7-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route Hike to Uhuru Peak

• After an early breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked up from Arusha (1400m) and driven to Machame Village. In the village, you can buy mineral water and will receive a packed lunch.

• From the village, depending on the road conditions, you will either continue driving to Machame Gate or, if not, complete a muddy 3 km walk that takes about an hour.

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

• You will have a welcome lunch stop about halfway and will reach the Machame camping area in the late afternoon.

• 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 boil drinking and washing water, and the cook will prepare dinner before you retire to your tent for the night. Night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at this campsite.

Hiking time: 7 hours

Distance: Approximately 18 kilometres

Habitat: Montane forest

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

• After a short lunch and rest, you will continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira Plateau. By now, you will be able to see the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers to the east. 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 even colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping well below freezing.

Hiking time: 6 hours

Distance: Approximately 9 km

Habitat: Moorland

• The route now turns east into a semi-desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4630m after about 5 hours of walking. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4630m). This is definitely the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point that, for the first time, some climbers start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability, and headaches.

• After lunch, you descend again by almost 680m to the Barranco camping area. After reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco Camp takes about two hours and offers great 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 to be prepared.

Hiking time: 7 hours

Distance: Approximately 15 km

Habitat: Semi-desert

• After an early morning breakfast, it is time to conquer the Great Barranco Wall. Although it may look intimidating at first glance, hikers say that this Class 2 hike is usually much easier than they anticipated. At the top of the wall, you will have a view of Heim Glacier and find yourself above the clouds. The trail then winds up and down through the Karanga Valley. This is an ideal hiking day for acclimatisation.

Hiking time: 4-5 hours

Distance: Approximately 5 kilometres

Habitat: Alpine desert

• Following breakfast, you will leave Karanga Camp (3959m). The trail intersects with the Mweka Route, which is the trail used to descend on the final two days.

• As you continue hiking for an hour, you will reach Barafu Hut. This is the last water stop for the porters because there is no accessible water at Barafu Camp (4550m). The word "barafu" in Swahili means "ice," and this camp is located on a rocky, exposed ridge. Tents will be exposed to wind and rocks, so it is important for hikers to familiarize themselves with the campsite before dark.

• An early dinner will be served so hikers can rest before attempting the summit the same night. Your guide will brief you in detail on how to prepare for summit night. Get to sleep by 19:00.

Hiking time: 2-3 hours

Distance: Approximately 4 kilometres

Habitat: Alpine desert

• You will wake up around 23:30 and, after some tea and biscuits, shuffle off into the night. You will head in a north-westerly direction 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 on the route. At Stella Point (5685m), you will stop for a short rest and be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see, weather permitting.

• From Stella Point, you will normally encounter snow all the way on your 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak. The time you spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions. Please do not stop here for too long, as it will be tough to start again due to cold and fatigue. Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your life.

• The walk back to Barafu from the summit takes about 3 hours. Here, you will have a well-earned but short rest and collect the rest of your gear. The route is not difficult and will take 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.

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

Distance: Approximately 7 km ascent - 23 km descent

Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit

• Following a well-deserved breakfast, your staff will have a big celebration full of dancing and singing. It is here on the mountain that you will present your tips to the guide, assistant guides, chef(s), and porters.

• After celebrating, you will descend for three hours back to Mweka Gate. The National Park requires all hikers to sign their names to receive certificates of completion. Hikers who reached Stella Point (5685m) receive green certificates, and hikers who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive gold certificates.

• After receiving certificates, hikers will descend into Mweka Village for 1 hour (3 kilometres). You will be served a hot lunch, then drive back to Arusha for long-overdue showers and more celebrations.

• Afterwards, you will be dropped off at your hotel in Arusha/Moshi.

Hiking time: 3 hours

Distance: Approximately 15 km

Habitat: Forest