Mount Kilimanjaro Trek

The drive from Moshi to the Machame Gate takes about an hour. The journey passes through the village of Machame which is located on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. You will pass through the cultivations of Banana, Coffee and many root crops.

The Machame Gate lies about 2 km away from the village, on the south-western foot of Kilimanjaro. The gate is guarded by armed personnel of TANAPA (Tanzania National Parks). They only allow pre-registered tour operators and trekkers to pass once the backpacks are checked and weighed by the authorities. The entire process of registering the names and following the formalities can take about 2-3 hours.

Once this is complete, your trek starts by taking a well-made forest route that leads into the tropical rainforest. After an hour into the forest, you are on a trail which is approximately 4.5 ft wide, leaving behind the wider man-made road. Depending on which season you’re trekking in, the trail will be either wet and slippery or dry and muddy.

Giant trees are surrounded entirely around you as you trek through some lovely sections. Spot some giant ferns and pretty flowers like the luminous orange-red Kilimanjaro Impatiens, which are found only on Kilimanjaro when you are trekking.

About 2 hours of trek later, you’ll arrive at the lunch spot where you’ll have your packed lunch. Rest and recover while you have lunch inside the forest, and continue on the trail that becomes narrower and steeper, winding its way through large trees. You’ll hear the screams of the primates frequently. If you are lucky, you may spot a few Colobus Monkeys swinging about on tall trees. You are sure to miss this setting of the rainforest zone once you cross the next day until the last day of the trek.

The landscape is covered by trees that are almost two metres in diameter, with roots the size of houses. It looks as if the jungle wants to take over the path, which becomes evident as you scramble over roots and trees.

As you trek for about an hour, the scenery changes from damp rainforest into a foggy moorland zone filled with moss-covered Erica heather. One can compare this surreal landscape to the moorlands seen in the “Lord of the Rings” films. These are also called Spanish Beard Moss.

In about 11 km and close to 7 hours of climbing through the forest, you reach the Machame Camp where you’ll rest for the day.

Today is very beneficial in acclimatising you to the altitude. Even though you gain an altitude of over 2,500 ft, you will descend and camp just about 500 ft above the previous day’s altitude. Ascending to a higher altitude and then resting at a lower altitude will help in getting your body acclimatised better.

Your day begins with a panoramic view of Mt Meru, overlooking the valleys between Moshi and Arusha. You can even see the snow-white Kibo Peak if the weather is good.

After a hearty breakfast, continue on the trail towards the Lava Tower. Turn back to see Mt. Meru looming behind and getting smaller. You’ll walk in a desert of black lava sand and many huge boulders that resemble alien rocks from a distant world. You’ll spot a few man-made cairns too along the way.

It is so quiet here that all you hear is the whistling of the wind and your pulse racing. Almost 3 hours later you’ll arrive at the Lava Tower, a 300-foot high lava rock formation. This is your highest point for the day, at 15,160 ft.

From this point onwards, mild symptoms of altitude sickness like lightheadedness may creep in. It is normal as you have gained much altitude in a short period. Take it slow and stick to a very easy pace. The symptoms will ease out as your body acclimatises to the altitude and thin air.

Have a quick lunch before you have a good long descent. Altitude sickness symptoms should subside as you descend towards Barranco Camp from here. You’ll notice the black desert slowly turning into heath and moorland as you approach the Barranco Valley.

Giant Tree Groundsels rise to 30 ft all around you in a grassy landscape. It almost feels like you are walking in some alien land here. The underneath of these groundsels has some cotton-like texture which usually collects water from the air. You’ll also find Everlastings and Lobelias spread across the valley.

About 8 hours into the trek, you have reached today’s goal. Barranco Camp is located on exposed ground, just 5 km below Kibo Peak. The Great Barranco Wall rises across the campsite.

Cold wind blows over Barranco Camp once the sun sets below the western horizon. Brace yourselves for a cold night of below-freezing temperatures, and head to bed early. Get as much sleep as possible as this is the last night to get a good rest before the summit push the following night.

Start your trek around midnight after a hot, wholesome meal which is your source of energy for the longest day of the trek. Though Uhuru Peak is just 5 km away, the relentless ascent of 4,000 ft at extreme altitude, bearing bitter-cold temperatures makes the climb the hardest of all trek days combined.

It is a straight ascent on the ridge filled with ice and scree. During other seasons, you will have dry dusty lava sand to navigate. Since you start the trek in the dark, exercise caution and be surefooted at all times.

Important Note: There are high chances for even the fittest trekker to show signs of AMS. If your body is not doing good or showing symptoms of AMS, then it is very important for you to take the call of descending down. Going up and gaining altitude is a bad choice. It can even be life-threating and taking a risk which you should not.

As you climb up, one step at a time, you’ll start seeing daylight approaching from the eastern horizon, on your right. You should be at Stella Point, the first contact of the Kibo crater rim in time for sunrise.

Spend some time here taking a breather and waiting for the sun to come up. After a hard climb, the sunrise that you see takes away your breath and the scenery stays etched in your mind for years to come. The colours in the sky change from jet black to a beautiful fiery red and turn into a Tangerine Orange. This sight will take you back the memory lane of why you are here and taking up this trek.

From Stella Point, the tremendous Rebmann Glacier stands tall on your left. You’ll see different colours of sun rays passing through the glacier before the sun is too high.

Walk on the crater rim for another kilometre to reach Uhuru Peak, the highest point on the African continent. A few signboards at the Peak congratulate you on your tough journey to the top of Africa.

Click invaluable pictures and take in the scenery around you with a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

If you reach Uhuru Peak early, make your way to the Reusch Ash Pit, which is the tip of the volcano before you start the descent from Stella Point.

Note: Plan your trek to Reusch Ash Pit only if you have enough time on hand, and only if your Trek Leader allows you to go ahead, based on the weather conditions. You would have already been exhausted by this point in time. It easily takes more than 2 hours to go to the pit and be back.

Start the descent early as exposing yourself to harsh weather conditions above 19,000 ft can be extremely dangerous. Return along the crater rim, back to Stella Point and downhill past the gigantic Rebmann Glacier. You’ll start seeing the route that you had taken in the dark.

About 4 hours of descent through the same dusty and rocky terrain brings you to Barafu Camp. Have your lunch here and get some much-needed rest before heading further down to either the Mweka Camp or Millenium Camp.

As you descend to Mweka Camp, you’ll notice the landscape changing from the desert full of rock, sand and gravel, to heath and moorlands filled with grass and bushes. You feel good to be back amidst the lush green setting.

Almost 6 hours after the start from Barafu Camp, you finally reach Mweka Camp where you will end the most tiresome day of your trek. Have a hearty dinner and retire on your last camping night on Mount Kilimanjaro.

If your trek leader plans on not heading all the way down to Mweka Camp, then you have a new campsite called Millenium Camp. This campsite is much better in terms of views and for the trekkers' experience. However, it would be at a higher altitude (12,450 feet). This also means descending about 2,000 feet more to reach Mweka Gate the next day.

Note: This call is usually taken depending on how the team is fairing (in terms of physical, morale and dynamics of what is better considering the entire group)