Overview
The Machame route, also known as the “Whiskey” route, is a six or seven day camping route and is most popular route on Kilimanjaro. This trail offers stunning views, a reasonable challenge, and plenty of time to acclimate, making it a good choice for those who have a bit of extra time in their schedule.
According to statistics from Kilimanjaro National Park approximately 35% of all climbers on the mountain use it.
Itinerary
Day : 1 Machame Gate (1790m) – Machame Camp (3010m)
After breakfast, you will be collected and taken to the Kilimanjaro National Park – a 1-hour drive. While your guide is registering, you can watch the mountain team preparing – it is always impressive ‘what’ and particularly ‘how’ everything is carried up the mountain. Once this is all packed up, your adventure will begin; after a few minutes, you will be deep within the forest with ancient trees, ferns, mosses and black and white colobus monkeys frolicking in the treetops. After 5 – 6 hours you will reach – Machame Camp –situated just above the forest line at 3000m. Arriving here, the porters have already set up your tents and warm water for washing is ready.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day : 2 Machame Camp (3010m) – Shira Camp (3845m)
After an early morning start, the path steepens and the vegetation changes into a moorland with shrubs such as hardy Ericas. Today’s stage is shorter than the previous day and by mid-afternoon, you will arrive at the campsite at the Shira Plateau. From the camp, you will have breath-taking views of the mountain and evening light on the rock face and glacier of Kibo as the sunsets.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day : 3 Shira Camp – Lava Tower Hut (4640m) – Barranco Camp (3950m)
Today will be a day for ups and downs. You will ascend almost 700m but descend again after reaching the imposing Lava Tower (4640m). This will help with acclimatization as you will reach a height of over 4 500m. You will move through different vegetation zones. After reaching Lava Tower the path traverses Barranco Valley dotted with the weird-looking senecios. Barranco Camp is reached after 6 – 7 hours. Considered the most beautiful camp on the mountain, the camp is situated just below the imposing Barranco Wall. Rest and refuel tonight.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day : 4 Barranco Camp (3960m) – Barafu Camp (4640m)
The first section of today’s route is to scale the ‘Barranco Wall’. Use your hands and feet. Safety is paramount and you will be secured if necessary, but it looks more daunting than it actually is. The trail continues with many up and down sections, crossing a few streams, winding and climbing stopping for lunch in the Karanga Valley. After lunch, there will be another 2 – 3 hours climb before you reach Barafu Camp (4640m). Tonight, drink a lot of fluids, try to eat, and go to bed early to rest enough before tomorrow’s summit trek.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day : 5 Barafu Camp – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Mweka Camp (3080m)
You will be woken in the midnight hours with a cup of tea and a biscuit. Dressed warmly and geared with a headlight and your daypack you will set off in the darkness. After 5 – 7 hours of ‘pole pole’, you will reach the rim of the crater, Stella Point. Another one to two hours of going slowly along the crater’s edge and you will arrive at the summit – Uhuru Peak (5895m). Looking down over the surrounding landscape below in the early morning light will make you feel on top of the world. You have now reached the ‘Roof of Africa’. The descent should be easy but dusty, as the volcanic ash will now have defrosted. Returning on the same route you should arrive at Barafu Camp within a few hours where the porters are waiting with food and tea. Resting for an hour or two, you will continue down to reach Mweka Camp (3080m) for your overnight stay.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day : 6 </span>Mweka Camp (3080m) – Mweka Gate (1630m) – Moshi Last Day On The Mountain
After breakfast, the crew will celebrate your achievement with a traditional song as part of their farewell ceremony. You will present them with their tips. Setting off and descending into the moist green forest, it should take about three hours to reach the gate. Back to Moshi. There you can revive yourself and celebrate your achievement.
Breakfast
Included
- 3 Delicious meals a day, boiled and filtered drinking water while on the mountain.
- All park entrance, camping, and rescue fees
- Warm water for washing to be provided every morning and evening.
- Oxygen Cylinder – only for emergency
- English Speaking Guides (Wilderness First Responder certified), cook and porters
- Staff salaries and fees.
- Transport to/from national park gates.
- First aid kit and pulse oximeter.
- Emergency telephone between the guides and our office in Moshi town.
- 3 liters of bottled drinking water to be provided on the first day of your hike, on the mountain porters will fetch water from the streams to be boiled and filtered for you.
Excluded
- Prices Do Not Include Sleeping Bags
- Gratuities
- Soda/Alcohol Unless Otherwise Noted
- Health Insurance
- Visa Fees
- International Airfare
- Laundry
- All Meals And Drinks In Moshi Town