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The Machame route is a popular choice for climbers eager for a challenge. It's common nickname is the "whiskey route" in comparison to Marangu's "Coca-cola route" name; a nod to it's more difficult terrain. It is a 6 day trek with the ability to adjust to the altitude by the natural structure of the route bringing you high and low to acclimate properly. While you will get a chance to conquer the Borronco Wall, there is no technical climbing involved. You will pass through six different climate zones from the warm rainforest to the dry alpine desert all the way to the glacial Uhuru Peak. Our guides are the support system you will need to make it to the summit.
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Total Days: 9 | Climb Days: 7
Included: transportation, park fees, meals, guides & porters, tents, first aid supplies, oxygen tank & accommodations.
See Inclusions & Exclusions here
See Inclusions & Exclusions here
DAY 1. Pick up from Kilimanjaro International Airport to Christina House
Full Board (The tastes of the local food)
Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be met and transferred to Christina House in Arusha for your overnight. You will also meet with a professional mountain guide to give you a short briefing of your Kilimanjaro trekking. Every day on the mountain your guide will be briefing you about the next day’s hike before you go to bed.
DAY 2. ARUSHA- MACHAME GATE- MACHAME HUT | Distance: 10.8 km | Trek Time: 5-6 hours | Climate Zone: Rainforest
Wake up early to breakfast and start driving to Machame gate at 8:00 am. It takes about two hours to drive, including a stop at Boma Ng’ombe for snacks and little shopping before proceeding to the Machame gate. When we arrive, we will get registered and weigh the crew’s baggage. Visitors will have a light lunch at the gate and start hiking from Machame gate, 1800m a.m.s.l., to the Machame hut, 3840m a.m.s.l. The hike will take you under the canopy via the thick natural rainforest. Heavy rains in this side of the mountain will make the trail slippery. You will want good foot gear, trekking poles, and gaiters in case you encounter this kind of terrain. You might be able to see Blue Monkeys or black and white Colubus Monkeys in the beginning of the hike, as well as beautiful flowers like the Impatient Kilimanjari, Begonia trees, White-Necked Ravens, and Hautlabs Turraco. You may also come across small mammals, like the four-striped grass mouse or mongoose. There are other animals in the forest, like the African Forest Elephants, Buffalos, Red Duikers but these are mostly nocturnal so it’s not so easy to see or meet them during the day time. Your porters will arrive at the camp before you and set up the tent/s so it is ready when you arrive. The crew will treat water with purifying pills or boil for drinking and washing. You will arrive at Machame hut in the evening for the dinner and overnight. The night temperature can drop to freezing here, so be prepared to dress warm.
DAY 3. MACHAME HUT- SHIRA CAVE CAMP | Distance: 5.2 km | Trek Time: 5-7 hours | Climate Zone: Moorland
Wake up early in the morning and get your breakfast before we start hiking. We will be moving from Machame Hut to Shira Cave Camp 7km, which will take around four to five hours. This day has a gentle incline and rocky terrain. It’s an exposed area without fog or mist. Due to the shorter vegetation zone of heath and moorland, it is dominated by different variety of beautiful flowers. Hiking onto rocky ridges to the Shira plateau, you will be able to see Kilimanjaro’s great Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. Sometimes the walls of the Western Breach are draped with extensive ice curtains. You are now west of Kibo peak on the opposite side of the Marangu route. You will arrive and have lunch at Shira Cave Camp. After eating, you will do a little acclimatization to the top of the close by ridge which helps the body to get use to the new environment and the altitude. In this exposed camp, the night temperature will be colder with temperature dropping below freezing. Dinner and overnight sleep will take place back at Shira Cave Camp.
DAY 4. SHIRA CAVE CAMP- BARRANCO CAMP | Distance: 10.7 km | Trek Time: 5-7 hours | Climate Zone: Low & High Alpine
To adjust to the altitude, we will be taking to route to climb high and sleep low. Wake up very early in the morning, get your breakfast, and start hiking East-bound up a steepening path above high vegetation towards Kilimanjaro’s looming mass. After several hours, you walk through a rocky landscape to reach the prominent landmark called Lava Tower 4600m/15,318ft a.m.s.l. The chunky remanence of Kilimanjaro’s earlier volcanic activity is several hundred meters high, being the highest point of acclimatization, a similar altitude level to Camp Barafu. Visitors will have the packed lunch at Lava Tower and descend to Barranco Camp. It takes two hours below the lower cliffs of the Western Breach toward the breach wall to Barranco Camp. This camp is in the valley below the breach and the Great Barranco walls, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while waiting for your dinner. Expect to see birds, like the Alpine Charts aka tennis ball, Ravens, Sun birds, Streaky Canary aka seed eaters, and the small mammal four Stripped Grass Mouse. Barranco Camp is nicknamed as the home of tree plants called Giant Scenecio, which are plants with natural water catchments. Dinner and overnight will take place that evening at Barranco Camp.
DAY 5. BARRANCO CAMP– KARANGA CAMP | Distance: 5 km | Trek Time: 4-5 hours | Climate Zone: Alpine Desert
This is one of the shorter days hiking for 5km. After your breakfast, you will start your climb with an awesome obstacle, which will turn out to be easier than it looks. Topping out just below the Heim glacier, you can now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. The route then heads down through the Karanga valley and goes over the intervening ridges and valleys to join the Mweka route which will be your descending route. You have now completed the Southern circuit, which offers the view of the summit from many different angles. It is also the last water point because it is all dry beyond Karanga camp. You will have a hot lunch at Karanga Camp, then spend time to rest there while also waiting for your body to acclimate at the top of Karanga ridge. We will get back to the camp for the sunset, dinner, and sleep overnight.
DAY 6. KARANGA– BARAFU BASE CAMP | Distance: 4 km | Trek Time: 4-5 hours | Climate Zone: Alpine Desert
This is another short-day hike for 3-4 hours max to Barafu Camp, but it gives you enough time resting and prepare for the summit night to the roof of Africa. Barafu means ice in Swahili, it gets much colder here at the higher altitudes. Your porters will fetch and carry water from Karanga to Barafu because it is completely dry at the base camp. The famous snows of Kilimanjaro are far above Barafu Camp near the summit. Your tent/s will be set on the narrow, stony, wind-swept ridge. It’s good to prepare your equipment and warm clothing for the summit hike. You can go to bed around 7pm after dinner and try to get few hours of precious sleep.
DAY 7. BARAFU CAMP- UHURU PEAK SUMMIT- MWEKA HUT CAMP
Distance: 4.5 km ascent, 10.8 km decent | Trek Time: 7-8 hour ascent, 6-7 hour descent | Climate Zone: Alpine & Glacial
Wake up at midnight around 11pm to prepare for conquering the summit, get a cup of tea, a bowl of soup or porridge to awake you and start hiking to the highest point of Africa, Uhuru Peak 5895m/19,340ft a.m.s.l., at 12am for 4.6km. It will be approximately 6 hours or more depending with your final paces. Actually there will be no main course of meals at summit night due to the fact that we don’t want you to get any trouble with your digestion system, so we recommend you to have your own snacks, power bars or any other energy snacks for the use up on the way to the summit. This should include placing you head lump and camera batteries preventing freezing, consider carrying your thermal flask. This is the steepest part of all but the steepness is reduced by trekking through zigzags and switchbacks, the trail is of sand and screes with some few parts of climbing boulders of the solidified Lava rocks. Expecting the sun rise close or at the highest point of Africa you can spend no more than 10-15min taking pictures then you descend back down to the base camp Barafu as quick as you can due to the fact that if you stay there longer you might get sick caused by the strong wind, sun burnt and the insufficient Oxygen supply, so it’s better to go down and have a little rest at Barafu again for not more than 2 hours, get your lunch before descending down to Mweka Hut for the dinner and overnight.
DAY 8. MWEKA HUT- MWEKA GATE- ARUSHA | Distance: 8.5 km | Trek Time: 4-6 hours | Climate Zone: Alpine & Rainforest
Wake up for breakfast and descend down to the exit Mweka gate for 4 hours 10km, the conquerors of the summit will be awarded with Certificates for reaching the highest point of Africa. After reaching at Mweka gate and exit the driver will drive you back to Christina house or at the place of accommodation opted and end the Kilimanjaro tour.
Tipping is recommended $10 a day per porter, $15 a day for the chef and assistant guide/s and $20 a day for the Head guide this is due to their division of labor as addressed by the government and the staff’s associational parties encouraging them for their team hard work as far as the uprising of their wages. This is preferred by staff to be given to the crew in the morning before a descent to Mweka gate.
DAY 9. DEPARTURE
From Christina house to Kilimanjaro International Airport. For all Green Paw Adventures departures are flexible according to your own personal needs. Please contact us for further detailed information on our safaris, tours, travel and other trekking packages in Tanzania. KARIBU SANA and THANK YOU for choosing Green Paw Adventures!
Full Board (The tastes of the local food)
Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be met and transferred to Christina House in Arusha for your overnight. You will also meet with a professional mountain guide to give you a short briefing of your Kilimanjaro trekking. Every day on the mountain your guide will be briefing you about the next day’s hike before you go to bed.
DAY 2. ARUSHA- MACHAME GATE- MACHAME HUT | Distance: 10.8 km | Trek Time: 5-6 hours | Climate Zone: Rainforest
Wake up early to breakfast and start driving to Machame gate at 8:00 am. It takes about two hours to drive, including a stop at Boma Ng’ombe for snacks and little shopping before proceeding to the Machame gate. When we arrive, we will get registered and weigh the crew’s baggage. Visitors will have a light lunch at the gate and start hiking from Machame gate, 1800m a.m.s.l., to the Machame hut, 3840m a.m.s.l. The hike will take you under the canopy via the thick natural rainforest. Heavy rains in this side of the mountain will make the trail slippery. You will want good foot gear, trekking poles, and gaiters in case you encounter this kind of terrain. You might be able to see Blue Monkeys or black and white Colubus Monkeys in the beginning of the hike, as well as beautiful flowers like the Impatient Kilimanjari, Begonia trees, White-Necked Ravens, and Hautlabs Turraco. You may also come across small mammals, like the four-striped grass mouse or mongoose. There are other animals in the forest, like the African Forest Elephants, Buffalos, Red Duikers but these are mostly nocturnal so it’s not so easy to see or meet them during the day time. Your porters will arrive at the camp before you and set up the tent/s so it is ready when you arrive. The crew will treat water with purifying pills or boil for drinking and washing. You will arrive at Machame hut in the evening for the dinner and overnight. The night temperature can drop to freezing here, so be prepared to dress warm.
DAY 3. MACHAME HUT- SHIRA CAVE CAMP | Distance: 5.2 km | Trek Time: 5-7 hours | Climate Zone: Moorland
Wake up early in the morning and get your breakfast before we start hiking. We will be moving from Machame Hut to Shira Cave Camp 7km, which will take around four to five hours. This day has a gentle incline and rocky terrain. It’s an exposed area without fog or mist. Due to the shorter vegetation zone of heath and moorland, it is dominated by different variety of beautiful flowers. Hiking onto rocky ridges to the Shira plateau, you will be able to see Kilimanjaro’s great Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. Sometimes the walls of the Western Breach are draped with extensive ice curtains. You are now west of Kibo peak on the opposite side of the Marangu route. You will arrive and have lunch at Shira Cave Camp. After eating, you will do a little acclimatization to the top of the close by ridge which helps the body to get use to the new environment and the altitude. In this exposed camp, the night temperature will be colder with temperature dropping below freezing. Dinner and overnight sleep will take place back at Shira Cave Camp.
DAY 4. SHIRA CAVE CAMP- BARRANCO CAMP | Distance: 10.7 km | Trek Time: 5-7 hours | Climate Zone: Low & High Alpine
To adjust to the altitude, we will be taking to route to climb high and sleep low. Wake up very early in the morning, get your breakfast, and start hiking East-bound up a steepening path above high vegetation towards Kilimanjaro’s looming mass. After several hours, you walk through a rocky landscape to reach the prominent landmark called Lava Tower 4600m/15,318ft a.m.s.l. The chunky remanence of Kilimanjaro’s earlier volcanic activity is several hundred meters high, being the highest point of acclimatization, a similar altitude level to Camp Barafu. Visitors will have the packed lunch at Lava Tower and descend to Barranco Camp. It takes two hours below the lower cliffs of the Western Breach toward the breach wall to Barranco Camp. This camp is in the valley below the breach and the Great Barranco walls, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while waiting for your dinner. Expect to see birds, like the Alpine Charts aka tennis ball, Ravens, Sun birds, Streaky Canary aka seed eaters, and the small mammal four Stripped Grass Mouse. Barranco Camp is nicknamed as the home of tree plants called Giant Scenecio, which are plants with natural water catchments. Dinner and overnight will take place that evening at Barranco Camp.
DAY 5. BARRANCO CAMP– KARANGA CAMP | Distance: 5 km | Trek Time: 4-5 hours | Climate Zone: Alpine Desert
This is one of the shorter days hiking for 5km. After your breakfast, you will start your climb with an awesome obstacle, which will turn out to be easier than it looks. Topping out just below the Heim glacier, you can now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. The route then heads down through the Karanga valley and goes over the intervening ridges and valleys to join the Mweka route which will be your descending route. You have now completed the Southern circuit, which offers the view of the summit from many different angles. It is also the last water point because it is all dry beyond Karanga camp. You will have a hot lunch at Karanga Camp, then spend time to rest there while also waiting for your body to acclimate at the top of Karanga ridge. We will get back to the camp for the sunset, dinner, and sleep overnight.
DAY 6. KARANGA– BARAFU BASE CAMP | Distance: 4 km | Trek Time: 4-5 hours | Climate Zone: Alpine Desert
This is another short-day hike for 3-4 hours max to Barafu Camp, but it gives you enough time resting and prepare for the summit night to the roof of Africa. Barafu means ice in Swahili, it gets much colder here at the higher altitudes. Your porters will fetch and carry water from Karanga to Barafu because it is completely dry at the base camp. The famous snows of Kilimanjaro are far above Barafu Camp near the summit. Your tent/s will be set on the narrow, stony, wind-swept ridge. It’s good to prepare your equipment and warm clothing for the summit hike. You can go to bed around 7pm after dinner and try to get few hours of precious sleep.
DAY 7. BARAFU CAMP- UHURU PEAK SUMMIT- MWEKA HUT CAMP
Distance: 4.5 km ascent, 10.8 km decent | Trek Time: 7-8 hour ascent, 6-7 hour descent | Climate Zone: Alpine & Glacial
Wake up at midnight around 11pm to prepare for conquering the summit, get a cup of tea, a bowl of soup or porridge to awake you and start hiking to the highest point of Africa, Uhuru Peak 5895m/19,340ft a.m.s.l., at 12am for 4.6km. It will be approximately 6 hours or more depending with your final paces. Actually there will be no main course of meals at summit night due to the fact that we don’t want you to get any trouble with your digestion system, so we recommend you to have your own snacks, power bars or any other energy snacks for the use up on the way to the summit. This should include placing you head lump and camera batteries preventing freezing, consider carrying your thermal flask. This is the steepest part of all but the steepness is reduced by trekking through zigzags and switchbacks, the trail is of sand and screes with some few parts of climbing boulders of the solidified Lava rocks. Expecting the sun rise close or at the highest point of Africa you can spend no more than 10-15min taking pictures then you descend back down to the base camp Barafu as quick as you can due to the fact that if you stay there longer you might get sick caused by the strong wind, sun burnt and the insufficient Oxygen supply, so it’s better to go down and have a little rest at Barafu again for not more than 2 hours, get your lunch before descending down to Mweka Hut for the dinner and overnight.
DAY 8. MWEKA HUT- MWEKA GATE- ARUSHA | Distance: 8.5 km | Trek Time: 4-6 hours | Climate Zone: Alpine & Rainforest
Wake up for breakfast and descend down to the exit Mweka gate for 4 hours 10km, the conquerors of the summit will be awarded with Certificates for reaching the highest point of Africa. After reaching at Mweka gate and exit the driver will drive you back to Christina house or at the place of accommodation opted and end the Kilimanjaro tour.
Tipping is recommended $10 a day per porter, $15 a day for the chef and assistant guide/s and $20 a day for the Head guide this is due to their division of labor as addressed by the government and the staff’s associational parties encouraging them for their team hard work as far as the uprising of their wages. This is preferred by staff to be given to the crew in the morning before a descent to Mweka gate.
DAY 9. DEPARTURE
From Christina house to Kilimanjaro International Airport. For all Green Paw Adventures departures are flexible according to your own personal needs. Please contact us for further detailed information on our safaris, tours, travel and other trekking packages in Tanzania. KARIBU SANA and THANK YOU for choosing Green Paw Adventures!
