Machame Route

Hiking time: Approximately 7 hours
Distance: Approximately 10.8 km
Habitat: Montane forest

Your day starts early with breakfast, followed by a 45-minute drive from Moshi (910m) to the Machame Gate (1828m). The guides and porters prepare and pack the supplies and your equipment at the gate. 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 halfway and will reach the Machame camp (3020m) in the late afternoon.
In the evening the cook will prepare dinner.Night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at this campsite.

Hiking time: Approximately 6 hours
Distance: Approximately 5.2 km
Habitat: Moorland

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 847m. 

Hiking time: Approximately 7 hours
Distance: Approximately 10.7 km
Habitat: Semi-desert

The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4642m after about a 5 hour trek. Lunch is served at a designated area. It is normally around this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start experiencing symptoms of breathlessness, irritability and headaches. After lunch you descent again by almost 658m to the Barranco camping area.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 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 your dinner to be prepared.

Hiking time: 6 hours
Distance: 6 km
Habitat: Semi desert

 Leaving Shira camp in the morning you climb towards the main peak Kibo, with the western glaciers clearly visible across the rugged high-altitude desert of volcanic rocks and boulders. The trail ascends to the Lava Tower site (15000 feet / 4600m) before descending back down into Barranco Valley. Its 6 to 7 hours walking and the total ascent is only 110m total but having climbed much higher and dropped back down assists acclimatization. 

Hiking time: 3 hours
Distance: 3.4km
Habitat: Alpine desert

Enjoy breakfast and depart from Karanga camp.  The day starts with a challenging climb up the steep Barranco wall (some scrambling but not technically difficult) before dropping into the Karanga Valley where you take a break for lunch. If you decide to add an extra day it will be spent at Karanga Camp. Those on the regular itinerary will continue after lunch to Barafu Hut having hiked a total of 5 to 8 hours and ascended 650m. This is the highest camp and the push to the summit will begin at 11pm when you start getting your gear ready. 

Hiking time: 7 to 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak, 6 to 8 hours to descend to Mweka Camp
Distance: Approximately 4.5 km ascent and 10.8 km descent
Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit

 You will be woken at 23:30 with tea and biscuits. We start our trek to the summit between the Rebman and Ratzel glaciers through heavy scree up to Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging part of the trek. At Stella Point (5732m), we will stop for a short rest and hopefully be in time to witness the magnificent sunrise (weather permitting). We are now only an hour away from the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m), the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. From the summit, we descend down to the Mweka Hut camp site, via Barafu for lunch. Trekking poles will be needed for the loose scree going down to Mweka Camp (3100m). Later in the evening, we will enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep. 

Hiking time: 4 to 6 hours
Distance: Approximately 8.5 km
Habitat: Forest

After an early and well-deserved breakfast, it is a short 4 to 6 hour and scenic hike back to the Park gate  to pick up your summit certificates from the Park Headquarters. Transfer to your hotel for a well earned shower and celebration.