HGT Travels
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Trip Description
Popularly known as the "Whiskey Route," the Machame route is one of the most famous scenic roads leading to the Kilimanjaro summit. On this trek to Mount Kilimanjaro, the course is shorter however steep and considered challenging which is appealing to the adventurous explorers with a prior trekking experience on high altitudes.
The Machame route begins with a drive from Moshi to the Machame Gate and approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the south. Hikers walk along the path to the Shira Plateau through a rainforest. Many routes to the summit merge at the plateau. The route then turns east traversing underneath the Southern Ice Field of the peak known as the Southern Circuit before summiting from Barafu. The descent is via the Mweka route.
Day to Day Itinerary
Day 01 :
Arrival Day
Day 02 :
Moshi to Machame Gate to Machame Camp (3,100m/10,171ft); 1 and 1/2 hr drive and 4 to 5 hrs hike
Day 03 :
Machame Camp to Shira Camp (3,840m/12,600ft); 4 to 5 hrs
Day 04 :
Shira Camp to Lava Tower (4,630m/15,190ft) to Barranco Camp (3,860 m/12,665 ft); 5 to 7 hrs hike
Day 05 :
Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp (4,200m/13,800ft); 3 hrs hike
Day 06 :
After breakfast, we leave for the Karanga Valley campsite by continuing on a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall. We spend our night at the Karanga camp. Overnight at the Karanga Camp.
Day 07 :
Barafu High Camp to Summit(5,895m/19,300ft) to Mweka Hut (3,100m/10,200ft); 13 to 14 hrs hike
Day 08 :
Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate (1,830m/6,000ft) to Moshi; 3 to 4 hrs hike and 1 and 1/2 hr drive
Day 09 :
Final Departure
Important Notes
Insurance; Kilimanjaro Search and Rescue offers the best and modern search on Kilimanjaro climb in case of emergency, we will need travel insurance which covers Medical Evacuation of up to 6,000m above sea level, it is essential to ask a travel insurance company to include this prior traveling to Tanzania.
Luggage limit per person on domestic flights is 15 kgs checked-in and 5 kgs day sack. Bottled oxygen is carried with the guides along with a first aid kit. A health check is done twice everyday measuring oxygen saturation and pulse. In a group of 10 climbers, two bottled oxygen canister will be available for the entire expedition. If any of the climbers need to descend one of the assistant guides will descend along without affecting the rest of the group. We encourage travelers to stay hydrated and eat enough food, with optional acclimatization walks on certain days. We advise consulting your local physician or doctor regarding Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) and medications to counteract/mitigate the effects.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 01 : Arrival Day
Upon arrival at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, our local guide will meet and transfer us to Moshi for checking in at the hotel for the night.
Overnight in Moshi.
Day 02 : Moshi to Machame Gate to Machame Camp (3,100m/10,171ft); 1 and 1/2 hr drive and 4 to 5 hrs hike
At 08:00 a.m., we drive from Moshi to the Machame National Park Gate which takes about forty minutes to drive from Moshi. The journey takes us through the village of Machame, located on the lower slopes of the mountain. After registration and all the legal formalities, with the porters and guides, we leave the park gate and stroll through the rainforest up to a ridge on a winding trail. Use of gaiters and trekking poles is a good idea since the path lower down can be muddy and slippery. We continue walking a short distance to the Machame Camp.
Overnight at the Machame Camp.Included meals: Breakfast,Lunch and Dinner
Day 03 : Machame Camp to Shira Camp (3,840m/12,600ft); 4 to 5 hrs
After breakfast, today we leave the forest glades and continue on an ascending path. The path leads us to the Shira campsite, crossing the little valley walking along steep rocky heather covered ridge and turning west onto a river gorge. We dine and rest at the campsite tonight.
Overnight at the Shira campsite.Included meals: Breakfast,Lunch and Dinner
Day 04 : Shira Camp to Lava Tower (4,630m/15,190ft) to Barranco Camp (3,860 m/12,665 ft); 5 to 7 hrs hike
Today is a crucial day for acclimatization and preparing our bodies for the summit day. We start and end the day at the same elevation. From the Shira Plateau, we head to the northeast up a ridge, passing the junction towards the Kibo peak.
Further, our direction changes to the Southeast towards the Lava Tower, where we will be having a hot picnic lunch. After lunch, we can view the second junction which brings us up to the Arrow Glacier at an altitude of 4,876 meters. We hike down to the Barranco Hut (3,860 meters) where we dine and stay for overnight.
Overnight at the Barranco Camp.Included meals: Breakfast,Lunch and Dinner
Day 05 : Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp (4,200m/13,800ft); 3 hrs hike
After breakfast, we leave for the Karanga Valley campsite by continuing on a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall. We spend our night at the Karanga camp.
Overnight at the Karanga Camp.Included meals: Breakfast,Lunch and Dinner
Day 06 : After breakfast, we leave for the Karanga Valley campsite by continuing on a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall. We spend our night at the Karanga camp. Overnight at the Karanga Camp.
After breakfast, we leave Karanga and continue to the Barafu High camp. We complete the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from various angles. We can view the two peaks of Mawenxi and Kibo from here. We camp here for the night and prepare for the summit day.
Overnight at the Barafu High Camp.Included meals: Breakfast,Lunch and Dinner
Day 07 : Barafu High Camp to Summit(5,895m/19,300ft) to Mweka Hut (3,100m/10,200ft); 13 to 14 hrs hike
We head to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers in the very early morning (2 a.m. in midnight). We ascent in a northwesterly direction through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim which is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. At Stella Point (5685m), we stop for a short rest and are rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise if the weather permits. From Stella Point, we may encounter snow all the way on the 1-hour ascent to the summit. At Uhuru Peak, we reach the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa.
We need to clothe for both extremes. From the summit, we continue our descent straight down to the Mweka Hut camp site, stopping at Barafu high camp for lunch. It is a good idea to use gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. The Mweka Camp, located in the upper forest is susceptible to mist and rain in the late afternoon.
We enjoy our last dinner and a well-earned sleep on the mountain tonight.
Overnight at the Mweka Hut.Included meals: Breakfast,Lunch and Dinner
Day 08 : Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate (1,830m/6,000ft) to Moshi; 3 to 4 hrs hike and 1 and 1/2 hr drive
After our breakfast, we continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate to receive our summit certificates. The lower elevations of the trail can be wet and muddy therefore the use of gaiters and trekking poles is a good idea.
A vehicle will meet us at the Mweka gate and transfer us to Moshi for the night's stay.
Overnight in Moshi.Included meals: Breakfast,Lunch and Dinner
Day 09 : Final Departure
After breakfast at the hotel, we are transferred to the Kilimanjaro International Airport for our final departing flight.
Included meals: Breakfast
Important Notes
Insurance; Kilimanjaro Search and Rescue offers the best and modern search on Kilimanjaro climb in case of emergency, we will need travel insurance which covers Medical Evacuation of up to 6,000m above sea level, it is essential to ask a travel insurance company to include this prior traveling to Tanzania.
Luggage limit per person on domestic flights is 15 kgs checked-in and 5 kgs day sack. Bottled oxygen is carried with the guides along with a first aid kit. A health check is done twice everyday measuring oxygen saturation and pulse. In a group of 10 climbers, two bottled oxygen canister will be available for the entire expedition. If any of the climbers need to descend one of the assistant guides will descend along without affecting the rest of the group. We encourage travelers to stay hydrated and eat enough food, with optional acclimatization walks on certain days. We advise consulting your local physician or doctor regarding Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) and medications to counteract/mitigate the effects.
Want to customise this trip? You can contact us
What's Included
- All park fees; entry fees, camping fees, rescue fees.
- All equipment for the climb; tents, chairs, tables, mess tent, cooking tent, mattresses for clients, forks, knives, plates, cooking gas, lamps.
- All meals for clients and porters for all the duration of the climb.
- All wages for porters, guides, cooks at authority recommended wages.
- All transport costs for organization of the climb and preparation and any cost related to the climb/porters/food, etc.
- Meeting with client one day prior to the climb for briefing.
- All transfers from Hotels or from airports to park gates.
- Private chemical toilet.
- Two nights hotel accommodations; one before and one after the climb.
What's not Included
- Tipping of guides, porters, cooks.
- International airfare to and from Tanzania.
- Excess baggage charges.
- Extra night accommodation in case of any changes to the scheduled itinerary.
- Travel and rescue insurance.
- Personal expenses( phone calls, laundry, battery recharge, extra porters, shower, et cetera).
- All other things not mentioned in the included section.
Accommodation
During the climb, we will be using tented camps.On our arrival and departure in Moshi, we will be using the standard hotels the Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel, Salinero Hotel or similar according to the availability. The accommodations on this tour are on a twin sharing basis, and a single supplement charge of additional USD 405 is applicable on request. If a particular hotel is unavailable during the period of booking, then alternative suggestions of the same category will be provided by the company.
Meals
We will be provided with continental and local meal options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We do not provide any meals on the arrival day, we only provide breakfast during the departure day and on other days we provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Vegetarian and special diets are also available on request. Please let us know if you have any sorts of food-related allergies or specific dietary requirements.
The given prices are per person with excluded international flights. Given below are the departure dates available for online booking. If the given date is not favorable then please contact us and we will happily customize your trip on dates more appropriate for you.
HGT Travels also organizes trips on small groups, so we recommend you to reserve a seat for yourself by booking with us right away. Hurry! The adventure awaits you.
Trip Dates
Trip Price
Trip Status
Trip Availability
- The given date is available for booking. Anyone traveling solo or with groups are welcome to join.
- Traveler(s) have already booked on the given date. Any individual or group can join in.
- A lot of people have already booked on the given date. Therefore, we suggest you to hurry as only a few spaces are available.
- The given date has reached its full potential. However, if you still want to travel on this particular date, we can organize it for you. Please contact us.
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