Machame Route Itinerary
Quest From the West – A Day-to-Day Travelogue on the Machame Route
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be transferred to your accommodation where your guide will meet you for a full briefing and equipment check.
- Machame Route Machame Gate (1,800m/5,900ft) to Machame Camp (3,000m/9,800ft)
- Machame Route Elevation Gain: 1,200 meters / 3,900 feet
Your head guide will meet you for the drive from Moshi to the Machame Gate (approximately 45 minutes). After registration, begin climbing along a winding trail through a beautiful and lush forest.
Since this is the zone that experiences the most rainfall on Mount Kilimanjaro you should be prepared for afternoon showers. These can make the trail slippery at times!
The climb is steady, gradually easing as you approach camp at Machame Hut (9,800ft). The camp is located on the edge of the forest and giant heather zones.
- Approximately 6-7 hours of walking today.
- Machame Camp (3,000m/9,800ft) to Shira Camp (3,840m/12,600ft)
- Elevation Gain: 840 meters / 2,800 feet
Today is a little shorter. It begins by climbing a steep ridge to reach a small semicircular cliff known as Picnic Rock. There are excellent views of Kibo, the summit cone of Kilimanjaro, and the jagged rim of the Shira Plateau.
Shira is the third of Kilimanjaro’s volcanic cones. It is filled with the lava flow from Kibo and its rim has eroded and been blasted away by weather and volcanic action.
Once on the plateau, the trail becomes gentler as you continue your Mt Kilimanjaro Climb to Shira Camp. On a clear day, the views from here are spectacular.
- Approximately 5-6 hours of walking.
- Shira Camp (3,840m/12,600ft) to Barranco Camp (3,850m/12,650ft) via Lava Tower (4,550m/14,900ft)
- Elevation Gain: 710 meters / 2,300 feet
- Elevation Gain: 700 meters / 2,250 feet
Your climb today will take you steadily up and over the expansive ridgelines of the high desert to Lava Tower. The trek to the base of Lava Tower is about 4 hours. This tower is a 300-foot-high volcanic plug.
If time and energy allow, you can scramble to the top of Lava Tower for fabulous panoramic views.
From Lava Tower we begin our steep descent into the Barranco Valley, passing large flowering plants which actually look like trees, the scenecios.
This is good practice for your descent from the summit in a few days and will take 1-2 hours.
Although you will end your day at almost the same Mount Kilimanjaro Elevation as you started, today is very important for acclimatization and will help your body prepare for summit day. Barranco Camp is in a beautiful, sheltered valley below the imposing Barranco Wall.
- Barranco Camp (3,850m/12,600ft) to Karranga Camp (3,950m/13,000ft) via the Barranco Wall (4,200m/13,800ft)
- Elevation Gain: 350 meters / 1,150 feet
- Elevation Loss: 250 metres / 820 feet
After breakfast, we leave Barranco Camp and begin our climb up the Barranco Wall. This is an impressive scramble where you will be rewarded with fantastic views back towards camp.
The porters climbing the wall are also an impressive sight. From the top, at 4,200m, you will follow an undulating path around the mountainside.
On a clear day, you are treated to spectacular views of Kibo to your left and Mount Meru to your right, each standing as representation of the formidable Kilimanjaro Height.
After descending into the Karranga Valley your climb takes you up a short steep path to Karranga Camp.
- Walking time is approximately 3-4 hours.
- Karranga Camp (3,950m/13,000ft) to Barafu Camp (4,600m/15,100ft)
- Elevation Gain: 650 meters / 2,150 feet
Today you will spend the morning climbing steadily onto Barafu, which is Swahili for ice! This camp is located on the ridge below the summit cone.
You have now completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles.
This walk will take around 3 hours meaning that you will arrive at Barafu in time to spend the afternoon resting and enjoy an early dinner in preparation for the summit climb.
-The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo can be seen from this position.
- Barafu Camp (4,600m/15,100ft) to Uhuru Peak (5,895m/19,300ft) then descending to Mweka Camp (3,110m/10,200ft)
- Elevation Gain: 1,295 meters / 4,200 feet
- Elevation Loss: 2,785 meters / 9,100 feet
In the early hours of the morning, you will begin your final ascent to the summit of Uhuru Peak. This part of the climb takes approximately 6-8 hours.
It can be very cold at night at these elevations, but it will be quite warm by the end of the hiking day and therefore you will want clothing for both extremes. Just when you think you’ve had enough of climbing in the dark the sun will rise and you will be rewarded with a rich red sky framing Mawenzi.
At Stella Point (5,750m) you join the crater rim. From here, climb gently to Uhuru Peak which is the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa.
Standing at the summit, you experience the full Kilimanjaro Altitude of 5,895 meters, the tallest peak in Africa.
Following your time at the summit, the descent will take you to Mweka Hut, with lunch served en route. This descent takes about 6 hours. Later in the evening, enjoy your final dinner on the mountain and a well-deserved rest.
- Mweka Camp (3,110m/10,200ft) to Mweka Gate (1,830m/6,000ft)
- Elevation Gain: 1,280 meters / 4,220 feet
Descend to the gate through the lush forest (2-3 hours), looking for monkeys along the way. You will be collected from Mweka Village and taken to your hotel in Moshi.
Today you will be transferred to Kilimanjaro Airport in time for your flight, or if you’ve decided to extend your Tanzanian adventure, begin the next part of your journey!.
