Machame Route — 7 Days

Overview

The 7-day variant of the popular Machame route adds a rest night at Karanga Camp between Barranco and Barafu. That extra day at altitude is the single biggest boost to summit success on any Kilimanjaro route.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1
   Day 1

   Moshi → Machame Gate → Machame Camp

   Today's Status

   Hiking Time: 5–6 hours

   Total Distance: 11 km

   Starting Altitude: 1,800 m (5,905 ft)

   Final Altitude: 3,010 m (9,875 ft)

   Elevation Change: +1,210 m

   Habitat: Montane rainforest

   Morning briefing and full gear check at your hotel in Moshi. Drive 45 minutes to Machame Gate (1,800 m) for park registration and porter weighing. Picnic lunch, then a steady trek through dense, dripping montane rainforest — giant ferns, hanging moss and, if you are lucky, blue monkeys — to Machame Camp on the forest edge. Your tent is pitched, washing water delivered and hot dinner served while the crew briefs tomorrow's climb.

   Meals: Lunch, DinnerMachame Camp · 3,010 m
2. 2
   Day 2

   Machame Camp → Shira Camp

   Today's Status

   Hiking Time: 4–6 hours

   Total Distance: 5 km

   Starting Altitude: 3,010 m (9,875 ft)

   Final Altitude: 3,845 m (12,615 ft)

   Elevation Change: +835 m

   Habitat: Heather & moorland

   The forest thins within an hour and the trail steepens onto a rocky ridge of the Shira Plateau. Hands are occasionally needed on the rock steps, but there is no technical climbing. As you crest the plateau the glaciers of Kibo appear ahead and Mt. Meru floats above the clouds behind you. Afternoon health check — pulse and oxygen saturation — is taken twice daily from here on.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerShira Camp · 3,845 m
3. 3
   Day 3

   Shira → Lava Tower → Barranco Camp

   Today's Status

   Hiking Time: 6–7 hours

   Total Distance: 10 km

   Starting Altitude: 3,845 m (12,615 ft)

   Final Altitude: 3,960 m (12,995 ft)

   Elevation Change: +785 m / −670 m (via Lava Tower)

   Habitat: Alpine desert

   The classic 'climb high, sleep low' day and the most important for acclimatisation. Trek east across alpine desert to the 300 m volcanic plug of Lava Tower (4,630 m), where lunch is served. Many climbers feel the altitude here — it is normal and passes on the descent. Drop 670 m into the lush Barranco Valley beneath the Western Breach, past forests of giant groundsel, and camp under the hanging Heim Glacier.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerBarranco Camp · 3,960 m
4. 4
   Day 4

   Barranco → Karanga Camp

   Today's Status

   Hiking Time: 4–5 hours

   Total Distance: 5 km

   Starting Altitude: 3,960 m (12,995 ft)

   Final Altitude: 3,995 m (13,106 ft)

   Elevation Change: +35 m (with 250 m up/down)

   Habitat: Alpine desert

   A short, spectacular day. Start early to scramble the Barranco Wall — a hands-on rock scramble, not a climb, with the famous 'Kissing Rock' and one of the best photo points on the mountain. Descend and re-ascend into the Karanga Valley, where the last running water on the route is collected. Afternoon is deliberately free for rest, hydration and an optional short acclimatisation walk. This extra night is exactly what lifts summit success.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerKaranga Camp · 3,995 m
5. 5
   Day 5

   Karanga → Barafu Camp

   Today's Status

   Hiking Time: 4–5 hours

   Total Distance: 4 km

   Starting Altitude: 3,995 m (13,106 ft)

   Final Altitude: 4,673 m (15,331 ft)

   Elevation Change: +678 m

   Habitat: Alpine desert

   A steady climb up the rocky ridge across barren alpine desert to Barafu — Swahili for 'ice' — the summit base camp perched on an exposed shoulder at 4,673 m. Arrive by early afternoon, eat, prepare your summit layers, headtorch and water, then early dinner at 17:00 and into your sleeping bag by 19:00. Your guide wakes you just before midnight.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerBarafu Camp · 4,673 m
6. 6
   Day 6

   Summit Day · Barafu → Uhuru Peak → Mweka Camp

   Today's Status

   Hiking Time: 12–14 hours

   Total Distance: 17 km

   Starting Altitude: 4,673 m (15,331 ft)

   Final Altitude: 3,068 m (10,065 ft) via Uhuru Peak 5,895 m

   Elevation Change: +1,222 m / −2,827 m

   Habitat: Arctic → moorland

   Wake at 23:30 for tea and biscuits and set off by headtorch at midnight, climbing switchbacks of frozen scree at a deliberate pole-pole pace. Sunrise arrives as you reach Stella Point (5,756 m) on the crater rim, with Mawenzi silhouetted below. A further 45–60 minutes along the rim past the Rebmann Glacier brings you to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) — the Roof of Africa. After photos, descend to Barafu for brunch and a rest, then continue down to Mweka Camp in the moorland.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerMweka Camp · 3,068 m
7. 7
   Day 7

   Mweka Camp → Mweka Gate → Moshi

   Today's Status

   Hiking Time: 3–4 hours

   Total Distance: 10 km

   Starting Altitude: 3,068 m (10,065 ft)

   Final Altitude: 1,640 m (5,380 ft)

   Elevation Change: −1,428 m

   Habitat: Montane rainforest

   A final descent on soft forest trail — muddy after rain, so gaiters are handy — through the rainforest to Mweka Gate. Sign out of the park and collect your summit certificate (gold for Uhuru Peak, green for Stella Point), then the crew's farewell song and tipping ceremony over a celebratory lunch. Transfer back to your Moshi hotel by mid-afternoon for a hot shower and a cold Kilimanjaro lager.

   Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Trail map

A stylised overview of the Machame Route — camps, elevations and summit approach.