7 Days Machame Route

You’ve come to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro, but your first day in the country will be much more relaxing. When your flight arrives at Kilimanjaro International Airport, a representative from Chalema Tanzania Safaris will be waiting to transport you to Moshi. The city boasts one of the best views in the world, with front-row seats to Mount Kilimanjaro. Moshi is also home to pleasant tree-lined streets, bustling marketplaces, and your own first-rate accommodations for tonight: the Parkview Inn. After getting checked in, you can spend the rest of the day exploring the lovely hotel grounds, going for a swim, dining at the hotel restaurant, or even exploring the city. Tomorrow we’ll begin our ascent of Kilimanjaro in earnest, so make sure to get plenty of sleep.

Approx. time taken: 5-6 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Are you ready to climb Kilimanjaro? A morning briefing with equipments check. Before we can start our hike, we’ll make the short drive from Moshi to Kilimanjaro National Park’s Machame Gate, where the trailhead begins. Our path leads through lush rainforest on the lower slopes of the mountain, where we’ll encounter plenty of other trekkers beginning their own adventures. But keep your eyes peeled—despite the hustle and bustle, this is a prime location to spot monkeys and birds moving seamlessly through the forest canopy. A flash of fluttering wings could even turn out to be one of Kilimanjaro’s endemic swallowtail butterflies! After spending about five or six hours on the trail, we’ll push aside the wet leaves of the forest to enter Machame Camp, where we’ll spend our first night on the mountain.

Distance covered: 5km / 3.1mi

Approx. time taken: 4-5 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

You might expect that we’d have it to rough it on this Kilimanjaro trekking adventure, so this morning’s hearty breakfast might come as a welcome surprise. During this trek, the culinary wizards from Chalema Tanzania Safaris can whip up flavorful meals to please even the most discerning of palates. After breakfast, we’ll hike for another five or six hours, climbing above the montane forest to enter an alpine landscape of stark ridgelines and wide-open plains, where low-lying heather clings to the ground. It’s here that we’ll find Shira Camp: our stopping point for today’s hike. While we’ve still got a long path ahead of us before we reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, you’ll be able to get a good look at the mountain’s highest peak from here. On a clear day, the snowy heights of Africa’s highest mountain are sure to take your breath away.

Distance covered: 10km / 6.2mi

Approx. time taken: 7-8 hrs

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

After breakfast this morning, we’ll set off into another new landscape comprised of volcanic rock and craggy outcrops of stone. The highlight of today’s trek is undoubtedly the Lava Tower, or Shark’s Tooth: an enormous edifice of cooled lava rock, looming like a natural skyscraper over the surrounding field of boulders. We’ve now reached some serious elevation: about 4,600 meters above sea level. That means we’re one step closer to the summit of Kilimanjaro—and one step closer to making camp for the evening. For the last leg of today’s hike, we’ll make a short descent and arrive at Barranco Camp. All told, we’ll take about six or seven hours to complete this stretch of our Kilimanjaro climb.

Distance covered: 5km / 3.1mi

Approx. time taken: 8 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

We’ll enjoy a shorter day on the trail as we make our way from Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp, so we’ll eat breakfast at our leisure and set off when we’re ready to get moving. There’s still some challenge to anticipate, though: the Barranco Wall is a scree-covered slope where most trekkers will need to move slowly, using all four limbs to navigate the steep terrain. When we’ve conquered this unique geological formation, we’ll be sure to appreciate some well-deserved rest and relaxation at Karanga Camp. While many trekkers will push on to reach Barafu Camp today, we’ve broken this part of the trail into two days. This affords our bodies more time to acclimatize gradually to the high elevation, reducing the risk of altitude sickness.

Distance covered: 4km / 2.5mi

Approx. time taken: 3-5 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Trekking on Kilimanjaro never fails to reward intrepid travelers with unbelievable mountain views, and today is certainly no exception. As we traverse the mountain’s high-altitude alpine deserts on the approach to Barafu Camp, we’ll earn splendid views of Kilimanjaro’s Kibo and Mawenzi summits. Our campsite tonight is located at 4,600 meters above sea level; we’ll ascend at a steady pace to adjust to this heady altitude, allowing ourselves another four or five hours on the trail before reaching Barafu Camp. The campsite is famous for its remarkable views of Mawenzi, especially as the light begins to fade from the East African sky. While it’s tempting to stay up late and enjoy the scenery, make sure to get plenty of sleep. Tomorrow is the day we make for the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Distance covered: 5km / 3.1mi

Approx. time taken: 3-5 hours up / 5-6 hours down

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

The best trek in Tanzania earns its stellar reputation very early this morning, when we pack our bags and hike through the early morning darkness on the approach to Kilimanjaro’s summit. We’ll move carefully over the steep terrain, marveling at the massive glaciers clinging to the mountain’s volcanic cone. As sun breaks over the East African plains, we’ll watch this eternal spectacle from the superb viewpoint known as Stella Point. After taking in the view, there’s some more climbing to do: we haven’t reached the summit of the mountain yet! We’ll take the final steps to reach Uhuru Peak, the highest point on the mountain and the highest point in all of Africa. We’ll celebrate our accomplishments and take plenty of photos before descending back to about 3,000 meters, spending the night at the camp known as Mweka Hut.

Distance covered: 10km / 6.2mi

Approx. time taken: 3-5 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Are you ready for the last day of your Kilimanjaro climb? After breakfast this morning, we’ll begin the final leg of our journey, descending through verdant montane forest to exit the national park at Mweka Gate. The gate will lead us to the village of Mweka, where we’ll bid a very fond farewell to our team of guides and porters who have made this Kilimanjaro expedition such a rousing success. After grabbing a bite to eat in town, we’ll meet our ride back to Moshi and onwards to Arusha, where you’ll spend a truly relaxing evening at the Arusha Planet Lodge. Make sure to take advantage of the hotel’s luxurious amenities and allow yourself to fully unwind—you’ve earned it.

As morning dawns in Arusha, you’ll wake up for the first time as someone who has crossed an important item from their bucket list: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Now that you’ve completed the best trek in Tanzania, where will your travels take you? If you’d like to embark on an authentic African safari, we’d be happy to help you with further travel arrangements. If you’re scheduled to depart on an international flight, we’ll transport you to the Kilimanjaro International Airport in plenty of time for your outgoing connection. Thank you for trusting Chalema Tanzania Safaris to transform your dreams of climbing Kilimanjaro into reality!