The Machame Route, also known as the “Whiskey” route, because it is often perceived as being tougher than Marangu route, was opened as a Kilimanjaro trail in the late 1960s but rose in popularity in the 1990s as an alternative to the Marangu Route, is a Seven-day camping route and is most popular route on Kilimanjaro.
Daily Breakdown
Day 1: Arrival in Arusha
Meet & greet at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to your accommodation in Arusha for dinner & overnight. In the evening you will be met by your guide and have a mountain briefing to prepare you for the climb.
Day 2: Machame Gate (1,800m/5,905ft) to Machame Camp (3,000m/9,840ft)
Hike time: 5 hours; elevation change: +820 m; final elevation: 2720m.
Leave Arusha for Machame Gate with the porters, guides and cooks who will spend the next seven days trekking with you to Uhuru Peak; about 1.5 hours’ drive brings you to the Machame gate, After the climbers and crew have checked in with with park authorities you will hike through the moss-covered trees of Kilimanjaro's cloud forest. The forest will thin at the end of the hike and vegetation will change to include heathers, tall grasses and wildflowers. You'll reach Machame Camp by late afternoon, where the air is noticeably cooler, and the towering Uhuru Peak comes into view on clear evenings.
Day 3: Machame Camp (3,000m/9,840ft) to Shira Camp (3,840m/12,600ft)
Hike time: 5-6 hours; elevation change: +1000 m; final elevation: 3720 m.
After breakfast, although considered to be the easiest day on the Machame Route, today's trek includes several uphill sections. There are several viewpoints from which you can see the plains and forests below and Kibo and Mawenzi peaks above. As you gain altitude, notice the change in vegetation. The trees diminish in size giving way to Kilimanjaro's famous high-altitude plants, Scenecio Kilimanjaro and Lobelia Deckenii. After eating lunch, climb the Shira Plateau created when Kibo's lava flows filled the Shira crater. Continue to Shira Camp, where you will relax for the rest of the day. Kibo lies to the West and Mount Meru to the East.
Day 4: Shira Camp (3,840m/12,600ft) to Barranco Camp (3,950m/12,960ft)
Hike time: 5-6 hours; elevation change: +690 m; final elevation: 3950 m.
This day is vital for acclimatization so it's important that you take it incredibly slow, after breakfast, although this up and down day ends with an elevation gain of only 110 meters, by early afternoon you will have climbed 690 meters to a height of 4,530 meters before beginning your descent to Barranco Camp, hike East on the Shira Plateau before reaching the junction for the Shira and Lemosho Routes. Continue on through the barren landscape before stopping for lunch. Shortly after lunch, reach the highest point of the day before descending quickly to Barranco Camp.
Day 5: Barranco Camp (3,950m/12,960ft) to Karanga Valley (4,200m/13,780ft)
Hike time: 4-5 hours; elevation change: +250 m; final elevation: 4200m.
Leave Barranco Camp after breakfast for Karanga Valley. The day begins with 1.5 hours scramble up Barranco Wall. This is the hardest part of the day and in some places, you will have to use your hands to pull your body up. After reaching the top make a short descent into the greener Karanga Valley. We generally camp on the ridge above the valley to allow for greater acclimatization.
Day 6: Karanga Valley (4,200m/13,780ft) to Barafu Camp (4,600m/15,100ft)
Hike time: 4hours; elevation change: +400 m, -980m; final elevation: 4600 m
After breakfast, begin the hike to Barafu Camp. On the way to Barafu, view several of Kibo's glaciers as well as the junction that connects the descent route, Mweka, with the Machame trail. Today you will hike by the Heim, Kersten and Decken Glaciers. Although the trail to Barafu passes through alpine desert with little vegetation, Barafu Camp offers stunning views of Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. Try to sleep as soon as you finish dinner, as you will awake before midnight for your summit hike
Day 7: Barafu Camp (4,600m/15,100ft) to Uhuru Peak (5,895m/19,340ft) to Mweka Camp (3,100m/10,170ft)
Hike time: 12 hours; elevation change: +1295m, -1820m; final elevation: 3100m.
Around midnight, begin the final ascent to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. The ascent to the crater rim is the most challenging part of the entire trek. The trail is very steep and dark, zigzagging up loose volcanic scree until you reach the crater rim at Stella Point. From there, it’s an hour along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak, upon reaching Uhuru, take photos of your guide and group at the peak before beginning the descent first to Barafu camp for a brief rest, then further down to Mweka Camp through the alpine desert and into the forest zone.
Day 8: Mweka Camp (3,100m/10,170ft) to Mweka Gate (1,500m/4,920ft)
Hike time: 3-5 hours; elevation change: -1600m; final elevation: 1500m
The final descent takes you through the lower heath section that quickly turns into rainforest. Your time on Kilimanjaro ends at Mweka Gate where the vehicle will be waiting to transfer you back to the airport, or your hotel in Arusha
Day 9: Departure
You will be transferred to Kilimanjaro airport for your return flight or start safari trip.
Inclusions
- Two overnights before and after the climb based on dinner, bed and breakfast
- All transfers to and from the airport, to your hotel and to the park gate
- All Park fees, camping/hut fees and mandatory rescue fee
- All meals and non-alcoholic drinks while on the mountain
- Camping equipment, Mountain hard ware tents, private mess tents, chairs, tables, etc.
- Fairly paid professional mountain staff; guides certified in Wilderness first-aid and rescue, cook and porters
- High-capacity Jumbo D Supplemental Oxygen
- Pulse Oximeter
- 2 ways long range communication radios
- A fully kitted professional expedition medical & first aid kit with full resuscitation capabilities
- Portable chemical Toilet
- Katadyn Expedition Water Filter and Micropur
Exclusions
- International Airfare to and from Kilimanjaro International Airport/Dar Es Salaam International Airport
- Personal equipment & items (sleeping bag, sleeping mats, clothing, hiking boots, poles, climbing gear, water bottles.
- Comprehensive travel & medical insurance is mandatory (please ensure policy includes hiking)
- Laundry and drinks at your Arusha hotel
- Gratuities to your mountain crew, transfer drivers and lodge staff
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