Machame Route
The Machame (or Whiskey) route is the most popular route on Kilimanjaro. This is mainly due to the wide variety of amazing landscapes it has to offer. The starting part of this route is at the Machame Gate, from where you will work your way to the top, along the exciting footpaths that take you through different climate zones up until you reach the awe-inspiring arctic desert in the summit area.
The route is considered difficult however because of its shorter itinerary. Those that are more experienced in hiking tend to be more suited to this route than the other routes.
Package Itinerary - 7 days!
As we begin our exciting journey, we walk through the rainforest on a trail up a ridge until we reach the Machame Camp.
This is when we begin to leave the rainforest and start to ascend along a steep ridge. Once on the Shira Plateau, we then pass through beautiful heather and open moorlands, then cross a larger gorge river to lead us towards the Shira Camp.
On day 3 we then continue our journey by moving east up a ridge and then we head east towards the Lava Tower, at elevation 15,190 feet. We then descend down to Barranco Camp through the fascinating Scencio Forest.
This day begins by heading towards the base of the Great Barranco Wall where we will begin to climb a steep hill. Once we reach the top of this wall, we will pass through a variety of valleys and hills until we arrive at the Karanga Valley. We will then climb another steep hill until we reach the Karanga Camp.
We will travel to the junction that connects with the Mweka Trail. Then we will soon arrive at the Barafu hut. By the time we have reached this point, we will have the opportunity to view the summit. After this we will enjoy an early dinner and then have a long sleep to prepare for the next day.
Around midnight, we then start to push towards the summit. This is considered to be the most physically challenging part of the trek as there is a possibility of extreme weather conditions. For several hours, we ascend in darkness while taking frequent short breaks. After this we’ll reach an area close to Stella Point where you’ll be rewarded with a majestic view of the sunrise coming off Mawenzi Peak. Onwards we go until we arrive at Uhuru peak, which is the highest peak in Africa, elevation 19,341 feet.
We then descend straight down towards the Mweka Hut camp site before stopping at Barafu for lunch. Trekking poles are helpful at this stage because the trail is relatively rocky. Mweka camp is in the upper forest. It would be recommended to prepare for rain as rain can be expected at this stage. In the evening we enjoy a dinner and a long sleep.
Finally, on the last day, we travel to Mweka Gate to collect our certificates; a job well done!
This package has been carefully priced to include everything that you will need to have a successful 7 day Kilimanjaro climbing adventure. Climbing packages of 6, 7 and 8 days are also possible depending upon your preference. Shorter durations tend to be cheaper, but are more physically demanding.
One Person: $2,399.00
Two People: $2,085.00
Three People: $1,987.00
Four People: $1,901.00
5 People: $1,842.00
6+ People: $1,806.00
