Machame Route 7 days
Introduction
MACHAME HUT (995m↑; 5-6hrs; 2.835m; +/+/+)
You will meet your team of guides and porters at the hotel around 8.30am. All your luggage will get on the roof of our buses, and you will get to know your whole team. We welcome you with typical African songs and invite us to African motivation vibes which follow you the next few days. Around 9am we will be ready to start our drive to the Machame Gate (1.840m). This will take us 1hrs from Moshi or 2.5hrs from Arusha. After arrival your guide will sign up the whole team at the gate and pay the entrance fee for the national park. After registration and enjoying your lunch box we will start our trekking tour around 11/11.30am. The first day you are crossing the Tanzanian “Forest Zone” and will listen to all different jungle noises. Quite often you see Colobus monkeys – don’t forget to take your pictures. Passing for 4hrs the “Forest zone” you will enter the “Moorland” and face the Kilimanjaro peak for the first time. It takes only 45min until you reach your goal of the day around 4pm – the “Machame Hut” (2.835m). Every day you’re entering your Camp you will sign up yourself into the Camp book. Your tents were already finished to lay down and enjoy your afternoon. We will prepare hot water for washing and tea/snacks to relax. Dinner will be around 6pm and your guide will finish the day with a nice Briefing of Day 2.
SHIRA CAVE (915m↑, 5-6hrs, 3.750m; +/+/+)
Your alarm bell rings at 6.30am and we will bring you coffee/tea to your bed for waking up slowly. Hot water for washing will be ready at 7am and you can pack your luggage for the porters before going to breakfast at 7.30am. Enjoy a nice and extensive breakfast with porridge, fruits, toast, pancakes and omelet. Be ready for trekking at 8am. Only 5km to our Camp “Shira Cave” but be prepared for a steep way up. We continue an ascending path up to a sleepy, rocky ridge. On the Shira Plateau we path through heater and open moorland, then cross a large river gorge to Shira Cave (3.750m). Arrival and sign up will be around 1pm – Your hot lunch is already waiting for you to strengthen yourself. After lunch we are going to the Shira Cave (almost 15min) which is a natural formation that serves as a shelter and resting place for climbers. Don’t forget to take some pictures. Heading back to the camp you are free to use the afternoon for yourself. Dinner and briefing at 6pm.
BARRANCO CAMP (850m↑; 700m↓; 3.900m; 5-6hrs; +/+/+)
Today it’s all about acclimatization: Yes, we also will reach the highest point so far with 4.600m at the Lava tower, but will sleep at the same altitude we did yesterday. Perfect option to get your body used to the height. Let’s start as usual around 8am: From the Shira Plateau we continue to the east up a ridge passing the junction towards the peak of Kibo. As we continue, our direction changes to the South East towards the Lava Tower, called the “Sharks tooth”. At the top (around 2pm) you can be very proud of yourself by reaching this altitude so far. We strengthen your body with a warm lunch on the top. Shortly after the tower (around 3pm), we come back to the second junction which goes to the Arrow Glacier. We now continue going down to the Barranco Camp (arrival around 5pm). Be careful, it could be steep – you need to be surefooted. Downwards you will have the chance to see for the first time lots of “Giant Senecio” Plants which are famous for the region and native to the higher altitude zones of ten mountain groups in equatorial East Africa, where they form a conspicuous element of the flora. PS: Don’t forget to take a group picture at the camp and sign up yourself in the guest book. Congratulations: This day was tough and your body needs to find some rest to recover. At 6.30 pm we will have dinner and you will be surprised how early you want to go to bed.
KARANGA CAMP (495m↑; 400m↓; 3.995m; 4hrs; +/+/+)
This morning you will get the breakfast on the “Breakfast Wall” (4.250m) – No, that’s a joke. But make sure you get your body strengthened through a nice breakfast around 7.30am. The wall behind you looks massive but is really fun and very good to walk. During the season it might be full of traffic and you always need to make the way clear for the porters. Use your legs and arms, put your walking sticks in your backpack and enjoy the “Monkey Business” for 1.5hrs. The look above is definitely worth it. Above the clouds and very close to the peak of Kilimanjaro – but this impression is deceptive – It will take us 3 more days. After a short break at the top of the day, we are going downwards for around 2hrs. Another time you think the Karanga Camp is very close, before you realize the Karanga Valley is between you and the camp. That means: No bridge ahead of you. The valley itself is the last chance to get water for the team till you arrive at the Barafu Camp. No worries: No client ever had the feeling of less water than usual. But of course it will be used more safely (No water for washing anymore). At 3pm we will reach the Karanga Camp on 3.995m and immortalize ourselves in the Camp book. Hot lunch you will get directly after arrival and the afternoon is free to use as usual. Dinner will be around 6pm.
BARAFU CAMP (725m↑; 50m↓; 4.670m; 4-5hrs; +/+/+)
Today we will have a short day, which starts at 8am and the plan to reach the camp is around 1pm with lunch at arrival. From a landscape perspective you will realize less green, more Lava stone which is typical for the “Desert Zone”. Your body will know the altitude from day 4 (Lava tower) because the Barafu Camp is the last Camp before the Summit with 4.670m high. If you don’t wanna use time to rest in the afternoon you might want to use the chance to go up to the “Kosovo Camp” (5.300m) within 1 hrs. Dinner will be early this day because your night will be short. That in specific means: Dinner at 5.30pm, then sleeping time and wake up at 11pm to start to go to the summit at midnight.
UHURU PEAK-MILLENIUM CAMP (1.225m↑; 1.905↓; 3.990m; 12-14hrs +/+/+)
We will get breakfast before starting the summit. On average we will need 7hrs to Stella Point (5.756m) and +45min to Uhuru Peak (5.895m). Enough time to enjoy the view, the crater, the sunrise and your snacks. After max. 15min at the TOP of Africa we are bringing you asap down to don’t risk any altitude symptoms. Our way downwards is very sandy/stony and we recommend gatters to your trousers. It will take us 3-4hrs down, back to the Barafu Camp. Once we arrive you will get lunch and enough time to sleep (2hrs) before we set off to the Millenium Camp (3.990m) where we will spend the rest of the day and the night. This day is tough and will demand more from you mentally than physically. But we will not get tired of reminding you at any time: “We are here to make your dream come true!”. Tonight you will sleep like a baby – we promise you.
HOTEL (2.350m↓; 5-6hrs; +/+/+)
Well rested, your day starts with your last bed tea at 6am, breakfast at 7am and starting time at 7.30am. All the way down to the Mweka Gate (1.640m) will demand a lot from your legs – We recommend using your walking sticks all the way down. It’s steep and could be very slippery, especially because we will cross the forest zone again. During your way you will realize lots of running porters with a smile on their faces and music they listen to. They’re happy on their last day and arrival at home with their loved ones, too. Use the chance to realize the beautiful nature of Tanzania and the last view back to the Top of Afrika. Amazing what you did yesterday – you can be proud of yourself. Around 1pm it comes to an end. You hear many voices from the distance and you will see the Mweka Gate is close to you. Hold on for a minute and look back and say “Tumefanikiwa” – Which means: “We made it!” The last group picture is done and your guide will arrange the check out and sign out of the National park. Grab a beer and use the 1 hrs break to come down and celebrate before the bus will bring you to your hotel.
Price
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- $2,500 USD Per Person
- $2,450 USD Per Group
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