Climb Kilimanjaro:Marungu/Machame.

Below you will samples of the Marungu and Machame routes, which are the most popular routes used to hike Mount Kilimanaro.

These can be modified to meet your needs.

These are given as a sample of how the days look etc.

These itineraries below where put together for past client’s as they wanted them

We strongly suggest to ensure proper acclimatization which means adding a extra day or so.

Marungu route

 

5 Days Mt. Kilimanjaro Trek via Marangu (Hut Route) + 2 nights accommodation in Moshi (before & after trek)

Day 1
Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport.

You will be met at the airport and transferred to the Hotel in Moshi for your overnight, Dinner, and Breakfast.

Day 2
After breakfast and a briefing from your guide, leave Moshi at 9 AM, drive for 45 minutes to the Marangu Gate on the eastern side of Kilimanjaro, register with the national park, and begin hiking at 10:30 AM.

In the rainforest, look for towering Eucalyptus trees, birdlife, and Colobus monkeys.

At these lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy, so gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and t-shirts should be sufficient, but keep your rain gear and warmer clothing handy.

Stop halfway for lunch, and reach the Mandara Huts at 2 or 3 PM.

Unpack, rest, and have some tea or coffee.

A 15-minute side trip to Maundi Crater is a good way to see the surroundings including Northern Tanzania and Kenya.

Dinner is served during the early evening at 7 PM. Bathrooms with running water are available.

Day 3
Wake to a 7:30 AM breakfast, and pack for your next trek.

Break camp by 8:30 AM, hike for an hour through rainforest glades, then follow an ascending path through heathland where you can look for giant lobelias and groundsels. Continue up into open moorlands where small shrubs are the main vegetation.

Stop halfway for lunch, where you can enjoy amazing views of Mawenzi.

Arrive at the Horombo Huts by 3 PM, where you can see Kibo’s summit. Rest, unpack, and prepare for dinner.

Bathrooms with running water are available.

You may start to feel the effects of altitude here, and to aid your acclimatization, you can choose to spend an extra day resting at Horombo or climbing to a basecamp below Kibo’s sub peak Mawenzi.

Day 4
Wake to breakfast as usual, but if you wake early you can get some great photos of the sunrise.

The first part of the day’s hike climbs through the dwindling heathland that blends into a moonscape as you enter the sweeping saddle connecting Mawenzi and Kibo.

When you stop for lunch, and later when you cross this surprisingly large saddle, you can examine the summit climb up Kibo that you will be starting in just a few hours.

Be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness.

There is no running water at the Kibo Huts.

Day 5
Wake at midnight to a light breakfast, then prepare for your summit ascent.

The goal is to climb before dawn so that you can reach Uhuru Peak shortly after sunrise.

Leave at 1 AM, switch back up steep scree or possibly snow, and reach Gilman’s Point on the crater rim at 5,861 m/18,640 ft between 5 and 7 AM. Here, views of the fabled crater and its icecaps greet you.

Another 2 hours of hiking along the crater rim near the celebrated snows take you to Kilimanjaro’s true summit, Uhuru Peak, by 9 AM.

This is Africa’s highest point, and you would have to travel more than 3,000 miles toward the Himalayas to find a higher peak! Be sure to have your picture taken at the summit to show your friends.

After your summit stays, descend back to the Kibo Huts, have lunch, rest, collect your things, and recross the saddle to the Horombo Huts. Eat dinner and get some well-deserved sleep!

Day 6
Wake, as usual, pack, and descend through the moorland to the Mandara Huts.

Have lunch there then continue your triumphant recessional down through the lush forest to the park gate, which you should reach around 2 or 3 PM.

Remember to tip your guides, cooks, and porters, since you will be leaving them here.

A vehicle will take you back to the Springlands Hotel in Moshi, where it is definitely time for celebration!
Dinner and overnight

Day 7: Moshi – Arusha

Inclusive:

• Two nights accommodation at the Springlands Hotel in Moshi  (before and after the climb)
  • First night includes Dinner
  • Last night includes dinner & breakfast
• Qualified guides with mountain crew
• National park fees
• Hut/camping fees and tents
• Tents foam sleeping pads, cooking equipment, and (Cutlery / Crockery) eating utensils.
• Rescue fees (required by the National Park)
• Pulse oximeters 
• First aid kit
• Guides, porters, cook, waiter salaries
• Boiled water on the mountain
• Airport transfer (Kilimanjaro International Airport – Moshi Town)
• All meals on the mountain (breakfast, lunch & dinner)
• Guides, porters, waiter, cook accommodation and entry fees on the mountain

Exclusive:

• Guides, Porters, Cook & Waiters tips
• Meals and drinks not specified
• Mountain equipment (eg sleeping bags)
• Gear for your climb, Some equipment is available for rent. Provided upon booking.
• Items of personal nature (expenses)
• Emergency Oxygen
• Additional nights beyond the two standard hotel nights included
•  Extra activities (waterfall tour, cultural village visit).
• Visa fees & travel insurance.
• Flight tickets.

Machame Route

A community of walkers, porters, guides, chefs is created and then disbanded daily as you move up the mountain.

 

6 Days Mt. Kilimanjaro via Machame Route (camping route) + 2 nights Accommodation in Moshi

Day 1: 
Arrive at the Kilimanjaro International Airport/Alternative Airport pick up and transfer to the Springlands Hotel for overnight Dinner and breakfast included.

Day 2:

Machame Gate (1490 m) – Machame camp (2980 m), Hiking time: 7 hours,

Distance: About 18 km’s – Habitat: Montane forest.

Your day starts early with a briefing, followed by breakfast and a 45-minute drive from Moshi (910m) to the Machame village (1490m).

The guides and porters prepare and pack the supplies and your equipment in the village. Depending on the condition of the road, it is possible to drive from the village to the Machame gate, but if not, the muddy 3 km walk will take about 1 hour to complete.

After registering at the gate office, you start your ascent and enter the rainforest. You will receive a lunch pack at the gate and you can also drink bottled water you bought at Springlands Hotel in Moshi.

There is a possibility of rain in the forest, which will transform the trail into a very soggy, muddy and slippery experience.

In the evening the porters will boil drinking and washing water and the cook will prepare dinner before you retire to your tent for the night.

Night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at Machame campsite.

Day 3: 
Machame camp (2980m) – Shira camp (3840m), Hiking time: 6 hours. Distance: About 9 km’s – Habitat: Moorland

You rise early at Machame camp and after breakfast, you climb an hour or so to the top of the forest and then for 2 hours at a gentler gradient through the moorland zone.

After a short lunch and rest, you continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira plateau.

By now you will be able to see in an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. You are now due west of Kibo and after a short hike, you will reach the Shira campsite at 3 840m.

The porters will boil drinking and washing water, before serving dinner.

The night at this exposed camp will even be colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing.

Day 4: 
Shira (3840m)-Lava Tower (4630m)-Barranco camp (3950m), Hiking time: 7 Hrs, Distance: About 15 km’s – Habitat: Semi-desert

The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4630m after about a 5 hours walk.

Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4630m). Definitely the toughest day so far. It is normally at this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability, and headaches.

After lunch, you descent again by almost 680m to the Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of 4600m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear.

This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall.

The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for the preparation of your dinner and overnight at Barranco Campsite.

Day 5: 
Barranco to Karanga Valley – Barafu camp (4550m), Hiking time: 7 hours

Distance: About 13 km’s – Habitat: Alpine desert

Totally exposed to the ever-present gales the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure that you familiarize yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents.

The summit is now a further 1345m up and you will make the final ascent the same night. Prepare your equipment, ski stick and thermal clothing for your summit attempt.

This should include the replacement of your headlamp and camera batteries and make sure you have a spare set available as well.

To prevent freezing it will be wise to carry your water in a thermal flask. Go to bed at round about 19h00 and try to get some precious rest and sleep for not more than 5 Hours.

Day 6: 
SUMMIT/DESCENT ATTEMPT

Barafu camp (4550m)-Uhuru Peak (5895m)-Mweka (3100m), Hiking time: 8 hours to reach Uhuru Peak, 7/8 hours to descend to Mweka, Distance: About 7 km’s ascent – 23 km’s descent, Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit.

You will rise around 23h30, and after some tea and biscuits you shuffle off into the night.

You will head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This 6-hour walk to Stella point is for many climbers, mentally and physically the most challenging on the route.

At Stella Point (5685m) you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting).

From Stella Point, you will normally encounter snow all the way on your 2-hour ascent to Uhuru Peak. The time you will spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions

Do not stop here for too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue. Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your life.

The walk back to Barafu from the summit takes about 3 hours.

Here you will have a well earned but short rest and collect the rest of your gear, before heading down to Mweka Camp (3100m) for Dinner and Overnight.

Day 7: 

Mweka camp (3100m)- Mweka Gate (1980m)

Hiking/Descend time: 3 hours,

Distance: About 15 km’s Habitat: Forest
After Breakfast, From the Mweka Gate, you will continue down into the Mweka village, normally a muddy and long hour walk. In the Mweka village drive to Springlands Hotel and you will be served a delicious hot lunch!!

You now drive back to Moshi for a long overdue hot shower, Overnight in Springlands hotel.

It is recommended and tips are highly appreciated at the end of their trip. Tips can be given to the Guide at Springlands Hotel.

This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates.

Those climbers who reached Stella Point (5685m) are issued with green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive gold certificates.

Day 8: 

After breakfast, transfer to Arusha town.

END OF TOUR

INCLUDED:

• Two nights accommodation at the Springlands Hotel in Moshi  (before and after the climb)
  • First night includes dinner & breakfast
  • Last night includes dinner & breakfast
• Return transportation from Moshi to/from the starting/finishing point on the mountain
• Qualified guides with mountain crew
• National park fees
• Tents and sleeping mattresses
• Cutlery / Crockery / Eating utensils
• Mess tent (for dining) / Mini camping chairs / Tables / Candles
• Rescue Fees
• Airport transfer (Kilimanjaro International Airport – Moshi Town)
• Pulse oximeters
• First aid kit
• Guides, porters, cook, waiter salaries
• Boiled water on the mountain
• All meals on the mountain (breakfast, lunch & dinner)
• Single rooms supplement at Springlands Hotel (except on the 1 person rate)
• Guides, porters, waiter, cook accommodation and entry fees on the mountain

 

• EXCLUDED:
• Single rooms supplement at Springlands Hotel (except on the 1 person rate)
• Guides, Porters, Cook & Waiters tips
• Meals and drinks not specified
• Gear for your climb
• Items of personal nature
• Additional nights beyond the two standard hotel nights included
• Visas
• Emergency oxygen