7 Days Machame Route | Jeby Tours
7 Days Machame Route

7 Days Machame Route

Kilimanjaro's Unforgettable Experience

Overview

Routes On Kilimanjaro

Overview

The Machame route on Kilimanjaro is a seven day camping route which allows for excellent acclimatisation and particularly diverse scenery. It has been called the Whiskey route in the past and nowadays about 35% of all climbers on the mountain use it.In a matter of days you will climb Kilimanjaro from the equator up to an Arctic zone, moving through grasslands, tropical rainforest, alpine meadows, moorlands and high desert to snow and ice. Each day on this route presents quite a distinct ecosystem to experience, which is one reason it is so popular.The other reason is that the seven day programme begins on the south west side of the mountain and traverses around to the south east side, enabling you to sleep at the same altitude for three consecutive nights which significantly aids altitude acclimatisation. This means that our summit success rate on this route is quite high at around 85%.

Highlights

  • The Machame route, also referred to as the Whiskey route, is one of the most popular routes on Kilimanjaro.
  • Despite being a tough climb compared to the Marangu route, the Machame route has one of the highest summit success rates given the topography of the route.
  • It could be done in 6 days by missing out Karanga Valley and going straight to Barafu, but experience tells us that this leads to increased sickness and a much lower summit success rate.
  • We only run seven day trips on Kilimanjaro which is the recommended minimum number of days by all the international mountain associations such as the UIAA, plus our own assessment of mountain safety.

Machame Route

Your Adventure Begins

Arusha - Machame Gate - Machame Hut

Machame Route

Day - 1

Arusha - Machame Gate - Machame Hut

You will be picked up by our Driver/Guide and transferred to Machame Gate to Start your Adventurous Trek.The gate to the Machame route, where we complete park formalities, meet our crew of porters and start to climb! The first section of the route climbs steadily and passes through magnificent, dense rainforest. This path is less well-trodden so it can get somewhat overgrown in places and it is often wet and muddy underfoot.

Where To Stay : Machame Hut
Machame Hut
Machame Hut
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Machame Camp - Shira Camp

Machame Route

Day - 2

Machame Camp - Shira Camp

Our route continues on up through the forest until we reach the steep ascent onto the Shira Plateau, where there are rewarding views of the mountain. Looking back, you will be able to see Mt Meru rising high above Arusha town in the distance.

Where To Stay : Machame Camp
Machame Camp
Machame Camp
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Shira Cave - Barranco

Machame Route

Day - 3

Shira Cave - Barranco

Walking now on high moorland, the landscape changes the entire character of the trek. We traverse the southwest side of Kilimanjaro, passing underneath the Lava Tower and the final section of the Western Breach and finally reach camp The day has been spent at altitude (up to 4600m), but we have followed the mountaineering code of ‘walk high, sleep low’ to aid your body’s acclimatization to altitude.

Where To Stay : Shira Cave
Shira Cave
Shira Cave
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Barranco Camp (3960m) to Karanga Camp

Machame Route

Day - 4

Barranco Camp (3960m) to Karanga Camp

Our day starts by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. We then exit steeply, up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the south eastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a climb over rock, not technical but long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, we head towards the Karanga valley. From here we have a steep climb up from Karanga valley to our night’s camp at Karanga camp, set at 3963m. For those feeling strong we will go for a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek up to around 4200m before descending back to camp for the night.

Where To Stay : Barranco Camp
Barranco Camp
Barranco Camp
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Karanga to Barafu Camp

Machame Route

Day - 5

Karanga to Barafu Camp

After a good night’s rest and breakfast, we set off on our walk to Barafu camp at 4640m. The climb will take us across desolate scree slopes with no vegetation around us at all. It’s a tough steep walk made more difficult by the altitude. On arriving at camp we eat and spend the afternoon resting as we prepare for a long night and day ahead. It is important to keep hydrated and warm. We have an early dinner and then try to get some sleep as we will be getting up at between 11pm and 12pm to start the climb to the summit.

Where To Stay : Barafu Camp
Barafu Camp
Barafu Camp
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Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak

Machame Route

Day - 6

Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak

We start off at around midnight, and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Millennium Camp for a long well-earned rest.

Where To Stay : Barafu Camp
Barafu Camp
Barafu Camp
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Millenium Camp - Mweka Gate

Machame Route

Day - 7

Millenium Camp - Mweka Gate

After the hike you will be transferred to Arusha.A gentle trek takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride!

Where To Stay : Millenium Camp
Millenium Camp
Millenium Camp

Routes

Exculdes & Inculdes

Inculdes
  • Park Entry Fees
  • Camping fees
  • Rescue fees
  • 3 meals a day on the mountain
  • Treated and boiled drinking water
  • 4 season mountain tents, mattress, dining tent, tables, chairs, cutleries, lamps
  • Safety equipment pulse oximeter, oxygen box
  • Guides, porters and chef salaries, tents, meals
  • Government taxes
Excludes
  • Personal gears
  • Mountain crew tips
  • Other meals and drinks
  • Medical insurance
  • Emergency evacuations

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