The Ultimate Guide to the 7 Day Machame Route on Mount Kilimanjaro

Congratulations! Just CONSIDERING a summit of Mount Kilimanjaro is a pretty daunting feat. Bucket list? Check! Life altering experience? Check! Once-in-a-lifetime vacation?! Check! Read on for tips, tricks and random advice before you make any decisions on which route might be right for you.

We decided on the 7 day Machame Route for several reasons:

-It was the “mid” point route- not the longest, but not the shortest (It is technically considered a 9 day route due to a day ) the night before you leave for the hike, and day 9 as the night after you summit- spent at your hotel before departure

-It is very popular because it has such beautiful scenery-beauty bonus!

-Is is crowded, which was a bonus for me- safety in numbers!

-It is doable for the “common hiker.” Neither of us are technical climbers.

There are 5 routes that are reasonable for “the everyday hiker” to consider- Lemosho, Rongai, Northern Circuit, Marangu and Machame. We can offer the best advice on the Machame Route, but do your homework and research on the other routes before you choose what might work best for you.

Fun facts about the Machame Route:

Commonly referred to as the “Whiskey Route”- it is perceived as being tougher than the Marangu Route- which is known as the “Coca-Cola” Route. (Coke is sold at the A-Frame camps on this route). The Coca-Cola Route is mainly a tourist route that allows for single day hiking options just to experience the mountain without planning/gear, etc.

Number of hiking days: 7

Distance covered: 37 mi gate to gate

Cost: Approximately $2000 depending on the operator you use

Difficulty level: It is NOT the hardest of all the routes, but given that we are talking about climbing the tallest freestanding mountain in the world- you might want to be fit, or train, or get off the couch once in a while! It IS quite challenging to climb, however. Hence, its name of the “Whiskey Route.”

Success rate: 85% It is usually the altitude that’s gets you! Watch out for mountain sickness!

What time of year is best to hike Kilimanjaro?

The best time of year is typically January- early March and June through October. However, you can climb Kilimanjaro any time of the year. The aforementioned months are dry and warm- but the weather is often unpredictable and can change at any time. Avoid April and November, as this is the rainiest time of year. The trails can be slippery and dangerous…and no fun to tackle!

Temperatures vary with the seasons and also within the different climate zones as you hiker higher on the mountain. The summit zone is considered “arctic” and temperatures drop well below freezing all year long. The lower rain forest zone is warm and humid, the alpine zone is cooler and misty, and the alpine zone sees scorching sun during the day and freezing temps at night. When we climbed in September, the summit was about 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Really cold! Honestly, EVERY NIGHT when the sun went down it was cold- so make sure you pack accordingly! I cannot say it enough- plan for the right gear!

Choosing an outfitter to guide you on your trek:

This was the FIRST thing we decided upon once we figured out the dates we were able to travel. We opted for a full moon summit in September. How cool is that? This meant we had to find an operator that could accommodate a custom tour with dates we chose. We had 5 people interested in going, so we went with a private tour. Many guide companies offer group travel- where 10-15 individuals all hike together. This is a great option if you are a solo traveler. Our tour company, PEAK PLANET, offered custom, private, guided tours as well-which is one of the many reasons why we chose to use them as our tour company.

A few things we considered when we chose a tour operator:

-Flexibility for dates of travel

-Ability to add on a tour before or after the summit (we added on Gorilla trekking before and a Safari afterward)

-Equipment- so, so important! Make sure the guide company uses high quality waterproof tents (able to insulate in below zero temps) and the latest safety equipment

-Safety equipment and training: Oxygen and emergency evacuation equipment are a must. We had twice daily blood pressure and pulse/oxygen tests to make sure we were healthy for the climb. Our team were also Certified Wilderness First Responders

-Portable, private toilet: I wouldn’t do it any other way. Every camp has “public” facilities (a smelly, enclosed hole in the ground) but operators can carry a tented loo with them- that is emptied daily and is steps from your tent! Otherwise, you may have to walk quite a distance at all hours of the night to go to the bathroom. You can also bring a personal, portable “she-wee” (a plastic bottle to wee in), but that doesn’t solve the issue for #2! Just pay up for the option to have a toilet. Its worth it!

-Local guides/companies who are part of the Fair and Ethical Treatment of Porters “Porters Assistance Project.” These guys work SO hard. They deserve to be paid and treated fairly. You will not believe all the equipment they have to haul up and down the mountain!

What should you bring?

The guide company you choose will send you a list of items that you will need to have for the entire trek. I was MOST concerned about summit night- since it is COLD and potentially WET. I made sure I had tried on and packed the EXACT GEAR that I would wear that night- so there was nothing that could impede me from making it to the top (like cold fingers/toes, or cold anything, really).

Random items that really came in handy: (that may not be on a gear list)

-wet wipes: instead of using the bowl of hot water provided to us every morning, we took a “camp shower” by wiping ourselves down with wet wipes. It worked great!

-an insulated canteen: this is useful particularly on summit night, but can be used anytime. Fill it with hot tea, soup, or hot water to keep you warm!

-Hot hands: We used these on summit night to help keep our hands, feet and back warm

-A few ziplocks: despite there being no single use plastics allowed, bring a ziplock to stow your used trail TP or Kleenex or wet wipes until you can empty it in the garbage at the mess tent. Remember- “Leave no trace”

-Nuun Tablets- electrolytes for your camelback and Nalgene bottle. We suggest 4 liters of water/day- which means 4 tabs of Nuun/day

-Dryer sheets: This helps to keep your clothes “fresh”. Believe me, after 7 days of sweaty clothes in your duffle, you will appreciate the sweet smell of a Downy Fabric Softener sheet!

-Slip on Camp Shoes: Who wants to lace up gym shoes after hiking in stiff boots for 7 hours? Wool Haflinger slippers or a slip on tennis shoe will feel marvelous after a long day of hiking.

-zip up pillow case: I used this trick at night. I stuffed the next days clothes into the pillow case and then used it to sleep on. My clothes were warm in the morning, and I didn’t need to buy an inflatable camping pillow! (Silk pillowcases come with zippers and feel great on your face- FYI!)

-Body Glide: A marathoners trick…used on your feet! If you are concerned about blisters at all, slather your feet with a stick of Body Glide before you put your socks on. None of us got a blister the whole week!

-Apple Air Tag: Airlines traveling to Africa are notorious for losing luggage. The Apple Airtag is a GPS tracker that you can slip in a pocket in your bag- and keep track of it in case the bag is lost. We DID have to use this once back in the States as one of our bags was delayed in being unloaded off the plane. The Tag enabled us to see it was at our airport, but was held up in the unload process.

Summit Night Gear:

We were both concerned that we would not be warm enough for the summit. Every blog I read, and every person I spoke to about the summit emphasized just how cold it was when they climbed-regardless of the time of year. Remember, the issue is not necessarily the temperature- (if you have ever skied before you are used to bundling up to stay warm.) The biggest issue that I had trouble grasping was the AMOUNT OF TIME you spend in the cold-it took us 6 hours to climb up to the summit and 3.5 hours to climb down. The climb up begins at midnight, in freezing temperatures. You hike ALL NIGHT to reach the top by sunrise. So its cold! Be prepared!

What we wore on top:

Base layer- dry fit tee. (I dd not wear a sports/support bra, BTW. I did not want any further constriction on my chest in case I had trouble breathing

Second layer- Smart wool long sleeve tee

Third layer- Light puffer vest

Fourth layer: Fleece/Polartec pullover

Fifth layer-Hooded puffer jacket

6th layer- Goretex Rain jacket

We brought a liner glove, a goretex mitten (your fingers will stay warmer if they are in a mitten versus a glove), a balaclava (which we didn’t need) and a smart wool neck gator (which I did use to cover my face. and a warm hat

What we wore on the bottom:

Dry fit tights

Fleece tights

Pfalraven Climbing Pants (not cheap- but so, so worth the cost)

Goretex Hard shell pants (in case it rained)- also not cheap

We were both super warm- my feet were cold despite 2 layers of socks. My hands also were cold- but tolerable. My Pepper was fine, of course. Why am I am always the one who gets cold first!?

Lets climb the Machame Route!

Here’s what the day-to-day hiking looks like…

Day 0: Arrival at your lodging in Moshi, Tanzania. We made the mistake of an evening arrival, which had us rushing to the accommodations for our pre-hike briefing from our guides. It was super stressful. Try and get an early arrival so you can relax and gather your thoughts before the big day. Your outfitter SHOULD check to make sure you have all the right gear (and ensure that your luggage actually arrived from the flight) or provide you with rental equipment, if necessary. Trust me- there are lots of nerves, emotions, fear and excitement of the unknown climb that awaits you. Get to Moshi early, have a glass of wine, and talk to all the fellow hikers that will be at your accommodation. They may offer advice on current weather and mountain conditions.

Day 1:

Arrival at the Machame National Park Gate and register. And so it begins! The hike starts at 5400 ft. elevation. It will be warmest on this day- when you hike through a lush, green forest on your way to Machame Camp.

5-6 hours hiking-6.7 miles-elevation gain of 4400 feet

Day 2:

Its crazy how noticeable the topography changes as you begin the climb on day 2. The lush forest changes to the rocky hills- the Moorland Zone. We viewed the Plateau, at 11,000ft and continued on to the Shiru Hut at 12,600 feet. You really start to feel the altitude here! Mt. Meru is visible in the distance. So amazing!

4.5 hours hiking- 3.3 miles long- 2800 ft. elevation gain

Day 3:

This was a uphill climb, literally! But the steep morning climb to 15,500 feet leads to lunch at the Lava Tower- a huge mountain of a rock towering over the surroundings. After lunch, we hiked back down to the Barranco Valley at 12,800 feet. (Hike high, sleep low.) The spectacular views from the Barranco Camp gives extensive views of the valley below.

7-9 hours hiking-7.5 miles long-elevation gain 200 ft.

Day 4:

This was my favorite day (other than the summit!) The steep, chaotic climb up the Barranco Wall is so scary and so fun all at the same time. We scrambled on all fours over craggy rocks along with about 100 other climbers and approximately 600 porters. It was nuts! Everyone was vying for a position up the wall. It was quite a scene as we made our way -mostly on all fours-straight up for 2 hours! The trail then leads to the southeastern portion of Kibo, with beautiful views of the Southern ice fields. The terrain changes again, to scree. There are areas of lush vegetation on the way to Karanga Camp at 13,000 feet.

4-6 hours hiking- 3.2 miles- elevation gain of 300 feet (but t feels like so much more!)

Day 5:

Another steep climb (pretty much every day is a steep climb….) led us to the Barafu Camp at 14,800 feet for lunch. This is really the only day where you loiter around at camp for a long time- to rest for the long summit night climb. We had lunch, took a nap, had dinner, and then tried to sleep 6pm-11pm before we left for the summit climb at midnight. Needless to say none of us slept because we were so excited and nervous about the climb to come.

Day 6:

After a quick snack, we changed into our summit gear and left camp at midnight sharp. It was a sea of headlamps- with every hiker heading out at the same time! The slow, steady pace (poli-poli) up the steep switchbacks in the cold only made us more excited to reach the top. Brief bathroom breaks every hour and the occasional “breath break” were the only times we stopped. We sang random trail songs with our guides all the way to Stella Point at 18,800 feet. This helped pass the time and made the cold hike so much more fun! They say if you reach Stella- you have a 100% chance of summiting! So this was our first goal…We opted to carry on (instead of stopping for the obligatory photo at the sign) as we got a burst of energy dreaming of Uhuru Peak. It is said that it takes an hour to get there- but we made it in about 30 minutes because we were so excited to get to 19,345 ft! Don’t forget to check out the glaciers to the left, the sunrise, and in our case, the full moon too! It was quite a feeling reaching the top! Woohoo!

Honestly- you never know what you are capable of achieving until you actually try. This climb was HARD. But as I always say- “life begins beyond your comfort zone.” Each of us had tremendous determination and grit. Damnit- we ARE going to summit! Through altitude sickness, darkness, and 20 degree temperatures we trudged along to 19, 341 ft. We had come so far- we had no other choice to see it through. You really have no idea what you can achieve until you put yourself to the test. It is so empowering to realize you are capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for. “If it is to be, its up to me.”

Unfortunately, the summit time is too brief-(about 10-15 minutes)- to avoid mountain sickness. So, we quickly made our way back down the mountain. We opted for the shorter route to the bottom- via an all scree sliding path. It took us 3 hours vs 4.5 hours to reach Barafu Camp. Our team of porters were there to greet us- with cheering, chairs and foot massage! It was so cool! We felt like heroes. Exhausted, tired heroes. After a quick rest and lunch- we had to continue hiking to Millennium Camp at 12,500 feet. This was really the longest part of a really long day. Another 4 hours of hiking after an all-night summit hike? Yep! Wow- we were wiped out. this day was no joke.

11-15 hours-8.2 miles-elevation gain: 4545 feet, elevation loss 6845 feet

Day 7:

This was also a strangely tough day back to the bottom. We were all tired and sore. Thankfully, the downhill hike on deconstructed stone steps and muddy terrain took us through a lush tropical forest with flowers and monkeys! After 4 more hours of hiking we made it to the Mweka Gate at 5400 feet. We jumped into our van, headed to lunch and souvenir shopping, and then finally back to our accommodation to rest. Wow. That was life-changing. Incredible. Really, really hard.

And I would do it all over again….as long as we had a porta-potty at every camp. :)

Day 8:

Home! (Or in our case- we were picked up to head out to safari for 2 days!)