GuideKilimanjaro, Tanzania10 min read
The Machame Route, Day by Day
Seven days from the rainforest gate to Uhuru Peak
Average rating 3.5 out of 5
3.52 reviews
What each day on the seven-day Machame route looks like, from the first muddy forest climb to the midnight summit push.
Days one to three
Day 1, Machame Gate to Machame Camp (1,800 m to 2,835 m). After registration at the gate, the trail climbs steadily through rainforest of fig, camphor and giant heather. It is often muddy and the colobus monkeys are loud. Five to seven hours.
Day 2, Machame Camp to Shira Camp (3,750 m). You leave the forest for heath and moorland, with the first proper views of Kibo. Shorter but steeper, and the first day most people notice the altitude.
Day 3, Shira to Lava Tower (4,630 m) to Barranco Camp (3,960 m). The key acclimatisation day. You climb to the base of the Lava Tower for lunch, then descend through a valley of giant groundsels to sleep lower at Barranco. Headaches at lunch are normal and usually gone by dinner.
Days four to seven
Day 4, Barranco to Karanga (3,995 m). The day begins with the Barranco Wall, a two-hour scramble that is more hands than ropes. Then up and down across the southern valleys to Karanga.
Day 5, Karanga to Barafu (4,673 m). A short climb to the high camp on a rocky ridge. Early dinner, kit check and bed by seven.
Day 6, summit day. Wake at eleven, start walking at midnight. Six to seven hours to Stella Point on the crater rim, then another hour along the rim to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) for sunrise. Then all the way down to Mweka Camp (3,100 m), a long fourteen-hour day.
Day 7, Mweka to Mweka Gate. Three to four hours down through the forest, certificates at the gate and a cold drink in Moshi.
Packing list essentials
- Four-season sleeping bag rated to −10 °C
- Insulated jacket and waterproof shell
- Broken-in boots and gaiters
- Head torch with spare batteries for summit night
- Water bladder insulation, or bottles kept inside your jacket
- Blister kit and your own altitude medication, discussed with your doctor
Altitude sickness
About this story
Neema MushiAuthor
Wildside ExpeditionsPublisher
Reviews
Write a reviewAverage rating 3.5 out of 5
2 reviews- RMRafael Moreno3 out of 5 stars28 Aug
Good background, but the green-season section undersells how muddy the roads get.
- LHLeila Haddad4 out of 5 stars19 Aug
Very good guide. Self-driving was harder work than it sounds, but the waterhole tips paid off.
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