9-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek with Uhuru Peak Sunrise

• Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, where you will be picked up and transferred to the hotel or similar for an overnight bed and breakfast.

Overnight at the hotel (bed and breakfast) or similar.

• Your day starts early with a briefing, followed by breakfast and a 45-minute drive from Moshi (910 m) to the Machame Park Gate.
• You will receive a packed lunch box at the gate, and we advise you to bring bottled water, available to purchase at the hotel in Moshi.
• After registering at the gate office, you start your ascent by entering the rainforest.
• There is a possibility of rain in the forest, which will transform the trail into a very soggy, muddy, and slippery experience.
• In the evening, the porters will boil drinking and washing water. The cook will prepare dinner before you retire to your tent for the night. Night temperatures can drop to freezing point at Machame Camp.

• You rise early at Machame Camp and, after breakfast, climb for about an hour to the top of the forest, where you will be met with a gentler gradient through the moorland zone, walking for another 2 hours.
• After a short lunch and rest, you 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 Camp at 3,840 m.
• The porters will boil drinking and washing water before serving you dinner.
• The night at this exposed camp will be even colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing.

• The route now turns east, exposing you to a semi-desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4,630 m after about 5 hours of walking.
• Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4,600 m). This will be the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point that some climbers start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability, and headaches.
• After lunch, you descend again by almost 680 m to the Barranco camping area, and after reaching the high altitude of 4,600 m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear.
• The descent to Barranco Camp takes about 2 hours, where you will get great opportunities to take some 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 the preparation of your dinner and your overnight stay at Barranco Camp.

• After breakfast, we leave Barranco Camp, hiking up Barranco Wall, which takes about an hour.
• You will then continue your way to Karanga Camp, which translates to "Peanut camp." This path has varying ascents and descents, which is a perfect way for you to enjoy your afternoon hike while acclimatizing to your new surroundings.

• Totally exposed to the ever-present gales, the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge.
• Make sure that you familiarise yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. The summit is now a further 1,345 m up, and you will make the final ascent the same night.
• Prepare your equipment, ski sticks, and thermal clothing for your summit attempt. This should include the replacement of your headlamp and camera batteries - make sure that you have a spare set available! To prevent freezing, it will be wise to carry your water in a thermal flask.
• Go to bed at about 19h00 and try to get some precious rest and sleep, but remember not more than 5 hours of sleep.

• You will rise around 23h30, and after some tea and biscuits, you shuffle off into the night.
• You head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through the heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This 6-hour walk to Stella Point is, for many climbers, mentally and physically the most challenging on the route.
• At Stella Point (5,685 m), you will stop for a short rest and will 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 will spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions.
• Do not stop here for too long, as it will be extremely difficult 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 because you need to collect the rest of your gear before heading down to Mweka Camp for dinner and overnight.

• After breakfast, from the Mweka Gate, you will continue down into Mweka village, normally a muddy hour's walk.
• From Mweka village, you will be driven to the hotel, where you will be served a delicious hot lunch, not to mention your chance to take a long-overdue hot shower. Overnight in hotel.
• At your discretion, tips are recommended, as well as highly appreciated, at the end of the trip.
• Tips can be given to the guide at the hotel. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates.
• Those climbers who reached Stella Point (5,685 m) are issued green certificates, and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) receive gold certificates.

Overnight at the hotel (bed and breakfast) or similar.

• After an early breakfast, transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport for your departure flight back home.