6-Day Kilimanjaro Trek via Machame Route to Uhuru Peak

• Drive from Moshi to the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park gate, which takes about 45 minutes. The journey passes through the village of Machame, located on the lower slopes of the mountain.

• 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.

• Continue to Machame Camp.

Elevation: 1830m/6000ft to 3050m/9950ft.

Distance: 11km/7mi.

Hiking Time: 5-6 hours.

Habitat: Montane Forest.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner.

Budget Lodging: Machame Camp.

• After breakfast, leave the glades of the rainforest and continue on an ascending path.

• Cross the valley along a steep rocky ridge. The route then turns west onto a river gorge until you arrive at Shira Camp.

Elevation: 3050m/9950ft to 3850m/12,600ft.

Distance: 5km/3mi.

Walking Time: 4-5 hours.

Habitat: Moorland.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Budget Lodging: Shira Camp.

• From the Shira Plateau, continue east up the ridge, passing the junction toward the peak of Kibo.

• Change direction to the southeast toward the Lava Tower, called the "Shark's Tooth" (Elev: 4650m/15,250ft).

• Shortly after the tower, come to the second junction that leads to the Arrow Glacier.

• Continue down to Barranco Camp.

Elevation: 3850m/12,600ft to 4000m/13,000ft.

Distance: 10km/6mi.

Walking Time: 5-6 hours.

Habitat: Semi-desert.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Budget Lodging: Barranco Camp.

• After breakfast, leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge up the Barranco Wall (Elev: 4250m/13,900ft), through the Karanga Valley (Elev: 4050m/13,250ft), to the junction that connects with the Mweka Trail.

• Continue up to Barafu Camp and complete the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles.

• At this point, make camp with views of the summit in the distance.

Elevation: 4000m/13,000ft to 4700m/15,350ft.

Distance: 9km/6mi.

Hiking Time: 6-8 hours.

Habitat: Alpine Desert.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Budget Lodging: Barafu Camp.

• Wake up early in the morning, between midnight and 2 am, and continue to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers.

• Head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree toward Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek.

• At Stella Point, stop for a short rest and be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise. Faster hikers may view the sunrise from the summit. From Stella Point, encounter snow all the way on the 1-hour ascent to the summit.

• Reach Uhuru Peak, the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa!

• From the summit, descend straight down to Mweka Camp, stopping at Barafu for lunch.

• Arrive at Mweka Camp and enjoy the last evening on the mountain.

Elevation: 4700m/15,350ft to 5895m/19,340ft.

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.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Budget Lodging: Mweka Camp.

• After breakfast, descend to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates.

• From the gate, continue another hour to Mweka Village.

• Board a vehicle at Mweka Village and drive back to the hotel in Moshi, which takes about 30 minutes. Don't forget to tip the Kilimanjaro trekking guides and porters.

Elevation: 3090m/10,150ft to 1680m/5500ft.

Distance: 10km/6mi.

Hiking Time: 3-4 hours.

Habitat: Forest.

Meals: Breakfast.