Climbing Kilimanjaro in 6 days via the Machame Route
Join us on an amazing adventure to get to the top of Kilimanjaro in just 6 days via the scenic Machame Route in Tanzania. Hike through dramatic landscapes and witness amazing views all along on this incredible trip.
East African Mountains
6 Days
All year
High
Intermediate
Highlights
- Get to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895m) via the scenic Machame route.
- Hike on an amazing trail that takes you through a varied terrain.
- Witness amazing views of towering peaks from the top of Uhuru Peak.
Description
Join us on this incredible trek to get to the top of the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895m) via the scenic Machame route.
Also known as the Whiskey route, it is one of our personal favorites given its high summit success rate and the amazing topography through which it takes you.
Also, the route is ideal for acclimatization as it makes the trekkers “trek high & sleep low” so as to make their bodies acclimatize to high altitude.
We’ll begin the journey by picking you up from the airport and drive you to your hotel in Moshi to relax and unwind. The next day, another drive will take you to Machame gate to begin the trek.
The Machame route begins in the southwest side of Kilimanjaro and leads towards the north, taking us through the beautiful Shira plateau. All along, the route offers mesmerizing views and eventually joins the Shira and Lemosho routes just after crossing the Shira cave camp.
Though the trek can be completed in a minimum of 6 days, it is recommended to take an extra day to relax and acclimatize properly before attempting the summit.
Ascending gradually on snow and scree, we’ll get to Uhuru Peak, and no wonder you’ll feel a sense of awe standing on the roof of Africa. After taking a few pictures, we’ll descend via the Mewka route, ending this one of a kind journey.
You’ll take back innumerable memories home, so send us a message now to reserve your seat. Also, take a look at the Lemosho route here, if looking for other routes to climb Kilimanjaro.
We also offer 7-day and 8-day standard Machame Route programs, you can find the prices detailed below.
Price includes
- Accommodation included
- Guiding fee
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Transport during the trip
- Transportation start and back
- Permit and entrance fees
- Porters
- Mountain guide expenses
- Clean drinkable water
Price details
- Includes: Rescue fees, Taxes, Meals during the trek, Hot water for washing, Portable oxygen tanks & ox meter, Emergency firstaid kit.
- Not Included:
- Meals at your hotel before and after the climb, Travel Insurance, Flights, Laundry, Tips. * Portable flush toilet with a toilet tent is available for an extra cost of $ 70 for the entire trek.
- Prices for larger groups on the 6day Machame Route climb are: 9-12 PEOPLE $1830 PER PERSON; 12& MORE $1780 PER PERSON.
- Prices for a longer 7day Machame route climb are: 1-2 PEOPLE $2040 PER PERSON; 3-4 PEOPLE $1990 PER PERSON; 5-8 PEOPLE $1940 PER PERSON; 9-12 PEOPLE $1890 PER PERSON; 12& MORE $1840 PER PERSON.
- Prices for a longer 8day Machame route climb are: 1-2 PEOPLE $2280 PER PERSON; 3-4 PEOPLE $2230 PER PERSON; 5-8 PEOPLE $2180 PER PERSON; 9-12 PEOPLE$2130 PER PERSON; 12 & MORE $2080 PER PERSON.
Itinerary
Day 0: Arrival in Tanzania
Upon arrival, we’ll pick you up from the airport and transfer you to your beautiful Park View Inn Hotel in Moshi.
You’ll spend the day relaxing by the pool.
Day 1: Machame Gate (1490m) – Machame Camp (2980m)
After breakfast, we’ll drive you to the Machame Village. From here, depending on the road conditions, we will either continue our drive towards the Machame gate or go for a muddy 3 km walk. After registering at the gate, we’ll begin ascending 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 soggy, 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.
Hiking time: 7 hours
Distance: Approximately 18 kilometers
Habitat: Montane forest
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 2: Machame camp (2980m) – Shira camp (3840m)
After breakfast you’ll trek through the moorland and continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira plateau. By now you will be able to see in an easterly direction, 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 3 840m. The temperature will drop well below freezing point so be prepared.
Hiking time: 6 hours
Distance: Approximately 9 kilometers
Habitat: Moorland
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 3: Shira (at 3840m) to Lava Tower (at 4630m) to Barranco camp (at 3950m)
The route now turns east onto a semi-desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4630m after about a 5 hours walk. After lunch here,we’ll descend for 2 hours by almost 680m to the Barranco camping area. The spot offers amazing views of the Western Breach and Breach Wall.
Hiking time: 7 hours
Distance: Approximately 15 kilometers
Habitat: Semi-desert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 4: Barranco camp (3950m)- Barafu camp (4550m)
After spending a night at the Great Barranco Wall (a very imposing sight at first), you’ll head towards the Barranco camp (3950m). The route offers spectacular views of the beautiful Kilimanjaro. We’ll have an early dinner and take rest to prepare ourselves for the summit hike.
Hiking time: 7 hours
Distance: Approximately 13 kilometers
Habitat: Alpine Desert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 5: (Summit attempt) Barafu camp (4550m) – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Mweka (3100m)
Starting just around midnight, you will head in a north-westerly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This could be the most challenging part of the route. At Stella Point (5685m) you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see. Next, we’ll encounter snow all the way on our 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak. After relishing our time here, we’ll descend to Mweka.
Hiking time: 8h to reach Uhuru Peak, 7 – 8h to descend to Mweka
Distance: Approximately 7 km ascent – 23 km descent
Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 6: Mweka camp (3100m) – Mweka Gate (1980m)
After a big celebration, you will descend for three hours to get back to Mweka Gate. The National Park requires all hikers to sign their names to receive certificates of completion. Hikers who reached Stella Point (5685m) receive green certificates and hikers who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive gold certificates. Thereafter, you’ll descend to the Mweka village for 1 hour (3 kilometers) and be driven back to Moshi.
Hiking time: 3 hours
Distance: Approximately 15 kilometers
Habitat: Forest
Meals: Breakfast
About the guide
Kilisa Tours
Tour Operator
Kilisa Tours & Safaris is the Tanzanian local owned company that made up of professionals who are well organized for Mount Kilimanjaro Trekking, Mount Meru trekking and wildlife safaris in Northern circuit. Giving customized and unprecedented services to our customers with the goal that they generally treasure their visit to Africa and Tanzania specifically for being an exemplary tour provider and emerge as the most satisfactory safari experience facilitator.
Languages
English
What people are saying about Explore-Share
Man
Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!
Maxine
Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.
Valeriya
You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.
Joshua
We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.
Cami
Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.
4.8
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