Super Luxury SafarisSuper Luxury Safaris
6 day itinerary

6 Day Kilimanjaro Climb: Machame Route

The Machame (Whiskey) route in six days, camping: Machame, Shira, Barranco, Barafu, summit, then Mweka.

From $10,800 per personFinal quote depends on travel dates, lodge choice and group size.

Open digital itinerary Get a free quote

Route map

From start to finish

Starts in Mount Kilimanjaro and ends in Arusha.

Start: Mount Kilimanjaro End: Arusha

Tanzania

  1. Start Mount Kilimanjaro (Day 1-5)
  2. End Arusha (Day 6) Land Cruiser

Open digital itinerary WhatsApp this itinerary

Digital itinerary

Day by day

Every package has a shareable digital itinerary: overnight notes, the route, and a print-ready PDF view.

  1. Day 1 Machame Gate to Machame Camp in a mountain tent at Machame Camp
  2. Day 2 Machame Camp to Shira Camp in a mountain tent at Shira Camp
  3. Day 3 Shira Camp to Barranco Camp in a mountain tent at Barranco Camp
  4. Day 4 Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp in a mountain tent at Barafu Camp
  5. Day 5 Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp in a mountain tent at Mweka Camp
  6. Day 6 Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate to Arusha

Open digital itinerary

Kilimanjaro & Trekking

Machame is the camping route most of our first-time climbers choose. Six days: forest, Shira plateau, Barranco Wall, Barafu, summit, Mweka. You sleep in mountain tents. Acclimatization is better than five-day Marangu, tougher on the legs than seven-day Machame.

Park fees, camping fees, rescue fees, crew and tents are included. Town hotels before and after are your choice of class.

Machame Gate on Mount Kilimanjaro

Day 1: Machame Gate to Machame Camp

Rainforest trail to Machame Camp

Registration at Machame Gate, then a forest walk that is steeper than the brochure photographs. Cedar, colobus, mud after rain. This is where six-day Machame earns its reputation: honest climbing from the first hour, with a Super Luxury crew who already know the slope.

Machame Camp sits at the edge of the trees. Tents, a hot meal, the first night you sleep above the farms. Overnight in a mountain tent at Machame Camp.

Day 2: Machame Camp to Shira Camp

Shira plateau on Kilimanjaro

You climb out of the forest onto the Shira plateau — a wide, old caldera with Kibo rising at the far end. The light here is the reason people still talk about Machame after they have forgotten the slog. This is the first day the mountain feels endless.

Overnight in a mountain tent at Shira Camp.

Day 3: Shira Camp to Barranco Camp

Barranco Valley camp under the icefields

Up toward Lava Tower for acclimatization — walk high, sleep lower — then down into Barranco Valley under the icefields. The valley floor is where you want to spend this night: giant groundsels, a wall you will climb tomorrow, and a camp that feels hidden.

Overnight in a mountain tent at Barranco Camp.

Day 4: Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp

Barafu Camp, high camp before the summit

The Barranco Wall in the morning: a scramble, not a climb, with a drop that makes you careful with your hands. Karanga in the middle of the day, then Barafu on a rocky ridge — the last camp before midnight. This is the high, wind-cut place where summit night begins.

Early rest. Overnight in a mountain tent at Barafu Camp.

Day 5: Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp

Uhuru Peak, the roof of Africa

Midnight start for Stella Point and Uhuru Peak, then a long descent to Mweka Camp. This is the hardest day of the trip and the one you will tell first. Headlamps, switchbacks, sunrise on the crater rim if the weather holds — then down, a long way down.

Overnight in a mountain tent at Mweka Camp.

Day 6: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate to Arusha

Mweka descent through montane forest

Rainforest again, certificates at Mweka Gate, transfer to Arusha or Moshi, which ends the climb. A shower you will think about for the last hour of the trail, and a Super Luxury Safaris Team that still answers after the gate.

The package

What is included — and what is not

Two separate lists, so you can see what the itinerary price covers before you request a quote.

Covered

Included in this itinerary

In the package price, for the dates and lodge or camp class on your quote.

  • Kilimanjaro National Park fees, camping or hut fees, and rescue fees for this route.
  • Certified mountain guide, assistant guides, cook and porters as required for the group size.
  • Transport between Arusha or Moshi and the gate.
  • Mountain tents, sleeping mats, dining tent and all meals on the mountain.
  • Purified drinking water on the mountain.
  • All meals cooked and served on the mountain.
  • A live-music and traditional-dance farewell evening in Arusha or Moshi after your descent.
  • Two nights in Arusha or Moshi on a bed-and-breakfast basis — one before the climb and one after — unless the quote uses a different hotel plan.

You arrange these

Not included

Budget separately, or ask us to add them to your proposal.

  • International flights
  • Airport taxes and visa or eTA fees
  • Alcoholic drinks and any specialty dining not named on your quote
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Items of a personal nature, laundry and souvenirs
  • Travel insurance
  • Optional extras such as a hot-air balloon, Maasai village visit or spa, unless added to the quote
  • Sleeping bag, trekking poles and personal climbing clothing (rent in Arusha if needed)
  • Tips for the mountain crew, paid on the mountain

When to travel

Season and routing

Dry months (January–March and June–October) are the usual climbing window. April–May and November are wetter, with heavier trail mud. We still run climbs in the rains if you accept that. Summit night is cold on every route.

Where you sleep

Choose your stay style

Four ways to travel the same parks. Pick one style for the whole safari, or mix nights — we quote what you actually want. Names below are properties we often confirm. The lodge or camp on your quote is the booking; nothing here is reserved until you approve it.

  1. Camping Safari tents, a cook, the night sounds of the park. The honest, close-to-the-ground way to safari.
  2. Mid-range En-suite lodges and tented camps we use most — a proper bed, a shower, and the game still at the door.
  3. Luxury Pools, full-service dining, the better rooms in the same parks.
  4. High-end Suite camps and private houses when the trip is built around silence and space.

Arusha or Moshi — the night before and after the climb

Camping

We do not camp in town. You need a proper bed, a shower and a breakfast before the gate.

Mid-range

Planet Lodge, Mvuli Hotel, or a similar Arusha / Moshi hotel on bed and breakfast.

Luxury

Gran Meliá Arusha, Arusha Coffee Lodge — a quieter garden night before Machame or Marangu.

High-end

Legendary Lodge, Elewana Arusha Coffee Lodge — small, private houses when the climb is part of a longer high-end safari.

Before you book

Practical notes

  • This is a trekking itinerary, not a technical climb. You still need fitness for six to eight hours a day and a summit night that starts around midnight.
  • We follow park altitude rules. If the guide turns you back, that decision stands.
  • Tips for the mountain crew are not included. We send a suggested tipping sheet with the quote.
  • Town nights before and after the climb are camping-to-high-end hotels in Arusha or Moshi. On the mountain you sleep in park huts (Marangu) or mountain tents (all other routes).

OUR AFFILIATES

Singita Elewana Collection Meliá Karibu Africa Safaris Legendary Expeditions