7-Day Kilimanjaro Trek to Uhuru Peak via the Machame Whiskey Route

• At 9 am, leave Moshi for Machame Gate, where you will meet the porters and cooks who will spend the next seven days trekking with you to Uhuru Peak, the roof of Africa.

• Once you arrive, you will have a chance to wait at the gate while the staff completes the registration process, and the porters and guides make their final preparations. Each day, the porters and cooks will walk ahead to set up camp in time for your arrival.

• After the formalities, hike through the moss-covered trees of Kilimanjaro's cloud forest. The forest will thin toward the end of the hike, and the vegetation will change to heathers, tall grasses, and wildflowers. If the weather is clear, you will enjoy a view of the surrounding area and your ultimate destination, Kibo Peak.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

• Although considered the easiest day on the Machame Route, today's trek includes several uphill sections. Carry plenty of drinking water, as the exposed hike can be hot on a clear day. There are several viewpoints from which you can see the plains and forests below, with Kibo and Mawenzi peaks rising above.

• As you gain altitude, notice the change in vegetation. The trees diminish in size, giving way to Kilimanjaro's famous high-altitude plants, Senecio Kilimanjari and Lobelia Deckenii.

• After lunch, climb onto the Shira Plateau, created when Kibo's lava flow filled the Shira crater.

• Continue to Shira Camp, where you will relax for the rest of the day. Kibo lies to the west and Mount Meru to the east.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

• Although this up-and-down day ends with an elevation gain of only 110 meters, by early afternoon you will have climbed 690 meters to a height of 4530 meters before beginning your descent to Barranco Camp. This day is crucial for acclimatization.

• After breakfast, hike east across the Shira Plateau before reaching the junction for the Shira and Lemosho Routes.

• Continue through the barren landscape before stopping for lunch.

• Shortly after lunch, reach the highest point of the day before descending quickly to Barranco Camp. Faster hikers can take a detour via Lava Tower, a 300-foot lava formation jutting out of the mountainside.

• Barranco Camp, set among stands of Senecio kilimanjari, is considered the most scenic campsite on the Machame Route.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

• Leave Barranco Camp after breakfast for Karanga Valley.

• Begin with a 1.5-hour scramble up Barranco Wall. This is the hardest part of the day, and in some places you will need to use your hands to pull yourself up.

• After reaching the top, make a short descent into the greener Karanga Valley. We generally camp on the ridge above the valley to allow for greater acclimatization.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

• After breakfast, begin the hike to Barafu Camp.

• On the way to Barafu, view several of Kibo's glaciers as well as the junction that connects the descent route, Mweka, with the Machame Trail.

• During day four, hike past the Heim, Kersten, and Decken Glaciers.

• Although the trail to Barafu passes through the alpine desert with little vegetation, Barafu Camp offers stunning views of Kibo and Mawenzi peaks.

• Try to sleep as soon as you finish dinner, as you will wake before midnight for your summit hike.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

• Around midnight, begin the final ascent to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa.

• For the next six hours, hike by the light of your headlamp. The ascent to the crater rim is the most challenging part of the entire trek. The trail is very steep until you reach the crater rim at Stella Point.

• The hike from Stella Point to Uhuru Peak is a gradual climb and, as far as hikes go, not very difficult. The altitude, however, makes the hike long and tiring. The crater rim hike takes approximately one hour.

• Upon reaching Uhuru, take as many photos as you would like, enjoy the scenery and the views, and do anything that you would enjoy before beginning the descent to Mweka Camp.

• On the way down from Uhuru, enjoy views of the mountain, crater, clouds, and glaciers.

• At Barafu Camp, have breakfast and take a short break. You still have another three to five hours to go before reaching Mweka Camp.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

• After breakfast, finish the trek with a descent to Mweka Gate. Your last hike on Kilimanjaro is a beautiful one, passing through Kilimanjaro's cloud forest. Watch your step during the descent, as the trail can be slippery. Our vehicles will be waiting at the lower station of Mweka Gate to take you back to Moshi.

• At Mweka Gate, you will sign your name and details in a register book. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Those who reached Stella Point are issued green certificates, and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive Golden certificates.

• Drive back to Moshi for a long-overdue hot shower, dinner, a decent bed, and celebrations.

Dinner and overnight at Panama Garden Resort or a similar hotel in Moshi.