Best 6 days Machame route Kilimanjaro climb and trekking tour packages

Best 6 days Machame route Kilimanjaro climb and trekking tour packages

Day 1: Machame Gate to Machame Camp

The first day trekking begins at Machame Gate (1,640 meters). Typically you will drive from the town of Moshi to the Machame gate, which takes approximately an hour. At the Gate you will meet your trekking crew – your guide, porters and cook. You will have picnic lunch on the way. The first day trek on the Machame Route is a long one (~11km / 7miles) and takes approximately 5-7 hours to complete. The day’s trekking ends at Machame Camp (2,835 meters) which sits near the border of the rainforest zone and the low alpine zone. By the time you arrive your porters will have already setup your camp and tents, and dinner will be served.

Day 2: Machame Camp to Shira Camp 2

After breakfast you will pack your gear and prepare for the trek from Machame Camp to Shira Camp 2 (3,850 meters). The trek is relatively steep as you enter the low alpine zone which is characterised by moorlands and grasslands. Shira Camp 2 sits on a plateau which provides you with the first views of Kibo in the North-West and Mount Meru in the East. Day two takes approximately 4-6 hours and covers a distance of 5km / 3miles.

Day 3: Shira Camp 2 to Lava Tower and then Barranco Camp

After breakfast trek East off the Shira Plateau through the ‘Garden of the Senecios’, up to Lava Tower and the Shark’s Tooth rock formation at 4,600 meters and then back down via the Southern Circuit to Barranco Camp (3,900 meters). The route is approximately 11km / 7 miles in length and takes 5-7 hours to complete. Although you end the day at a very similar elevation to when you started from Shira Camp, it is arguably one of the most important days on your trek as it gives you a chance to climb high and sleep low which is important for proper acclimatisation.

Day 4: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp then Barafu Camp

After breakfast our days will begins with a steep traverse up the Barranco Wall; a 257 meter rock face that requires basic scrambling skills to the top of the Karanga Valley. If you are on a six day trek you will stop for lunch at Karanga Camp and then continue on along the Southern Circuit until it joins the Mweka Trail up to Barafu Camp (4,680 meters). For six day trekkers, day 4 takes approximately 8-10 hours to complete and covers 9.5km / 6 miles. When you arrive at Barafu around mid-afternoon you will be served an early dinner and encouraged to get some shut-eye as the summit trek commences around 24:00 that night.

Day 5: Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak then Mweka Camp

You will be awoken around 23:30 with hot tea and biscuits. Hopefully you have managed to get a few hours’ sleep; don’t worry if you haven’t as most people struggle to sleep before summit night. You still have another 156 meters of altitude to walk around the crater rim to Uhuru Peak (5,895 meters). After reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro, a 4.5km / 3 mile ascent, you still have an 11km / 7 mile descent to Mweka Camp (3,100 meters)! Mweka is situated in the upper part of the rainforest zone. The richness of oxygen and moisture in the air will be a very welcome surprise.

Day 6: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate

In the morning after breakfast you will be trekking down to Mweka gate. The trek is a pleasant one through the lower rain-forested slopes and down to Mweka Gate (1,640 meters). Although you cover 9km / 5.5 miles, the trek only takes 3-4 hours. Assuming you successfully reach Stella Point or Uhuru Peak you will be presented with official certificates – a green certificate for the former and a gold certificate for the latter. It is customary to tip your trekking crew before being transported back to your hotel in Moshi.