Mt Kilimanjaro Climb - Machame 10 days Tour

Itinerary

Day 1: Nairobi

On arrival in Nairobi, you will be met and transferred to your hotel by our driver. Our local representative will meet you at the joining hotel to ensure that all is well. Our representative will provide details of tomorrow's private transfer to Moshi as well as any additional tours or activities that you may wish to enjoy whilst in Nairobi. The rest of the day is at your leisure. Please note this is an arrival day and you may arrive at any time.

Day 2: Machame Village - Moshi

Meals included: 1 breakfast

This morning you will depart on your private transfer from Nairobi through to Moshi. You will exit Kenya and enter Tanzania at the Namanga border post. The drive today covers approximately 420 kilometres and should take about six to seven hours. The final stretch of travel from Arusha to Moshi should offer views of this magnificent snow-capped mountain, really whetting your appetite for the forthcoming ascent. The Aishi lodge is beautifully located in the village of Machame, at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro. The lodge features large gardens, comfortable rooms and a peaceful setting amidst local banana plantations, and is a perfect place from which to start and end your Kilimanjaro climb! In the evening there is a briefing on the trek. At this time you will also receive your own personal trek bag. This trek bag will contain a kit bag that your porter will carry, an appropriate sleeping bag, sleep sheet, down jacket and sleeping mat. You will need to transfer your trekking possessions into this bag. You will be able to leave your normal travelling bag and any excess luggage at our Machame Hotel to be collected upon your return.

Day 3: Machame Hut

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Today you will meet up with your porters and guides after breakfast at the hotel, and transfer the short distance to the Machame Gate, at around 1800 metres, situated at the entrance to the forest. After completing registration procedures at Machame you should be on your way by late morning. Today’s walk is about five to six hours, gradually ascending through the forest to a ridge between two streams, before eventually emerging into heather at around 3000 metres. Note that it can be wet in the rainforest. The night is spent camping near Machame Hut, at much the same altitude. The porters will carry your trek bag with all of your kit. You will carry a day pack with your wet weather gear, camera, lunch and water. The porters will generally walk ahead so that they can reach camp first and put up your tents prior to your arrival.

Day 4: Shira Hut

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

After breakfast, you set off around 8.00am to head up to the Shira Plateau. From your overnight campsite you cross a small valley and continue up along a steep ridge, through open moorland, to about 3600 metres. The peak lies straight ahead of you, giving you inspiration on what is, at times, a tough day’s walk. After some three to four hours the route veers left before flattening out into a gorge, and from here you gradually ascend towards the Shira Plateau, and your overnight camp at Shira Hut, at 3850 metres, to the west of Kibo.

Day 5: Barranco Hut

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

Today is an important acclimatisation day as you travel up to 4250 metres before spending the night at Barranco (3950m). The path continues directly up the ridge towards Kibo. This is high altitude desert, with glorious views of the Western Breach of Kibo. After about four hours the path forks to the right and descends into a gorge (‘barranco’ in Swahili). There is a fair bit of ‘up and down’ walking today which can be quite tiring. Turning south-east towards the lava tower known as Shark’s Tooth, you reach Barranco Hut and your overnight campsite at 3950 metres. With luck you’ll enjoy a great sunset tonight!

Day 6: Karanga Valley

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

This morning you will climb the Barranco Wall (not a technical climb) and then follow the Kibo South Circuit. Wonderful views are to be had of Kibo's southern glaciers if the weather is clear. There's a pleasant lunch stop by the river, in the Karanga Valley. This is a relatively short day, and you should arrive at your camp around lunchtime, located just after the Karanga Valley set atop a ridge. Today is a valuable acclimitisation day as you will be walking for the morning only and you will be ascending and descending various ridges and valleys during your walk.

Day 7: Barafu Hut

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

From Karanga you head up to the intersection of the South Circuit and the Mweka route. Here you start climbing up a ridge for a further two hours to Barafu Hut, at 4600 metres. Barafu is Swahili for ‘ice’ and it can be very cold here at night. Once again you should arrive late lunchtime, allowing plenty of time to rest before the final summit attempt.

Day 8: Summit day

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner

A long, hard day! Leaving your campsite between midnight and two am, walking by torch light the climb from Barafu to Stella Point is fairly steep. At Rebmann Glacier (4870m) you head north between Rebmann and Ratzel Glacier, where you may enjoy some stunning views, as the dawn approaches. This brings you up to the crater rim just west of Stella Point (about six to seven hours), where you join the main trail for the last leg (about an hour) to the summit at Uhuru (5895m). You then head back down, via the Mweka route, where your tents will be pitched for the last time. The section from Uhuru down to Barafu (four hours) is scree (as on the way up), then you head down through the various vegetation zones, on a continual downhill, into Mweka which is located on the edge of the rainforest area (three to four hours). At an altitude of approx 3100 metres, it's nice to have some 'air' to breathe!

Day 9: Machame Village - Moshi

Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch

From Mweka down to the park gate, is a three to four hour walk, through the rainforest, which may be slippery in patches. At the gate you can often buy beers (or from the villages on the way back) ,and then there’s a very short hike to the roadhead where you will be met by the vehicle and transferred back to the hotel for a swim, a beer, and a VERY welcome hot shower!! Celebrations at the Aishi hotel will, no doubt, continue into the evening!

Day 10: Arusha or Nairobi

Meals included: 1 breakfast

In the morning you will be picked up by your private transfer vehicle and driven from Moshi to Arusha. After a brief lunch stop (cost not included), those continuing back to Nairobi re-board the transfer vehicle to continue onto Nairobi. You will cross back into Kenya at Namanga, and should expect to arrive into Nairobi at about 6.00pm, where your tour ends on arrival. Any flights out of Nairobi should not be booked prior to 8.30pm. The private transfer service from Arusha to Nairobi can drop clients at Nairobi’s international airport on the way to our Nairobi hotel. If you wish to be dropped of at the airport prior notice must be provided to us. The seven hour drive from Moshi to Nairobi can be replaced by a flight between Kilimanjaro Airport and Nairobi. The flight, and transfer between Moshi and Kilimanjaro Airport, needs to be pre-booked and is at additional cost.