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Climb Kilimanjaro - Machame Route (Private) Detailed ItineraryRongai follows the red route up and brown down. View larger map. Day 1 – Arrive Moshi. Pre-trek preparationYour Kilimanjaro climb holiday starts at check-in to your hotel. Nestled at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania, Moshi is the coffee producing centre of the country and gateway to one of the most iconic mountains on our planet. Tonight you will receive a pre-trek briefing and can make any final preparations for your climb.
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| Average Time | 5-7 hours |
| Altitude Gained | 1,200 metres |
| Terrain | Rough path with tree roots, may be muddy and slippery during or after rain |
| Summary | A relatively easy first day on a path enclosed by rain forest |
| Accommodation | Camping at Machame |
| Included Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
Day 3 - Trek to Shira Camp
On this and subsequent mornings, you’ll be woken around 6 am with a steaming cup of tea or coffee, and if the weather is clear, by a superb view of Uhuru Peak. Today’s trek takes you up a steep track through a savannah of tall grasses, volcanic rock and bearded heather. You’ll also encounter giant groundsels as you hike through a ghostly landscape of volcanic lava, caves and streams. Lunch is taken just below the Shira Plateau.
After lunch you’ll continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira Plateau itself where you will be able to see Kilimanjaro’s great Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. Sometimes, the walls of the Western Breach are draped with extensive ice curtains. You are now west of Kibo on the opposite side of the mountain from the Marangu Route. After a short hike west, you’ll reach Shira campsite (3,840m). Most climbers tend to pace themselves, walking slowly and resting every half-hour. Temperatures at this exposed camp will be colder tonight, dropping below freezing. 9 km are covered today, taking between 4 to 6 hours.
| Average Time | 4-6 hours |
| Altitude Gained | 840 metres |
| Terrain | Mostly good path with only one real scramble - the ridge leading to Shira Plateau |
| Summary | Steady climb leads to splendid campsite on Shira Plateau |
| Accommodation | Camping at Shira Camp |
| Included Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
Day 4 – Trek to Barranco Camp
The entire Shira Plateau greets you this morning with sweeping vistas across to Meru and the Shira Needles. A steady walk takes you up to the pass at Lava Tower (4,630m), where you stop to have lunch. Crossing the Bastains stream, you will begin to descend towards Barranco Camp (3,950m). This 2 hour descent takes you along an immense canyon called Grand Barranco below the lower cliffs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall.
En route you will see numerous waterfalls which are fed by streams coming from the mountain, converging to form the Umbwe River. Your camp is at a similar altitude to last night and lies in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Walls, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for your dinner. Today's walk covers 15 km.
| Average Time | 7 hours |
| Altitude Gained | 790 metres ascent, 680 metres descent |
| Terrain | Fairly rough path, some scree and some steep sections |
| Summary | Rocky semi-desert with dramatic views of the Lava Tower and Breach Wall |
| Accommodation | Camping at Barranco |
| Included Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
Day 5 – Trek to Barafu Camp via Karanga Valley
After spending a night under the imposing Great Barranco Wall, you’ll climb this awesome obstacle, which turns out to be easier than it looks. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you can now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. After lunch your route then heads down through the Karanga Valley, where giant senecios and lobelia grow, to join the Mweka Route, which will be your descent route. The last water on the route is in the Karanga Valley.
Next, the route continues with a scenic climb up a ridge to Barafu (4,550m) which is mostly on a moraine with a view of Mawenzi Peak towering majestically to the right, and overhead, Kibo Peak seemingly just out of reach. The alpine desert terrain encountered at this point is mostly a mineral environment with lichens and mosses. Distance covered today is around 13 km, taking about 8 hours.
Tonight your tent will be pitched on a narrow, stony, wind-swept ridge, so make sure that you familiarise yourself with the terrain. You’ll take a light dinner and turn in early to try and get as much sleep as you can. Your guide should give you a short pre-climb talk after dinner. Make sure you purify plenty of drinking water for the coming night’s walk and keep your fluid levels up as much as possible at altitude.
| Average Time | 8 hours |
| Altitude Gained | Rises 380 metres over Barranco Wall then falls and rises (650 metres net gain) |
| Terrain | After a steep, exposed climb up the Barranco Wall, gradients ease |
| Summary | A taxing day, to be followed by an even tougher night, but with good views |
| Accommodation | Camping at Barafu |
| Included Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
You will be woken around 11.30 pm to walk through the night. This is primarily because you need the time to reach the summit and still be able to descend in daylight. Also, walking at night is easier with cold or frozen ground underfoot. With an altitude gain of 1,195 metres of vertical height and a loss of 2,795 metres, this is a challenging day for everyone. After eating and drinking whatever is on offer you should be leaving between 12.30 am and 1.00 am.
Your big day begins with a 6-hour climb northwest up through heavy scree between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers to Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most challenging part of the route for most climbers. At Stella Point (5,685m) you’ll stop for a short rest and a chance to see sunrise - generally considered to be the finest sunrise on earth with amazing views looking down on the plains below. If you feel up to it, the true summit is Uhuru Peak (5,895 m), a further 1 hour away with gentler gradients and easier terrain. On the summit, you can enjoy your achievement - a day that you will remember for the rest of your life.
After a 3-hour descent from the summit back to Barafu Camp, you will have a well-earned but short rest, collect your gear, and hike down a rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest to Mweka Camp (3,100m). This camp is in the upper forest, so you can expect mist or rain in the late afternoon. Dinner, and washing water will be prepared, and the camp office sells drinking water, soft drinks, chocolates, and beer!
| Average Time | 15-16 hours (8 hours up, 7-8 hours down) |
| Altitude Gained | 1,195 metres up and 2,795 metres down |
| Terrain | A steep, rough ascent on loose scree and rocks to crater rim |
| Summary | Most strenuous stage of the route attempted after midnight |
| Accommodation | Camping at Mweka |
| Included Meals | Breakfast, lunch and dinner |
Day 7 - Descend to Mweka Gate then transfer to hotel in Moshi
This morning is an easy 15 km hike (3 hours) down the Mweka Route to Mweka Gate (1,980m). After saying farewell to your guide and porters at the gate, you will continue down to Mweka village, possibly a muddy, 3 km, 1 hour hike if the road is too muddy for vehicles. Finally you will be transferred to your Moshi hotel for your last night.
| Accommodation | Bristol Cottages (or similar) |
| Included Meals | Breakfast and lunch |
Day 8 – Optional safari in Arusha National Park; trip ends
Depending on your onward travel arrangements there may be time to take an optional safari game drive in Arusha National Park. One of Tanzania’s smallest wildlife reserves, Arusha National Park is well worth a visit. Despite its lack of big cats, it does offer first sightings of elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, warthog, waterbuck, baboons, monkeys, flamingos and numerous other bird species.
It is, however, the park’s variety of natural habitats and spectacular views of Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro that delight most visitors. Your itinerary once in the park is flexible to a degree and can be discussed with your safari guide/driver. A popular place to head to for a picnic lunch is the rim of the Ngurdoto Crater, a vast volcanic crater inaccessible to visitors and a haven for hippo, antelope and birdlife. Your trip ends upon check out from the hotel.
| Included Meals | Breakfast |
Safari Combinations and Zanzibar Island Holidays
Why not take the opportunity of combining an ascent of 'Kili' with a Serengeti safari - we offer a great selection of northern circuit safaris. This Kilimanjaro climb itinerary has also been planned to allow adequate time for you to take one of the daily early afternoon flights from Arusha to Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Pemba or Mafia Islands. If you are considering maximising your holiday time in Tanzania by staying for a second or third week, please take a look at our range of private safaris in southern Tanzania and western Tanzania, or relax and unwind on one of our Zanzibar, Pemba or Mafia Island holidays.
