Climb Africa’s highest mountain via the ever popular Machame Route supported by some of the most experienced guides on the mountain. Machame is generally perceived to have the best acclimatisation and most attractive scenery. The only drawback is its popularity, but with solid prospects of reaching the summit that is a sacrifice worth making.
Small Group 6 days
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Kilimanjaro rises out of the African plains to the majestic height of 5,895m. There are several routes up Kili and Machame recently overtook Marangu (Coca-Cola route) as the most popular. Starting at Machame Gate, the trek passes through striking rainforest, mountain desert and afro-alpine terrain before tackling the summit via Stella Point. The Machame route offers great scenery, arguably the best altitude acclimatisation of any and is available all year round. There are no huts on the Machame route, evenings are spent at the designated camp sites.
The Machame Route starts in the forest zone and heads North for two days until reaching the Shira Plateau at 3900m. Shira Camp offers incredible sunset views over the jagged peaks forming the southern edge of the Shira Plateau. The route really comes into its own from Lava Rock onwards with fantastic scenery, a varied trail and incredible Afro-Alpine vegetation between Barranco and Barafu. This trek includes airport transfers and a night’s accommodation either end of the trek in Arusha.
Adventurous trekkers can choose the outstanding Excel crater camp option, which includes an extra night after summiting, camping in the crater. It will be cold and the effects of altitude are strong, but the reward is a once in a lifetime experience in a truly alien environment of glaciers, ash-pits and wilderness. Details and photos from crater camp are available here.
DAY 1: HOTEL - MACHAME GATE (1828M) - MACHAME CAMP (3020M)
Breakfast at your hotel is served from 0700. Please ensure that you have packed your bags before breakfast, have signed over your extra luggage that will not be required on the mountain to reception, and have deposited your valuables into the hotel’s safe. Transfer and Registration. You will normally be collected at 0730 from your hotel. In the event that we have to collect climbers from other hotels before collecting you, we may need to amend this to 0800. Your driver will transfer you some 1 hour 20 minutes to Machame Gate where we complete registration formalities. Climbers should have their passport numbers for their registry entries but are advised to have kept their passports and valuables in the hotel safe (excluding the amount they will budget for tipping their crew). Please also note that following any transfer it is customary to tip the driver, $5 - $10 per group is usual. Trek from Machame Gate (1828m) to Machame Camp (3020m). The distance is 10.8km, over 1200m of elevation gain. Today can be quite tiring, particularly the final two hours.
DAY 2: MACHAME CAMP (3020M) - SHIRA CAMP (3847M)
Trek from Machame Camp to Shira Camp (3847m) on southern edge of Shira Plateau. It is normal to experience mild headaches on this day which should be alleviated with paracetamol. Those choosing to take Diamox should begin their course this morning with half a tablet (125mg) in the morning and the other half with supper in the evening. Distance is 5.2km.
DAY 3: SHIRA CAMP (3847M) - LAVA TOWER (4642M) - BARRANCO CAMP (3984M)
Trek from Shira Camp to Lava Tower (4642m). If the weather’s good you can ask your guide to guide you to the summit of the Lava Tower (4688m) where the views are excellent. Lunch is normally taken at the foot of the tower. Descend from Lava to Barranco Camp (3984m). Distance from Shira to Lava Tower is 7.0km. Distance from Lava Tower to Barranco is 3.7km.
DAY 4: BARRANCO CAMP (3984M) - BARAFU CAMP (4681M)
Trek from Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp (4681m) via the 257m high Breach Wall across the valley from Barranco. You should be aware that there are three rises and falls before reaching Karanga Camp where we have lunch at 4040m. From Karanga the route ascends 640m to Barafu. Aim to get to sleep as soon as possible as you will be woken at around 2300-0000 to begin your assault. Don’t worry about waking yourself for meals - your staff will wake you for these. You probably won’t feel like eating but please endeavour to do so as you’ll need the energy reserves. You are advised to get all your gear ready for the summit bid before you go to sleep as you may feel disoriented when awoken for the assault. Distance from Barranco to Barafu is 9.4km. It is advantageous to have a mental image of today’s profile so you don’t get psyched-out by all the rise and fall:
DAY 5: BARAFU CAMP (4681M) - STELLA POINT (5725M) - SUMMIT (5895M) - MWEKA CAMP (3090M)
Around midnight (your guide will judge the time that is optimal for you based on your pace thus far) quit camp for the assault via Stella Point (5752m) to the summit. Tonight is very difficult - particularly the final 500m - and you’ll need to commit to fight for the summit. You will inevitably feel like giving up and going to sleep. This is normal and can be overcome with perseverance. When resting please ensure you only stand or sit and do not lie down or close your eyes. Please trust your guide; he is very adept at judging whether your condition will allow safe progress or whether you have succumbed to a potentially dangerous condition and to proceed will not be safe. Nausea and headaches are normal and around a quarter of climbers will vomit at or near Stella Point. While very uncomfortable, these are not symptoms that are indicative of being at risk, per se. The onset of cerebral and pulmonary oedema are marked by distinctive early warning symptoms that your guide is capable of identifying. Please maintain regular dialogue with him and frequently update him on how you are feeling. When you reach Stella Point you will sit and rest. At this point the body often thinks you have finished your uphill fight and will be trying to coerce you into giving up and turning around. While you may genuinely believe that you have already exhausted your reserves in reaching this point, this is actually very unlikely to be so. Remember that you are only 143 vertical metres short of the summit, the journey from here is much less steep, and you have plenty of time for further pauses. If you do feel the need to give up at Stella Point please proceed towards the summit for just two minutes before making your final decision. In most cases this act of re-establishing momentum is enough to persuade the mind and body to co-operate with your intentions and you will ordinarily find hidden reserves for a final push, reserves that you were not aware you still had. On the summit your guide will advise how much time you can spend there in consideration of your condition, your timings, and the weather. The brain does not function very intelligently at this altitude so please remember to take many photographs in all directions or you will probably regret not having done so at a later stage. From the summit you will turn around and descend to Stella Point. When you reach Stella Point your guide may opt to switch left onto the loose scree, a departure from the ridge up which you ascended. On arrival at Barafu you would usually have time to rest an hour or so before continuing the descent after some refreshments. From Barafu you will usually descend to Mweka Camp (3090m) for overnight. If your guide judges that a shorter day will benefit you and preserve sore knees and ankles, he may decide to stop short at Millennium Camp (3820m) instead. Distances on summit day Barafu to Stella Point: 3.3km Stella Point to Summit: 1.2km Summit to Barafu: 4.5km Barafu to Mweka Camp: 6.3km Total = 15.3km
DAY 6: MWEKA CAMP (3090M) - MWEKA GATE (1,641M)
Descend from Mweka Camp (or Millennium) to Mweka Gate (1641m) where we sign the summit register. After signing we descend a further 15 minutes on foot to Mweka Village to meet our transport, as the park authorities prefer groups’ vehicles to avoid congesting the area immediately beside Mweka gate as this is an important thoroughfare for casualty evacuations and is served by a single track road. Transfer from the gate back to Arusha. You should return back to Arusha sometime between 2 and 5pm, depending on whether you slept at Mweka or Millennium, and on your descent pace. Distance from Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate is 8.5km. Typical tips for mountain crew tend to average some 10-15% of climb cost. All climbers’ contributions are usually added together and the total amount is presented to the chief guide at Mweka Gate. Our guides always divide these tips fairly amongst their crew according to a customary scale that is determined by the responsibilities and experience of each staff member.
This trek includes airport transfers to and from Kilimanjaro Airport.
It is not possible to fly direct from London to Kilimanjaro. KLM is the only major international airline to fly directly into Kilimanjaro. Flights are from Amsterdam which has connections from most major International Airports (including Heathrow). This would always be our first recommendation availability allowing.
The next best option is usually to fly Kenya Airways to Nairobi and then on to Kilimanjaro (the second leg by Kenya Airways subsidiary Precision Air on a small prop plane). British Airways and Ethiopia Airlines also offer this route.
The cheapest available fares from the UK vary throughout the year from £590 - £800
For those short of time it is possible to arrive on the KLM flight landing 2045 in Kilimanjaro and start your trek the very next day, you can then depart on an evening flight on the last day of your trek (with a day room in a hotel convenient for the airport to freshen up)
The following are therefore our all-inclusive package prices. These cover the following:
- Pick up at Kilimanjaro Airport and transfer to your hotel in Arusha
- A night’s accommodation both before and after your climb*
- All climb costs, salaries, food, fees, etc (excluding tips)
- All transfers to the mountain and back to your Arusha hotel again
- Transfers back to Kilimanjaro Airport for your return flights
*Accommodation is on B&B basis in our standard range hotels, ie either at the Outpost Lodge, Arusha Naaz Hotel, or Le Jacaranda. If you wish to upgrade to either a mid-range or luxury option a surcharge is payable.
Significant additional cost considerations are as follows:
- Flights or overland transfers to Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha town if approaching from Nairobi
- Visas
- Tips to the mountain staff (guideline aprox $200-$250 per person for the whole crew)
- Meals other than breakfast while in Arusha
additional nights beyond the two standard hotel nights included
- Hotel upgrade costs if you decide to request an alternative hotel to the standard
- Items considered to be non-essential, such as alcohol, beverages, cigarettes, snacks, etc
There are no black-out dates on Kilimanjaro and you can pretty much trek any time of the year. Most people do avoid the rainy season (April, May and November) for good reason but these months aren’t without their advantages. The remainder of the year is all fair game:
*****December – March is typically dry, with clear skies (great views) but colder with a higher chance of snow on the mountain. The 2 weeks around Christmas and New Year can be the busiest of the year on Kilimanjaro.
** April – May suffer from the long rains. Expect to encounter rain, cloud and mist as you climb Kilimanjaro. Trails will be muddy and only the Machame and Marangu gates are accessible. The upside though is a mountain devoid of crowds with beautiful snow cover on the peak.
**** June – October is dry but the months of July and August tend to be busy (coinciding with the Western school holidays). June is a great month to trek, whilst October is similarly quiet it can suffer from low lying cloud cover (which effects your views of the scenery around Kilimanjaro).
** November is the short rain season. As with the long rains from April to May, expect to encounter rain, cloud and mist as you climb. Trails will be muddy and only the Machame and Marangu gates are accessible. The upside though is a mountain devoid of crowds with beautiful snow cover on the peak.
Machame is a good safe bet on Kilimanjaro and the usual rules that apply to Kilimanjaro apply similarly to Machame. See our advice on health requirements for Kilimanjaro. For those who value mountain wilderness and solitude, then Machame is probably not a good idea during the peak season. Instead, Lemosho or TK Rongai (LINK) are good bets.
Although Machame is sometimes offered as a 7 day trek, we tend to encourage trekkers go for the 6 day Machame trek (with an extra night in Crater Camp as an option) as it offers sufficient acclimatisation for most fit trekkers.
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth office check www.gov.uk/travelaware
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We had an extraordinary time. It was magical and we couldn't hav asked or hoped for more. Thank you both so much for all of your time and assistance.
Emma M
reviewing Best of Botswana for Families
on 18 November 2024
We had an amazing experience - absolutely loved it.
Mohamed and Said were great and very patient especially with me going downhill - was quite nervous about the scree slopes and paths.Will be a trip we remember forever
Maritta B
reviewing Atlas Valleys & Villages Trek - Value
on 11 November 2024
Trip was great and all the arrangements were excellent so thank you for all the help!
Drivers and transfers were all good - on time and very good service on each trip.
Accommodation was lovely - Douar Samra was amazing (weather could have been better but lovely regardless). Riad in Marrakesh was also great!
All in all a great trip and we loved the variety of the mountains, Marrakesh and the coast.
Thanks you once again!
Hardeep S
reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains
on 15 April 2024
We had an extraordinary time. It was magical and we couldn't hav asked or hoped for more. Thank you both so much for all of your time and assistance.
Emma M
reviewing Best of Botswana for Families
on 18 November 2024
We had an amazing experience - absolutely loved it.
Mohamed and Said were great and very patient especially with me going downhill - was quite nervous about the scree slopes and paths.Will be a trip we remember forever
Maritta B
reviewing Atlas Valleys & Villages Trek - Value
on 11 November 2024
Trip was great and all the arrangements were excellent so thank you for all the help!
Drivers and transfers were all good - on time and very good service on each trip.
Accommodation was lovely - Douar Samra was amazing (weather could have been better but lovely regardless). Riad in Marrakesh was also great!
All in all a great trip and we loved the variety of the mountains, Marrakesh and the coast.
Thanks you once again!
Hardeep S
reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains
on 15 April 2024
I was also just about to email you to thank you and the team for arranging yet again, another wonderful experience.
Mount Kenya was spectacular and wild - I think I prefer it to Kili in many ways. The entire support team was professional, friendly and all round fantastic in making sure that we were safe, well fed and well looked after. In particular, we would commend Peter the guide as well as Paul one of the porters who doubled-up as his deputy on summit day. Our route was often shrouded in mist and rain that rapidly gathered in the valleys and moorlands, and we were very impressed at how Peter managed to navigate us safely through all of that notwithstanding. In addition, we loved learning about the history of Mount Kenya from him in the evenings. And ofcourse, I was blown away by the lovely birthday surprise at the end complete with balloons and a delicious cake that had journeyed with us from day 1. One thing we might recommend because of the sudden change in weather (it would sometimes get extremely cold and wet) is for the equipment list to be a little bit more detailed in terms of its recommendations e.g. layers to be moisture-wicking, walking boots be waterproof, doubling up on socks to avoid blisters etc.
El Karama is a beautiful conservancy and the lodge a true labour of love. Great hospitality in a relaxed environment. Delicious, fresh food. We enjoyed the drives, even if we didn't see much wildlife as the heavens opened on us for the last two outings. However, since it was very much geared towards families, I am not sure if I would stay again without kids. That said, I think it was perfect for a 3d/2n stay post mountain, and a much better choice than flying to the masai mara given the limited time we had.
Our transits were smooth. Samuel the driver was always on time, drove safely and kept the vehicle clean.
So it was a brilliant experience and one which I certainly will cherish for some time to come. It was great to work with you for a third time, and I certainly hope it won't be the last
Juhae C
reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek
on 01 March 2024
Thank you, we had an absolute wonderful time, and everything was well-planned and as described. Carla was crying on the day of our departure from Ants Nest, she didn’t want to go home and for it all to end, and when I asked how much longer she would want to stay, she responded “four weeks”
Lars B
reviewing Best of South Africa for Families
on 01 March 2024
We had the most amazing time. It exceeded all my hopes of what the trip would be. The guides, the hotels - everything was of such a wonderful quality. Thank you for organizing everything. I will absolutely recommend Tourdust and use you again.
Claudia L
reviewing Luxury Desert Holiday
on 11 January 2024
We had a brilliant trip!
An amazing experience for parents, children and grandparents alike.
We are already planning a trip to Vietnam next year
Kate B
reviewing Morocco Family Holiday: Desert Camp, Mountains & Souks
on 10 January 2024
Dear Lisa. On behalf of the three generations of the Rowland family. Thank you, so much, for organising our wonderful holiday to Botswana and the Victoria Falls. The trip of a lifetime. The week mobile camping in the bush, with our guide Nandos and his crew was a fantastic adventure. How they manage to cook such wonderful food on an open fire is amazing. The sites were constantly visited by monkeys and once by elephants. We were even lucky enough to see two packs of wild dogs, once with a kill. Waterberry Lodge on the Zambezi River is a wonderfully tranquil place. Ideal to relax after the adventures of our safari and visiting Victoria Falls. Very many thanks once again
Godfrey R
reviewing Private Mobile Family Safari in Botswana
on 25 September 2023
We had a great time - even with the flight between Governors and the coast being two flights and a car! We also experienced a power cut At Nairobi airport on the way home so 2+ hours late taking off. Governors. Wonderful people and dealt with the flight delay very well - taking us back and letting us know that we could stay there if the flight was delayed overnight. The game drives were excellent and our guide (Erick) obviously very experienced and managed to find all the key animals - no rhino in that part of the Masai Mara but everything else in abundance - never seen so many herbivores (many many elephants as well as all the others) as well as two prides of lions. Could not have asked for more. The ‘tent’ was excellent and comfortable and well serviced. The only ‘complaint’ would be that the food - especially dinner - could be improved (I think we got a bit bored of soup as a starter for every meal bar one) and the main courses were not at the same level as Kinondo Kwetu and while all were explained there was no choice offered. The breakfasts were just what was needed after an early game drive. Kinondo Kwetu. What a great location and the welcome when we arrived at just gone 11.00pm was better than you could have ever thought possible - they we’re disappointed that we did not at that time want the full dinner experience! The rooms we’re comfortable. The food was excellent but again no choice was offered - other than for allergy reasons (which we do not have). May be some choice would be nice. Having said that the food we did have was excellent as were the wines (albeit a short list!) and other drinks. There were (as you know) lots of facilities/sports options - but we spent our time relaxing which was exactly what we needed and there were lots of places to do that. Overall. We would go back to both places - perhaps a few more nights at Kinondo Kwetu next time but 3 nights at Governors was perfect for us. Thank you for organising and recommending both places. That you and your colleague for trying to find out about the plane (flat tyre) but communication by the flight company left a lot to be desired (Governors were furious that they were not told and had taken us to the airstrip). Phil
Philip R
reviewing Masai Mara Safari & Kenya Beach
on 01 September 2023
It was certainly a holiday of a lifetime for us and we loved every minute!! The standard and location of each accommodation was excellent, as was the variety of each different accommodation type. Our schedule was perfect and we managed to achieve everything on our to-do task list. Your documents were also really helpful, as were the driving directions. We all thank you for making this such a wonderful holiday. Happy to leave a review publicly if you point me the right way. Best Steve
Stephen H
reviewing Classic Garden Route & Eastern Cape Safari
on 01 September 2023
Hello Lisa. We came back from our trip two weeks ago now so I am sending this email much later than I wanted to. Nevertheless, what I wanted to say was thank you very much for helping us organise an amazing trip. Our days in Mafia Island to celebrate my 50th birthday were exactly what I wanted them to be: a fantastic time with the family doing activities that we all love and enjoy in a relaxing, unusual, beautiful place full of sun, surrounded by water, wildlife and friendly people. We swam with whale sharks, did a lot of snorkeling, had two picnics on a beautiful sand bank, watched the sunset over the sea, did a bird watching excursion and tried scuba diving.
All merit to you because Pole Pole in Mafia Island was your recommendation. I never heard of Mafia Island before and didn't consider Tanzania to start with. It was an amazing place to stay: friendly, relaxed, beautiful, comfortable, with great food and fantastic service. Thanks not only for finding the place but also for your patience as we prepared the trip and I explored options and decided what I wanted. All went incredibly well (places, transfers, flights) and we had a very memorable time together that we will all remember forever - as we still do the safari trip to South Africa you organised for us 5 years ago.
I cannot wait to plan another trip! I am already thinking about where and when. Hopefully no pandemic will get in the way this time. And I will come to you as my favourite travel agent.
I copy in this message the Tourdust office because I want them to know how good you are and how much I appreciated the different trips you organised for us (including the trip to India for my parents that was cancelled due to Covid). I cannot thank you enough :o)
Kind regards, Carol
Carolina O
reviewing Relaxed Bush & Beach Family Holiday in Tanzania
on 25 November 2022
It was FANTASTIC! Beautifully organised, everything worked like clockwork. We agreed that we had the best support team ever (and we have experience) - all delightful, very professional and nothing was too much bother.
It clearly couldn't have been a better route, such a wonderful mix of landscapes. And plenty of acclimatisation time. Nonetheless, I was glad of my summit oxygen.
Kit excellent. Double good mattresses made for most comfortable trek camping ever. Tents v good. Mess tent pretty windproof, which was vital for enjoyment. Best camp loo ever!
My favourite day was Shira Cathedral. Amazing.
William M
reviewing Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route
on 15 April 2020
All the accommodation was great especially having the family rooms, I think our favourite place was the maramboi tented camp - everything about it was spot on, the location and service was excellent!
The only negative feedback I could give was the amount of time spent in the jeep, I hadn’t quite realised how much travel there was! But it’s a minor point, Haji our guide was excellent and constantly pointed out things of interest along the way.
Sam S
reviewing Tanzania Extended Northern Circuit
on 24 September 2018
Both our guides were fine, did a good job, walked at a good pace for our group. Kept a close eye on us on the last night and helped me keep going even when not feeling well. Only thing i would say is that they weren't overly friendly. Felt a bit like they spoke to us enough to sort of do their job and make conversation but sort of expected that they might be a bit more friendly and enthusiastic. Might have been due to the fact we were two girls though? Didn't really stop us enjoying it, just would have been nice! 4/5
Considering your on a mountain the food was good and there was a lot of it. Though this became a bit of a problem as we felt so much pressure to eat it, not once did we finish all the food that was provided, and felt bad about the waste. Perhaps the cook needs to be more open to changing the portions of food he cooks depending on how much people eat! 4/5
All the information from tourdust through booking was excellent. We had plenty of information to help decide the route and to prepare for the climb. Though we were advised to take water purifying tablets, but actually they already purified the water. And walking poles were an optional extra however we were advised they were essential on arrival and had to rent some. 5/5
Emily D
reviewing Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route
on 11 December 2012
Our guide, Frederick was excellent and very knowledgeable, definitely a 5. The meals were great and the quantity of food slightly overwhelming on occasion! The service and effort put into presentation far exceeded out expectations
James I
reviewing Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route
on 04 August 2012
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