Climb Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m) via The Machame Route
Hike the most scenic route to the ‘Roof of Africa’ – the continent’s highest peak
What's Included?
Activities & Certified Guides
All itinerary activities with local, certified guides and a support teamHotel & Camping
6 nights camping and 2 nights in a hotelMeals
All meals while on the trek, plus breakfasts at your hotel in MoshiTransfers
To and from the airport and everything in betweenPermits & Porterage
All permits, taxes and licenses; porters to carry your overnight luggage and camping equipment on the trekSmall Like-minded Groups
Solo-friendly by design, join our small n’ sociable groups of up to 12 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people…
…
What's it like?
Climb to the summit that's on every adventurer's hit-list: the iconic 5895m peak of Mount Kilimanjaro
Bask in a backdrop of endless scenic vistas on a trail that offers a better chance of success than other, shorter routes
Trek through a variety of ecosystems including rainforest, moorland, alpine desert and beneath glaciated precipices
Fancy adding a safari to your summit? Our alternative trip to Climb Kilimanjaro and Go on Safari does just that
Key Information
Day 1
Welcome to Tanzania!
Fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to your accommodation at the Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel, where your host will be waiting for you. After meeting your guide for a detailed briefing and equipment check, you can get to know your fellow travellers and then retire for an early night, ready for tomorrow’s adventure.
Day 2
Machame Gate (1800m) to Machame Camp (2835m)
Hiking
Take a 45-minute drive through the mountain village of Machame to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate where your ascent will begin. Hike through the lush rainforest and along winding trails and learn about the local wildlife, perhaps even spotting a blue monkey or a tree hyrax. Have your gaiters and trekking poles at the ready, as the trail can be muddy and slippery at the lower elevations. Reach your campsite, settle in and enjoy your first night on the trek.
Day 3
Machame Camp (2835m) to Shira Camp (3750m)
Hiking
Leave the rainforest behind you and take the ascending path through the valley and along a steep rocky ridge. From here, the route turns west into a river gorge which you will follow all the way up to Shira Camp. Drop off your daypack in your tent and climb the slope above camp for dramatic views over the surrounding plateau and the alpine landscape that awaits you next.
Day 4
Shira Camp (3750m) to Barranco Camp (3900m), via Lava Tower
Hiking
Spend the day acclimatising as you continue the route along the alpine desert of the Shira Plateau. Hike east towards Kibo’s glaciated peak, then southeast towards Lava Tower (also known as the Shark's Tooth) at 4600m. You'll stop for lunch here to aid with acclimatisation before continuing your trek through moorland dotted with Giant Senecio trees, descending slightly to your overnight camp at Barranco where you'll have a hearty dinner and a good night’s rest.
Day 5
Barranco Camp (3900m) to Karanga Camp (3995m), via the Barranco Wall
Hiking
Today is another important acclimatisation and contingency day to boost your chances of summit success. After breakfast, follow a steep ridge to the base of the Barranco Wall. This is a challenge both physically and mentally, as the wall appears higher than its 257m. Slow and deliberate steps are the trick to an easier scramble to the top (most hikers find it easier than anticipated, so fear not!). At the top, look out over the Heim Glacier and then wind up and down the Karanga Valley to reach your base for the night.
Day 6
Karanga Camp (3995m) to Barafu Camp (4673m)
Hiking
Follow a short but steep trail through the ever-thinning air to Barafu Camp – your last stop before summit day. This camp is located on a rocky and exposed ridge, 'barafu' means 'ice' in Swahili. Have an early dinner, get yourself ready for the summit push in the morning and get some sleep. Nearly there!
Day 7
Summit day
Hiking
Set off in the dead of night to begin the most physically and mentally challenging part of the trek. With head torches on, ascend slowly through heavy scree towards Stella Point (5756m) on the crater rim, followed by a further ascent to Uhuru Peak (5895m) – the highest peak on Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in the whole of Africa and possibly your greatest trekking accomplishment. After a rest and some photographs, begin the long descent over dusty terrain forged by volcanic ash, eventually dropping back down into moorland as you reach Mweka Camp (3100m) for a well-deserved rest.
Day 8
Descend from Mweka Camp (3100m) to Mweka Gate
Hiking
Continue your descent to the Mweka Park Gate through lush forest – eyes peeled for fluffy black and white colobus monkeys as you reach the lower elevations. The weather here will be significantly warmer making the terrain wet and muddy so have your gaiters and trekking poles handy. When you reach the park gate, you’ll collect your summit certificate before driving back to your hotel in Moshi where you can enjoy a hot shower and celebrate your adventure. Following your trek, there will be a tipping ceremony for the crew who helped you to scale the mountain – please see the FAQs below for more information on this important local custom.
Day 9
Time to head home
Enjoy a relaxed breakfast to mark the end of a remarkable trip and then head back to the airport, or continue your adventure in Tanzania.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Kilimanjaro Airport
Any time on Day 1
Ends
Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel in Moshi or Kilimanjaro Airport
Any time on Day 9
Transfers
Your adventure begins at Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) where your driver will be waiting for you outside the Arrivals area. Alternatively, if you’re already in Tanzania, your host can arrange a pick-up from any point upon request (not included). Your adventure ends with an overnight stay at the Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel in Moshi; from here you may decide to continue your adventure in Tanzania or ask your host to arrange an airport transfer for any flight departing that day. The airport transfer takes around an hour.
Airport transfers are included in the price if you arrive on Day 1 and depart on Day 9. For those arriving early or wanting to stay on longer, extra nights at the hotels and airport transfers can be arranged with your host at an additional cost. Please see Optional Extras for more information.
Travel options
There are frequent flights to Kilimanjaro (JRO) from major airports across the UK and Europe.
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2 – Day 7
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 8
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 9
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
Throughout your trip, a team of experienced chefs will cook and serve you nutritious meals. Breakfast will usually be some combination of fruit, cereal, porridge, eggs, bread, French toast, pancakes, sausage, bacon, tea, coffee and hot chocolate. Lunch will be a mix of vegetables, fruit, boiled egg, meat cutlets, various sandwich options (egg/cheese/tomato/tuna/meat/peanut butter), macaroni and meat sauce and bread. Dinner, meanwhile, will usually consist of soup, bread, salads, rice, pasta, potatoes, roast or fried chicken, beef or fish, curry, mixed vegetables, lentils, fruit salad and fruit with custard. On summit night, you’ll enjoy a midnight snack with juice, soup, hot chocolate, tea or coffee and biscuits, and when you return to base camp, a nice meal will be waiting as a reward all your hard work. If you have any special dietary requests, let your host know in advance and they will do their best to accommodate them. Vegan and vegetarian diets can be fully catered for.
What is the accommodation like?
Moshi
You'll spend your first and last nights of the trip in a twin-share room at either The Maridadi Hotel or the Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel. Both are located a short drive from Moshi Town and 40km from the airport. Both have on-site restaurants offering a range of options from a la carte dinners, to pizza or flame-grilled BBQ meals if you prefer something a little more casual. The hotels also both feature roof top bars with stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro. Rooms are modern and comfortable with air conditioning, ensuite bathrooms and free WiFi.
Along the Machame Route
During the trek, you will camp at a number of sites along the Machame Route in twin-share tents, with camping and cooking equipment provided (you'll need to bring your own sleeping bag, or hire one, though). You'll also have a mess tent where you'll be served all your meals, and a toilet tent used only by your group. Your team of porters will set up and break down camp for you each day, allowing you to save your energy for the trek.
Upgrades
For solo travellers wanting their own space, there is the option to upgrade to a private room or tent if you would like to do so, subject to availability. See Optional Extras for prices.
This trip has been rated as Challenging
Mount Kilimanjaro isn’t a technical climb and anyone with reasonable fitness should be capable of summiting it as long as they are prepared and determined. However, this doesn't mean it is easy: the main challenge is the high altitude, therefore a slow pace is recommended when ascending.
It's possible to climb Mount Kilimanjaro all year round, however, the months outside of the rainy seasons are more desirable. The best climbing months are from December to March and July to October. The best weather is usually at the beginning of the year from January to March, which are also typically the warmest and driest months. Thanks to Tanzania’s proximity to the equator, the region doesn’t typically experience the extremes of winter and summer weather you might expect and instead has dry and wet seasons. The local weather conditions on Kilimanjaro can be somewhat unpredictable (to say the least) and rainfall varies from 2100mm per year in the rainforest belt to less than 120mm per year in the summit zone. Daily temperature changes are also unpredictable when compared to normal weather cycles, and are largely dependent on the altitude.
Harder than you think
What an amazing experience but it's harder than you think. We did the Everest base camp tour and this was far harder we really had to push our limits. But with a great team behind us helping us, checking our health and pushing us to keep going we made it to the top. The team or porters and guides were great kept us fed healthy and well hydrated. So happy when they provided a hot water bottle when we got higher as it got so cold. Tanzania was amazing and I'd recommend going on the safari after, then we went to Zanzibar had a few days on the Southwest chartered yacht (highly recommend) and a week relaxing on the beach. Overall this was an excellent trip.
Amazing Experience!
We absolutely loved our experience! The crew was amazing and took great care of us! Recommend that you ask for Hussan and Coleman as guides when you book. This was a bucket list experience for us and fully lived up to our expectations!
The BEST Adventure!
We had the best experience on our Kili climb! Much better adventures contracts with local guides that make your hike authentic and seamless. Our guides were from Trek2Kili and were the absolute best! From getting us up the mountain safely, to adjusting our plans when we decided to change our route from 7 to 6 days, we couldn’t have asked for a better team. Payment, planning, and communication all workout out without any issues. Thank you much better adventures and Trek2Kili, we can’t wait to adventure with you again!
The trip from the get
The trip from the get go way amazing the team are very Knowledgeable and friendly and you can obviously see they are very passionate about what they do and where they work. Our lead guide Andrew is obviously a very well known and respect guide on the mountain with a wealth off knowledge and Curiosity we spent most off the trip talking and exchanged conversations about our cultures amd lifes he was also very careing for kili fighters/ porter's haveing stopped a few time to check on some from other groups and giveing frist aid to one injued porter. The food tasted amazing and was in Plentiful supply though out the trip. The whole crew wanted nothing more then us to have a Successful summit and celebrate with us once we have summited. Over all the hike isn't hard but the last day off climbing you do need to lock in mentally to push though the cold and the dark and lack off air but it is well worth it once you reach the top.
You will not regret booking this…
Apologise in advance, a full review and I wanted to start with just some pointers before I get on to telling you about how great the experience was!
-
you pay your tips up front to allow the company to change it to TZ money. This is fine, but I did feel as if it should be something done after, I’d have probably given a lot more if I had experienced it first and met the guys.
-
If you’re renting gear, try it for size first! I was fortunate enough to share the trip with a guy who helped me out with a bivvy bag as the sleeping bag was well too small. My own fault!
-
I’d take my own sleeping Matt, if you like a bit of luxury and camp anyway, take your own inflatable Matt.
With the pointers out of the way, the good stuff. This is an experience like no other. The people are the ones who make it for you. Well organised and felt safe throughout. My guides Andrew and Foto were true leaders on the mountain just to mention two stand out occasions
-
Barranco wall, this is a fairly tough climb and one that has pinch points for kili fighters and tourist. It was choking up and getting dangerous with a shear cliff face to the side of us. Andrew and Foto unlike other guides, took control of the situation and helped/guided/commanded over 30 porters and other tourist and there guides through the pinch points, ensuring we were through also and making it orderly as opposed to chaos.
-
A fellow sick kili fighter, when walking it was clear a fellow porter was poorly as he was sat down, it was a common theme for Andrew and Foto to ask if others were okay and offer help. Other guides walked by but after approval from myself and the other attendee Andrew and Foto stepped in to offer medicine and ensured communication was made to the porters group to ensure he got back to camp.
The team members called Andrew the commander of the mountain and it was clear to see why, he was respected and experienced in what he did with Foto following in his footsteps.
I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend this trip to anybody. I felt safe at all points, the food was above expectations and you were served by a waiter! I mean come on camping and being served!
Thanks to MBA but also to the Trek2kili team and Adventure discovery team. Hakuna Matata
Brilliant set up,the guides and
Brilliant set up,the guides and the porters go above and beyond with their help setting up camp,food and overall work ethic. I can't rate these men high enough,superb in every department,my thanks go to these guys for getting our challenge completed,we couldn't do it without you⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Perfect
The whole team were amazing. Great atmosphere hard work. Thanks
Great Trip, I missed my
Great Trip, I missed my flight going out and contacted much better adventures to advise them they helped getting an additional flight and also contacted the Team in Kilimanjaro to let them know the situation. Great customer service and a well organised trip, a truly memorable experience. Would highly recommend Much Better Adventurer.
Title: Conquering Kilimanjaro: A Dream Made True by Much Better Adventures
Review by Timothy Roosen
Embarking on the Much Better Adventures’ Kilimanjaro climb via the Machame Route was an unforgettable experience that has set a new bar for my future travels. This wasn’t just a climb; it was a transformative journey, one that challenged my limits and expanded my understanding of our world's natural grandeur.
The summit push to Uhuru Peak was the crescendo of this adventure. Standing at the peak with dawn breaking over the horizon was a transcendent experience. It was an emotional summit, where the bonds forged along the way and the raw beauty of the surroundings created a memory etched in time.
The magic of this journey was significantly enhanced by the incredible team of guides and porters. Their professionalism, expertise, and genuine warmth turned a daunting challenge into an achievable dream. They were the heartbeat of this adventure, ensuring our safety, cheering us on when the going got tough, and sharing insightful stories that enriched our understanding of local customs and the mountain's history.
Their support transcended the usual client-crew relationship; they became our mentors, friends, and silent heroes who carried the spirit of Kilimanjaro in their unwavering smiles and encouragement. The success of our climb was a reflection of their dedication. They are the unsung champions of the mountain, and the dream of reaching the summit was realized through their remarkable efforts.
Much Better Adventures also demonstrated a laudable commitment to sustainability. Their respect for the environment and the local community was apparent in every aspect of the climb, from their Leave No Trace ethics to their engagement with local staff. It’s clear that they are not just running trips but are also invested in the conservation of these magnificent landscapes and the well-being of those who call it home.
Health and safety were top priorities on this trip. The guides conducted regular health checks and were vigilant about our well-being, ensuring everyone had the best chance to enjoy and complete the trek successfully.
In sum, the Kilimanjaro climb with Much Better Adventures was an epic adventure crafted by the hands of those who know and love the mountain most. The crew’s dedication, combined with the company’s responsible approach to travel, created an experience that was nothing short of extraordinary. For those who dream of reaching the roof of Africa, there is no better companion than Much Better Adventures. Their team doesn’t just guide you to the summit; they elevate the entire experience into a profound journey of discovery.
Rating: 5 stars