Machame Route
Machame Gate (1,800m / 5,906ft) - Machame Camp (3,010m / 9,875ft)
• Elevation Gain: 1,210 Meters / 3,969 Feet
• Hiking distance: 5 km
• Hiking time: 6 to 7 hours
• Habitat: Rainforest
The Undugu Safaris Crew will arrive at the hotel on the first morning in order to meet you and hold a small briefing before the summit. After the briefing, we will load the gear into our group's transportation and then travel by vehicle to Kilimanjaro National Park's entrance: Machame Gate (1,800 m).
After the quick formality of acquiring climbing permits and registering with the search and rescue service, the group will start trekking up to Machame Camp. The route passes through tropical rainforest which the White Colobus Monke calls home. These trails are ancient to our culture, the fauna and flora to be seen here will truly be a memorable experience for you.
This will be your first day at this altitude, so it is strongly recommended you heed the following instructions from this point on:
• Abstain from consuming alcohol and caffeine.
• Drink over 4 litres of bottled water daily (little by little, frequently).
• Take a Diamox pill to help alleviate symptoms of altitude sickness.
Most mountain climbers take Diamox in the morning, before they start their ascent, in order to reduce discomfort associated with altitude sickness. We recommend you consult your doctor prior to the trip in case of potential allergies.
Machame Camp (3,010m / 9,875ft) - Shira 2 Camp (3,850m / 12631ft)
• Elevation Gain: 840 Meters / 2,756 Feet
• Hiking distance: 5 km
• Hiking time: 4 to 5 hours
• Habitat: Moorland
After breakfast, you will start trekking up to the second high-altitude camp, Shira 2 Camp. Today, you will emerge from the rainforest and for the first time be able to see stunning views of the Shira Plateau. We will arrive at shira camp 2 for a hot lunch and rest while enjoying panoramic views of the shira plateau.
Depending on the status of the group and amount of time left in the day, your guides will take you for an acclimatization hike towards Lava Tower Camp with a 200-meter gain in altitude.
Note: The acclimatization hike is an easy trek with a slight gain in altitude done in order to speed up the acclimatization process. You should take the acclimatization hikes very seriously. They help increase your chances of successfully summiting Kilimanjaro and save you from the consequences of altitude sickness. However you can also choose to hike it tomorrow on the way to barranco camp.
Change in Elevation: Shira 2 Camp (3,900m / 12,795ft) to Destination Point in route to Lava Tower (4,110 m / 13,484ft)
• Elevation Gain: 210 Meters / 689 Feet
• Hiking distance: 2 km
• Hiking time: 1 to 2 hours
• Habitat: Moorlands
Shira 2 Camp (3,850m / 12,631ft) - Barranco Camp (3,960m / 12,992ft)
• Elevation Gain: 110 Meters / 361 Feet
• Hiking distance: 11 km
• Hiking time: 6 to 8 hours
• Habitat: Alpine desert
The trek to Barranco camp hosts some key features of the entire summit. Today we will trek through alpine desert to Lava Tower which actually has the same elevation as Base Camp! After having lunch at Lava Tower, we will decend to barranco camp.
Note: If you have been to the lava tower before or you simply don't wish to go, a guide can lead you to a shorter trail that leads to barranco camp. The group may also choose to do this and we will adjust the route, following instead the road for porters. In this scenario we will not reach an altitude of 4,630 meters, but instead only reach a maximum of 4,400 meters.
Barranco Camp (3,960m / 12992ft) - Karanga Camp (3963m / 13002ft)
• Elevation Gain: 3 Meters / 10 Feet
• Hiking distance: 5.5 km
• Hiking time: 5 hours
• Habitat: Alpine Desert
Today's start is an epic one, Barranco Wall is the first and only technical part of the summit and is adjacent to the Barranco Ravine. The Wall divides the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a vertical climb over rock that will prove long and tiring.
After we've reach the top of Barranco Wall, we will pass underneath the Heim and Kersten Glaciers. We then head towards the Karanga valley which is the last steep climb up before our night’s camp at Karanga camp.
Depending on the status of the group, we will go for a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek up to around 4200m before descending back to camp for the night.
Karanga Camp (3,963m / 13002ft) - Barafu Camp (4640m / 15223ft)
• Elevation Gain: 677 Meters / 2,221 Feet
• Hiking distance: 3 km
• Hiking time: 3 hours
• Habitat: Alpine Desert
After a good night’s rest and breakfast, we set off on our trek to Barafu camp at 4640m. The climb will take us across desolate scree slopes with no vegetation around us at all. It’s a tough steep walk made more difficult by the altitude.
Upon arrival, we eat and spend the afternoon resting as we prepare for a long night and day ahead. It is important to keep hydrated and warm. We have an early dinner and then everyone will get some sleep as we will be getting up at between 11pm and 12pm to start the climb to the summit.
Barafu Camp (4,640m / 15,223ft) - Uhuru Peak (5,895m / 19,340.55ft) - Millennium Camp (3,790m / 12434ft)
• Elevation Gain: 1,255 Meters / 4,117.55 Feet
• Hiking distance: 13.4 km
• Hiking time:12-15 hours
• Habitat: Arctic condition
Today you’ll stand taller than any other on the entire African Continent. We will be climbing 1,255 meters over the course of 4 to 5 hours. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us for what is one of most incredible sunrises you will ever see in Africa.
Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak. We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then back to Barafu Camp for breakfast before finally heading down to Millennium Camp for a well-earned rest.
Millennium Camp (3,790m / 12,434ft) - Mweka Gate (1,650m / 5413ft)
• Hiking distance: 12 km
• Hiking time: 4 to 5 hours
• Habitat: Rainforest
After a much needed night of rest, we will head for the park's exit: Mweka Gate (1,650 m). After the descent, the whole group will gather to congratulate you, followed by offering you a chance to share your opinions on the climb in the parks guestbook.
Lastly, we will present you with your commemorative certificates in our office and provide you a transfer back to the hotel to enjoy a shower, dinner and celebrations with a Kilimanjaro beer!
