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TANZURI
The snow-capped summit of Mount Kilimanjaro rising above a band of clouds
Mountains & Adventure

Kilimanjaro Trekking Adventure — Machame Route

A seven-day trek to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) on the scenic “Whiskey” route

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Duration
9 days / 8 nights
Destinations
Mount Kilimanjaro
Starts / ends
Moshi or Arusha (Kilimanjaro International Airport) → Moshi or Arusha (Kilimanjaro International Airport)
Travel style
Private or small group
Accommodation
Budget · Mid-range · Luxury

Sample itinerary. Routes, travel times and the style of accommodation are typical for this journey. Your named lodges, final schedule and price are confirmed in your personal quotation, and everything can be adjusted.

Overview

About this journey

Standing at 5,895 m, Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the world’s tallest free-standing mountain. The Machame Route is one of its most scenic ways up, climbing through rainforest, heath and moorland and across the alpine desert to the glaciers of the summit.

This seven-day version gives you an extra day for acclimatisation compared with the shortest Machame itinerary. The route follows the principle of “climb high, sleep low” — on day three you reach Lava Tower at around 4,600 m before descending to sleep at Barranco — which helps your body adjust to altitude and improves your chances of reaching the top.

No technical climbing is needed, but this is a demanding trek. It suits fit, well-prepared walkers who are comfortable with several days of camping and long hiking days, including a night-time summit push. With the nights in Moshi or Arusha before and after, the full trip is nine days.

Highlights

  • Standing on Uhuru Peak (5,895 m), the Roof of Africa
  • Passing through five climate zones, from rainforest to arctic summit
  • The Shira Plateau, with wide views across to Mount Meru
  • “Climb high, sleep low” acclimatisation via Lava Tower (approx. 4,630 m)
  • Scrambling up the Barranco Wall, a highlight rather than a technical climb
  • Sunrise over the glaciers and the plains of Africa on summit morning
  • A professional mountain crew of guides, cooks and porters

Ideal for

  • Fit hikers seeking a big personal challenge
  • Trekkers who want a scenic route with good acclimatisation
  • Groups of friends and charity climbers
  • Travellers combining a climb with a safari or Zanzibar

Route

  1. 1Moshi
  2. 2Machame Gate
  3. 3Machame Camp
  4. 4Shira Camp
  5. 5Lava Tower
  6. 6Barranco Camp
  7. 7Karanga Camp
  8. 8Barafu Camp
  9. 9Uhuru Peak
  10. 10Mweka Camp
  11. 11Mweka Gate
  12. 12Moshi

Day by day

Your itinerary

  1. Day 1

    Arrival in Moshi

    Kilimanjaro International Airport → Moshi

    You are met at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Moshi (or Arusha), at the foot of the mountain.

    In the evening your lead guide gives a pre-climb briefing and checks your equipment, so any missing items can be hired or bought before you set off.

    Planned

    • Airport meet and greet
    • Transfer to your hotel
    • Pre-climb briefing and gear check
    Travel
    Approx. 45 minutes by road to Moshi (approx. 1 hour to Arusha)
    Meals
    Dinner
    Overnight
    Hotel in Moshi or Arusha (to be confirmed)

  2. Day 2

    Machame Gate to Machame Camp

    Machame Gate (approx. 1,800 m) → Machame Camp (approx. 2,835 m)

    After breakfast you drive to Machame Gate to register with Kilimanjaro National Park. The trail climbs steadily through lush montane rainforest, often misty and alive with birdsong and, if you are lucky, colobus monkeys.

    You reach Machame Camp at the edge of the forest in the afternoon, where your crew has already set up camp.

    Planned

    • Park registration
    • Rainforest trek
    Travel
    Approx. 1 hour by road to the gate; hiking approx. 5–7 hours
    Meals
    Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
    Overnight
    Mountain camping at Machame Camp (approx. 2,835 m)

  3. Day 3

    Machame Camp to Shira Camp

    Machame Camp (approx. 2,835 m) → Shira Camp (approx. 3,750 m)

    Leaving the forest behind, you climb a steep, rocky ridge through giant heather and moorland. The trail then eases onto the Shira Plateau, a collapsed volcanic caldera with wide views of the summit and, across the clouds, Mount Meru.

    Planned

    • Moorland trek onto the Shira Plateau
    Travel
    Hiking approx. 4–6 hours
    Meals
    Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
    Overnight
    Mountain camping at Shira Camp (approx. 3,750 m)

  4. Day 4

    Shira Camp to Lava Tower and Barranco Camp

    Shira Camp (approx. 3,750 m) → Barranco Camp (approx. 3,960 m)

    An important acclimatisation day. You climb east through alpine desert to the base of Lava Tower, a 90 m volcanic plug at around 4,630 m, where you stop for lunch. You may feel the altitude here — headaches and breathlessness are common and usually ease as you descend.

    You then walk down into the Barranco Valley, among giant groundsels, to camp beneath the imposing Barranco Wall. Sleeping lower than you climbed helps your body adapt.

    Planned

    • Acclimatisation trek to Lava Tower
    • Descent into the Barranco Valley
    Travel
    Hiking approx. 6–7 hours
    Meals
    Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
    Overnight
    Mountain camping at Barranco Camp (approx. 3,960 m)

  5. Day 5

    Barranco Wall to Karanga Camp

    Barranco Camp (approx. 3,960 m) → Karanga Camp (approx. 3,995 m)

    The day begins with the Barranco Wall, a steep but non-technical scramble where you occasionally use your hands. It is a favourite part of the climb, with superb views from the top.

    The trail then crosses a series of valleys to Karanga Camp. This shorter day — the extra day that makes this a seven-day climb — gives you more time to rest and acclimatise.

    Planned

    • Barranco Wall scramble
    • Trek to Karanga Valley
    Travel
    Hiking approx. 4–5 hours
    Meals
    Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
    Overnight
    Mountain camping at Karanga Camp (approx. 3,995 m)

  6. Day 6

    Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp

    Karanga Camp (approx. 3,995 m) → Barafu Camp (approx. 4,673 m)

    A steady climb over rocky ground brings you to Barafu (“ice” in Kiswahili), the high camp on an exposed ridge. Arrive early, eat well, prepare your summit gear and rest.

    Your guide briefs you for the summit attempt, and you go to sleep early — the wake-up call comes around midnight.

    Planned

    • Trek to high camp
    • Summit briefing and rest
    Travel
    Hiking approx. 3–4 hours
    Meals
    Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
    Overnight
    Mountain camping at Barafu Camp (approx. 4,673 m)

  7. Day 7

    Summit day: Uhuru Peak, then down to Mweka Camp

    Barafu Camp (approx. 4,673 m) → Mweka Camp (approx. 3,100 m)

    Around midnight you set off by headtorch, climbing slowly on steep switchbacks towards Stella Point on the crater rim (approx. 5,756 m). It is cold, tiring and exhilarating. From Stella Point it is roughly another hour along the rim to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m), ideally reached around sunrise.

    After photos at the summit you descend to Barafu for a rest and a meal, then continue down to Mweka Camp in the heath zone. This is the longest and hardest day of the trek, and your guides will pace it carefully.

    Planned

    • Night ascent to Stella Point and Uhuru Peak
    • Descent to Barafu and Mweka Camp
    Travel
    Hiking approx. 6–8 hours to the summit, then 5–7 hours down (12–15 hours in total)
    Meals
    Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
    Overnight
    Mountain camping at Mweka Camp (approx. 3,100 m)

  8. Day 8

    Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate and Moshi

    Mweka Camp (approx. 3,100 m) → Moshi

    A final descent through the rainforest brings you to Mweka Gate (approx. 1,640 m), where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. It is also a good moment to thank and say goodbye to your mountain crew.

    You are driven back to your hotel for a long, hot shower and a well-earned celebration.

    Planned

    • Rainforest descent
    • Summit certificates at Mweka Gate
    • Transfer to your hotel
    Travel
    Hiking approx. 3–4 hours; then approx. 1 hour by road
    Meals
    Breakfast, Lunch
    Overnight
    Hotel in Moshi or Arusha (to be confirmed)

  9. Day 9

    Departure

    Moshi → Kilimanjaro International Airport

    After breakfast you transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your flight home — or continue to a safari in the Northern Circuit or a few relaxing days on Zanzibar.

    Planned

    • Transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport
    Travel
    Approx. 45 minutes by road
    Meals
    Breakfast
    Overnight
    Not included — departure

Travel times are typical estimates and vary with road conditions and wildlife sightings.

Where you’ll stay

Accommodation

Choose the style that suits you — named properties are proposed in your quotation, subject to availability.

Budget

Simple, clean hotel in Moshi before and after the climb. On the mountain: quality dome tents (shared by two), sleeping mats and a mess tent for meals.

Mid-range

Our reference standard: a comfortable hotel with a pool and garden in Moshi or Arusha. On the mountain: four-season tents, thicker sleeping mats, a mess tent with tables and chairs, and a private portable toilet tent.

Luxury

A boutique hotel or lodge before and after the climb. On the mountain: spacious tents with more room per person, upgraded mattresses, a private toilet tent, enhanced menus and a higher guide-to-climber ratio.

The fine print, made clear

Included & excluded

Included

  • Airport transfers and transfers to and from the trailhead
  • Two nights’ hotel accommodation in Moshi or Arusha (before and after the climb)
  • Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA) conservation, camping and entry fees for the planned route
  • KINAPA rescue fees
  • Licensed, professional English-speaking mountain guide, assistant guides, cook and porters
  • Fair crew wages, food and shelter for the mountain crew
  • All meals on the mountain, and meals as listed in the day-by-day plan
  • Treated drinking water on the mountain
  • Tents, sleeping mats and mess tent
  • Emergency oxygen and first-aid kit carried by the guides, with daily health checks including pulse oximeter readings
  • Summit certificate
  • Government taxes on the included services

Not included

  • International flights
  • Tanzania visa fees
  • Travel insurance that covers trekking to 6,000 m and helicopter evacuation (required)
  • Tips for the mountain crew (see practical information)
  • Personal trekking gear, including sleeping bag and walking poles (available to hire)
  • Private portable toilet tent (included in Mid-range and Luxury)
  • Drinks and meals in Moshi other than those listed
  • Extra nights due to early descent or late flights
  • Personal expenses

Before you go

Practical information

More answers in our Travel Guide & FAQs.

Price / Request a quote

Get your personal quotation

Prices depend on your travel dates, group size and accommodation style, so we quote each trip individually. Tell us a little about your plans and we’ll send a clear, itemised quotation — no obligation.

Enquiring about: Kilimanjaro Trekking Adventure — Machame Route (9 days)

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