Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb, 7 Days Machame route

Distance: 11 km Hiking Time: 5-7 hours Habitat: Rain Forest You will be driven from your hotel in Arusha or Moshi to the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park Gate, passing through the village of Machame, located on the lower slopes of the mountain. As we leave park gate behind, our walk starts through the rain forest on a winding trail up the ridge. At some sections the trail can be muddy and slippery, so the gaiters and trekking poles are good to bring. At the end of today’s trek lies Machame Camp, where we stay for the night.

Distance: 5 km Hiking Time: 4-6 hours Habitat: Moorland The second day continues through increasingly sparse trees and bushes into moorlands. The day finishes with Shira Camp, which is on a small plateau in the high moorlands and features views of Kibo in the northeast and Mount Meru towards the west. White-necked ravens can be seen throughout the day. There is also a set of small caves a short walk from the campsite known as the Shira Caves.

Distance: 10 km Hiking Time: 6-8 hours Habitat: Semi Desert Today’s route turns east into a semi-desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower. Lunch will be served in a designated area before ascending the rocky path to Lava Tower. After lunch, your descent again to the Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, you will feel the actual benefit of acclimatization. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall.

Distance: 5km Hiking Time: 4-5 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert A steep climb up the eastern wall leads us just below the Heim Glacier, where we may have some spectacular views of Kilimanjaro. We then take a steep exit up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo, the trail continues down into the alpine desert of the Karanga Valley, finally, we have a steep climb up to Karanga Camp.

Distance: 5km Hiking Time: 4-5 hours Habitat: Alpine Desert A steep climb up the eastern wall leads us just below the Heim Glacier, where we may have some spectacular views of Kilimanjaro. We then take a steep exit up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo, the trail continues down into the alpine desert of the Karanga Valley, finally, we have a steep climb up to Karanga Camp.

Distance: 5 km ascent / 12 km descent Hiking Time: 7-8 hours ascent / 4-6 hours descent Habitat: Arctic An early start for the ascent to the rim of the Kibo Crater between the Rebmann and Ratzel Glaciers. The last section before the rim can sometimes be snow-covered and an ice-axe or ski stick is useful for balance. At the rim, we will reach Stella point, from where we have a further hour to Uhuru Peak. After a short stop for taking photos, we descend to the Barafu Hut for a rest and lunch before continuing on past Millenium camp down to Mweka Hut in the giant heather zone on the forest edge. Those with the strength left from the summit may wish to descend to the Reutsh Crater and visit the ice pinnacles of the Eastern Icefields. Later in the evening, we enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.

Distance: 10 km Hiking Time: 3-4 hours Habitat: Rain Forest After breakfast, we continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates. From the gate, you continue another hour to Mweka Village. A vehicle will meet you at the village to drive you back to the hotel in Moshi or Arusha.