MACHAME ROUTE - CLIMBING MOUNT KILIMANJARO 6 Days / 5 Nights
DAY 1: Your day starts early with a briefing, followed by breakfast and a 45-minute drive from Moshi (910m) to the Machame village (1490m). The guides and porters prepare and pack the supplies and your equipment in the village. You will receive a lunch pack and you can also buy mineral water in the village. Depending on the condition of the road, it is possible to drive from the village to the Machame gate, but if not, the muddy 3 km walk will take about 1 hour to complete. After registering at the gate office, you start your ascent and enter the rain forest almost immediately.
There is a strong possibility of rain in the forest, which will transform the trail into a very soggy, muddy and slippery experience. You will have a welcome lunch stop about half way and will reach the Machame camping area in the late afternoon. Your porters (arriving at the camp site long before you) will have erected your tent on your arrival. In the evening the porters will boil drinking and washing water and the cook will prepare dinner, before you retire to your tent for the night. Night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at this campsite. Machame camp (2980m) and Hiking time: 7 hours.
DAY 2: You rise early at Machame camp and after breakfast you climb an hour or so to the top of the forest and then for 2 hours at a gentler gradient through the moorland zone. After a short lunch and rest, you continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira plateau. By now you will be able to see in an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. You are now due west of Kibo and after a short hike you will reach the Shira campsite at 3 840m. The porters will boil drinking and washing water, before serving dinner. The night at this exposed camp will even be colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing. Machame camp (2980m) - Shira camp (3840m) and Hiking time: 6 hours.
DAY 3: The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, were you reach an altitude of 4630m after about a 5 hours walk. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4630m). Definitely the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability and headaches. After lunch you descent again by almost 680m to the Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for the preparation of your dinner. Shira (3840m), Lava Tower (4630m), Barranco camp (3950m) and Hiking time: 7 hours.
DAY 4: After spending a night at the Great Barranco Wall (a very imposing sight at first), you make your way up this awesome looking obstacle, which in the end normally turns out easier than what you anticipated. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys, and then joins up with the Mweka route. This is the preferred route down from the summit, so remember it. Turn left up the ridge and after another hour or so, you reach Barafu Hut.
The last water stop on the route is the Karranga Valley, as there is no water at Barafu camp. Barafu is the Swahili word for "ice" and it is a bleak and inhospitable camping area to spend the night. Totally exposed to the ever-present gales the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure that you familiarise yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. The summit is now a further 1345m up and you will make the final ascent the same night. Prepare your equipment, ski stick and thermal clothing for your summit attempt. This should include the replacement of your headlamp and camera batteries and make sure you have a spare set available as well. To prevent freezing it will be wise to carry your water in a thermal flask. Go to bed at round about 1900hrs and try to get some precious rest and sleep. Barranco camp (3950m), Barafu camp (4550m) and Hiking time: 7 hours.
DAY 5: You will rise around 2330hrs, and after some tea and biscuits you shuffle off into the night. You will head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This 6-hour walks to Stella point is for many climbers, mentally and physically the most challenging on the route. At Stella Point (5685m) you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting). From Stella Point you will normally encounter snow all the way on your 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak. The time you will spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions.
Do not stop here for too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue. Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your live. The walk back to Barafu from the summit, takes about 3 hours. Here you will have a well earned but short rest and collect the rest of your gear, before heading down to Mweka hut (3100m). The route is not difficult and will take you down the rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest. The camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Dinner, and washing water will be prepared. SUMMIT ATTEMPT | Barafu camp (4550m) | Uhuru Peak (5895m) | Mweka (3100m) | Hiking time: 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak 7/8 hours to descend to Mweka | Distance: About 7 km's ascent - 23 km's descent.
Day 6: After an early and well-deserved breakfast, it is a short 3-hours and scenic hike back to the Park gate. At Mweka gate you sign your name and details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Those climbers who reached Stella Point (5685m) are issued with green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive gold certificates. From the Mweka Gate you will continue down into the Mweka village, normally a muddy 3 km (1 hour) hike. In the Mweka village you will be served a delicious hot lunch!! You now drive back to Moshi for a long over due hot shower, dinner and celebrations!! Overnight in at the hotel in Moshi or Arusha. Mweka camp (3100m)- Mweka Gate (1980m) descent time: 3 hours.
In most cases this itinerary is accompanied with a safari to the Tanzania National Park such as Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti National Parks including Ngorongoro Crater and can be extended to the Southern or Western Central of the country let alone the beach holiday of Zanzibar, Mafia and Pemba Island.
But if it’s Kilimanjaro climbing only then the safari end up there and follows with the connection of the international flight back home at the Kilimanjaro International Airport.
MACHAME ROUTE - CLIMBING MOUNT KILIMANJARO 7 Days / 6 Nights
Day 1: Travel day for people who are traveling outside of African continent.
Day 2: On arrive at the airport met by Big Expeditions Ltd representative(s) for a transfer to a designated hotel or lodge depending on the itinerary either Arusha or Moshi.
Day 3: Breakfast at the hotel. Meet with your Mount Kilimanjaro tour guide for trekking briefing, counter checking of climbing gears and get your questions answered. Afternoon lunch at the designated hotel, lodge or in a restaurant in Arusha. Optional you can shop around and see some traditional and local made products.
Day 4: You will be picked up from your hotel or lodge and drive to Kilimanjaro National Park gate at Machame. Here we will pay the park fees, sign in and meet our support staff. Today we will hike through Montane rain forest to the Machame campsite (1000 ft) this will take 5-7 hrs.
Day 5: After breakfast today we will follow the steep ridge and cross a heath and the moorland to “Picnic rock” and the Shira plateu to the Shira Camp site (12,500 ft) 4-5 hrs.
Day 6: After breakfast we will head in a direction toward Kibo Peak. We will cross a broad valley, climb a rich crest and cross over scree slopes and river valley to Barranco Campsite (13,000 ft) 6-7 hrs.
Day 7: Early morning after breakfast we will cross the floor of Great Barranco valley, proceed up the Barranco wall to the Karanga river Campsite (13,500 ft) 3-4 hrs.
Day 8: Today we will climb over some rock slabs to the Barafu Campsite (15,500 ft) 2-3 hrs.
Day 9: After a cup of hot chocolate, coffee or tea we will go to the summit, Uhuru Peak (19,340 ft). We start out very early in the darkness hiking up the rock scree to Stella Point and the crater rim. This takes 6-7 hrs. After a much needed break we walk along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak which is the highest Point in Africa. We have a short summit celebration and we descend down to Milleniam passing the Barafu Campsite on the way down (11500 ft).
Day 10: We descend down Mweka gate via Mweka Campsite passing through forest. Our vehicle will be waiting you at the gate for a transfer to the hotel/lodge for hot lunch, shower and a rest in Moshi or Arusha.
In most cases this itinerary is accompanied with a safari to the Tanzania Park such as Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti National Parks including Ngorongoro Crater and can be extended to the Southern or Western Central of the country let alone the beach holiday of Zanzibar, Mafia and Pemba Island.
But if it’s Kilimanjaro climbing only then the safari end up there and follows with the connection of the international flight back home at the Kilimanjaro International Airport. |
