Mount Kilimanjaro The Machame Route DAY 1
Machame Gate (1490m) - Machame camp (2980m) Your day starts early with a briefing, followed by breakfast and a 45-minute drive from Moshi (910m) to the Machame village (1490m). You will have a welcome lunch stop about half way and will reach the Machame camping area in the late afternoon. Your porters (arriving at the camp site long before you) will have erected your tent. In the evening the porters will boil drinking and washing water and the cook will prepare dinner. Night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at Machame campsite. DAY 2
Machame camp (2980m) - Shira camp (3840m) 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. You are now due west of Kibo and after a short hike you will reach the Shira campsite at 3 840m. The night at this exposed camp will even be colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing. DAY 3
Shira (3840m)-Lava Tower (4630m)-Barranco camp (3950m) The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4630m after about a 5 hours walk. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4630m). After lunch you descend again by almost 680m to the Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatisation benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours. The porters take care of the preparation of your dinner and you will overnight at Barranco Camp site. DAY 4
Barranco camp (3950m)- Barafu camp (4550m) After spending a night at the Great Barranco Wall, you make your way up topping out just below the Heim Glacier. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys, and then joins up with the Mweka route. This is the preferred route down from the summit, so remember it. Turn left up the ridge and after another hour or so, you reach Barafu Hut. The last water stop on the route is the Karanga Valley, as there is no water at Barafu camp. Go to bed at round about 19h00 and try to get some precious rest and sleep for not more than 5 Hours. DAY 5
SUMMIT ATTEMPT You will rise around 23h30, and after some tea and biscuits you shuffle off into the night. You will head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This 6-hour walk to Stella point is for many climbers, mentally and physically the most challenging on the route. The walk back to Barafu from the summit, takes about 3 hours. From here you will head down to Mweka hut (3100m). The camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Dinner, and washing water will be prepared and drinking water, soft drinks, chocolates and beer is available from the camp office!! DAY 6
Mweka camp (3100m)- Mweka Gate (1980m) After an early and well-deserved breakfast, it is a short 3-hour and scenic hike back to the Park gate. It is strongly recommended not to pay your porters any tips until you and all your gear have reached the gate safely. At Mweka gate you sign your name and details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Those climbers who reached Stella Point (5685m) are issued with green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive gold certificates. From the Mweka Gate you will continue down into the Mweka village, normally a muddy 3 km (1 hour) hike. In the Mweka village you will be served a delicious hot lunch!! You now drive back to Moshi for a long over due hot shower, Overnight in Springlands hotel |
