Kilimanjaro Machame route climb
| country: | Tanzania |
| location: | Kilimanjaro |
| trip type: | High altitude, very challenging trekking holidays |
| departures: | 2009: 13 Sep, 25 Oct, 8 Nov, 22 Nov, 6 Dec, 20 Dec 2010: 17 Jan, 14 Feb, 14 Mar, 11 Apr, 9 May, 6 Jun |
| price: | From £1070 (8 days) ex flights. Local payment US $650. We can arrange flights from UK. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Just three degrees south of the Equator is the 5,895m/19,340ft high, permanently snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain. It offers one of the best opportunities in the world to climb a peak at high altitude without needing technical climbing ability. Any normally fit, healthy person prepared for some physical exertion and exercise should be able to complete the ascent to Gillman's Point and then on to Uhuru Peak, the technical summit, this involves approximately 60 km of walking in total, and no technical climbing. The rewards on completing this challenging trek are spectacular scenery, stunning views plus a great sense of achievement.
While trekking we are accompanied by a lead mountain guide, assistant guides and porters who carry your bags and take care of all the cooking. For your safety and enjoyment we use a very high ratio of guides to climbers - one guide/assistant guide for every 3 participants. You will only be expected to carry your own water bottle, waterproofs and immediate personal items.
While trekking we are accompanied by a lead mountain guide, assistant guides and porters who carry your bags and take care of all the cooking. For your safety and enjoyment we use a very high ratio of guides to climbers - one guide/assistant guide for every 3 participants. You will only be expected to carry your own water bottle, waterproofs and immediate personal items.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Kilimanjaro Airport/Marangu. Limber up for some strenuous trekking with a swim in the hotel pool. |
| Day 2: | Machame Camp. Get to know the friendly porters on the long walk through misty rainforests to the historic Machame campsite. |
| Day 3: | Shira Camp. Be challenged by a climb up the steep ridge to the Shira plateau, where sensational views of Mt Kibo can be had. |
| Day 4: | Baranco. The undulating terrain makes for easier acclimatisation. |
| Day 5: | Barafu. Meaning 'ice', Barafu is a fitting name. A steep ascent through the dry desert region offers a look at fascinating glaciers above. |
| Day 6: | Summit. Start early to catch the stunning sunrise and continue along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak. Rising 5895 m above sea level you'll feel like the king of the world at Africa's highest point. |
| Day 7: | Marangu. Unwind with a good snooze back at the hotel. |
| Day 8: | Kilimanjaro Airport. Transfer to your onward journey. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. this tourism business won an award
in our 2005 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine.how this holiday makes a difference
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For every week that our passengers spend in Africa, we plant a tree in Kenya through the Woodlands 2000 Trust, a local NGO. The Woodlands 2000 Trust is a wonderful project that provides seeds and seedlings with planting materials as well as land-planning, tree survival and woodlot management services. It aims to increase reforestation and bio-diversify in semi-arid regions, and also to create sustainable and profitable tree products micro-industries that contribute to alleviating poverty.
On Kilimanjaro, we insist that porters carry no more than the maximum (20Kg) recommended load, and we also make sure they have sufficient warm gear to climb comfortably. Back off the mountain, we cover their medical expenses and ensure an equitable distribution of the much sought after jobs. Although we attempt to keep the price of our climbs down for the customers, we don't feel it would be fair to do so at the expense of the local workforce. We also lead the battle to stop the use of firewood on the mountain as the lower slopes were rapidly being denuded of trees. Paraffin is now standard and gas is supplied to the mountain huts for cooking. In 2002 we organised and paid for 14 people to climb Kilimanjaro, in return they raised money for the Kilimanjaro Village Education Project (KVEP) and this money was used to build a computer-training centre at the base of Kilimanjaro. The total raised was in excess of £48,000, which far exceeded the target and the computer-learning centre is now operating. The centre will serve the 7 villages that are grouped together in the area. These villages are far removed from the British concept of a village and together they are home to several thousand people. In 2004 we again sponsored a Kilimanjaro climb, this time to build a nursery school for the KVEP. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |