Kilimanjaro & treks
Kilimanjaro Airport, Machame Gate, Shira, Barranco, Karanga, Barafu, Uhuru Peak, Mweka Gate
your journey
Machame is one of the most scenic ways up Kilimanjaro, and seven days on the mountain gives your body the time it needs. The route starts on the southern slopes in rainforest, climbs onto the Shira Plateau, contours beneath the glaciers of Kibo past Lava Tower and the Barranco Wall, and reaches the summit from Barafu Camp before you come down through the forest to Mweka Gate.
The secret to Machame is the principle of climbing high and sleeping low. On most days, after you reach camp and have lunch, your guide takes you on a short acclimatisation walk a few hundred metres higher before you return to sleep. It feels like extra effort, but it is the best thing you can do for a comfortable, safe summit night.
We meet you at Kilimanjaro International Airport and look after you from landing to take-off. You spend the night before the climb at Weru Weru River Lodge, where your guide briefs you and checks your gear, and you return there after the climb for a hot shower, a proper bed and your summit certificate.
Fit walkers with some multi-day hiking experience who want a scenic route with good acclimatisation. No climbing skills are needed, but expect long days, cold nights and one very early summit start.
Parks visited
Kilimanjaro National Park
what makes it special
day by day
A Honesha representative meets you in the arrivals hall at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and drives you to Weru Weru River Lodge near Moshi. Check-in starts at 1 pm, so you have time to rest, swim or simply sit by the river after your flight. In the evening your guide joins you for a briefing on the route, the daily routine and altitude, and checks your equipment so that anything missing can be sorted before you set off.
After breakfast your guide and crew collect you for the drive to Machame Gate (1,800 m). Once permits are issued and you have signed in with the park rescue service, you start walking through thick rainforest, where showers are common, so keep a rain jacket and dry layers handy. The trail climbs steadily to Machame Camp (3,010 m). From today, drink three to four litres of water, skip alcohol, and tell your guide about any headache. About 5 km, 5 to 6 hours.
You leave the forest behind and climb through giant heather onto the Shira Plateau, where the views open up across the moorland to Kibo and, on clear days, to Mount Meru. The walking is not hard, but the altitude starts to tell, so go slowly and let your guide set the pace. After lunch at Shira Camp (3,845 m) you take a short acclimatisation walk towards Lava Tower, gaining about 300 metres, then return for dinner. About 5 km, 4 to 5 hours.
Today follows the golden rule of climbing high and sleeping low. You climb through alpine desert to the volcanic plug of Lava Tower (4,630 m) and eat lunch there, giving your body time at altitude. If anyone is struggling, your guide can take a lower path that tops out around 4,400 m. You then descend about 650 metres through giant groundsels into the Barranco Valley and camp beneath the Barranco Wall (3,960 m). About 11 km, 6 to 8 hours.
An early start gets you onto the Barranco Wall before the queues. It looks daunting from camp, but it is a scramble with good handholds rather than a climb, and takes about an hour. From the top, Kibo and its glaciers fill the sky. The trail then rolls up and down across valleys to Karanga Camp (4,035 m) for lunch. In the afternoon you walk up towards Barafu to about 4,270 m before returning to sleep. About 5 km, 4 to 5 hours.
A shorter morning walk over stony alpine desert brings you to Barafu Camp (4,640 m), your base for the summit. The crew will have your tent up and a hot meal ready. After a rest you take a last acclimatisation walk towards Kosovo Camp at about 4,800 m and come back down. Then it is an early dinner, a final briefing and as much sleep as you can manage before a wake-up call around 11 pm. About 6 km, 4 to 5 hours.
You leave Barafu around midnight and climb slowly by headtorch towards Stella Point on the crater rim, reaching Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) around sunrise. The path is not technical, but the thin air makes every step count, and your guides check each climber closely. After photographs by the glaciers you return to Barafu for a rest and a meal, then continue down to Millennium Camp (3,820 m). Take the descent carefully. About 15 km, 8 to 12 hours.
Waking lower down, you will feel the difference in the air. After breakfast you walk down through heath and then rainforest, where colobus monkeys often watch from the trees, to Mweka Gate (1,650 m). Here you say goodbye to your crew and collect your summit certificate, a good moment to celebrate together. Then it is a short drive back to Weru Weru River Lodge for a hot shower and a proper bed. About 12 km, 4 to 5 hours.
Enjoy a slow breakfast and a rest before your transfer to Kilimanjaro International Airport. Hotel check-out is at 11 am. If your flight leaves in the evening, ask us about a late check-out or an extra night at the lodge, which can be arranged for an additional fee. Many climbers also add a safari, a day at Materuni Waterfall or a few days in Zanzibar after the mountain, and your specialist can plan the connection for you.
the price
Price on request
before you ask
Kilimanjaro needs no ropes or technical climbing skills, but it is a serious high-altitude trek. You walk for several hours a day on uneven ground, nights are cold, and summit night starts around midnight in thin air. Walking regularly on hills before you come, with a loaded daypack, is the best preparation.
We choose routes and itineraries with enough days on the mountain, and we follow the principle of climbing high and sleeping low. On the Machame route, for example, you take short walks above camp at Shira, Lava Tower, Karanga and Barafu before returning to sleep lower. Walk slowly, drink plenty of water and tell your guide straight away about any headache, nausea or dizziness.
Many climbers use acetazolamide (Diamox) to help with acclimatisation, but it is a prescription medicine and not right for everyone. Talk to your own doctor before the trip, especially about allergies and side effects, and tell your guide if you are taking it.
Kilimanjaro can be climbed all year, but the driest months are mid-January to mid-March and late June to October, which are also the busiest. The long rains from late March to early June bring wet trails and cloud, and we generally advise against climbing then unless you are experienced in those conditions. November brings short rains, often in the afternoon.
On our Kilimanjaro packages with hotel nights, you stay at our partner hotel, Weru Weru River Lodge near Moshi, or a similar hotel, on the night before and the night after the climb. Your guide holds the pre-climb briefing and gear check there.
You need good broken-in hiking boots, warm layers including a down jacket, waterproof jacket and trousers, gloves, a warm hat, a headtorch and a daypack. Tents, mats and all group and cooking equipment are provided. Your specialist will confirm what can be rented locally, including sleeping bags, and send you a full packing list.
Enquire
Every Honesha trip can be changed to suit you: the pace, the lodges, the number of days. Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and our team in Arusha will come back to you with a plan and a price.
Your journey
Price on request
9 days · 8 nights
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Enquiry about: Kilimanjaro Machame Route: 7-Day Climb with 2 Hotel Nights
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