Itinerary
- You will meet your local host outside the airport at 9am and transported to your hotel, in Moshi.
- You will be introduced to your local guides for a trip briefing and kit check before retiring for the night in order to rest for the week ahead.
Elevation: 1,650m to 2,830m
Distance: 11 km
Hiking Time: 5-7 hours
Habitat: Rain Forest
- The drive from Moshi to the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park Gate takes about 50 minutes. The journey passes through the village of Machame which is located on the lower slopes of the mountain.
- You now leave the park gate and walk through the rain forest on a winding trail up a ridge. Lower down, the trail can be muddy and slippery. Gaiters and trekking poles are a good idea here.
- You continue a short distance until you reach the Machame Camp.
Elevation: 2,830m to 3,800m
Distance: 5 km
Hiking Time: 4-6 hours
Habitat: Moorland
- After breakfast, you leave the glades of the rain forest and continue on an ascending path, crossing the little valley walking along a steep rocky ridge, covered with heather, until the ridge ends.
- The route now turns west onto a river gorge. Time for rest, dinner and overnight at the Shira campsite.
Elevation: 3,800m to 4,600m then to 3,900m
Distance: 10 km
Hiking Time: 6-8 hours
Habitat: Semi Desert
- From the Shira Plateau, you continue to the east up a ridge, passing the junction towards the peak of Kibo. As you continue, your direction changes to the South East towards the Lava Tower, called the “Shark’s Tooth.” You will spend an hour or so at The Lava tower enjoying a cooked lunch and seemingly being able to touch the summit of Kilimanjaro.
- After lunch you will continue down to the Barranco Hut at an altitude of 3,900m. Here you rest, enjoy dinner and overnight.
- Although you end the day at the same elevation as when you started, this day is very important for acclimatization and will help your body prepare for summit day.
Elevation: 3,900m to 3,950m
Distance: 5 km
Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
- After breakfast, you leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall, to the Karanga Valley campsite. This is a short day meant for acclimatization.
Elevation: 3,950m to 4,670m
Distance: 4 km
Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
Habitat: Alpine Desert
- After breakfast, you leave Karanga and hit the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail.
- You continue up to the Barafu Hut. At this point, you have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles.
- Here you reach camp, rest, enjoy dinner and prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are to be seen from this position.
Elevation: 4,670m to 5,895m then to 3,800m
Distance: 5 km ascent / 12 km descent
Hiking Time: 7-8 hours ascent / 4-6 hours descent
Habitat: Arctic
- Very early in the morning (between midnight and 1am), you continue our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. You head in a north-westerly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek.
- At Stella Point (5,750m), you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting).
- From Stella Point, you may encounter snow all they way on your 1-hour ascent to the summit.
- At Uhuru Peak, you have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa.
- From the summit, you now make our descent continuing straight down to the Millenium camp site, stopping at Barafu for lunch. You will want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. Millenium Camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon.
- Later in the evening, you enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.
Elevation: 3,800m to 1,650m
Distance: 10 km
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
Habitat: Rain Forest
- After breakfast, you continue the descent to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. Gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and t-shirts will probably be plenty to wear (keep rain gear and warmer clothing handy).
- From the gate, you will be driven back to the hotel in Moshi for a well needed shower before heading out for a celebratory meal and a well earned night in a comfy bed.
- You will be transferred to Kilimanjaro International Airport Tanzania for your return flight back home, or any other arrangements that you may have*
* We can also organise an extension to your trip. Popular extensions include a Serengeti Safari and/or some beach time in Zanzibar
| UK guide | A qualified and highly experienced UK guide with 20+ Kilimanjaro summits |
| Local Tanzanian Team | Local guides, porters and chefs throughout the hike |
| Hotel accommodation | 2 nights B&B in a hotel in Moshi town |
| Dinners in town | Welcome dinner on arrival and Celebration dinner after the trek |
| Food when trekking | Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day on the mountain, cooked and prepared by our team chef |
| Water | Clean sanitised water |
| Access Fees | Entry to the National Park |
| Ground transportation | Road transportation between the airport and Moshi town, and to/from the mountain |
| Guided hiking | 7-days/6-nights on The Machame Route |
| Emergency First Aid | Including emergency supplemental oxygen |
| Discounted Trips! | 10% off all City Mountaineering UK trips prior to departure |
| Flights | Travel from your home to Tanzania |
| Visas | Entry visas to Tanzania |
| Lunches in town | |
| Personal hiking kit | |
| Tips | For guides, porters, chefs and the rest of the local crew |
| Travel Insurance | Your personal travel/vacation insurance |
| Single Supplement | Optional cost of staying in your own room in the hotel |
Note: The weather and ground conditions will not be known until closer to the date and full winter conditions, whilst expected at this time of year, cannot be guaranteed. The trip will go ahead regardless of conditions (The only exception being if the prevailing weather is too dangerous e.g. Thunderstorms).
Clicking the ‘Add To Cart’ button is taken as confirmation that you have read and understood the Participation Statement.
Balance due 3-months prior to departure.
Trip Highlights
- You will be joined by a UK guide with over 20 summits (and more than 99% success rate, with over 250 clients) on Kilimanjaro
- Experience one of the best sunrises you will ever see!
- The Machame Route allows you to trek through every diverse eco-system that Kilimanjaro has to offer
- Incredible scenery from sunrises and sunsets, to being above the clouds and views of other local volcanoes
- Experience the warm hospitality of the local Tanzanian people
11 reviews for Climb Kilimanjaro – Machame Route
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Fantastic experience climbing Kilimanjaro with Stu! A trip of a lifetime reaching the highest point in Africa, and very glad to have chosen to go with City Mountaineering.
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Have been taking trips with Stu (City Mountaineering owner) since 2019. The most recent one was The KILIMANJARO trip just over 3 weeks ago. I could never have made it to the roof of Africa without Stu and the local teams support and motivation. The excursions have always been well organized, the attention to detail is exemplary, diet specifications are catered to, most gears/equipments are provided for, and SAFETY is always key priority. You can have a worry free trip knowing you are under the leadership of seasoned guides with excellent knowledge base of the mountain, and with first aid and safety skills handy when the need arises. Every penny worth the spend, highly recommended.
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I have been booking trips with Stu (Citymountaineering) since 2017 and I know for sure I am safe when with him. I have just returned from Summiting Kilimanjaro a few weeks ago. The Tanzanian crew (African Addictive Adventures) was spectacular in supporting us. We could not have safely summited and completed the whole journey in one piece without their support. Stu always makes sure everyone is safe and looked after. I’m a vegan and I had vegan food in the mountains – prepared by our own chef. He will also do everything he can to help you summit.
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Couldn’t fault City Mountaineering. We chose City Mountaineering to trek to the Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Stu was excellent, reassuring, patient & knowledgeable. Myself & my son got to the top BUT definitely wouldn’t have without Stu !
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What an amazing experience climbing Kilimanjaro is city mountaineering. Stu was welcoming, knowledgeable and supportive from the start of the trip. The team on the ground were amazing and everything about this trip was perfect! City mountaineering are the people to go with if you’re thinking about climbing to the roof of Africa!
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Just back from climbing Kilimanjaro with Stu at City Mountaneering- can’t recommend this enough- amazing experience and would not have had the confidence to get to the top without the support from Stu and the team. 5 stars!!!
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Stu is a great guide. I went on the Kilimanjaro trip and loved every minute of it. From the food, to the tea in bed at 6am to the hike through different environments, it was amazing. Definitely recommend going with city mountaineering, whatever it is you want to do outdoors.
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It’s been a month since I reached the summit of Kilimanjaro with City Mountaineering and the Tanzanian local crew, still so grateful to them! They’re the best and very professional! I felt so at ease during that 7-day climb knowing that my friends and I were supported by mountaineers with great expertise. Stu definitely knows his mountains! He made sure his planned adventure was safe, comfortable as possible, and enjoyable for all of us. He really went above and beyond! The only complaint I had was his choice of mountain card games, they never let me win!😠🤪 Nonetheless , highly recommended!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Google – 💯
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I joined City Mountaineering’s Kilimanjaro trek in April 2025 and cannot recommend highly enough. As a keen hiker but total novice to altitude, I was unsure of what to expect but Stu expertly explained everything, every step of the way – taking the time to do a detailed kit briefing before we even left the U.K., and answering the many many questions asked with patience and kindness. He explained each step of the journey every day. The local crew selected by Stu were also excellent. The result was a trip that felt completely safe, extremely well organised, and above all, incredibly fun! All of our group reached the summit, which was the cherry on the Kili cake. Absolutely loved it and will be back for more adventures asap!
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Update: Ticked off a big bucket list item, having summited Mt Kilimanjaro on a recent trip with CM – Stu’s 20th trip! There was great communication beforehand with a walk through of the extensive kit list, and daily briefings on the trip – a well valued personal touch that you dont get from sone of the bigger companies that just sell the trip and pass you onto local guides! Just on the way back from a great 2 days walking in the Lake District with Stuart City Mountaineering are highly recommended for making it easy to share their love of the mountains 😎 So great to share some time with a passionate expert and like minded people to get off the beaten track to take in some stunning views. This was my 2nd trip after a few train strike enforced postponements, all handled with the minimum of fuss and first rate organisation so I have a 3rd trip to come in 2 weeks hopefully!
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I recently completed the Mount Kilimanjaro trek with City Mountaineering and our incredible guide, Stuart, and I couldn’t recommend the experience more highly. From the moment I booked, Stuart provided expert guidance every step of the way. His detailed kit list was invaluable in helping me prepare for all weather conditions, and the pre-trip briefing call gave a clear day-by-day breakdown of what to expect, which really helped calm any nerves. Although I joined this adventure as a solo traveller, the group dynamic was fantastic — we traveled together from London to Moshi, Tanzania, and quickly formed a supportive, fun team. Stuart also worked with an outstanding local crew who played a big part in making the journey smooth and memorable. Thanks to Stuart’s leadership and thoughtful preparation, our entire group successfully reached the summit. I wholeheartedly recommend this trip to anyone looking to experience the magic of Kilimanjaro with expert support.
