Kilimanjaro
Machame Route.
6 days
In March 2023, we flew to Tanzania to take on the challenge of summiting Africa's highest peak. As we are both pretty hike fit we opted for one of the shortest routes which was the Machame route over 6 days (summiting on the morning of day 5).
We did this with Local Moshi Adventures who I would highly recommend
The excursion cost roughly $1800pp (not including tip which I will cover later).
How to get there - most routes to the summit set off from the town of Moshi in Tanzania. The nearest international airports would be Nairobi, Kenya or Dar es Salam, Tanzania. The flight is really small with only about 12 people on it, but it is pretty magnificent to have a birds eye view over the African plains. You can also get to Moshi by bus from these areas if you would prefer this to flying.
Day 1 - 11km - Machame Gate to Machame Camp - 5 hours
After meeting our porters at our hotel, we drove to Machame gate to register and get our bags checked and weighed. We then set off through dense rainforests and were lucky enough to spot some monkeys on the way and also get caught in a thunderstorm. On arrival at the first camp we were showered in petals and a warm welcome from the porters who are always ready with a song and a dance.
Day 2 - 9km - Machame Camp to Shira Cave Camp - 5 hours
This day starts off with a pretty steep incline as you climb your way to above the rainforest treeline where the setting around you transforms into something that looks like a scene from Jurassic park with all the interesting rock formations. Once you reach camp for the night if you fancy exploring more you can take a walk to Shira cave which was used as accommodation in the early days of climbing Kilimanjaro, and even climb up on the rock formations for a birds eye view across the campsite.
Day 3 - 12km - Shira Cave Camp to Lava Tower Camp to Barranco Camp - 7.5 hours
Today was all about getting our bodies acclimatised to the altitude so we climbed high (around 900m) to have lunch at a higher altitude & then descended (800m) to sleep low.
Lunch is at Lava Tower camp which is a 300m high volcanic plug on the mountain - it is certainly a sight to behold. On the way to Lava Tower, Kilimanjaro clearly comes into view and you see the vast snowy silhouette ahead. As you continue your walk after lunch you will pass giant groundsel trees which are actually a type of daisy the size of a tree - this is the only place in the world where you can see them!
The day finishes off at Barranco camp - the busiest camp of them all as it is a point where multiple trekking routes meet, because of this it was very busy and quite loud (take ear plugs).
Day 4 - 10km - Barranco to Barafu (Base Camp) - 5.5 hours
We set off from camp early to beat the crowds on Barranco wall, as this point can get quite crowded. This is a hands on scramble which was amazing fun however I don't fancy being the porters doing this whilst carrying so much equipment up the mountains. You pass by the famous kissing wall - which wasn't actually as bad as people make out (see pictures).
Upon reaching base camp we were greeted with an incredible cloud inversion and the reality of the next day starts to hit, we begun to feel excited and nervous about tackling the summit.
Early dinner and try to get some sleep before an early start to hit the summit.
Day 5 - 20km - Barafu camp to Summit - Barafu to Mweka camp - 10 hours 45 mins
We set off from base camp at 12.30am for a slow slog up the mountain. The ascent up to Stella point was slow and steep and you can see a trail of torch light from all of those in front of you. We hit the summit at 6am just in time to catch the sunrise on Africa's highest peak. We were one of the first groups and got there before it started to get busy. The summit is incredibly cold and after taking my gloves off for around a minute I couldn't feel my fingers, I believe the temperature was minus 20 on our summit night. As incredible as it is, you can't hang around for long due to a mix of the altitude and the coldness and it starts to get busier as the remaining groups make it to the top.
We begun the long ascent down, our guides took us a different way which was mainly scree and was a bit of a nightmare on tired legs. We got back to Barafu camp at 8am to have some food and a few hours rest before continuing down to Mweka Camp for the night.
Day 6 - 10km - Mweka Camp - Mweka Gate - 2 hours
I woke up from a 10 hour sleep at camp which was much needed after yesterdays hike to the summit. We passed back through the dense rainforest and were once again lucky to see lots of monkeys playing in the tree tops. Once you reach the final gate it is time to check out with the rangers where you register your completion.
Top Tip - you can buy beer at the Mweka gate and its like nectar of the gods after 6 days on the mountain. Read on for more top tips.
TOP TIPS & HELPFUL INFORMATION
Food - as part of your group of porters there will be a chef that brings fresh ingredients up the mountain to cook you breakfast, lunch and dinner. Often this was porridge in the mornings, soups, popcorn - for every mealtime you were served at least two courses. I felt like I ate more here than what I would at home. If you have a sweet tooth, I would suggest taking some sweeties in your backpack with you.
Water - you have the opportunity to fill up your bottles/hydration packs with fresh water every morning. Our guides provided us with hot water in the morning and when we returned back to camp so we could wash our faces, hands and feet in the basins.
Toilets - Before we arrived I hadn't really though twice about the bathroom, and expected to do my business outside with a shovel, but in the end we had a porta potty that was carried up the mountain and emptied every day.
So basically we had a private poo tent which honestly felt a bit excessive but it seemed to be a normal thing to have within the guided groups.
Some of the campsites along the way had drop toilets which you needed a strong stomach for.
There was also some parts of the route that seemed to be popular toilet spots - which resulted in people leaving their dirty tissues & big honking jobbies in some of the most scenic spots on the mountain, which was absolutely disgusting.
Altitude - they say drinks lots of water it was helpful but it was hard to get a happy medium as this just meant I needed to pee all the time. We did take Diamox altitude tablets with us but we ended up not using them as the guide had advised us against it as we seemed ok. However on the final push to the summit (around about 5500m) Tom hallucinated a bit and was seeing patterns on the ground and I just felt overwhelmed with tiredness and really wanted to take a nap. Neither of us found it overly difficult to breathe at the summit it just seemed to make us go really slowly.
** This was just my experience - altitude effects everyone differently so be prepared for all outcomes.
Fitness - We are both pretty fit as we climb mountains at home however I do think this mountain is achievable for all fitness levels - it actually benefits you to go a bit slower. I think anyone who is able to climb hills in their local area and can walk for 8 hours straight should manage it on the fitness side of things.
Kit - I absolutely over packed & ended up wearing the same clothes most of the trip (my most comfortable ones). I'd recommend taking something really warm for night time as the temperature really dropped - most mornings there was frost on the tent. Summit night - pack layers and carry them with you. You will sweat loads on the way up but at the top it gets so cold that you will benefit from adding more layers if you want to stay there for any length of time. The temperature was minus 20 on the summit on the night we were there.
Also make sure you test your kit out before going - there's no point in putting on your waterproof to discover it isn't actually waterproof once you are there or finding our your boots hurt you after the first day because it's the first time you've worn them.
Night entertainment - sometimes you will arrive at the campsite quite early and have the evening to kill. As well as looking around at all the amazing views I would also recommend taking taking something to pass time and keep you entertained - cards, a book, a puzzle book...
Showers - be prepared to be smelly! You obviously won't get the chance to shower whilst on your trek and there are no fresh water lakes to dip in. We used baby wipes to stay as fresh as possible.
TAKE YOUR RUBBISH - I honestly wish this one didn't need to be said, but there was so much litter on the mountain - it was really sad to see. So much so that there are actually teams who litter pick at the campsites.
If you take it up, you take it off.
Let's be responsible and protect these beautiful places.
Tips - a bit of an elephant in the room as there's not really any guidance on what is a substantial amount. I feel like this is a tricky one to get right - we had soooo many more porters (12 in total) than we were expecting so didn't have that much cash on us up the mountain. Thankfully we were able to stop at a cash point on the way back to the hotel. We distributed tips fairly as everyone had worked really hard so we ensured that everyone got the same amount (I think we gave the cook and the guides a bit more). This would obviously be more manageable the larger your group size and if you were doing the trip solo it could quickly become costly as you would still have the same amount of porters.
We left any unwanted outdoor gear with the porters as this was very much appreciated. These guys are legends and if you think climbing Kilimanjaro is hard for us imagine how it feels for these guys doing it with all the additional gear.