ACTIVITIES

MT. KILIMANJARO PROGRAMS

MACHAME ROUTE INTRODUCTION

Machame Route will appeal to the hiker who loves the Wilds of nature and the peace. This summit bound path presents no special difficulties.

The first lap starts from the village of Machame, leads on through the forest and, after 6 or 7 hours of walking, finishes up at the Machame Camp (3000m)

The second 6 hours lap leads to the Shira Camp (3840m) runs alongside a long moraine beneath the glaciers on Kibo’s western slope.

The following day, a 3 to 4 – hours walk between lava massifs takes you to the lava Tower pass (4750m) You have the option to set up camp either at Lava Tower, or at Arrow Glacier Camp in order to tackle, by night, the summit-bound path via Arrow glacier and western Breach. Allow 5 to 7 hours to get to the crater. This is a difficult route. It requires sustained effort. In some section you are obliged to use your hands but the exercise has nothing to do with rock climbing. Uhuru Peak is still 2 hours walking distance away once you get to the western slope of the crater.
From Lava Tower, the hiker can also head for Great Barranco (3940m) an gigantic canyon beneath the Heim Glacier, which is two hours away.

The cliff that you have to climb next morning after breakfast looks imposing but presents no difficulty. It is mischievously nicknamed “breakfast” by the laughing porters!. From Barranco to the camping ground at Barafu (4550m) there’s a 6 to 7 hour walk through a succession of valleys.

Around midnight, you will take on the steep slope leading to the summit the Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers, and at dawn you will arrive on the rim of the crater between the Stella and Hans Meyer points. Only one hour further on, along a path that is often snowed over, and you will reach Uhuru Peak!.

The Machame Route is more demanding than the Marangu Route because the laps are longer and nights spent under tents. To get the most out of this magnificent hike, a course of fitness training is recommended before the start.

6 NIGHTS / 7 DAYS

DAY 1: ARUSHA – MACHAME HUT
You transfer to Machame Gate to begin the climb. Climb to Machame Hut, walking along a gentle climb through forest then up to the overnight stop on the edge of the forest.
Overnight Camping in mountain tests by Machame Hut (3000 m)

DAY 2: SHIRA HUT
Rising early, you cross a valley and a steam and then climb up a steep ridge for 3-4 hours. The path then drops into the river gorge before you climb more gently onto the moorland of the Shira Plateau, one of the most fascinating areas of the mountain.

Overnight camping in mountain tents by the Shira Hut (3840m)

DAY 3: BARRANCO HUT
Today you will walk for 5 – 6 hours, enjoying sightings of the typical Kilimanjaro Mountain vegetation (Senecios, Lobelia, and Helichrysum) and rewarding views of the spectacular Barraco Valley. Overnight camping in mountain tents by the Barranco Hut (3 950 m).

DAY 4: KARANGA VALLEY
Acclimatization nights. From the Barranco Hut, you walk across screes and ridge to Karanga (4100m) with breathtaking views of the West Breach and the southern glacier. Overnight in Mountain tents.

DAY 5: BARAFU HUT
About 2 hours from Karanga you will come out on the Barafu path (part of the Mweka) Trail. It is a further 1 – 1 ½ hours to Barafu Hut where you stay overnight in Mountain tents ( 4600 m)

DAY 6: MWEKA HUT
You rise early in the midnight and begin the climb to the summit by the light of the full moon. You pass through the gap between the Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers and continue to Uhuru peak (5,896m) where you can watch the sunrise from the rooftop of Africa!. You then descend to Mweka Hut via the Mweka Route for your overnight stay in Mountain tents (3100m)

Descending to the Mweka Gate, you then continue by vehicle to Arusha

MT. TRAIL NO. ETS 40: MOUNT KILIMANJARO CLIMB THROUGH THE MARANGU ROUTE

DAY 1: MT. MERU HOTEL
Met on arrival in Tanzania, transferred to Impala Hotel for meals and overnight. HB (After dinner sort out your climbing gear)

DAY 2: MANDARA HUT
After breakfast transfer to the Gate (Marangu Gate) where you will meet your Mt. Guide and porters, fill up in the climbers book, then start trekking up to Mandara Hut through the fascinating rain forest. Meals and overnight at MANDARA HUT. Distance 12km duration 4 hours, altitude 2,700m. FB.

DAY 3: HOROMBO HUT
A steep walk through the upper part of the rain forest is followed by a section of grassland and a short section of giant heather, this soon gets left behind and within an hour the noorland proper starts. You cross these in a northwesterly direction arriving at Horombo HUTS. Meals and overnight at HOROMBO HUTS.
Distance 14km. Duration 5 hours altitude 3,700. FB

DAY 4: KIBO HUTS
Start your walk early passing the cactus – like giant groundsel and reaching the last watering point (place) in about an hour. From here, it takes two hours while the scenery changes once again. You now come to the Kibo Saddle and a broad desert zone between the two peaks, i.e. Kibo and Mawenzi, which support only a few tough grasses and wingless insects. Meals and overnight at KIBO HUT. FB.
Distance 13km 5hours and 4700m.

DAY 5: UHURU PEAK – HOROMBO HUT
The start for the summit is made at about 1:00 am and you now attempt the steepest and most demanding part of the route which takes you to Gillman’s point at 5,680m on the crater rim. If snow conditions permit, you start the final push to UHURU PEAK, the highest point in Africa at 5,896m, the descent is rapid and less tiring except you exhausted knees might be calling you to rest for a while, but do not try!! Distance 8km, duration 7 hours, altitude 5,896m.

DAY 6: IMPALA HOTEL OR KIBO HOTEL
Descending to Marangu Gate, drive back to Arusha Mount Meru Hotel or Kibo Hotel In Marangu.