Destination Tanzania Safaris

Machame Route
(7days/6nights)

Day 1: Arrive Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Evening arrival to Kilimanjaro International Airport. You will be met and transferred to hotel in Arusha. Welcome to Africa!

Day 2: Orientation day
This day is designed to give you plenty of time to relax, pack and recoup from the long journey. We will meet you late in the morning for a short climbing orientation. We will give you a climb briefing and answer any questions you have about the climb. We will also do an equipment check with each person to be sure that you are fully prepared. We have designed this day to allow for walking, game viewing or cultural exchange with indigenous people. Accommodation is full board (Bed, breakfast, lunch and dinner)

Day 3: Machame Hut Camp (10,000') (day 1 on the mountain)
Drive for 1 hour from the lodge in Arusha to Machame gate (10,000ft) for registration, and meet the rest of the crew (Cooks and Porters) ready for the climb. We will start the climb through rainforest and the giant heathers for 6 hrs to our first overnight camp.

Day 4: Shira Camp (12,480') (day 2 on the mountain)
Short day but rather steep rocky and dusty trails. It's a slow hike with plenty of breaks and enough time to acclimatize. Most of the route is rather bare of vegetation providing little shade from heat. You will cross many ridges and see the first of many Senecias

Day 5: Barranco Camp (13,000') (day 3 on the mountain)
Start with climbing over boulders and very few rocks, then steady uphill climb to Lava tower and stop for lunch around noon. For those interested we may climb up the Lava tower which is 14850ft (You may start to get a mild headache due to altitude change). From Lava tower we will go down for about 2 hrs through dusty and rocky trails to the Barranco Camp at 13000ft.

Day 6: Karanga Valley Camp (13,450') (day 4 on the mountain)
Start scrambling up the Barranco wall for an hour and half which is steep and you will be using your hands to reach and steady yourself like rock climbing, although it's not as challenging as rock climbing. At the top of the wall you can see the Barranco valley and the campsite you spent a night before. You will walk up and down the greener valley which is the last water point to the mountain.

Day 7: Barafu Hut Camp (14,200') (day 5 on the mountain)
Short but steep uphill climb across barren landscape with lots of boulders and shattered rocks. You will see the Decken glaciers on your left. Keep going a very steep ridge until we reach a rocky section for more scrambling for about hour and half. Our next camp will be on large rocks with very steep cliff faces. We will go to bed very early because we will have to wake up at 11.00p.m for the summit

Day 8: Summit Day and Mweka Hut (10,500') (day 6 on the mountain)
We will start the climb at around midnight. We will start with very steep rocks for 1 hour, and then will enter a snow covered area where you can see glaciers above. If it's a moonlight night, you may turn off your headlamp and walk in the moonlight, it is a wonderful experience. Next 2 hours to Stella Point, we will take a break every 15 minutes as a struggle gets more mentally and physically challenging. Then we will get to Stella Point where the Lava fields are like loose sand. It's very funny and frustrating because you will take a step up and slide back gaining 0 distances and if not careful slide back 2 steps and gain negative 2 steps. After breakfast, we will climb to UHURU PEAK for 1 hr just as the sun appears over the Mawenzi peaks. We will be at UHURU PEAK (19370ft) around 6.00 or 7:00am. We will start our descent which is steep and rigorous via Stella Point to Barrafu hut Camp. We will stop at Barafu Camp for lunch and a good rest before we proceed down to Mweka camp, a very comfortable hike, but very dusty and long.

Day 9: Arusha (day 7 on the mountain and hike out)
Today's hike will take us about 4 to 5 hours to make the 4,500 feet descent to the park gate. We will check out and receive Kilimanjaro climbing certificate at the park gate office, then eat our lunch and say goodbye to our mountain staff. After lunch we will drive through very beautiful coffee plantations and small villages of the Chagga people back to Arusha, for a nice hot shower or swimming at the lodge and relax, .ready for departure home or onto wildlife safari the next day.