjoy the sun rising over the African landscape, casting a pink hue over the snowy peak and making the glaciers sparkle like diamonds around you. After capturing this incredible view and achievement on film, you will start your descent along the same route back to Barafu Camp, where your team awaits you with some snacks and refreshments. Rested and relaxed you will make your way to Mweka Camp for your last night on the highest mountain in Africa.
Day 8 Mweka Camp (3,080m) – Mweka Gate (1,630m) – Arusha/Moshi
A scrumptious breakfast is followed by a traditional farewell ceremony from your mountain crew, before you start your final stretch down the mountain. You will once more trek through the rainforest, giving you another opportunity to spot the cheeky colobus monkeys, finally reaching the Mweka Gate. You will be met at the gate and taken back to the Lodge for a long shower and relaxed day by the pool.
Day 9 Arusha/Moshi – Kilimanjaro Airport
After breakfast you will be taken to Kilimanjaro Airport or you can opt to extend your trip with a safari or a beach holiday on Zanzibar.
Items included:
Kilimanjaro trekking according to the itinerary
Professional, English-speaking guide
Mountain crew (cook & porters)
Overnight stays in hotels and mountain tents
Camping equipment (tents, sleeping mats, chairs, tables etc.)
Portable toilet and toilet tent
Meals according to the itinerary
Drinking water
All national park fees
All mentioned transfers
Items excluded:
Sleeping bag
Flights
Optional activities
Alcoholic and soft drinks
Visa fees
Tips
Personal spending money for souvenirs etc.
Travel insurance
