TANZANIA: Kilimanjaro Climb Machame Route From: US$ 1750 per person

Safari Overview

DURATION : 8 Days / 7 Nights

Day 1 Tanzania arrival – Moshi

Arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport where you will be greeted by your guide. Drive to Moshi to Tembo Tamu. Depending on your arrival time have a guided walk through Moshi.

Briefing in evening for your climb starting the next day.

Lunch and dinner included.

Day 2 Machame Gate - Machame Camp

After breakfast drive to Machame Gate.

When your guide is done dealing with all the registration forms you can start your climbing! Soon you will find yourself deep in mountain rainforest with ancient trees, primeval ferns, liana, lichen and moss that carpets the ground and drapes from the trees.

If you're lucky you could see the black and white colobus monkeys in the treetops.

Your first day of climbing will end at Machame Camp where you will have your dinner and overnight.

3 meals included.

Machame Gate (1790m) to Machame Camp (3010m)

Hike Time: 5-7 hours

Day 3 Machame Camp - New Shira Camp

Have breakfast at the camp and keep on climbing. The path will get steeper and the landscape changes to moor- and heathland. This day you will end at New Shira Camp where you will get dinner and have your overnight.

3 meals included.

Machame Camp (3010m) to New Shira Camp (3845m)

Hike TIme: 4-6 hours

Day 4 New Shira Camp - Barranco Camp

After breakfast head on climbing, except this day you are not climbing too much.

This will let your body adjust the height more.

After 6 to 7 hours you will arrive at the most beautiful camp on the mountain, Barranco Camp.

There you will have your dinner and overnight.

3 meals included.

New Shira Camp (3845m) to Barranco Camp (3960m)

Hike Time: 6-7 hours

Day 5 Barranco Camp - Barafu Camp

After breakfast you continue the adventure.

Today it starts with the climb of the “Barranco Wall”.

Don't worry, your guides will assist you wherever necessary.

Following the ridge as it traverses up and down, you can enjoy the splendid views of the south glacier of Kibo.

Eventually you will arrive at Barafu Camp.

There you can relax, get dinner and rest for the following climb ahead very early the next day.

3 meals included.

Barranco Camp (3960m) to Barafu Camp (4640m)

Hike Time: 5-7 hours

Day 6 Barafu Camp - Uhuru Peak - Mweka Camp

After a very early breakfast at around midnight the cimbing begins yet again.

With torchlight you will climb the screes of Kibo.

After 5 to 7 hours of ascending in the dark you will arrive at Stella Point, the crater rim of Mt Kilimanjaro.

Another 1 to 2 hours climb along the crater ridge will lead you to Uhuru Peak (5895 m).

Here you will see Kilimanjaro in all its glory, enjoying the 360° view over the landscape below as the sun rises.

You are now standing on the “Roof of Africa”. Enjoy this moment, take the view all in! The simple descent runs almost along the same route and shortly before midday you should arrive at Barafu Camp.

After a 1 to 2 hour break there you will continue down to Mweka Camp (3080 m) where you will get dinner and rest.

3 meals included.

Barafu Camp (4640m) to Uhuru Peak (5895m) to Mweka Camp (3080m)

Hike TIme: 10-14 hours

Day 7 Mweka Camp - Mweka Gate – Arusha

After breakfast you will continue down to Mweka Gate.

At the gate you will be driven back to Arusha for your celebration and overnight at Outpost Lodge.

3 meals included.

Mweka Camp (3080m) to Mweka Gate (1630m)

Hike Time: 2-3 hours

Rates Include

- All Taxes / VAT

- Park Fees

- Airport Transfer

- Accommodation as Mentioned in Itinerary

- 1-3 Meals a day Mentioned in Itinerary

- Bottled Water (1.5 Liter per person per day)

- Activities as mentiioned in tour description

- Transportation as mentioned, Toyota Land Cruiser with pop-up roof and Toyota Noah minivan for airport transfer

- A professional guide / driver

Rates Exclude

- International Flights

- Visa Fees

- Travel Insurance

- Drinks (Soda, Alcohol)

- Tips

- Vaccination

- Laundry

- Other Personal Items


Tourism Observer
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TANZANIA: Mount Kilimanjaro National Park

Kilimanjaro. The name itself is a mystery wreathed in clouds. It might mean Mountain of Light, Mountain of Greatness or Mountain of Caravans. Or it might not. The local people, the Wachagga, don't even have a name for the whole massif, only Kipoo (now known as Kibo) for the familiar snowy peak that stands imperious, overseer of the continent, the summit of Africa.

Kilimanjaro, by any name, is a metaphor for the compelling beauty of East Africa. When you see it, you understand why. Not only is this the highest peak on the African continent; it is also the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, rising in breathtaking isolation from the surrounding coastal scrubland – elevation around 900 metres – to an imperious 5,895 metres (19,336 feet).

Kilimanjaro is one of the world's most accessible high summits, a beacon for visitors from around the world. Most climbers reach the crater rim with little more than a walking stick, proper clothing and determination. And those who reach Uhuru Point, the actual summit, or Gillman's Point on the lip of the crater, will have earned their climbing certificates.
And their memories.

But there is so much more to Kili than her summit. The ascent of the slopes is a virtual climatic world tour, from the tropics to the Arctic.
Even before you cross the national park boundary (at the 2,700m contour), the cultivated footslopes give way to lush montane forest, inhabited by elusive elephant, leopard, buffalo, the endangered Abbot’s duiker, and other small antelope and primates. Higher still lies the moorland zone, where a cover of giant heather is studded with otherworldly giant lobelias.

Above 4,000m, a surreal alpine desert supports little life other than a few hardy mosses and lichen. Then, finally, the last vestigial vegetation gives way to a winter wonderland of ice and snow – and the magnificent beauty of the roof of the continent.

About Kilimanjaro National Park
Size: 1668 sq km 641 sq miles).
Location: Northern Tanzania, near the town of Moshi.

Getting there
128 km (80 miles) from Arusha.
About one hour’s drive from Kilimanjaro airport.

What to do
Six usual trekking routes to the summit and other more-demanding mountaineering routes.
Day or overnight hikes on the Shira plateau. Nature trails on the lower reaches.
Trout fishing.
Visit the beautiful Chala crater lake on the mountain’s southeastern slopes.

When to go
Clearest and warmest conditions from December to February, but also dry (and colder) from July-September.

Accommodation
Huts and campsites on the mountain.
Several hotels and campsites outside the park in the village of Marangu and town of Moshi.

More info on accomodation

NOTE:
Climb slowly to increase your acclimatisation time and maximise your chances of reaching the summit.
To avoid altitude sickness, allow a minimum of five nights, preferably even more for the climb. Take your time and enjoy the beauty of the mountain.

NOTE 2:
NEW RATES FOR PORTERS AND GUIDES
(JUNE '08)

Porters
USD 10 per day
Cooks
USD 15 per day
Guides
USD 20 per day