6-Day Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek to Uhuru Peak at Sunrise

Distance: About 12 km

Habitat: Montane forest.

• Start your day early with a briefing, breakfast, and a 45-minute drive from Moshi (910m) to Machame village (1490m). The guides and porters prepare and pack the supplies and equipment in the village. Depending on the condition of the road, it is possible to drive from the village to the Machame Gate, but if not, the muddy 3 km walk will take about 1 hour to complete.

• Register at the gate office, then begin your ascent and enter the rainforest. You will receive a lunch pack at the gate, and you can also drink the bottled water you bought at the Springlands Hotel in Moshi. There is a possibility of rain in the forest, which can turn the trail into a very soggy, muddy, and slippery experience. In the evening, the porters will boil drinking and washing water, and the cook will prepare dinner before you retire to your tent. Night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at Machame campsite.

Distance: About 7 km

Habitat: Moorland

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

• Take a short lunch and rest.

• Continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira Plateau. By now, you will be able to see, in an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. You are now due west of Kibo, and after a short hike, you will reach Shira campsite at 3,840m. The porters will boil drinking and washing water before serving dinner. The night at this exposed camp will be colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to below freezing.

Hiking time: 7 hrs

Distance: About 15 km

Habitat: Semi-desert

• Begin hiking. The route now turns east into a semi-desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4630m after about a 5-hour walk.

• Savour lunch served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4630m). This is the toughest day so far. It is normally at this point that, for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability, and headaches.

• The true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear as you descend again by almost 680m after lunch to the Barranco camping area, after reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers excellent opportunities to take beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for dinner and your overnight stay at Barranco Campsite.

Hiking time: 7 hours

Distance: About 13 km

Habitat: Alpine desert

• Ensure you familiarize yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid accidents. Exposed to the ever-present gales, the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. The summit is now a further 1345m up, and you will make the final ascent the same night.

• Prepare your equipment, ski stick, and thermal clothing for your 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 1900 hrs and try to get some precious rest and sleep for no more than 5 hours.

Barafu camp (4650m)-Uhuru Peak (5895m)-Mweka (3100m)

Hiking time: 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak, 7/8 hours to descend to Mweka

Distance: About 7 km ascent - 23 km descent

Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit.

• Rise around 23h30, and after some tea and biscuits, shuffle off into the night. You will head northwesterly and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. For many climbers, this 6-hour walk to Stella Point is mentally and physically the most challenging part of the route.

• Stop at Stella Point (5685m) for a short rest and be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see, weather permitting. From Stella Point, you typically encounter snow on your 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak. The time you spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions. Do not stop here too long, as it will be tough to start again due to cold and fatigue.

• Enjoy your accomplishment at Uhuru Peak, a day to remember for the rest of your life.

• Walk back to Barafu from the summit, which takes 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 Camp (3100m) for dinner and overnight.

Hiking/Descend time: 3 hours

Distance: About 15 km

Habitat: Forest

• Eat breakfast.

• Continue down to Mweka Gate and then on to Mweka village, usually a muddy and long 1-hour walk. In Mweka village, drive to Springlands Hotel, where you will be served a delicious hot lunch.

• Drive back to Moshi for a long-overdue hot shower. Tips are recommended and highly appreciated at the end of the trip. Tips can be given to the guide at the Springlands Hotel. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Climbers who reach Stella Point (5685m) are issued green certificates, and those who reach Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive gold certificates.

Overnight in Springlands Hotel.