6-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek to Uhuru Peak from Moshi

• The day starts early with breakfast, followed by a 45-minute drive from Moshi (910m) to Machame Gate (1800m) with your Mt. Kilimanjaro mountaineering instructor. At the gate, the guides and porters prepare and pack the supplies and your equipment.

• After registering at the gate office, begin your ascent and immediately enter the rainforest. There is a strong possibility of rain in the forest, which can make the trail very soggy, muddy, and slippery.

• Enjoy a welcome lunch.

• About halfway along the route, experience an incredible rainforest filled with ancient trees, primaeval ferns, liana and lichen, to mention just a few.

• Look out for the black-and-white thumbless colobus monkeys. Your porters, arriving at the campsite long before you, will have erected your tent by the time you arrive.

• In the evening, the porters will bring a small bowl of washing water to your tent, and the cook will prepare dinner before you retire for the night. Temperatures at this campsite can already drop to freezing point.

Elevation: 1800m - 3000m

Distance: 10.8km

Hiking Time: 7 hours

Habitat: Montane Forest

Meals: Lunch and dinner

• Rise early at Machame Camp and, after breakfast, climb for about an hour to the top of the forest. Continue for another 2 hours at a gentler gradient through the moorland zone.

• After a short lunch and rest, continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira Plateau. By now, you will be able to see the Western Breach to the east, with its stunning glaciers.

• Proceed towards the west of Kibo, and after a short hike, you will reach Shira Camp. The porters will again provide you with a small bowl of washing water before serving dinner. As the sun sets, the glacier of Kibo also lights up beautifully for the evening.

  The night at this exposed camp will be colder than the previous one, with temperatures dropping below freezing.

Elevation: 3000m - 3850m

Distance: Approximately 5.2km

Hiking Time: 6 hours

Habitat: Moorland

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

• Follow the route as it turns east into a semi-desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4600m after about a 5-hour trek.

• Enjoy lunch in a designated area. This is the most challenging day so far, and it is usually at this point that some climbers begin to experience symptoms such as breathlessness, irritability, and headaches for the first time.

• After lunch, descend again by almost 658m to the Barranco camping area.

• Once you have reached the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear. The descent to Barranco Camp takes about 2 hours and offers excellent opportunities to take beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall.

• Enjoy a stunning sunset from your camp in a valley below the Breach and the Great Barranco Wall as you prepare for dinner.

Elevation: 3850m - 4600m; Lava Tower to Barranco Camp 3950m

Distance: 10.7km

Hiking Time: 7 hours

Habitat: Semi-desert

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

• After spending the night beneath the Great Barranco Wall, a very imposing sight at first, make your way up this awesome-looking obstacle, which usually turns out to be easier than anticipated. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you will appreciate how beautiful Mount Kilimanjaro is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys and joins the Mweka Route. This is the preferred route down from the summit, so remember it. Turn left up to the ridge, and after another hour or so, you should reach Barafu Hut.

• A stop is made in the Karanga Valley, as no water is available at Barafu Camp. Barafu is the Swahili word for 'ice', and it is a bleak and inhospitable camping area in which to spend the night. Exposed to ever-present gales, the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure you familiarise yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid accidents.

• You will commence your final ascent attempt the same night, with the summit now a further 1214m higher. Prepare your equipment, hiking poles, and thermal clothing for the summit attempt. This should include replacing your headlamp and camera batteries, and making sure you have a spare set available as well. It is wise to carry your water in a thermal flask to prevent freezing.

• Go to bed at around 19h00 and try to get some precious rest and sleep.

Elevation: 3950m - 4600m

Distance: 9.4km

Hiking Time: 8 hours

Habitat: Alpine Desert

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

• You will get up around 23h20, and after some tea and biscuits, shuffle off into the night.

• Head north-westerly and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. For many climbers, the 6-hour walk to Stella Point is mentally and physically the most challenging part of the route.

• Stop for a short rest at Stella Point (5739m) and, weather permitting, be rewarded with one of the most magnificent sunrises you are ever likely to see. From Stella Point, you will typically encounter snow on the 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak. The time you spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions. Please do not stay too long, as it can be difficult to get moving again because of the cold and fatigue.

• Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your life.

• Walk back to Barafu from the summit, a descent of about 3 hours. Here, you will have a well-earned but short rest and collect the rest of your gear before heading down to Mweka Hut (3090m).

• Continue on the not-so-difficult route, which takes you down the rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest. The camp is situated in the upper forest, and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Dinner and washing water will be prepared.

Elevation: 4600m - 5895m

Distance: Approximately 4.5km ascent and 10.8km descent

Hiking Time: 7 to 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak, 6 to 8 hours to descend to Mweka Camp

Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit

Meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

• After an early and well-deserved breakfast, enjoy a short but scenic 4 to 6-hour hike back to the park gate. Some hikers do experience knee problems, which can make the descent longer than planned.

• At Mweka Gate, you will sign your name and details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates.

• From Mweka Gate, continue into Mweka village, usually a muddy 3km hike that takes about 1 hour.

• In Mweka village, you will be served a delicious hot lunch. After lunch, drive back to Moshi for a long-overdue hot shower, dinner, and celebrations.

Elevation: 3100m - 1650m

Distance: 8.5km

Hiking Time: 3 to 5 hours

Habitat: Forest

Meals: Breakfast and lunch