Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro 7 Days Via Machame Route

Mount Kilimanjaro Machame route is a popular trail praised for its beautiful views. The route offers a diverse range of landscapes for climbers to hike through; from the bushlands and verdant forest at the base to the barren alpine desert and arctic zone towards the summit. These landscapes offer varied trekking experiences for your Mount Kilimanjaro hike.

Machame route is demanding hence the nickname ‘the whisky route’. Still, it has a high rate of success of 95% thanks to the magnificent views along the way. People who climb Mount Kilimanjaro to the summit through this route feel a sense of accomplishment after making it through its numerous steep slopes.

We’ll be using the Mweka route to descend for this Mount Kilimanjaro climbing tour.

7-day Mount Kilimanjaro Hike Machame Route Itinerary

Day 1: Nairobi – Moshi

We begin our journey by picking you up from Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and heading to Moshi in Tanzania. The drive is long and gives you ample time to view Kenya’s diverse countryside landscapes.

We arrive in Moshi late afternoon and spend the night at a hotel. Since Moshi sits at an elevated altitude, its great for acclimatizing before our Mount Kilimanjaro hike.

Day 2: Moshi – Mount Kilimanjaro Machame Hut

After breakfast, a short drive takes us to Machame gate through the rolling hills and banana plantations of Machame village. We wait for clearance at Machame gate while enjoying the views of the rainforest and valleys.

Our Mount Kilimanjaro trek begins as we follow a path through the lush montane forest. The next 6 hours sees us gradually hike up Mount Kilimanjaro through a mix of gentle and steep slopes.

We arrive at Machame hut, set up camp, have dinner, and stay overnight.

Day 3: Machame Hut – Shira Hut

We have a hearty breakfast and continue climbing Mount Kilimanjaro towards Shira Hut. This day’s trek will see us clear the rainforest and move on to the moorland. Hiking through the moorland zone offers sweeping views of the lower slopes. Along the way, we’ll pass though the giant heathers and lobelias plants growing in this this landscape.

We continue on through a steep trail that becomes gentle as we approach the Shira plateau. The scenery from Shira plateau is amazing. We will have stunning views of the western Breach. Occasionally, we may see the smaller mammals and bird species that inhabit the moorland.

After a long day of trekking Mount Kilimanjaro, we arrive at Shira camp, have dinner, and an overnight stay.

Day 4: Shira Hut – Barranco Hut

This day’s trek will consist of an ascent and descent following the golden rule of mountain climbing: climb high, sleep low. Ascending and descending helps with acclimatization and makes the rest of our Mount Kilimanjaro hike easier.

After breakfast, we trek up a ridge towards Kibo Peak passing the junction along the way. The ascending part provides beautiful views of the glaciers and valley. We have a picnic lunch at the end of our ascend.

After lunch, we turn right, descend to Barranco Gorge, and continue trekking Mount Kilimanjaro to Barranco camp. As we descend, we’ll have a great view of the Barranco Valley.

The day’s trek ends at Barranco camp. We have dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 5: Barranco Hut- Mount Kilimanjaro Barafu Hut

After breakfast, we continue hiking Mount Kilimanjaro through the Barranco wall towards Karanga Valley. The climb up Barranco wall is difficult but fun and will test your mountaineering skills. Upon completing the climb, we’ll be rewarded with a spectacular view of the Barranco Valley below.

The hike continues through a rocky path that leads to Karanga Valley. The valley provides a stop for fresh water. We turn left and tackle another steep cliff before reaching Barafu hut.

We have dinner and rest early at Barafu camp.

Day 6: Barafu Hut – Uhuru peak (Mt. Kilimanjaro Summit) – Mweka Hut

The day starts early; few minutes after midnight, with a hike to Stella Point. We start climbing Mount Kilimanjaro following a steep rocky slope.

A Mount Kilimanjaro hike through the dark is surprisingly fun and fascinating. We’ll be armed with hand-held torches to light up the way. If we’re lucky to have a cloudless sky, our path with be lit up by the moon and the countless stars of the night sky.

Once we reach Stella Point, we rest for a while and continue onwards to the summit to watch the sunrise.

Seeing the rising sun from Africa’s highest point is mesmerizing. The grand view of the sun illuminating the mountain and vast lands beneath makes the long trek worth it.

We start our descent through Stella Point to Barafu camp. We’ll have a meal and continue trekking Mount Kilimanjaro further down to Mweka camp. We have dinner and spend our last night on Mount Kilimanjaro at Mweka camp.

Day 7: Mweka Hut – Moshi/Nairobi

The last of hiking Mount Kilimanjaro is spent trekking from Mweka hut to Mweka Park gate. We trek through the rainforest to find a vehicle waiting for us at Mweka Park gate.

At this point, you can choose to go directly to Nairobi or head back to Moshi for another day of adventure.  

Note: Spending the night at Moshi adds an extra day to the package.

Mount Kilimanjaro Hike 7 Days Machame Route Package Includes;

• Transfer to and from the base of the mountain
   
• Full board accommodation and meals while hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.
   
• All park entrance fees to include government taxes
   
• Services from a English-speaking professional guide, porters, and skilled cook
   
• Start and finish Nairobi
   
• Treated water while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
   
• On completion, successful climb Certificate

Excluded:

• Laundry, sleeping bags, and climbing gears
• International flights
• Visas to Tanzania
• Personal Items
• Climbing gear
• Any other extras not detailed in the above itinerary

Mount Kilimanjaro 7 Days Machame Route Tour Charges Upon Request