+255 714 740 002
[email protected]
Machame Route (also known as the “Whiskey Route”): This is the most scenic and popular route for those seeking a more challenging climb. It’s a bit steeper and more difficult than the Marangu Route, but it also offers stunning views and a diverse range of landscapes. It’s also less crowded than the Marangu Route but requires camping equipment.
Kilimanjaro International Airport – KIA (JRO) (Google Map)
3 Hours Before Flight Time
Do not forget lightweight safari shoes or trainers, sandals, sunglasses, sun creams, insect repellent creams, a lightweight first aid kit, day pack for your cameras, rucksack for your safari gears and clothes. Of course, you will want to capture much of Tanzania’s wildlife, so don’t forget a camera, batteries, memory cards and charger (we have usb connectors to charge your mobile and camera in the car). A telephoto lens will be found useful as well as a pair of binoculars. In case you’re bringing any electrical equipment, the electricity is 220v.
Our guide will pick you up from the Kilimanjaro international airport to Arusha. Once at Arusha you will be taken to your preferred hotel and be briefed on your safari.
A one-hour drive from Moshi lays the gate to the Machame route, where you will complete park formalities, meet your crew of porters and start to climb! The first section of the route climbs steadily and involves real jungle bashing through magnificent forest.
This path is less well trodden and is often wet and muddy underfoot. Camping at Machame Hut (3100m).
The route continues on up through the forest until reaching the steep ascent on the Shira Plateau,where there are rewarding views of the mountain. Looking back, you will be able to see Mt. Meru rising high above Arusha town. Camping at Shira Caves (3840 m).
Walking now on high moorland, the landscape changes the entire character of the trek. You will traverse the southwest side of Kilimanjaro, passing underneath the Lava Tower and the final section of the Western Breach, finally reaching Barranco Camp (3900 m). The day has been spent at altitude (up to 4600 m), but you will have followed the mountaineering code of ‘walk high, sleep low’ to avoid altitude sickness by aiding your bodies in acclimatization.
Start the day by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. Then exit steeply, up what has been termed the Breakfast Wall, which divides you from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It is a climb over rocks, although not technical. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, head towards the Karanga Valley (4000 m) overnight.
The day is characterized by a short hike on terrain formed by scree. Walk through arid land towards Barafu Camp (4600 m) where you have the entire afternoon to rest before ascending
towards the summit.
We avoid walking too long in the heat of the sun today by starting around midnight, walking steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. You will be climbing scree for 5 to 6 hours but you gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. You should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5750 m) as the first rays of the sun emerge. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround you and the views to Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walk takes you to your goal, the summit of Uhuru (5896 m), the highest point; Uhuru means freedom in Swahili.
A gentle trek takes you down through the rainforest to the Mweka Gate (1640 m), where park formalities will be completed, you will be met by our vehicles, and receive your certificate of
ascent courtesy of the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority. Thereafter, drive back to Moshi where you can treat yourself to a well-earned shower and a cold beer or two.
After breakfast, we will transfer you to the airport to continue your holidays at Zanzibar or your flight back home
