7-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Trek via Machame Route to Uhuru Peak

• Meet your English-speaking tour guide and drive from Moshi to the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park gate, which takes about 50 minutes. The journey passes through the village of Machame, located on the lower slopes of the mountain.
• Then walk through the rainforest on a winding trail up a ridge. Lower down, the trail can be muddy and slippery, so gaiters and trekking poles are a good idea here. Continue a short distance until you reach Machame Camp.

• After breakfast, leave the glades of the rainforest and continue on an ascending path, crossing the little valley and walking along a steep rocky ridge covered with heather until the ridge ends. The route then turns west onto a river gorge.

Have some rest and eat dinner. Overnight stay at the Shira campsite.

• From the Shira Plateau, continue to the east and pass the junction towards the peak of Kibo.
• Continue to the southeast towards the Lava Tower called the "Shark's Tooth".
• Head to the second junction, the Arrow Glacier, at an altitude of 16,000 ft.
• Descend to Barranco Camp at an altitude of 13,000 ft. Have some rest here, enjoy dinner, and stay overnight.

*This day is very important for acclimatization and will help your body prepare for summit day.

• After breakfast, leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge, passing the Barranco Wall to the Karanga Valley campsite.

*This is a short day meant for acclimatization.

• After breakfast, head to the junction that connects with the Mweka Trail.
• Continue to Barafu Hut. At this point, you have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles.
• Here, make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo can be seen from here.

• Begin your push to the summit very early in the morning. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. At this elevation and time of day, the wind and cold can be extreme. Ascend in the darkness for several hours while taking frequent but short breaks.
• Near Stella Point (18,900 ft), experience the most magnificent sunrise over Mawenzi Peak.
• Finally, arrive at Uhuru Peak - the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. Begin your descent, continuing straight down to the Mweka Hut campsite from the summit, stopping at Barafu for lunch. The trail is very rocky and can be quite hard on the knees, so trekking poles are helpful. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest, and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon.
• Later in the evening, enjoy your last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.

• Return to Moshi, and the tour officially ends.