7 Days Kilimanjaro Trek – Machame Route

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Duration

7 Days / 6 Nights

Difficult Level

Challenging

Minimum Age

10 Years

Best time

January

Tour Overview

The Machame Route, nicknamed the "Whiskey route", is the most popular way up Kilimanjaro and one of the most scenic. It climbs from the lush southern rainforest onto the Shira Plateau, around the southern flanks beneath the great glaciers, and up to the summit from Barafu Camp.

Our 7-day itinerary is the version we recommend for most climbers. It includes the classic acclimatisation climb to the Lava Tower (4,630 m) and breaks the southern circuit into two shorter days, with a night at Karanga Camp before Barafu. The extra time on the mountain gives your body a much better chance to adapt, and summit success rates are significantly higher than on the 6-day version.

You'll walk through rainforest, heath and moorland, alpine desert and arctic summit, scramble the famous Barranco Wall, and reach the crater rim at Stella Point around sunrise, before the final walk to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m). Accommodation is in quality mountain tents, with a mess tent for meals.

Your climb is led by experienced, licensed Licaon Safaris mountain guides, supported by porters and a cook who prepares fresh, hearty meals every day. You sleep in quality four-season mountain tents with sleeping mats, and eat in a mess tent with table and chairs. Your guides carry a first-aid kit and a pulse oximeter and check your health every morning and evening.

Kilimanjaro can be climbed all year, but the best conditions are in the dry seasons, from late June to October and from January to early March, when the trails are drier and the skies clearer. April, May and November are the rainy months; the mountain is quieter then, but expect wet forest sections and cloud.

Itinerary details

Day 1

Machame Gate (1,800 m) – Machame Camp (2,835 m): about 11 km / 5–7 hours

Elevation: 1,800 m → 2,835 m (+1,035 m)
Distance: about 11 km
Hiking time: 5–7 hours
Habitat: Montane rainforest
Overnight: Machame Camp
Meals: Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, the drive from Moshi or Arusha takes you through coffee and banana farms to Machame Gate on the southern slopes. While your guide handles the park registration, your crew packs the tents, kitchen and food. Lunch is often served at the gate or along the trail.

The path climbs steadily through dense, humid rainforest where giant ferns, fig trees and hanging lichen create a green cathedral. The trail can be muddy after rain, so gaiters are useful. Late in the afternoon you reach Machame Camp at the edge of the forest. Your tents are already pitched, and dinner is served in the mess tent while the forest sounds settle into night.

Guide’s tip: Pack your daypack the night before: water, rain jacket, warm layer, snacks, sunscreen and a head torch. Your main bag goes with the porters and you won't see it until camp.

Day 2

Machame Camp (2,835 m) – Shira Cave Camp (3,750 m): about 5 km / 4–6 hours

Elevation: 2,835 m → 3,750 m (+915 m)
Distance: about 5 km
Hiking time: 4–6 hours
Habitat: Heath and moorland
Overnight: Shira Cave Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Leaving the forest behind, you climb a steep, rocky ridge through giant heather and scrub. The views widen with every step: behind you the plains stretch towards Moshi, and ahead the western face of Kibo rises above the clouds. It is a shorter day in distance, but the gradient and altitude make it feel harder, so walk slowly and drink often.

In the early afternoon you cross onto the Shira Plateau, an ancient collapsed volcano. Shira Cave Camp sits beside a small lava cave once used by porters for shelter. Sunsets here are spectacular, with Mount Meru floating on a sea of cloud to the west.

Guide’s tip: Use your trekking poles on the steeper rocky sections. They save a lot of energy on the climb and even more on the descents later in the trip.

Day 3

Shira Camp (3,750–3,850 m) – Lava Tower (4,630 m) – Barranco Camp (3,960 m): about 10 km / 6–8 hours

Elevation: up to 4,630 m, then → 3,960 m (about +800 m / −670 m)
Distance: about 10 km
Hiking time: 6–8 hours
Habitat: Alpine desert
Overnight: Barranco Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is the key acclimatisation day of the western routes. You head east across the plateau into the alpine desert, a bare, rocky landscape of volcanic boulders, climbing steadily to the 90-metre Lava Tower, a volcanic plug at 4,630 m. Lunch is taken in its shelter. Some climbers feel a headache or shortness of breath here; that is normal, and your guide monitors everyone closely.

The afternoon descent into the Great Barranco Valley is one of the most beautiful stretches of the climb, passing through groves of giant groundsels. Barranco Camp lies beneath the towering Western Breach and the Barranco Wall. Climbing high and sleeping lower gives your body exactly the stimulus it needs, and most people sleep better tonight than the night before.

Guide’s tip: A mild headache at the Lava Tower is common and usually clears as you descend. Tell your guide how you feel honestly; they check your oxygen levels and pulse twice a day.

Day 4

Barranco Camp (3,960 m) – Karanga Camp (3,995 m): about 5 km / 4–5 hours

Elevation: 3,960 m → 4,200 m → 3,995 m
Distance: about 5 km
Hiking time: 4–5 hours
Habitat: Alpine desert
Overnight: Karanga Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The day begins with the famous Barranco Wall, a 257-metre rock face that looks intimidating from camp but is a non-technical scramble on a well-worn path. You use your hands for balance in a few places, and your guides and porters are there to help. At the top (about 4,200 m), the views of Kibo's southern glaciers and the Heim Glacier are breathtaking.

The trail then winds across a series of ridges and valleys beneath the southern icefields before dropping into the Karanga Valley, the last water point on the route. Karanga Camp is reached by lunchtime, leaving a relaxed afternoon to rest, hydrate and let your body continue adjusting to the altitude.

Guide’s tip: Keep your hands free on the Barranco Wall: stow your poles on your daypack and let your guide point out the best hand and foot holds. Take your time, because it is not a race.

Day 5

Karanga Camp (3,995 m) – Barafu Camp (4,673 m): about 4 km / 3–4 hours

Elevation: 3,995 m → 4,673 m (+678 m)
Distance: about 4 km
Hiking time: 3–4 hours
Habitat: Alpine desert
Overnight: Barafu Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

A short but steady climb up a rocky ridge brings you to Barafu Camp, whose name means "ice" in Swahili. It is a fitting name for this exposed, wind-swept camp perched on a ridge of rock and scree. The landscape is lunar, with Mawenzi to the east and the summit cone looming directly above.

You arrive by lunchtime, and the rest of the day is for rest. Your guide gives a detailed summit briefing, checks your gear and makes sure your water bottles are insulated so they don't freeze. Eat well at an early dinner and go to bed straight after, because you will be woken just before midnight.

Guide’s tip: Organise your summit kit before dinner, including head torch, spare batteries, insulated water bottle, snacks and hand warmers, so you only need to dress and go when you are woken at midnight.

Day 6

Barafu Camp (4,673 m) – Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) – Mweka Camp (3,100 m): about 5 km up, 12 km down / 6–8 hours up, 4–6 hours down

Elevation: 4,673 m → 5,895 m (+1,222 m), then → 3,100 m (−2,795 m)
Distance: about 5 km up, 12 km down
Hiking time: 6–8 hours up, 4–6 hours down
Habitat: Scree, snow and ice at the summit
Overnight: Mweka Camp
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Around midnight, after tea and biscuits, you begin the final ascent by head torch. The trail zig-zags up steep scree between the Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers towards Stella Point (5,756 m) on the crater rim, which most climbers reach at sunrise. It is the hardest, coldest part of the climb, and your guides set a slow, steady rhythm and keep you going with encouragement and hot drinks.

From Stella Point it is a gentler hour along the rim, past towering glaciers, to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m), the Roof of Africa. After summit photos, you descend to Barafu for a short rest and brunch, then continue down to Mweka Camp in the forest edge. Oxygen returns with every step, and it's the most rewarding dinner of the trip.

Guide’s tip: Carry your water in an insulated bottle or keep it upside down inside your pack so the opening doesn't freeze. Sip regularly and eat a small snack at every break, even if you don't feel like it.

Day 7

Mweka Camp (3,100 m) – Mweka Gate (1,640 m): about 10 km / 3–4 hours

Elevation: 3,100 m → 1,640 m (−1,460 m)
Distance: about 10 km
Hiking time: 3–4 hours
Habitat: Montane rainforest
Overnight: Hotel in Moshi or Arusha
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

After breakfast, your crew gathers for a farewell song and dance, a Kilimanjaro tradition and a great moment to thank the team that carried you to the top. The trail then descends through lush rainforest, where you may spot colobus monkeys, and the air feels rich and warm after the cold of the summit.

At Mweka Gate you sign out of the park, and successful climbers receive their official summit certificates: green for Stella Point, gold for Uhuru Peak. Your driver meets you here for the transfer back to your hotel and a hot shower.

Guide’s tip: The trail can be slippery and muddy in the forest, so keep your poles out and your boots laced tightly. Your crew's farewell song is a highlight, so have your camera ready.

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Tour Costs

Per person Sharing

Number of PAX

Solo Traveler

2 People

3 People

4 People

5 People

6 People

Price

$2,094

$1,614

$1,604

$1,594

$1,584

$1,574

Price includes

All meals and accommodations during the entire safari
A very high quality safari land cruiser with pop-up roof
A professional English speaking safari guide
Unlimited mineral water during the entire safari
Kilimanjaro tea/coffee during game drive
All park fees for all the national parks
Unlimited game drives
All transfers
Flight from Arusha to Zanzibar
Zanzibar activities as in the itinerary
Mto wa mbu cultural walk
Flying doctors rescue cover

Price excludes

Visas
International flights
Lodge and Guides Tips
Drinks at the lodges
All personal related

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Mount Meru

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