| |
|
| Machame Route - Mount Kilimanjaro Climb |
|
| |
|
| |
Machame route is one of the scenic routes for those climbers
climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Machame route starts from Machame
village at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. Machame route is also
known as Whisky route due to its beautiful scenic as well as its
land escarpment.
Those people climbing Mount Kilimanjaro through Machame route
feels prestige as this (Machame route) is one of the harder route
in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Though the Machame route is harder
there is no technical climb when climbing Mount Kilimanjaro using
Machame route. Machame route start from Machame gate to Machame
Camp and proceed to Shira camp, lava tower camp, Barranco camp,
Karanga valley camp, Barafu camp, Uhuru Peak and descending through
Millennium camp, Mweka camp and thereafter to Mweka gate.
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro using Machame route differ from Marangu
route since your equipment and supplies are carried by porters
and a cook prepares all you meals. Where accommodation on the
Marangu route is in huts, the Machame route offers strictly tents
only.
|
This makes climbing Mount
Kilimanjaro better suited to the slightly more adventurous hiker,
rewarding him with a scenic brilliance such as not seen on the Marangu
route. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro from late afternoon using Machame
route as the sunsets at Shira, which takes not less than six days,
provides the slide slow as the misty revelations of Kibo at the
great Barranco Wall, the Machame route offers the adventurous hiker
a stunning scenic.
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro via Machame route has an added advantage
of automatically acclimatization to climbers on day three which
takes you high to Lava Tower (4630 m) and brings you down by nearly
700m for an overnight at Barranco camp (3950m). The other way of
acclimatization is by increasing one more day and make climbing
Mount Kilimanjaro via Machame route a seven day activity. Some climbers
even decides climbing Mount Kilimanjaro using Machame route for
eight days. |
| OPTION
ONE: 6 Days/5 Nights Itinerary for Trekking
Mount Kilimanjaro Machame route. |
| |
The Machame route is strictly
done for not less than 6 days (from 2006) while Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro
since fewer days spent Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro using Machame route
bring more risk on Mountain sickness and tiredness which all in all
led to less performance to the roof top of Africa the Uhuru peak.
The arrival day you will meet our tour guide at arrival point/airport
who will transfer you to Moshi in a designated hotel for overnight
stay bed and breakfast!!
6 days Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route – Day
one
Transfer from Moshi town to Machame Gate (1490m) - Machame camp (2980m).
Hiking time: 7 hours.
Distance: About 18 km's.
Habitat: Montane forest.
Elevation change: + 1490 m |
Early in the morning the guide
of Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro will be with you for briefing after
breakfast around 9:00 am drive to Machame gate which takes about
40 to 45 minutes. With your picnic lunch climbers will do registering
at the gate office, thereafter you start your ascent and enter the
rain forest almost immediately. There is a strong possibility of
rain in the forest, which will transform the trail into a very soggy,
muddy and slippery experience. You will have a welcome lunch stop
about half way and will reach the Machame camping area in the late
afternoon. Tents and other belonging will be take care by porters
and Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro guide. Most of the time porters and
cook happens to reach to the camping site before you for preparation
of meals as well as erection of tents for your accommodation. Sometime
weather condition in the night temperatures can already drop to
freezing point at Machame campsite.
6 days Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route –
Day two
Machame camp (2980m) - Shira campsite (3840m).
|
Hiking time:
6 hours
Distance: About 9 km's.
Habitat: Moorland.
Elevation change: + 860 m
Early in the morning after breakfast, the day is spent to reach
Shira campsite (3840 m) with our picnic lunch. The night at this
bare camp will even be colder than the previous night, with temperatures
dropping to well below freezing. The trail take us for an hour or
so to the top of the forest and then for about two hours at a gentler
gradient through the moorland zone. After a picnic lunch and rest,
you continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira plateau. Hiking to
this point you will be able to see in an easterly direction, the
Western Breach with its spectacular glaciers. You are now due west
of Kibo and after a short hike you will reach the Shira campsite.
6 days Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route –
Day three
Shira (3840m) - Lava Tower (4630m) - Barranco camp (3950 m).
Hiking time: 6hours
Distance: About 15 km's
Habitat: Semi desert.
Elevation change: + 790 m, - 680 m
Final Elevation: 3950 m
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 four 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 around 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 two 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.
|
6 days Trekking Mount
Kilimanjaro Machame Route – Day four
Barranco camp (3950m) - Barafu camp (4550m).
Hiking time: 6 hours
Distance: About 13 km's
Habitat: Alpine desert
Elevation change: + 600 m
Early in the morning after breakfast at the Great Barranco Wall you
will appreciate how beautiful Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro via Machame
route really is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley
over intervening ridges and valleys, and then joins up with the Mweka
route.
After spending a night at the Great Barranco Wall (a very imposing
sight at first), you make your way up this awesome looking obstacle,
which in the end normally turns out easier than what you anticipated.
Topping out just below the |
Heim Glacier, you now appreciate
just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. The route then heads down
through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys,
and then joins up with the Mweka route. This is the preferred route
down from the summit, so remember it. Turn left up the ridge and
after another hour or so, you reach Barafu Hut.
The last water stop on the route is the Karanga Valley, as there
is no water at Barafu camp. Barafu is the Swahili word for "ice"
and it is a bleak and inhospitable camping area to spend the night.
Totally exposed to the ever-present gales the tents are pitched
on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. Make sure that you familiarise
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.
6 days Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route –
Day five
SUMMIT ATTEMPT, Barafu
camp (4550m) - Uhuru Peak (5895m) - Mweka (3100m).
Hiking time: 6 hours to reach Uhuru Peak.
5 - 7 hours to descend to Mweka.
Distance: About 7 km's ascent - 23 km's descent.
Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit.
Elevation change: + 1345 m, - 2795 m
Final Elevation: 3100 m
You will wake up around 2330hrs, and after some tea and biscuits
you start Trekking to Uhuru peak 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 walks 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 hut (3100m). The route
is not difficult and will take you down the rock and scree path
into the moorland and eventually into the forest. The camp is situated
in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late
afternoon. Dinner and washing water will be prepared.
6 days Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Route –
Day six
Mweka camp (3100m) - Mweka Gate (1980m).
Hiking time: 4 hours.
Distance: About 15 km's
Habitat: Forest
Elevation change: - 1120 m
After an early and well-deserved breakfast, it is a short 3-hour
and scenic hike back to the Park gate. At Mweka gate you sign your
name and details in a register. 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. From the Mweka Gate
you will continue down into the Mweka village, normally a muddy
3 km (1 hour) hike. At the Mweka Gate, meet Mount Kilimanjaro National
Park Officials gives you the Certificate of Achievement. You now
drive back to Moshi for a long over due hot shower.
Extra days Kilimanjaro climb through Machame route can as
well be arranged to suit your preferences.
Price: US $ 1200.
Price inclusive:
2 Transfers from Moshi to Machame
park gate -return.
3 meals per day while trekking
- Vegetarian/Non-Vegetarian.
6 days Kilimanjaro trek- Machame.
5 nights accommodation in camps
while trekking Machame.
All park entrance fees and government
levies.
English speaking mountains Guide
and assistant guides.
Porters- a minimum of 2 per client.
First Aid Kit including Oxygen
Kit.
Camping Equipments including sleeping
tents, sleeping mats, dining tent, chairs and table. |
| |
| Click
here for more Kilimanjaro itineraries..... |
You can pay using credit card during
your arrival in Tanzania. We currently accept VISA CARD ONLY. |
|
|
