7 Days Kilimanjaro Climbing Tour – Machame Route

Upon your arrival at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be welcomed by our representative and driver, and you will be taken to the hotel in Moshi Town. You will enjoy a quick briefing conducted by our professional Mountain Guide about your trekking and ensure you are ready for climbing in the evening. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

The Kilimanjaro National Park gate is only a 1-hour drive from Moshi. You will be picked up after breakfast and make your way there for the start of your climb. Once you have arrived, your guide will start with the formalities (entrance forms) while you observe all the different teams and mountain crew getting ready for your expedition. It’s always a fascinating experience for clients to watch them load all the different items for the trip. As soon as everything is prepared, your adventure will begin. The destination for today will be the Machame Camp which you should reach in about 5-7 hours.

On route, you will experience a beautiful rainforest with ancient trees, primaeval ferns, liana & lichen, to mention but a few. Another favourite to look out for on this day is the black and white thumb fewer colobus monkeys. Once you arrive at your campsite for the night, you have time to relax before enjoying a well-deserved dinner prepared by our cook.

Although today is a shorter stretch than yesterday, you will still have an early start, allowing you to reach today’s destination around mid-afternoon. The landscape changes dramatically from the green mountain rainforest into moor and heathland. You will have a beautiful view of the mountain range from your campsite, situated at the Shira Plateau. The glacier of Kibo also lights up as the sun sets for the evening.

Today is a good day for the body to acclimatize for the days to follow. You will climb roughly 700m but will sleep on a level not much higher than the night before. We will start at Shira Plateau and make our way up to Lava Tower at around 4640 m; after a rest, we will continue through the Barranco Valley until we reach our destination for the day, the beautiful Barranco Camp. Today’s trek will be approximately 6-8 hours, during which time you will experience the alpine desert as well as the Barranco Valley with its small lobelia plants and giant Senecio. You will sit down for a well-deserved dinner before it’s time to rest in preparation for the next day.

Just after breakfast, we concur on the famous Barranco Wall. You might need your hands once in a while for better grip, but with that being said, there are no climbing passages, and as safety is critical, please listen to our guides, who will ensure you get to the top safely. There will be many ascents and descents today, followed by a walk along the mountain ridge. This will reward you, will get a great view of the glacier of Kibo. Walking time today will be 4-5 hours, with the Kibo summit all the time on your left accompanying you to your camp for the night.

Barafu Camp is our destination for today and will be reached after 4-5 hours. Most of this time, you will be walking through the moon-like alpine dessert. After a satisfying dinner, you will have an early night and a good rest. The highlight of your trip is now only some hours away.

The climb will start at midnight. You will be woken up just before that to have some tea and biscuits. Around 5-7 hours later, you will reach Stella Point, the crater rim of Kilimanjaro. After another 1-2 hours, you will reach Uhuru Peak at the height of 5895 m. This is truly a magnificent sight standing on top of Africa’s Highest Mountain, watching the sunrise. This view will be one to remember and will make every minute of the last couple of days of trekking worth your while.

You will descend along the same way back to Barafu Camp, which you will reach after 1-2 hours. The rest of the mountain team will be there waiting for you with some well-deserved snacks and refreshments. You will rest for an hour or two before making your way to Mweka Camp, where you will spend your last night on the mountain.

After breakfast, you will have a traditional farewell ceremony from all your mountain crew. After a short 3-4 hours walk through the rainforest, our driver will be waiting for you at the Mweka gate. You will then be transferred back to them for a well-deserved shower, a cold drink, a debrief and the awarding of your certificate of achievement. The rest of the day is yours to relax and to reflect on this once in a lifetime experience.

After getting some rest and refreshment at the hotel, your driver-guide will take you to the Kilimanjaro International Airport, ready for your flight back home. Alternatively, you can extend your trip to Tanzania and go on a wildlife encounter safari or relax at the tropical islands and turquoise water of the Indian Ocean.