6 Days Machame route
Overview
This trip lets you visit some of Tanzania’s famous northern safaris without having to drive long distances between each park. This itinerary is ideal for a family with young children.
If you wish to make any changes to this trip, it is entirely possible! Our trips are private and fully customizable, just let us know what you want, and we’ll take care of the rest!
Included/Exclude
- Experienced English-speaking mountain guide and porters
- Machame Route trekking permits and park fees
- Camping fees and accommodation in tents or mountain huts along the route
- All meals during the trek (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Drinking water (boiled or purified) during trekking
- Transportation from your hotel in Moshi to Machame Gate and back
- Medical oxygen and first aid kit
- Government taxes and VAT
- International flights to/from Tanzania
- Visa fees
- Travel insurance covering mountain trekking and medical evacuation
- Personal trekking gear (e.g., sleeping bag, hiking poles, jacket)
- Tips for guides and porters
- Drinks (alcoholic or soft drinks) and snacks not included in meals
- Optional activities before or after the trek (e.g., cultural tours or safari)
Tour Amenities
Tour Plan
You will be met upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport by our transfer driver, who will welcome you and escort you to the waiting vehicle. You will then drive to Key’s Hotel in Moshi for the rest of the day. Your trek will start the next morning. The day can be spent relaxing by the pool, exploring the town of Moshi, or resting after your flight. In the evening, your mountain guide will meet you for a briefing about the Machame Route trek.
Accommodation: Keys Hotel
Meal Plan: None
After breakfast at the hotel, you will be driven to Machame Gate (1,800 m) where your Machame Route adventure begins. You will trek through the lush rainforest, enjoying the sights and sounds of Mount Kilimanjaro’s lower slopes as your guide introduces you to the flora and fauna along the way. After approximately 10 km of hiking, you will arrive at Machame Camp (3,000 m) in the late afternoon. Spend the evening resting and enjoying dinner at camp, preparing for the journey ahead.
Accommodation: Machame Camp
Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner
Today you will trek from Machame Camp to Shira Camp (3,840 m), crossing the beautiful Shira Plateau. The landscape gradually changes from dense rainforest to moorland, offering panoramic views of Kilimanjaro’s slopes and surrounding valleys. Along the way, your guide will explain the unique ecosystem and the importance of acclimatization. You will reach Shira Camp in the afternoon, where you can relax and enjoy the evening meal before a restful night.
Accommodation: Shira Camp
Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner
You will start the day trekking toward the iconic Lava Tower (4,630 m) for acclimatization, experiencing the alpine desert landscape and dramatic rock formations. After spending some time at Lava Tower, you will descend to Barranco Camp (3,950 m), passing through the Karanga Valley. Dinner and overnight at Barranco Camp will give you time to rest and recover for the next day’s climb.
Accommodation: Barranco Camp
Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner
After breakfast, you will climb the famous Barranco Wall, one of the most exciting parts of the Machame Route. You will then continue across the Karanga Valley and make your way to Barafu Camp (4,600 m), where you will have an early dinner before resting in preparation for the midnight summit attempt. The climb today is challenging but rewarding, offering spectacular views of the surrounding valleys and peaks.
Accommodation: Barafu Camp
Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner
You will begin the final ascent around midnight, trekking in the darkness with headlamps toward Stella Point and then continuing to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) to watch sunrise over Africa’s highest point. After celebrating your achievement and taking photographs, you will descend back to Barafu Camp for a brief rest and lunch before continuing to Mweka Camp (3,100 m) for dinner and overnight.
Accommodation: Mweka Camp
Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner
After breakfast at Mweka Camp, you will descend through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where you will receive your official summit certificate. You will then be transferred back to Key’s Hotel in Moshi or directly to Kilimanjaro International Airport for your departure.
Accommodation: Key’s Hotel (optional if overnight in Moshi)
Meal Plan: Breakfast
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