“The Kilimanjaro Whiskey Route”
Machame Route is the most popular route on Mount Kilimanjaro “the whiskey route”. Approaching the mountain from the south, the scenic trail offers incredible views and varying landscapes with beautiful forests, of which sometimes some birds species and some Black and white colobus monkeys can be spotted . Considered relatively difficult, steep and challenging, particularly due to its shorter itinerary, the route is better suited for more adventurous hikers, but also offers the best chances for acclimatization.
Descent is made via the Mweka route.
The six day variation combines days four and five, going from Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp without staying at Karanga.
The drive from Arusha/moshi to the Machame Gate takes about 50 minutes from moshi and 2hrs 30 mins from Arusha. The journey passes through the village of Machame which is located on the lower slopes of the mountain. As we leave the park gate, we walk through the dense rain forest on a winding trail up a ridge until we reach the Machame Camp.
We leave the glades of the rain forest and continue on an ascending path up to a steep, rocky ridge. On the Shira Plateau, we pass through heather and open moorlands, then cross a large river gorge to Shira 2 Camp.
We continue to the east up a ridge and then head southeast towards the Lava Tower – a 300 ft tall volcanic rock formation. We descend down to Barranco Camp through the strange but beautiful Senecio Forest to an altitude of 13,000 ft. Although you begin and end the day at the same elevation, the time spent at higher altitude is very beneficial for acclimatization.
We begin the day by descending into a ravine to the base of the Great Barranco Wall. Then we climb the non-technical but steep, nearly 900 ft cliff. From the top of the Barranco Wall we cross a series of hills and valleys until we descend sharply into Karanga Valley. One more steep climb up leads us to Karanga Camp. This is a shorter day meant for acclimatization.
We leave Karanga and hit the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail. We continue up to the rocky section to Barafu Hut. At this point, you have completed the Southern Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. After signing at rangers Hut we stay at Camp waiting for Lunch then after rest and enjoy an early dinner to prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are Clearly seen from this position on clear days.
Very early in the morning (around midnight), we begin our push to the summit. This is the most mentally and physically challenging part of the trek. The wind and cold at this elevation and time of day can be extreme. We ascend in the darkness for several hours while taking frequent, but short, breaks. Near Stella Point (18,900 ft5756m), you will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see coming over Mawenzi Peak. Finally, we arrive at Uhuru Peak- the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa.
From the summit, we now make our descent continuing straight down to the Mweka Hut camp site after having stopped at Barafu for lunch. The trail is very rocky and can be quite hard on the knees; trekking poles are helpful. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Later in the evening, we enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.
On our last day, we continue the descent to Mweka Gate and collect the summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. From the gate, we continue to Mweka Village then to Arusha. A vehicle will meet us at Mweka gate take youn back to the hotel in Moshi/Arusha as booked
we had nice safar