Tanzania

Kilimanjaro Machame (6 Day Trek)

32

Trek through dense rainforest, wild camp in glaciated terrain, and summit the highest mountain in Africa.

Itinerary

Day 1: Kilimanjaro Airport transfer

You’ll be picked up from Kilimanjaro International Airport and taken to Moshi - a small town at the foothills of Kilimanjaro. In the evening you'll have a welcome dinner and briefing from the head guide. This trip includes all food, accommodation and airport transfers.

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One hour’s drive lies the gate to the Machame route, where you will complete the Flag Off ceremony and begin your trek. The first section of the route passes through dense rainforest towards Machame Camp.

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The route continues up through the forest and onto the Shira Plateau, with it's impressive views of the mountain. Looking back, you will be able to see Mt Meru (4,565m) rising high in the distance.

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Today the landscape changes dramatically to barren moorland. You traverse the southwest side of Kilimanjaro, passing underneath the Lava Tower from the now dormant volcano. The day has been spent at a relatively high altitude (up to 4,600m), but you have followed the mountaineering code of ‘walk high, sleep low’ to acclimatize.

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Our day starts by descending into the Great Barranco, a huge ravine, and then back up over the Great Barranco Wall. It’s an easy scramble and doesn't require any rock climbing. Passing underneath the impressive Heim and Kersten glaciers, you head towards Barrafu Camp (4,642m).

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Today we start at around 2am and begin the steady hike to the summit. As the first sun rays hit, you'll start to see the glaciers around you, and we aim to be at the summit of Kilimanjaro for sunrise! We spend about 30 minutes on the summit celebrating and taking photos, before hiking all the way down to Millennium Camp for some well-earned rest.

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A gentle trek takes us down through the rain forest to Mweka Gate, where you will receive certificates before taking a short 4x4 ride to the hotel in Moshi. In the evening you'll have a celebratory meal with the rest of the team.

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You'll be taken back to Kilimanjaro International Airport, in time for your flights home.

32 verified reviews

Rated 5.0
Edward
Edward

(Apr 2023)

What a great experience. If you are trying to persuade yourself to do this trust me just do it. You won’t regret it. (Even in the wet season)! And you will be proud of yourself for achieving this. Overall, Great communication and planning by the team. The whole team were super friendly and helpful which took away any stresses related to that. The hike itself. They scale the support team well so you have a head guide / chef and other support staff carrying the heavier bags/ tents / food etc. you will only be carrying your day pack. You are going to be amazed how quickly and effortlessly they can carry these items up the mountain. Most days aren’t too long in terms of hiking (depending how fast you are) but give you ample time to acclimatize. The summit day is something else. Depending how fast you are you will leave anywhere between 11pm and 2am (maybe later if you are even fitter) to reach the summit for sunrise. I would consider myself pretty fit but found the summit day pretty tiring, especially the last push before Stella Point. You won’t regret putting the effort/ training in before. Food was great too. Considering you are camping you still get freshly (and tasty) cooked hot meals and packed lunches on longer days. Pro tips: 1) I would highly recommend paying extra for the portable toilet. I read the same online before I went and opted for it and after seeing (smelling) the toilets on the mountain I’m happy I paid the extra 😊😮 2) wet season clothes A poncho is not optional but a MUST. It rained every day on the hike. When it poured it really poured and I was thankful I had a poncho and great rain gear. Trying to dry clothes / gear between days is limited so this will save you putting on wet trousers again or having a wet bag. 3) camp entertainment As mentioned some days aren’t the most demanding and you have sometime to kill in the camps. I had audio books but had downloaded a few episodes/ movies. Make sure you download quite a few. They weigh nothing! 4) pillow Bring an inflatable pillow for the camping. 5) extra treats The supporting team really appreciated sharing the treats brought from home. 6) safari make sure you do a safari. I had one day spare at the end of the trip and opted to go to the ngorongoro crater. Even though it was a super early start (3am) it was amazing and out of this world. Lion king in real life! 7) wet season Don’t necessarily be put off by the idea of hiking in the wet season. Besides from dealing with the rain the benefit is there are not as many people hiking / camping. There were only 5-6 other tourists I saw hiking. Looking at the size of some of the camps I can only imagine how busy the mountain would be in peak season.

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Evelin
Evelin

(Feb 2023)

Climbing Kilimanjaro via the Machame route was an absolute ultimate adventure. Perfectly organised by the local Ashante tours from the first to the very last minute of our trip to Tanzania. The guides were amazing and without them we wouldn’t have had the same experience or let alone climb to the top. Couldn’t wish for anything better than this

Rebecca
Rebecca

(Feb 2023)

Do not hesitate to book this trip! What an absolutely fantastic experience. I wouldn’t change a thing. Our guides Edwin, Vincent and Patrick were very professional and made sure our whole group was safe and extremely well taken care of. Edwin was very knowledgeable and ensured all aspects of the trip were explained and day to take made sure we were ready and prepared for what lay ahead. The whole team of porters were just super, we had such a good laugh with everyone and the team spirit was wonderful. A 5 star experience.

FAQs

Includes:

  • Professional mountain guides, cooks and porters
  • Accommodation
  • Permits
  • Tents, sleeping bags and mats
  • Airport Transfers on the first and last day of the trip
  • Food & filtered water

Excludes:

  • International Flights
  • Tips
  • Personal travel/rescue insurance
  • Any Visa fees (£40 from the UK)

Please note that all plastic bags regardless of their thickness will be prohibited from being brought into Tanzania. Plastic packaging for medical services, sanitary is not prohibited. 

Documents

• Passport

• Travel insurance details

• Boarding passes for flights

• 2 passport photos

• Driver’s license (if needed)

• Cash

• Credit/Debit Card

Sleeping

• Sleeping bag liner (optional)

Footwear

• Trekking boots: 3 or 4 season lightweight

• Shoes for the plane (optional)

Clothing

Please make sure that you have non-cotton clothing for trekking.

• 2 base-layer t-shirts (e.g. running t-shirts)

• Fleece/soft-shell jacket

• Waterproof jacket

• Down jacket for warmth

• Travel clothes and City Wear

• Underwear

• Base-layer trousers (optional)

• Waterproof trousers

• Trekking trousers

• Trekking shorts (Optional)

• 2 thick wool mountaineering socks

• Lightweight and breathable trekking socks

• Gloves and wool hat

Other

• A daysack: 35 litres

• A duffel or rucksack with straps to go over your back

• Dry Liner or Dry Bag

• Water bottle/thermos: At least 2L. Nalgene bottles best.

• Sunglasses

• Suncream

• General Toiletries, Contact lenses, Glasses (if needed)

• Towel

• Electronics - Head torch, travel adaptor, phone & charger

• Lipsil

• Book

• MP3/Music and headphones

• Travel wash

• Hand sanitizer, wet wipes

• Trekking Poles (Optional)

Kilimanjaro is a steep mountain with a long summit day.  We recommend you train with sport or jogging 2-3 times a week in the run-up to your trip.

Start: There are three pick-up times (10:00 am, 5:00 pm or 11:59 pm) from Kilimanjaro International Airport on the first date of your trip. 

End: On the last date you can fly at any time, and your guides will arrange transfers that work best for the group.

Guests typically fly with BA, Air France or Qatar, however we'd recommend comparing a few airlines e.g. https://www.skyscanner.net

When you go above altitudes of 2,500m, you need to allow your body time to acclimatise properly. When you are at altitude, you enter a lower oxygen environment. All relevant itineraries are designed to ensure that this process is met.

So, what does this mean? This may mean that you may need to follow a longer route during the ascent phase to achieve the end goal. In this case, reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro. It may also mean that you must rest for a day or so at certain altitudes to ensure that our bodies acclimatise properly to the change in environment. You will work alongside some of the most experienced local guides to help you reach your goals when at altitude. High altitude sickness can happen to anybody – old or young, in a good shape or not. Being in hurry in the mountains can be deadly. Your body can adjust to this altitude, but only if given enough time. If you find symptoms of altitude sickness, then you must descend down at any cost. The symptoms are totally different from one person to other. Sometimes you might feel a headache, you may feel you need to throw up, your fingers may go slightly numb or you may start breathing heavy. If you have these kinds of symptoms you should stop at this height. Drinking lots of water can help you out.

You are advised to move slowly, don’t rush and ensure you protect yourself from the weather.

Most groups have 12 people, with a maximum of 14.

You stay in a hotel at the beginning and end of the trek. The lodges offer twin shared rooms and basic showering facilities.

During the trek, you will be given a 3-man tent and use it as a twin share.

Single supplements are available for the duration of the trip for $90. Please ensure you request this on your registration form before you depart.

If you need to book any additional nights at the hotel, you can do so here: http://www.panamagardenresort.com/

Kilimanjaro is very close to the equator, so the temperatures are very similar year-round. They can range from around 20C (70F) at the base -10C (-15F) on the summit.

The dry season is June-September, and during these times there is typically just a dusting of snow on the summit. These are also the busiest months. The wet season is Nov-May, where snow depth on the summit can regularly be 20-30cm. 

It is customary in Tanzania to tip guides and porters.

The amount that you tip is completely up to you. As a good rule of thumb, generally participants will tip around $150 USD per customer (not per guide). You can give this to the head guide and they will distribute it amongst the team of guides, porters and cooks.

You will have chefs with you on the hike who can cater for all dietary requirements. You will have 3 nutritious and filling meals each day, which help keep your energy levels high. Please make us aware of any requirements on your registration form before departure.

Filtered water will be readily available free of charge.

Yes - citizens from most countries do need a visa. When purchasing your visa, be aware that there are many companies online that are not legitimate. Please be mindful of this if buying online.

The currency used in Tanzania is Tanzanian Shillings. Some places will accept USD ($), but generally with a poor exchange rate.

There is a Wildlife Safari trip which works well with the Kilimanjaro dates.

The minimum age for this trek is 18, or 16 with a parent/guardian.

Your head guide is Holyfield

All trips on Skyhook are run by small, hand-picked local guiding companies. For this trip your guides run Ahsante Tours, based in Moshi.

By booking through Skyhook you'll be joining a small-group trip. This can make it nice and sociable (you'll be added to a group chat after booking), and guarantees great value for money!

Holyfield