8-Day The Whiskey Kilimanjaro Route Machame Route

On this day, you will be picked up from the airport either the Kilimanjaro or Arusha Airport. You will then drive to the hotel. Once you arrive and settle in, your guide will arrive briefly. Afterward, he'll brief you on the hike, what to expect day by day as well as check if you have all the necessary gear for the hike.

Machame Gate (1800m) – Machame Camp (2835m) Hiking time: 5-7 hours. Distance: Approximately 11 kilometers. Habitat: Afro Montane Forest. After an early breakfast at your hotel, you will be picked up from Arusha and driven to Machame Village. In the village, you can buy mineral water and will receive a packed lunch. From the village, depending on the road conditions, you will continue to drive from the village to the Machame gate, but if not, the muddy 3 km walk will take about 1 hour to complete. After registering at the gate office, you'll start your ascent and enter the rainforest almost immediately. There is a strong possibility of rain in the forest, which will transform the trail into a very soggy, muddy, and slippery experience. You will have a welcome lunch stop about halfway and will reach the Machame camping area in the late afternoon.

Machame Camp (2835m) – Shira Camp (3750m) Hiking time: 6h. Distance: Approximately 5 km. Habitat: Afromontane forest/Heath. You'll arrive early at Machame Camp. After breakfast, you'll climb an hour or so to the top of the forest and then for 2 hours at a gentler gradient through the moorland zone. After a short lunch and rest, you'll continue up a rocky ridge onto the Shira plateau. By now, you will be able to see in an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. You are now due west of Kibo. After a short hike, you will reach the Shira campsite at 3 840m. The porters will boil drinking and washing water, before serving dinner. The night at this exposed camp will even be colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing.

Hiking time: 6-8h. Distance: Approximately 10km. Habitat: Alpine desert. The route now turns east into a semi-desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower. This is the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability, and headaches. After lunch, you'll descend again by almost 680m to the Barranco camping area. After reaching the Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco Camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall.

Barranco Camp (3900m)- Karanga Camp (3995m) Hiking time: 4-5h. Distance: Approximately 5km. Habitat: Alpine desert. After spending a night at the Great Barranco Wall (a very imposing sight at first), you'll make your way up this awesome-looking obstacle, which in the end normally turns out easier than you anticipated. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you'll appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys and then joins up with the Mweka route. The last water stop on the route is the Karanga Valley, as there is no water at Barafu camp "ice camp" and it is a bleak and inhospitable camping area to spend the night. Exposed to the ever-present gales the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge.

Hiking time: 4-5 hours. Distance: Approximately 4 kilometers. Habitat: Alpine desert. Following breakfast, you will leave Karanga Camp (3995m). The trail intersects with the Mweka Route, which is the trail used to descend on the final two days. As you continue hiking for an hour, you will reach Barafu Hut. This is the last water stop for the porters because there is no accessible water at Barafu hut (4673m). The word “barafu” in Swahili means “ice” and this camp is located on a rocky, exposed ridge. Tents will be exposed to wind and rocks so hikers need to familiarize themselves with the campsite before dark. An early dinner will be served so hikers can rest before attempting the summit the same night. Your guide will brief you in detail on how to prepare for summit night.

Hiking time: 7-8 hours ascent / 4-6 hours descent. Distance: Approximately 18 km. Habitat: Arctic. After spending a night at the Great Barranco Wall (a very imposing sight at first), you'll make your way up this awesome-looking obstacle, which in the end normally turns out easier than you anticipated. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you'll appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys and then joins up with the Mweka route. This is the preferred route down from the summit. The last water stop on the route is the Karanga Valley, as there is no water at Barafu camp "ice camp" and it is a bleak and inhospitable camping area to spend the night. Exposed to the ever-present gales the tents are pitched on a narrow, stony, and dangerous ridge. The summit is now a further 1345m up. You will make the final ascent the same night.

Hiking time: 3-4h. Distance: Approximately 10 km. Habitat: Forest. Following a well-deserved breakfast, your staff will have a big celebration full of dancing and singing. It is here on the mountain that you will present your tips to the guide, assistant guides, chef(s), and porters. After celebrating, you will descend for three hours back to Mweka Gate. The national park requires all hikers to sign their names to receive certificates of completion. Hikers who reached Stella Point (5685m) receive green certificates and hikers who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m) receive gold certificates. After receiving the certificates, you will descend into the Mweka village for 1 hour (3 kilometers). You will be served a hot lunch. Then, you will drive back to Arusha for long overdue showers and more celebrations.