English
FrenchKilimanjaro Machame Route
Offered by - Paa Adventures
Tour Features
This is the most beautiful route up Kilimanjaro. All your equipment and supplies are ported and a cook will prepare all of your meals. The Machame route offers strictly tent camping. For this reason the Machame route (also referred to as the “Whiskey route”) is better suited to the slightly more adventurous hiker. This is a more scenic route than Marangu. From late afternoon sunsets at Shira, to the misty protrusions of Kibo at the great Barranco Wall, the Machame route offers the adventurous hiker a stunning scenic “slide show” over 7 days. The Machame route is normally completed in a minimum of 6 days, but some chose to take 7 days. There is an added benefit to taking an extra day, as you are afforded the most valuable commodity on the mountain – acclimation. The Machame route takes you high to Lava Tower (4630m) on the day 3 and brings you down by nearly 700m for an overnight at Barranco camp (3950m). This is the secret to successful acclimation.
| Budget tour | This budget tour includes camping and tented camps. |
| Can be customized | You can request minor changes to the accommodations and destinations of this tour. |
| Private tour | This tour will be organized exclusively for you and won't be shared with others. |
| Solo travel available | Solo travelers can book this tour. |
| Can start any day | If availability permits, this tour can start on any day. |
| Minimum age required | The minimum age for this tour is 5 years. |
| Transportation | This tour uses: Pop-up roof 4x4. |
Route & Activities
Tanzania
Activities Included
Accommodation & Meals
Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour can be arranged for an extra cost
| Day | Accommodation | Meals |
| 1 | Machame Campsite No images available | All Meals Included with Drinks |
| 2 | Shira Campsite No images available | All Meals Included with Drinks |
| 3 | Barranco Campsite No images available | All Meals Included with Drinks |
| 4 | Karanga Valley Camp No images available | All Meals Included with Drinks |
| 5 | Barafu Camp No images available | All Meals Included with Drinks |
| 6 | Mweka Campsite No images available | All Meals Included with Drinks |
| 7 | Rooyal City Lodge No images available | All Meals Included |
Arrival (See Getting There for more details)
- A transfer from the airport can be arranged for an extra cost.
- Accommodation before the tour starts can be arranged for an extra cost.
- Day 1 - Arusha-Machame GateHiking time: 7 hours Distance: About 18 km Habitat: Montane forest Your day starts early with a briefing from the tour organizer and the guides followed by 70-minute drive from Your Hotel in Moshi (910m) to the Machame village (1490m). The guides and porters prepare and pack the supplies and your equipment in the village. You will receive a lunch pack and you can also buy water in the village. Depending on the condition of the road, it is possible to drive from the village to the Machame gate, but if not, the muddy 1 km walk will take about 30minutes to complete. 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 will transform the trail into a very foggy, muddy and slippery experience. You will have a welcome lunch stop about half way and will reach the Machame camping area in the late afternoon. Your porters (arriving at the camp site long before you) will have your tent set up on your arrival. In the evening the porters will boil drinking and washing water and the cook will prepare dinner, before you retire to your tent for the night. Night temperatures can drop to freezing at this Machame campsite. Be prepared for this.
Main Destination: Mount Kilimanjaro National Park
Accommodation: Machame Campsite
Meals & Drinks: All Meals Included with Drinks
- Day 2 - Machame Camp-Shira CampHiking time: 6 hours Distance: About 9 km Habitat: Moorland You rise early at Machame camp and after breakfast climb an hour or so to the top of the forest. Next, there will be a 2-hour gentle uphill gradient through the moorland zone. After a short lunch and rest, you continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira plateau. By now you will be able to see in an easterly direction. This will be a view of the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. You are now due west of Kibo and after a short hike, you will reach the Shira campsite at 840m. The porters will boil drinking and washing water and then serve dinner. The night at this exposed camp will be colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing. Dinner and overnight Shira Camp.
Main Destination: Mount Kilimanjaro National Park
Accommodation: Shira Campsite
Meals & Drinks: All Meals Included with Drinks
- Day 3 - Shira Camp-Lava Tower-Barranco CampHiking time: 7 hours Distance: About 15 km Habitat: Semi-desert route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding the “Lava Tower” where you reach an altitude of 4630m after a 5-hour walk. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4630m). This will be the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point where some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability, and headaches. After lunch, you descend almost 680m to the Barranco camping. As this camping area is lower than the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, you will experience acclimation benefits. This is a proven method to help climbers adjust to the altitude of Kilimanjaro. The descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which could provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for the preparation of your dinner and overnight at Barranco Campsite.
Main Destination: Mount Kilimanjaro National Park
Accommodation: Barranco Campsite
Meals & Drinks: All Meals Included with Drinks
- Day 4 - Barranco Camp To Karanga Valley CampHiking time: 4-5 hours Distance: About13 km Habitat: Alpine desert after spending a night at the Great Barranco Wall, you will proceed to make your way up this awesome looking obstacle. Hikers find that in the end this normally turns out easier than anticipated. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you will now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley crossing the last water point over intervening ridges and valleys and then joins up with the Mweka route. This is the preferred route down from the summit, so take note. We will finish with dinner and an overnight Karanga Valley Camp.
Main Destination: Mount Kilimanjaro National Park
Accommodation: Karanga Valley Camp
Meals & Drinks: All Meals Included with Drinks
- Day 5 - Karanga Camp-Barafu CampHiking time: 4-5 hours After breakfast at the Karanga valley camp, you will walk a ridge and enter a cold desert for about 4 hours and then reach the Barafu Hut. Crews will collect water from the last water stop at Karanga Valley in morning, as there is no water at Barafu camp. Barafu is the Swahili word for “ice” as it is a bleak and inhospitable camping area to spend the night. Totally exposed to the ever-present gales the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure that you familiarize yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents as this is a dangerous area. The summit is now 1345m above you, and you will make the final ascent tonight. Prepare your equipment, ski stick, and thermal clothing for your summit attempt. Make sure and replace the batteries in your headlamp and camera and make sure you have a spare set available as well. To prevent freezing, it would be wise to carry your water in a thermal flask. Go to bed around 7 PM and try to get some good. Try not to sleep more than 5 hours.
Main Destination: Mount Kilimanjaro National Park
Accommodation: Barafu Camp
Meals & Drinks: All Meals Included with Drinks
- Day 6 - Barafu Camp-Uhuru Camp-Down Mweka CampBarafu camp (4550m) – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Mweka Camp (3100m) Hiking time: 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak – 7-8 hours to descend to Mweka camp Distance: About 7 km ascent – 23 km descent Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit You will rise around 11:30 PM and have some hot tea and biscuits before you shuffle off into the night. You will head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This 6-hour walk to Stella point is for many climbers the most mentally and physically challenging part of the trip. At Stella Point (5685m) you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you will witness in your lifetime (weather permitting). From Stella Point you will normally encounter snow to Uhuru Peak (2 hour ascent). The time you will spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions. Do not stop here for too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue. Enjoy your accomplishment as this is a day to remember for the rest of your life. The walk back to Barafu from the summit will take about 3 hours. Here you will have a well-earned but short rest. You will then collect the rest of your gear before heading down to Mweka hut (3100m). This route is not difficult and will take you down the rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest. The camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Dinner and washing water will be prepared. Drinking water, soft drinks, chocolate, and beer is available from the camp office if you so desire. Dinner and overnight at Mweka Camp.
Main Destination: Mount Kilimanjaro National Park
Accommodation: Mweka Campsite
Meals & Drinks: All Meals Included with Drinks
- Day 7 - Mweka Camp-Mweka Gate-Arusha/MoshiHiking time: 3 hours After Hot breakfast from in Mweka Campsite you will start walking slowly towards the mountain gate the walk takes about 3hours to get to the Mweka main gate where our driver will pick you and transfer you to the Hotel in Arusha. Dinner and overnight at Selected hotel in Arusha/Moshi
Main Destination: Mount Kilimanjaro National Park
Accommodation: Rooyal City Lodge
Meals & Drinks: All Meals Included
End of tour (See Getting There for more details)
- Additional accommodation can be arranged for an extra cost.
- A transfer back to the airport can be arranged for an extra cost.
Includes
- Park fees (for non-residents)
- All activities mentioned (unless clearly labeled as optional)
- Meals (as specified in the day-by-day description)
- All accommodation mentioned (unless clearly labeled as optional upgrade)
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation mentioned (unless clearly labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
Excludes
- International flights (from/to the client's home country)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips: tipping guideline of $6 per person per day for the guide and crew
- Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees and other personal items)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
Rates Per Person
Apr 20, 2023 - Dec 31, 2024
*n/a = not available. This tour is unavailable for solo travelers.
Includes
- Park fees (for non-residents)
- All activities mentioned (unless clearly labeled as optional)
- Meals (as specified in the day-by-day description)
- All accommodation mentioned (unless clearly labeled as optional upgrade)
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation mentioned (unless clearly labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
Excludes
- International flights (from/to the client's home country)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips: tipping guideline of $6 per person per day for the guide and crew
- Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees and other personal items)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
Getting There
Tanzania is a beautiful East African country with neighbours Kenya to the north and Mozambique to the south and the Indian Ocean to the east. It is known for its vibrant culture, wonderful national parks, diverse fauna and flora and of course the great wildebeest migration. If you are planning a safari trip to Tanzania then you should find out all about flights to Tanzania, passport and visa requirements.
Tanzania’s main airport is Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) located 13km/8mi southwest of Dar es Salaam. The latter is the entry point for visitors to the southern parks.
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) is situated 46km/29mi east of Arusha, the gateway of Tanzania’s most popular Northern safari circuit.
This tour starts in Moshi and ends in Moshi, Tanzania
A transfer from and back to the airport is included
Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour can be arranged for an extra cost
Travel Requirements
- All foreign visitors need a passport that is valid for at least six months
- Passports must have a clean and a full visa page for endorsement.
- When arriving from a yellow-fever-infected country in Africa or the Americas a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required.
- Citizens of most countries require a visa. A list of countries that don't need a visa is available.
- Visas are best obtained in advance through an official online visa-application portal (https://eservices.immigration.go.tz/visa/), but they can also be obtained through your local Tanzania Embassy or High Commission.
- Visas can also be obtained on arrival but this is a lengthy process that can take one to two hours.
Getting There
Tanzania is a beautiful East African country with neighbours Kenya to the north and Mozambique to the south and the Indian Ocean to the east. It is known for its vibrant culture, wonderful national parks, diverse fauna and flora and of course the great wildebeest migration. If you are planning a safari trip to Tanzania then you should find out all about flights to Tanzania, passport and visa requirements.
Tanzania’s main airport is Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) located 13km/8mi southwest of Dar es Salaam. The latter is the entry point for visitors to the southern parks.
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) is situated 46km/29mi east of Arusha, the gateway of Tanzania’s most popular Northern safari circuit.
This tour starts in Moshi and ends in Moshi, Tanzania
A transfer from and back to the airport is included
Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour can be arranged for an extra cost
Travel Requirements
- All foreign visitors need a passport that is valid for at least six months
- Passports must have a clean and a full visa page for endorsement.
- When arriving from a yellow-fever-infected country in Africa or the Americas a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required.
- Citizens of most countries require a visa. A list of countries that don't need a visa is available.
- Visas are best obtained in advance through an official online visa-application portal (https://eservices.immigration.go.tz/visa/), but they can also be obtained through your local Tanzania Embassy or High Commission.
- Visas can also be obtained on arrival but this is a lengthy process that can take one to two hours.
Offered By
Paa Adventures
Tanzania
Reviews
No reviews yet for this tour operator. Be the first to share your experience!
