Machame Route
2010 Dates:
September 3-10
October 29 - November 5
Cost: $2089.00 (USD)
Duration: 8 Days
Total hiking distance: About 100 km
We have planned our Kilimanjaro adventure to give the maximum appreciation of the spectacular scenery, wildlife, and an insight into the natural history and cultures of the environments and peoples we meet. This is one of the most beautiful routes up Kilimanjaro. Your equipment and supplies are portered and a cook prepares all your meals. Each night is spent tenting on the slopes of this incredible mountain. The Machame (also referred to as the "Whiskey route") is better suited to the slightly more adventurous hiker, rewarding them with a scenic splendor such as not seen on other routes.
Trekkers arriving from low levels to climb Kilimanjaro often suffer from altitude sickness if they do not acclimatize properly (lack of fitness is rarely a big problem). The Machame route takes you high to Lava Tower (14,304ft) on day 3 and brings you down by nearly 700m for an overnight at Barranco camp (12,959ft). This allows you an opportunity to “climb high and sleep low”, a proven asset while acclimatizing on any mountain.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 -
Early morning departure from Nairobi driving south to Namanga on the Kenya - Tanzania border. After border formalities, we drive on through to Arusha and check in at our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 2 -
Machame Gate (4888ft) - Machame camp (9778ft)
Hiking time: 7 hours | Distance: About 18 km's
Habitat: Montane forest
Drop off at Machame road head and start the hike through the forest to Machame hut (3000mts). After registering at the gate office, you start your ascent and enter the rain forest almost immediately. There is a strong possibility of rain in the forest, which could transform the trail into a very soggy, muddy and slippery experience.
Day 3 -
Machame camp (9778ft) - Shira camp (12,590ft)
Hiking time: 6 hours | Distance: About 9 km's
Habitat: Moorland forest
We ascend a steep ridge through heather moorland, then follow a gorge to gain the Shira plateau and to the Shira hut (12598ft) for overnight.
Day 4 -
Habitat: Semi desert
Head up towards Lava tower before branching off to Barranco hut (12,795ft). The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude 14,304ft after about a 5 hourwalk. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower. Definitely, the toughest day so far, it is normally around this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of altitude sickness - breathlessness, irritability and headaches.
After lunch we descend again by almost 680m to the Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of 15091ft at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. It's a 5-7 hour walk and only 360ft total ascent - but having climbed much higher and dropped back down assists in acclimatization.
Day 5 -
Barranco camp (12,959ft) - Barafu camp (15,198ft)
Hiking time: 7 hours | Distance: About 13 km's
Habitat: Alpine desert
After spending a night at the Great Barranco Wall (a very imposing sight at first), you make your way up this awe-inspiring looking obstacle, which in the end normally turns out easier than what you anticipated. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys, and then joins up with the Mweka route. Turn left up the ridge and after another hour or so, you reach Barafu Hut.
Day 6 -
SUMMIT ATTEMPT
Barafu camp (14,297ft) - Uhuru Peak (19,340ft) - Mweka (10,170ft)
Hiking time: 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak | 7/8 hours to descend to Mweka
Distance: About 7 km's ascent - 23 km's descent
Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit
Leave camp at around 2:00 a.m. after a cup of tea and cookies you will head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point. The 6-hour walk to Stella point is for many climbers, mentally and physically the most challenging on the route. At Stella Point (18,651ft), you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise (weather permitting). From Stella Point, you will normally encounter frozen ground all the way on your 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak.
Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your life. The walk back to Barafu from the summit, takes about 3 hours. Here you will have a well earned but short rest and collect the rest of your gear, before heading down to Mweka hut. After sometime at the top descend down via Stella point then to Barafu. Have breakfast and then descend to Mweka Hut.
Day 7 -
Mweka camp (10,170ft) Mweka Gate (6,496ft)
Hiking time: 3 hours | Distance: About 15 km's
Habitat: Forest
After an early and well-deserved breakfast, it is a short 3-hour scenic hike back to the park gate. Descend through the open moorlands and forest glades, and then through a belt of rain forest this part is always wet. Have lunch and then return to Nairobi arriving late in the evening.