Mount Kilimanjaro on Machame Route (slower pace)

Your guided Kilimanjaro trek starts today! Get picked up from the Kilimanjaro International Airport and return to Moshi town, where you will check-in to your hotel. You will also meet your guide today and be briefed on the Machame route, meet other guests and check your gear to make sure you are ready. Anything that you might be missing, can be rented here on this day.

Start your trek up Kilimanjaro with a 1-hour transfer to the Machame Gate. Here you will complete park formalities and also meet the team of porters that will help to carry everything throughout this guided trek. The first part of this Kilimanjaro trek will take you through an amazing, dense rainforest. Due to the humidity, this trail sometimes gets a bit overgrown in some parts and is often muddy and wet.

The route up Kilimanjaro continues up through forest until you reach the Shira Plateau, which has very nice views of Kilimanjaro. Looking back you will be able to see the amazing Mount Meru, climbing in the distance high above the town of Arusha.

The Machame route continues today, starting off on high moorland. The route climbs and traverses the southwest side of Mount Kilimanjaro, passing underneath the famous Lava Tower and the final section of the Western Breach before you will finally arrive at the Barranco Camp. You will reach a high point of 4,600m on today’s trek, so you will be feeling the altitude. By sleeping at Barranco Camp you are following the rule of “trek high, sleep low”, which will help your body to get used to the altitude.

Start today’s walk by descending into a huge ravine, known as the Great Barranco. Whatever goes down must come up, and you will exit the steep Great Barranco Wall, which divides you from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. This part of the Machame route involves some tiring, but not overly technical terrain. You will hike under the Kersten and Heim glaciers and head towards the Karanga Valley. The Karanga Valley is the last stop for fresh water on Machame Route before the summit. For those feeling strong there will be a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek up to around 4,200m before descending back to the camp for the night.

After a good nights rest and a big breakfast, today you will set off to walk to Barafu camp, which is at 4,640m. You will cross barren scree slopes, and though the days route is short, there is a big gain of over 600m in elevation. At this altitude ascending is very tough, and you’ll find the route challenging. You’ll arrive in camp early, and enjoy a rest and a lot of eating, as tomorrow the main ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro begins.

Today is the main event, a tremendously difficult day that should see you summiting Mount Kilimanjaro. You will start trekking at around midnight and will head steeply up towards the summit glaciers. Expect to climb for 4-5 hours, and gain height quickly. The goal is to arrive at the crater rim at Stella Point (5,739 m) with the first rays of sunlight. The views from within the crater are spectacular. It will take one more hour to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro - Uhuru Peak (5,895m). Return from the summit of Kilimanjaro back past Stella Point all the way to Barafu Camp for a well-earned. Later in the day continue down to Millennium Camp.

This is the last trekking day on this guided tour to the summit of Kilimanjaro. Today is a gentle day compared to yesterday, as your walk down through a rainforest to Mweka Gate, where you exit the park. Meet the vehicles and return to the hotel in Moshi, where you will enjoy a shower and probably a cold beer or two, before a big celebration.

Today it’s all up to you and what time your flight leaves. If you have time, you can explore the town of Moshi and find some souvenirs to commemorate your summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Consider sparing an hour of your time to help our environmental conservation efforts by planting a tree in the Kilimanjaro region.