8-Day Mt Kilimanjaro Trek via Machame Route to Uhuru Peak

• Stay at Arusha Safari Lodge, a beautiful hotel located on the lower slopes of Mount Meru and a perfect place to prepare for your adventure.

• Gather in the evening at 5:30 pm for a pre-climb briefing and an equipment check.

Dinner and overnight at Arusha Safari Lodge: bed, dinner, and breakfast included.

• Complete the necessary registration formalities at Machame Gate and begin trekking through a beautiful, lush forest. You will stop for a picnic lunch en route.

• Set up camp at Machame Camp (9,800 ft).

Machame Gate to Machame Hut (3,000 m): 6-7 hours walking.

• Climb a steep ridge to reach a small semicircular cliff known as the picnic site.

• Continue with a gentler ascent through the lower alpine moorland, known for its beautiful wild alpine flowers.

• The most spectacular views of Kibo Peak can be seen from Shira Camp.

Machame Hut to Shira Camp (3,840 m): 4-6 hours walking.

• A morning of sustained ascent and panoramic views brings you to lunch near Lava Tower (14,900 ft).

• The trail then descends to the bottom of Barranco Valley (12,800 ft), where you stay at the spectacular Barranco Camp, sheltered by towering cliffs and offering extensive views of the plains far below. [7-9 hours walking]

• A steep climb up the Barranco Wall leads you to an undulating trail on the south-eastern flank of Kibo, with superb vistas of the Southern Icefields.

• The terrain changes to scree, with pockets of lush vegetation in sheltered hollows, and there is only a short distance to your camp at Karanga Camp (13,100 ft), the last water point on the approach to the summit. [7-9 hours walking]

• Start your ascent at about 1 a.m. to be on the crater rim by sunrise. The steep climb over loose volcanic scree has some well-graded zig-zags.

• A slow but steady pace will take you to Stella Point (18,800 ft) in about five or six hours.

• Rest there for a short time to enjoy the sunrise over Mawenzi. Those who are still feeling strong can make the two-hour round trip from here along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak (19,345 ft), passing close to the spectacular glaciers and ice cliffs that still occupy most of the summit area.

• The descent to Barafu is surprisingly fast, and after some refreshments, it continues down to the final campsite, Millenium Camp (12,500 ft). [11-15 hours walking]

• A sustained descent on a well-constructed path takes you through a lovely tropical forest alive with birdsong.

• Your route winds down to the Kilimanjaro National Park gate at Mweka (5,400 ft), then continues through coffee and banana farms to Mweka village.

• Head to your lodging in Arusha.

[4-6 hours walking]

Dinner and overnight at Arusha Safari Lodge: bed, dinner, and breakfast included.

• Head to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) for your flight.