For the 6-day Machame route, add an additional acclimatization day at Shira Camp on the itinerary below (an extra day between day 3 and day 4). On an extra day, you can make a scenic walk toward Shira Cathedral. The extra day helps to get used to the high altitude.
May to Feb
Moderate (Summit Day Difficult)
5895 m /19340 ft
Machame gate via. Moshi Town
Kilimanjaro Summit, Icefields, Mawenzi Peak, Unique Flora
6 or 7 Days Trekking and 2 Days Extra
Arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport in the evening, meet and greet by your guide, then make a short transfer to Arusha Town to the hotel for an overnight.
Briefing about the Kilimanjaro climb by your guide. Your Kilimanjaro guide will also check your equipment. Anything missing can be rented the next day.
Overnight: Mc Ellys Hotel
Machame Gate (1.800m) – Machame Camp (3.000m)
Pick up from the hotel in Arusha Town, do some brief shopping around town before we leave the town and go to Machame Gate (1.800m / 5.900ft). Meet your Kilimanjaro team: guide, assistant guide, cook and porters. Start hiking from Machame gate to Machame Camp. Today we walk through a mystic jungle, home to black and white colobus monkey, blue monkey and many exotic bird species. On our way we have our lunch and on arrival in the camp a hot dinner is waiting for you.
Overnight; Machame Camp booked
3.000m / 9,800ft – Trekking 5-6 hours
Machame Camp (3.000m) – Shira Camp (3.800m)
Today we can see a beautiful sunrise, and Uhuru Peak in the distance. After breakfast we walk to Shira Camp for lunch and overnight. Today we leave the jungle and enter a new, open world with strange big plants, Giant Erica and Giant Heather. Optional walk to a beautiful viewing point in the afternoon. From this camp you have a fantastic view of the Summit.
Overnight: Shira Camp (Booked)
3.800m / 12,500ft – Trekking 5 hours
Shira Camp (3.800m) – Lava Tower (4.600m) – Barranco Camp (3.900m)
Another beautiful day with different sceneries. We start walking in the morning and we enter into the moorland zone, with interesting vegetation with giant groundsels and giant lobelias, up to 5 meters high. We climb up to Lava Tower (4.600m / 15100ft), a huge rock standing up right. We have a hot lunch on this beautiful point. After lunch we descend to our camp for dinner and overnight. This day will help you to get used to the high altitude, to increase our chances of reaching the summit.
Overnight: Barranco Camp (booked)
It’s market day in Lausanne! Enjoy browsing and packing a picnic lunch for our 11 a.m. boat cruise on Lake Geneva. A few miles down-shore we’ll dock at Château de Chillon, where we’ll have a guided tour of this delightfully medieval castle on the water. On our way back we’ll take time to peek into the vineyards surrounding Lutry before returning to Lausanne. Boat: 2 hrs. Bus: 1 hr. Walking: moderate.Barranco camp (3.900m) – Barafu Camp (4.600m)
Another beautiful day with stunning panoramas. We start the day with a steep climb of the Barranco Wall. An exhausting experience, but a fantastic reward when we are on top of Barranco Wall, a magnificent view of Uhuru Peak. We now enter the Alpine Dessert Zone. After lunch we walk to Barafu camp for dinner and overnight. On our way we are rewarded with fantastic views of the glaciers and Mawenzi Peak (the second peak of Kilimanjaro).
Overnight: Barafu Camp (booked)
Your guide wakes you up before midnight and after a hot cup of tea and some biscuits you will start your trekking to the summit! When we reach Stella Point (5.700m / 18700ft) we see a spectacular sunrise with Uhuru Peak in the background. We take a short rest to enjoy the spectacular view of the sunrise and Kibo Crater. We continue to walk on a relatively flat path, surrounded by beautiful glaciers, to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak (5.895m / 19,340ft). Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your live! After taking photos we start to descend to our base camp, Barafu Camp. (2 to 3 hours walk). We reach the camp, where we will have a rest and a good lunch. After lunch we descend the southern slopes of the Mweka route, to Mweka Camp (about 3-4 hours). Exhausted, proud and excited we will have a well-deserved dinner and very good sleep.
Overnight: Mweka Camp.
3.000m / 10,000ft
Trekking:
6-7 hours to summit
6-7 hours to Mweka
Mweka Camp (3.100m) – Mweka Gate (1.980m)
After a good night sleep we start our final Descend to Mweka Gate. We go through the misty and beautiful forest again, all the way to Mweka gate. The monkeys say goodbye and we realize we are about to end this great experience. After getting our certificates we will celebrate our Kilimanjaro adventure with our Guides, Cook and Porters. We all did a great job! Transfer to your hotel for your much-needed shower and very comfortable bed.
Overnight: Mc Ellys Hotel
Trekking 4 hours
