Description

MT Kilimanjaro climb & Machame – An African Tourism

Day 1:

After breakfast at a hotel in Arusha, then have a two-hour drive to Machame Village where the porters are waiting for our gear. Enter the gates of Kilimanjaro National Park and begin hiking through the lush rainforest. The trail can get quite muddy so bring the gaiters! Ascend through the rainforest to the Machame Hut camp and find your first views of Kilimanjaro as you leave the dense forest. 6 hours hiking – 3000 meters Camp.

Day 2:

The porters wake us every morning with hot tea and warm water for washing face and hands. After breakfast in the dining tent, the day trek begins with a steep hike out of the camp through a new type of vegetation and volcanic rock. Below is a sea of clouds over the rainforest with impressive Mt. Meru, the second-highest peak in Tanzania (4566 meters), rising above the clouds.

Climb a beautiful ridge with Kili right in front of us. After ascending some volcanic cliffs, we arrive at the vast moorlands of the Shira Hut camp. Beautiful views of Kili, Mt. Meru, and the Cathedral spires. There are some small springs for washing and collecting water. 3 1/2 miles from camp is the Shira Plateau, a beautiful side hike for those with the energy! 5 hours hiking – 3800 meters

Day 3:

We ascend out of Shira Camp at a nice slow pace as this is the highest weíve been yet. Kili is in front of us throughout the hike. After a lunch stop, we detour up a steep scree slope to the impressive Lava Tower, a tall, black volcanic mass of rock.

Some choose to scramble to the top, being rewarded with beautiful views. Or, just kick back and relax! On the steep hillside, we can see the Western Breach trail which goes directly to the Kibo Glacier. After admiring the Lava Tower, we descend down to a cold glacial stream, refill our water bottles, and continue on and around the mountain.

At this point, we are continuing to circumnavigate Kilimanjaro and viewing this beautiful mountain from many different angles. After hiking across a sparse lava field, we descend to the beautiful Barranco Hut camp. Thereís another cold stream flowing through this scenic valley with the impressive Barranco Wall on the opposite side. 3940m, 4 hours.

Day 4:

Wake up to hot tea and breakfast and immediately make our assault on the steep Barranco Wall, fondly called ìthe Breakfast Climb as it is our first hiking of the day. We see Kili from a new angle and have a nice, fairly short walk through the screen and over a ridge to the Karanga River Valley Camp.

We camp beneath the icefalls of the Heim, Kersten and Decken Glaciers. This is a short day of hiking so one may choose to do a day hike up the scree field and then ìskiî back down or just rest in camp with a good book. 4000 meters – 3 hours.

Day 5:

After climbing out of the Karanga Valley, the trail ascends a ridge to the Barafu Hut, our highest camp yet, at 4600m. This is the camp where we will be making our ascent to the top.

The camp is located well above treeline and buzzes with the excitement of the summit attempt. We arrive early to obtain plenty of rest before our 11:30 pm wake-up call. 3 hours of walking.

Day 6:

Rise and shine at 11:30 pm! Dressed in our warmest gear and with plenty of water, snacks, and headlamps we meet in the dining tent for some tea and cookies. We begin climbing by starlight, the porters always reminding us to go polee-polee (ìs lowly-slowlyî).

The steepest section arrives just before Stella Point. We ascend to the rim of the Kibo Crater between the Rebmann and Ratzel Glaciers, 4 hours; the last section before the rim can sometimes be snow-covered and a ski pole or stick is useful for balance. From here another hour leads to Uhuru Peak, (Freedom Peak) at 19,340 feet, the highest point on the continent of Africa.

After watching the sunrise and snapping plenty of photos, we descend back down to the Barafu Hut for a rest and lunch. Continue down the Mweka trail (for descent only) through the giant heather zone to camp at Mweka Hut camp.

This is a festive camp on the edge of the rainforest where you want to have a little extra money because beers and sodas can be purchased here.

Day 7:

Four-hour hike down the Mweka trail through the rainforest. Arrive in the village of Mweka where there are plenty of wood curios, batiks, T-shirts, and souvenirs for sale. Evening transfer for your flight back home.

Included:

• 2 ways airport transfer
• 2 ways Machame transfer
• park fee
• camping fee
• Rescue fee
• wages for Guide
• porters and cook
• lunch boxes
• 3 Meals per day in the camping
• Government taxes

Excluded: 
Tips and things of personal nature.