Rain forest, the Shira Plateau, a night under the Barranco Wall and a climb-high, sleep-low profile that gives your body time to adjust.
A seven-day Kilimanjaro climb on the scenic Machame route, camping each night and descending by the Mweka route.
Machame Gate (1,828 m) to Machame Camp (3,020 m)
Mount Kilimanjaro
Machame Camp to Shira Camp (3,847 m)
Mount Kilimanjaro
Shira Camp to Lava Tower (4,642 m) and Barranco Camp (3,984 m)
Mount Kilimanjaro
Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp (4,040 m)
Mount Kilimanjaro
Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp (4,681 m)
Mount Kilimanjaro
Summit day: Barafu to Uhuru Peak and down to Mweka
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate (1,641 m)
Mount Kilimanjaro
Breakfast, then a 45-minute drive from Moshi to Machame Gate, where the crew packs and you register. The trail enters rain forest almost at once, and rain often turns it muddy and slippery. Lunch halfway, and Machame Camp by late afternoon, your tent already up. Nights here can reach freezing.
Good to know: About 7 hours · about 10.8 km · montane forest.
An hour to the top of the forest, then two gentler hours through moorland. After lunch, up a rocky ridge onto the Shira Plateau. The Western Breach and its glaciers appear to the east as you reach Shira Camp, due west of Kibo. A colder night.
Good to know: About 6 hours · about 5.2 km · moorland.
East into semi-desert and rock towards Lava Tower, reached after about five hours. This is the toughest day so far, and some climbers first feel breathlessness or headaches. After lunch, about two hours down to Barranco Camp in the valley below the Western Breach and the Barranco Wall. Climbing high and sleeping lower is what makes this day so useful.
Good to know: About 7 hours · about 10.7 km · semi-desert.
The Barranco Wall looks daunting from camp, but the scramble up it is usually easier than it looks. At the top, below the Heim Glacier, the mountain opens up. Three climbs and descents bring you to Karanga Camp for lunch, dinner and the night. Depending on the weather and how the group feels, your guide may lead an acclimatisation walk higher up.
Good to know: About 6 hours · about 6 km · semi-desert.
A short climb of about 640 metres to Barafu, Swahili for "ice": a bleak, windy camp on a narrow, stony ridge. Learn the ground around your tent before dark. The summit is another 1,214 metres up and you leave tonight, so prepare your kit, poles and warm layers, fit fresh headlamp and camera batteries, keep water in a thermal flask, and be in bed by about 19:00.
Good to know: About 3 hours · about 3.4 km · alpine desert.
You are woken at about 23:20 for tea and biscuits and set off in the dark, climbing north-west through heavy scree towards Stella Point (5,739 m) on the crater rim. For many climbers these six hours are the hardest of the trek. Rest at Stella Point as the sun rises, then walk about two hours, usually on snow, to Uhuru Peak. Do not linger: cold and tiredness set in fast. About three hours back to Barafu for a short rest, then down through rock and scree into the moorland and forest to Mweka Camp, where mist or rain is common in the late afternoon.
Good to know: 7 to 8 hours up, 6 to 8 hours down · about 4.5 km up and 10.8 km down · scree and ice.
After breakfast, a scenic walk of four to six hours down through the forest to the park gate; knees can make it slower. Please wait to give tips to the crew until you and all your gear are safely at the gate. Sign out at the gate, where climbers receive their certificates: green for Stella Point, gold for Uhuru Peak. A muddy 3 km walk takes you to Mweka village for a hot lunch, then the drive back to Moshi for a shower and a celebration.
Good to know: 4 to 6 hours · about 8.5 km · forest.
The section before the Shira ridge and the Barranco Wall are physically demanding and exposed, which some people with a fear of heights find hard. Other routes join from day 3, so the trail is busier.
Demanding physically.
Every journey can change: more nights where you love it, a different camp, a beach extension. Tell us what matters and we will shape it with you.
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