Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek

Full-Service Trek · 7 days

Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek

Machame Gate → Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) → Mweka Gate June – October & December – February

7 DAYS

6 nights

FULL-SERVICE TREK

Travel style

JUNE – OCTOBER & DECEMBER – FEBRUARY

Best season

PRIVATE

Your own vehicle

The journey

Kilimanjaro is the only place on Earth where you can walk from equatorial rainforest to arctic glaciers in a week. The Machame Route — the Whiskey Route — is the mountain's most beautiful line, sweeping through cloud forest, across the Shira Plateau and up the dramatic Barranco Wall before the midnight push to Stella Point.

Your Scareface crew of certified guides, cooks and porters carries you not just logistically but emotionally. Our summit success rate exceeds 95% because we plan an extra acclimatisation day, check your oxygen saturation twice daily and pace the mountain the wise way: pole pole — slowly, slowly. Standing at Uhuru Peak as dawn floods the ice fields is, quite simply, the greatest sunrise of your life.

Safari highlights

  • Sunrise summit of Uhuru Peak, 5,895 m
  • The scenic Machame Route with Lava Tower acclimatisation
  • Climb the theatrical Barranco Wall
  • Sleep beside the ancient glaciers of the Southern Icefield
  • Certified guides, twice-daily health checks, oxygen on board
  • Fair-wage porter team of 25+ crew members

Gallery

Day by day itinerary

DAY 1

Machame Gate (1,800 m) → Machame Camp (3,000 m)

Gate to the Cloud Forest

After breakfast and gear check, drive to Machame Gate. Sign in with the park rangers and begin through the dripping rainforest, where colobus monkeys tumble in the canopy. A steady 5–7 hour climb brings you to camp above the cloud line.

Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek day 1
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Machame Camp
DAY 2

Machame Camp → Shira Camp (3,840 m)

Moorlands and the Shira Plateau

Emerge from the forest into heather and giant lobelia. The trail steepens onto the Shira Plateau — one of the world's highest calderas — with your first full view of Kibo's glaciated summit. 4–6 hours of walking.

Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek day 2
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Shira Camp
DAY 3

Shira Camp → Lava Tower (4,630 m) → Barranco Camp (3,960 m)

Lava Tower Acclimatisation

The crucial acclimatisation day: climb high to Lava Tower beneath the Western Breach, lunch at 4,630 metres, then descend to the lush Barranco Valley — climb high, sleep low. 6–8 hours. Your body thanks you on summit night.

Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek day 3
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Barranco Camp
DAY 4

Barranco Camp → Karanga Camp (3,995 m)

The Great Barranco Wall

Wake beneath the imposing Barranco Wall — a theatrical scramble (no technical skill needed) crowned with views over the southern glaciers. Continue to Karanga Valley for a short, deliberate afternoon that protects your acclimatisation.

Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek day 4
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Karanga Camp
DAY 5

Karanga → Barafu Camp (4,673 m)

To the Icefield's Edge

A short but steep morning to Barafu, your summit base beneath the towering seracs of the Southern Icefield. Early dinner, gear preparation and into your tent by 19:00 — summit night begins at midnight.

Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek day 5
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Barafu Camp
DAY 6

Barafu → Stella Point (5,739 m) → Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) → Mweka Camp (3,100 m)

Uhuru Peak — The Roof of Africa

Midnight tea, headlamps on, pole pole up the switchbacks. Stella Point glows at dawn; an hour more along the crater rim brings you to the signboard at Uhuru Peak — glaciers on one side, all of Africa below. Descend to Mweka Camp for a long, joyful rest. 12–16 hours.

Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek day 6
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Mweka Camp
DAY 7

Mweka Camp → Mweka Gate (1,640 m) → Arusha

Rainforest Finale and Celebration

A three-hour descent through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where your certificate awaits — green or gold depending on your high point. Transfer to Arusha for a hot shower, cold Kilimanjaro beer and a celebration dinner.

Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek day 7
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Lodge, Arusha

What's included

  • Park fees, camping fees and rescue fees
  • Professional certified mountain guides
  • Full porter and cook crew with fair wages
  • All meals on the mountain and purified water
  • Quality 4-season tents and mess tent
  • Oxygen cylinder and pulse oximeter monitoring
  • Hotel night before and after the trek
  • Kilimanjaro Airport transfers

Not included

  • International flights, visas and insurance (must cover 6,000 m trekking)
  • Personal trekking gear (rentals available in Arusha)
  • Guide and crew gratuities (recommended budget provided)
  • Energy snacks and electrolyte supplements

Travel tips

  • 01 Train with day hikes 6–8 weeks before: legs and lungs, not heavy weights.
  • 02 Break in your boots early — blisters end more summits than altitude does.
  • 03 Drink 3–4 litres of water daily; altitude dulls thirst.
  • 04 The extra acclimatisation day at Lava Tower is why our success rate stays above 95%.

Packing list

  • 4-season sleeping bag (rental available)
  • Layered clothing: base, fleece, down and hardshell
  • Broken-in waterproof boots and gaiters
  • Headlamp with spare batteries
  • Trekking poles (knees love them on the descent)
  • Sleeping bag rated to -15°C for summit night

Route map

Kilimanjaro Machame Route Trek — safari routeOpen in maps

Frequently asked

You should comfortably hike 6–8 hours on consecutive days. Summit day is 12–16 hours slow walking. Altitude tolerance matters more than speed — our pace and health checks handle the rest.

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