9-Day Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek to Uhuru Peak

• Meet at Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to Arusha city.

• Meet our professional guide for a briefing and equipment check.

Overnight at Green Mountain Hotel in Karibu.

• Drive from Arusha to the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park gate; the journey takes about 90 minutes. On the way, cross the village of Machame, which is located on the lower slopes of the mountain.

• Enter the park and walk through the rainforest on a winding trail up a ridge. The trail can be muddy and slippery, so gaiters and trekking poles will be helpful.

• Continue a short distance farther until reaching Machame Camp.

Overnight at the camp.

• After breakfast, leave the glades of the rainforest and continue on an ascending path, crossing a small valley and walking along a steep rocky ridge until the ridge ends. The route then turns west onto a river gorge.

Time to rest, enjoy dinner, and stay overnight at the Shira campsite.

Habitat: Moorland

• This day is very important for acclimatisation and will help your body prepare for summit day.

• From Shira Plateau, continue east up to a ridge, passing the junction toward the peak of Kibo.

• As the trek continues, the direction changes to the southeast toward Lava Tower, called the "Shark's Tooth".

• Shortly after the tower, reach the second junction, which leads up to Arrow Glacier at an altitude of 4876 m.

• Continue down to Barranco Hut at an altitude of 3860 m.

Here, rest, enjoy dinner, and stay for the night.

Habitat: Semi-desert

• After breakfast, leave Barranco Hut and continue on a steep ridge, passing the Barranco Wall to the Karanga Valley campsite.

Habitat: Alpine Desert

• After breakfast, continue through Karanga Valley and the junction that connects with the Mweka Trail, then reach Barafu Hut. By this stage, you will have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here, make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo can be seen from here.

Habitat: Alpine Desert

• Continue the journey early in the morning to the summit between Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers.

• Head in a north-westerly direction and ascend through heavy scree toward Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. At Stella Point (5685 m), stop for a short rest and, if the weather permits, you will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you will see. From Stella Point, you may encounter snow all the way to the summit.

• Reach Uhuru Peak, the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. Faster hikers may be able to see the sunrise from the summit. It can be very cold at night at these elevations, but it will be quite warm by the end of the hiking day.

• From the summit, descend straight down to the Mweka Hut campsite, stopping at Barafu for lunch. You will want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel on the way down. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest, and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon.

Later in the evening, enjoy your last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.

Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit

• After breakfast, continue your descent to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy, so gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and T-shirts will be available to wear.

• From the gate, continue for another hour to Mweka Village. A vehicle will meet you there and drive you back to Green Mountain Hotel in Arusha for an overnight stay.

Habitat: Forest

• After breakfast, we pick you up and transfer you to the airport for your outbound flight.

End of tour.