Climbing Kilimanjaro: Machame Route

Elevation gain: 1200 m ↑ Distance: 5 km Walking time: 5-6 hours Difficulty level: medium Landscape: rainforest You will be picked up in the morning by our guide, who will take you to the Machame Gate. There you will begin the ascent after the formalities for the climb have been completed. Today's route leads through a beautiful, untouched tropical rainforest. This side of the mountain has a humid climate, which is why everything is green here. After a five to six hour walk you will reach the Machame Camp, which is located on the edge of the forest area with heathland.

Elevation gain: 840 m ↑ Distance: 5 km Walking time: 4-5 hours Difficulty level: easy Landscape: heather After breakfast, you continue the climb today, which starts off a little steeper. You cross a few headwaters on the west side and a little later you are rewarded with a beautiful view of the Kilimanjaro landscape. The first part of today leads to a small circular cliff known as Picnic Rock. Here you can have a beautiful view of Kibo (the summit of Kilimanjaro) and Shira (one of the other volcanic peaks). From this picnic area, the route continues to Shira Camp. Here you have lunch and afterwards you have the opportunity to do an acclimatization hike on one of the lava towers at 4210 m altitude - length of the hike is 2 km. Note: The acclimatization hike is a walk with a slight elevation gain. This can speed up your adaptation to the altitude. This is recommended as it increases your chances of reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro and reduces the risk of suffering from altitude sickness.

Elevation gain: 790 m ↑ and 670 m ↓ Distance: 8 km Walking time: 5-6 hours Difficulty level: medium Landscape: heather Today's route leads from Shira Camp to a lava tower. This part of the climb has several ascents and descents and offers beautiful views along the way. It is a longer stage and you may feel a little unwell due to the altitude. To acclimatize, it is therefore important to stay at the lava tower for one to two hours so that your body can get used to this altitude. That is why you will have lunch there. After lunch, you descend to Barranco Camp. Here you can see flowering plants growing up to 5 m high. Barranco Camp is located at the foot of the Barranco cliff, which is impressive both for its size and its steepness. The hiking trail along it is not too difficult.

Elevation gain: 48 m ↑ Distance: 11 km Walking time: 6-7 hours Difficulty level: difficult Landscape: Alpine desert After breakfast, you set off from Barranco Camp to the Barranco Wall. This is one of the most difficult parts of the route, but for many people it is also the most beautiful part of the climb because of the impressive views. Once at the top of the Barranco Wall, you have a spectacular view to the left of the Kibo volcano and to the right you can see Mount Meru in the distance. Then the more difficult hike to Karanga Camp begins, this route has many ascents and descents.

Elevation gain: 650 m ↑ Distance: 7 km Walking time: 4 hours Difficulty level: difficult Landscape: Alpine desert This day is for acclimatization before you start the summit assault. Barafu Camp is the last camp before the summit, where you will be served a warm meal. Afterwards, take time to relax and sleep, because your ascent to the summit begins around midnight!

Elevation gain: 1255 m↑ 2075 m↓ Distance: 12 km Walking time: 10-14 hours Difficulty level: difficult Landscape: arctic summit zone You set off from Barafu Camp at around 1-2 a.m. and begin your ascent to the summit of Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak)! The ascent is on good paths, the most difficult part is the altitude. A personal guide is assigned to each climber so that he can keep a close eye on their physical and mental condition. Once at the top of the summit, you can enjoy a beautiful sunrise. After a small celebration at the summit, you can descend to the next glacier if you wish. You then return to Barafu Camp and, after a two-hour break, begin the descent to Mweka Camp. When descending, pay close attention to where you step to avoid injury on the last few meters down.

Elevation gain: 1500 m ↓ Distance: 10 km Walking time: 3-4 hours Difficulty level: easy Landscape: rainforest Today you will descend the remaining 1500 meters along a jungle path to the Mweka Gate. The path leads through the tropical rainforest. After arriving at the gate, you will be picked up by our driver and taken to your booked accommodation, where you can recover from the exertions of the mountain climb.