Machame Route

Mount Kilimanjaro

Machame Route Overview

Over the last three decades of running treks on Kilimanjaro the Machame route has become our most popular route. The Machame route, is regarded as a challenging wilderness route which allows for excellent acclimatization and stunning scenery. It takes a total of seven days with five days ascending through the forest from Machame Gate on the southwest side of the mountain, circling the massif, and summiting from Barafu Camp on day six, followed by descent back down to the gate on day 7. A great opportunity to see diverse vegetation and wide-eyed views.

Our staff are professional, qualified and experienced. We look after them excellently and in turn they look after you excellently! Our Kilimanjaro climb prices are land based and all inclusive including all park fees – there are no hidden kitties or fees. We do not charge additional fees by season and the price you see is the price you pay. We have flexible payments and ask for a £250 deposit to secure your place and balances 4 weeks prior to departure.

Please do read all about our climbs and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are a respected and award winning tour operator, we run our own teams on Kilimanjaro and when you call or email us you’ll be in touch with experienced people who’ve climbed Kilimanjaro several times and who love the outdoors. We’re not an agency, we have our own office, stores and staff in Tanzania all year round and we’ve been running climbs for individuals, groups, clubs, schools, charities and companies for three decades.

Dominating the landscape like no other mountain, both iconic and instantly recognizable, Kilimanjaro in Tanzania is the highest peak in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. At 5895 metres, to climb Kilimanjaro is a great challenge, not to be underestimated, but entirely feasible for the hill walker looking to combine a high mountain adventure with going to Africa. It is one of the great Seven Summits peaks.

Kilimanjaro translates to “mountain of the springs” and its unique position just below the equator offers an opportunity to experience five different habitats from bottom to top, which makes an ascent of the mountain undeniably special. In a matter of days you’ll climb Kilimanjaro from the equator to what feels like the Arctic, moving through grasslands, tropical rainforest, alpine meadows, moorlands and desert uplands to snow and ice.

The Machame Route is a camping trip for an average group size of 8 (we can take up to a maximum of 25 people but this is usually only for organised private groups; most team sizes are 6 – 8 people) using quality mountain tents, and qualified local guides who work with us full time, porters who carry the bags and equipment, and cooks who provide fresh, tasty food every day. The average ratio of guide:climber is 1:2 – this does change slightly depending on numbers of climbers.

From the start you will have experienced people who love the outdoors to talk to in the office, all of them have climbed Kilimanjaro several times and can give an honest appraisal of the Kilimanjaro climb. This personal service extends to Tanzania where our in country director Castro will give a team briefing along with our head guide and cook and be on hand all the time. He will introduce you to the guides who all speak good English and understand that this is more than a holiday, it is a personal dream to summit the roof of Africa.

Find out more and book a life-changing Kilimanjaro Trek at Adventure Alternative

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MACHAME ROUTE COST:

£1895.00

Includes

Full ground price for the machame route
Accommodation in Moshi for 3 nights in the Keys Annexe Hotel (twin, B&B)
Jeep or coach transport to the mountain gate from and to Moshi
Park fees, camping fees and park rescue fees
Park certified guides (ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 depending on team size and company reps)
Porters and cooks, plus equipment and tents for them
All camping equipment including sleeping tents with mattresses
Expedition administrator, translator and Manager
Meals on the mountain - fresh food, 3 meals per day
UK administration and organisation of your trip

Excludes

International airfare to Kilimanjaro Airport
Airport transfers (£10/$15 per person one way)
Tanzanian Visa ($50 for most passports & $100 for USA citizens, purchased on arrival)
Vaccinations and malaria tablets (~£50+)
Personal expenses (£ varies)
Travel insurance (~£30+)
Lunch and dinners in Moshi (~£20+)
Tips (~£80 paid in local Tanzanian Shillings for distribution at exit gate)

How do payments work?

We try to make payments as easy and manageable for you as possible. We ask for a deposit of £250 on booking (which is included in the advertised trip fee). The balance is then due 4 weeks prior to your trip start date. When you book a trip with us you are automatically given an online account on our secure server. You can then sign into your account at anytime to make interim payments or to make one instalment 4 weeks before your trip. It’s totally up to you, you can spread the cost or make one balance payment.

Not all about money

Our prices are competitive and good value, and we offer quality, an excellent service, security and a strong stance on tourism in a developing country. We don’t want to be so expensive to run fewer trips and have our staff idle, but on the other hand we believe that running cheap trips that promote the practise of skimming budgets would result in the porters getting next to nothing, which is something we cannot consider.

Additionally we will only run 7 day trips, since any less is dangerous for a peak just short of 6000 metres (equivalent to Camp 1 on Mount Everest). Current National Park and camping fees are included in our trip fee and are circa USD $150 per person per day, which makes Kilimanjaro an expensive peak to visit. Reducing the number of days may make the price cheaper but the chances of summiting reduce to around 50% and it is potentially dangerous.

We include lots of support staff plus one guide for every two or three climbers (ratios change depending on the number of climbers but our guide to climber ratio is never greater than 1:3). We do not operate kitties and we use a very good hotel in town with which we have built up a strong relationship for the past twenty years.

We have our own license to operate tours on Mount Kilimanjaro and are a member of the local Tanzanian Association of Tour Operators.

Travel insurance

We advise you to take out your insurance as soon as possible to cover potential events that might cause you to cancel your trip.

You need to ensure that you have a policy which covers trekking to 5895m, helicopter rescue and cancellation, but it does not need to cover technical climbing. You should bring with you a copy of your policy and ensure your tent mate knows where you keep it. Many of our clients use Sports Cover Direct.

Local providers

Local Providers for this trip are Adventure Alternative Tanzania. We provide full employment for our subsidiary company alongside excellent rates of pay, equipment, training and career development.

“Superb Leaders”

“Just thought I would drop you a line to say how fantastic an experience the climb was, we loved every minute of it. As you will know we both achieved the summit with no real ill effects from the altitude and best of all no Diamox. Lipman, Godfrey, Kamanda, Simba and John were superb leaders all in their own styles they have my up most respect.”

Mount Kilimanjaro Fitness and Terrain

Terrain on Mount Kilimanjaro

The terrain on Kilimanjaro varies throughout; in a period of seven days, traversing the mountain over 38 miles, ascending from 2000m to 5895m and back down, you will pass through cultivated farmland, equatorial forest and alpine heath, across a lunar-like volcanic desert and up to a glaciated summit. Climbing Kilimanjaro is not a technical climb and there are no precipitous drops along the way, no rock climbing or specialist equipment needed.

The paths are in good condition and well trodden; some are steeper than others (in particular the Great Barranco Wall is an exciting scramble) and you will most likely meet people all along the way. On summit day the path is mostly screed, which can be loose and unrelenting, especially on the descent when your knees will probably suffer.

kilimanjaro_route-sketch-map_machame-route

Mount Kilimanjaro Camps on Machame Route

Machame and Millennium Camp are on the tree line and have a number of campsites set in small clearings in the forest. You will see a central ranger station and a number of drop-hole latrines. Mobile coverage here and it is quite easy to descend back to the gate if necessary.

Shira Camp is situated on the vast Shira plateau which is a volcanic spill-off from the last explosion some 100,000 years ago. Open and exposed and often dusty with smaller, more fragile plants amongst the rocks. Latrines and Ranger huts are around and the area is so huge it is easy to have some privacy. Meanwhile, the Horombo Huts are busy with people and Mawenzi Tarn is very quiet and remote.

Barranco Camp is in a big clearing at the head of the steep valley which drops down into the Umbwe route, with dramatic cliffs around and right below the ice fields of Kibo, a stunning location for a camp.

Karanga Camp is a very open camp on the side of a hillside with great views of the summit massif and the expanse of land beyond the mountain. Many people go directly from Barranco to Barafu, so Karanga is traditionally a bit of half-way stop, but there are still latrines and a Ranger hut here.

Barafu, meaning ‘ice’, is now no longer covered in permanent snow but it is cold and rocky and exposed. People definitely feel the altitude here and you can expect snow and sometimes high wind. The campsites are dotted amongst nooks and crannies in the rocks, perched on a sort of ridge.

Experience for Mount Kilimanjaro

Climbing Kilimanjaro is a non-technical trek but it does offer a full mountaineering experience. Experience in hill walking is a benefit but not absolutely necessary, since this is a supported climb. You will have however be outdoors constantly and living in tents so any sort of experience with camping will be useful and a good level of training is expected, especially on the thigh and calf muscles.

It is not necessary to have any experience of high altitude to climb Kilimanjaro, and there is nowhere in the United Kingdom or Ireland to possibly train for it. The important factor will be to go slowly and allow your metabolism to adapt to the lower air pressure and the thinner air, and be aware of altitude health at all times.

Support on Mount Kilimanjaro

The staff will carry your main bag up to a maximum weight of 15 kgs plus all the tents, kitchen equipment, food, fuel, tables and chairs. They will cater for all the group needs, providing excellent meals and putting up the tents. The guides will also brief you daily on the climb.

Castro is our operations manager in Moshi and Director of Adventure Alternative Tanzania. He organises all the staff, equipment, permits and hotel arrangements. You will have his telephone number, or the staff at the hotel desk can call him for you. He is organiser, translator, problem-solver, advisor and the main link between you and the UK office. He talks to the guides every day on the mountain and can make arrangements while you are up high.

You also have continued support from the main office in Northern Ireland. Should a problem arise of significant proportion then you only need to call us.

Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route Kit List

Most hill walkers will already own everything that you’ll need for a climb of Kilimanjaro. There is no technical equipment needed. If you have any questions about kit please do contact us.

Strong, waterproof duffle bag or rucksack for your main gear
Waterproof day sack of about 30 -40 litres for carrying your daily needs
Sleeping bag rated down to -10° Celsius or more if you get cold easily (you can hire this from us)
Sturdy hiking boots with ankle support, and a sole that does not bend too easily. Gore-Tex lined fabric boots are fine but not quite as warm as leather. Gaiters are advised also.
Waterproof windbreaker and trousers, preferably breathable, with a hood and big enough to accommodate several layers beneath
Middle layer fleece (used as outer layer lower down and mid layer higher up)
Warm down or synthetic jacket or a heavy duty fleece for warmth especially on summit night
Thermal underwear or long johns for summit night
Balaclava or insulated warm hat, insulated gloves or mittens and thermal inner gloves
Sun hat, sun lotion, SPF lip screen and sunglasses
Trekking clothes – trousers and shorts, shirts and T-shirts, jumper or midlayer fleece, underwear and several pairs of hiking socks, trainers or sandals
Water bottle and/or camelback (take a protective cover for the mouthpiece) and water purification tablets (optional, iodine-based is fine)
Head torch with spare batteries
Trekking poles (especially useful for coming down from the summit)
Personal wash kit include a nail brush, moisturising cream, a small towel, tweezers, soap, nail clippers and wet wipes
Variety of waterproof bags – for dirty clothes, sleeping bag and things to keep dry
Personal first aid includes aspirin, Nurofen, plasters, Germolene, Immodium, strepsils and prescription medicines for possible gastric problems
Passport, insurance papers, spending money, air tickets, 2 pin (round) plug adaptor, spare batteries for digital cameras, reading books and maps, diary, pen

Rental Items for Mount Kilimanjaro

You can rent sleeping bags directly from us and add them when booking, or by logging into your account at a later date. It’s also possible to hire other equipment in Moshi directly from our staff such as walking poles, torches or anything that you may have forgotten.

Comfortable foam mattresses are provided, there is no need to bring a Therm-A-Rest or camp mat for the mountain.

Find out more and book a life-changing Kilimanjaro Trek at Adventure Alternative

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