6-Day Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek with Uhuru Peak Summit

Distance: 11km/7 mi

Hiking Time: 5-6 hours

Habitat: Montane Forest

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Drive from the hotel to Machame Gate. The journey passes through the village of Machame, which is located on the lower slopes of the mountain.

We depart from the park gate and walk through the rainforest on a winding trail up a ridge. At lower elevations, the trail can be muddy and slippery, so gaiters and trekking poles are a good idea here. We continue a short distance until we reach Machame Camp.

Distance: 5km/3mi

Walking Time: 4-5 hours

Habitat: Moorland

After breakfast, you will start trekking up to the second high-altitude camp, Shira Camp. On this day, you will emerge from the rainforest and, for the first time, be able to see stunning views of the Shira Plateau laid out in front of you.

Technically speaking, trekking is not very difficult, but you may feel the changes in altitude, so pay attention to your body and remember that choosing the proper pace is extremely important for good trekking. When you reach the camp, you will have lunch and some rest, after which the group will go on an acclimatization hike towards Lava Tower Camp with a 400 m / 1,312 ft gain in altitude. Back down at Shira Camp, you will be served a hot dinner.

Distance: 10km/6 mi

Walking Time: 5-6 hours

Habitat: Semi-desert

After breakfast, you will leave Shira Camp and start your way to the key point of the route: Lava Tower. This section of the route has a lot of ascents and descents that end in a camp at high altitude. Portions of the trek may be difficult, and it is common to experience some discomfort, but in order to successfully acclimatize to the altitude, you have to spend at least 1-2 hours here. For this reason, our groups enjoy lunch at the top of Lava Tower.

After lunch, you will descend to Barranco Camp. Here, you can see the famous Barranco Wall, impressive in both its massive size and steepness. The next day, you will be climbing it, but don't worry: it features a very simple hiking trail that is not intimidating at all.

Distance: 9km/6 mi

Hiking Time: 6-8 hours

Habitat: Alpine Desert

Your group will have an early start this morning. After enjoying a filling breakfast, you will begin climbing Barranco Wall. We recommend leaving camp as early as possible to avoid crowds from other groups, which can slow you down. Hiking up the gorge wall is not difficult and only takes around an hour. After the climb, you can rest and take photos in front of the Kibo volcano.

Then you start a more difficult hike to Karanga Camp, which features numerous ascents and descents along the route, but don't worry: our guides are experts at choosing an optimal pace for the group. After reaching the camp, you will be offered a warm lunch. After a couple of hours, you will ascend to Barafu Camp, where you will be served a hot dinner. It is better to spend the remainder of the day resting and sleeping before the night summit.

Down to 3090m/10,150ft

Distance: 5km/3mi up / 13km/8mi down

Hiking Time: 5-7 hours up / 5-6 hours down

Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit

Very early in the morning (midnight to 2 am), we continue our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. You head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. At Stella Point, you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see. Faster hikers may view the sunrise from the summit.

From Stella Point, you may encounter snow on your 1-hour ascent to the summit. Once at Uhuru Peak, you have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa!

From the summit, we begin our descent by continuing straight down to Mweka Camp, stopping at Barafu for lunch. You may want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. We arrive at Mweka Camp and enjoy our last evening on the mountain.

Distance: 10km/6 mi

Hiking Time: 3-4 hours

Habitat: Forest

We make the final descent through the rainforest to Mweka Gate. Here, we will have lunch and say goodbye to our mountain crew before leaving Mount Kilimanjaro National Park.

Drive back to the hotel for a hot shower, a celebratory dinner, and an overnight stay. If you've chosen to continue on a safari, that's another adventure, and we'll manage that for you as well!