Kilimanjaro Machame Route trek
Highlights
Trek and climb Kilmanjaro | Machame Route | Local guides and porters | Six climate zones of Kilimanjaro | Kilimanjaro wildlife |Kilmanjaro Southern Circuit | Machame Camp | Shira Camp | Lava Tower | Barranco Camp | Karanga Camp | Barafu Camp | Mweka camp | Views of Mawenzi and Kibo | Rebman and Ratzel glaciers | Stella Point | Uhuru Peak and Kilmanjaro SummitDescription of Kilimanjaro Machame Route trek
This Kilimanjaro trek follows the southern Machame Route up to the great summit known locally as Uhuru, Africa’s highest peak at 5,896m. Mount Kilimanjaro actually has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. This is a spectacular trekking route taking seven days to complete, camping along the way at well established Kilimanjaro camps. Your first stop, Machame Camp, is already at 3000m. You are fully supported along the way with local porters and guides. This tour operator works in partnership with the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP).On this trekking expedition you will hike through myriad landscapes and ecosystems, starting with montane forest, moving into the barren Shira, where you also camp, and then taking in the collapsed volcanic crater at Shira. As you get into more elevated terrain, the forest becomes more yielding under foot until you then hit glacial landscapes after Barranca Camp.
The final lap of this iconic trek is the crater’s edge at Stella Point and then to the great Uhuru Peak itself. After taking in the mountain’s magnificence, you descend along the Mweka Route, with a hotel and hot shower waiting for you on the last night. An incredible adventure that lives up to all expectations, and more.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about this holiday or need help finding one we're very happy to help. The Travel Team.
01273 823 700 Calling from outside the UK? rosy@responsibletravel.comCheck dates, prices & availability
Small group adventure
What is a small group adventure?It's a great way to travel! Whether you are travelling on your own, with a partner or with friends, a small group trip is a fantastic way to see the world. You'll travel on a fixed itinerary that has been designed to help you discover the best of region. From the known highlights, the hidden gems that you won't find in the guidebooks.
Itineraries run on set departure dates, accompanied every step of the way by an English speaking local group leader. You chose the itinerary and the date that suits you best and you book on.
Why travel on a small group adventure?
Small groups allow us to explore where larger tour groups can't. Our maximum group size of 16 travellers allows us to use local transport to get from A to B, to visit rural villages, spend time with the locals and even stay at a local home overnight, and it allows us to give our travellers genuine, real life experiences of the countries we are visiting; what you'll be doing and how you'll travel depends entirely on your chosen itinerary.
Is an adventure right for me?
The word adventure means something different to everyone, and our range of trips reflects that. Whether you want to explore local markets, visit out of the way temples and meet local people or go on an early morning safari drive searching for the 'big five', we'll have a trip for you. If you are looking for a physical challenge such trekking the Kokoda Track or summiting Kilimanjaro, we can help with that too.
So what can I expect on this trip?
This is a classic style of small group adventure. You'll find your trip combines a good mix of included activities and free time, with some meals included as per your itinerary. We don't want you to feel chaperoned, it's your holiday not ours. Your group leader will be on hand to assist with organising anything you might wish to do in your free time, but how you spend it is up to you. Anything listed as included in your itinerary will be included in trip price; whereas anything listed as optional will be at an additional cost should you wish to take part.
These trips are great value, including things that you would struggle to organise independently, such as a night at a homestay in a remote village, or local guides around a remote place of interest. Transport will be a combination of private vehicle and public transport, whichever is the most appropriate for the route we are travelling; this might include train, plane, camel, tuk tuk, bicycle, boat…
On a majority of these trips you'll stay in 2-3 star accommodation, locally owned and reflective of the region you are travelling through. All solo travellers will be automatically roomed on a twin share basis with another group member of the same sex, unless you opt to pay for your own room at time of booking. There are no compulsory single supplements for solo travellers willing to share. Single rooms aren't available on camping trips, and you will be expected to help out with camp tasks such as setting up and breaking down your camp.
Can I book my flights with you?
Yes! We are a fully ATOL bonded tour operator meaning that we can book flights from the UK as part of your holiday package. Just ask us for a quote including flights when you make your enquiry.
Responsible tourism
As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we screen every trip so you can travel knowing your holiday will help support conservation and local people.

This Kilimanjaro trek is the ultimate challenge for keen trekkers, the chance to conquer the highest free standing peak on Earth and watch the sunrise from the highest point in Africa. Aided throughout the trek by your team of local guides and porters you can be sure that this fantastic trip will not only give you an enormous sense of personal accomplishment, but will also benefit local families and businesses in Tanzania.
Working with our ground agent in Tanzania we recruit all our ground staff from the communities surrounding Kilimanjaro, working to a ratio of one experienced guide to every two climbers, plus a team of assistant guides, porters, cooks and assistant cooks to accompany our trekkers.
Porters will carry your baggage during the trek, with trekkers only expected to carry a day pack. In the interest of porter welfare, you will therefore be required to limit the weight of your baggage on this trip. We ensure that our support are all well cared for when escorting our groups; from having appropriate equipment and clothing, enough food and getting paid a fair wage.
Your support team will encourage you throughout to take steps to make your climb as environmentally responsible as possible. Rubbish and refuse will not be left on the mountain, and our camping areas will be left as we find them. Your group leader will be on hand to assist with the appropriate disposal of rubbish en route, even if this means carrying it back down with us. To reduce waste (and limit the amount of weight carried), trekkers should carry refillable water bottles with purification tablets to enable them to remain hydrated, rather than rely on plastic bottles purchased prior to the climb.
The Impacts of this Trip
We are proud to be a partner of Kilimanjaro climb outfitter by the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP).
KPAP is a project supported by our Foundation meaning that all of our climbs have been assessed and scored based on a number of criteria, all of which are designed to ensure the proper treatment of porters on the Mountain.
Despite the significant efforts of KPAP to improve conditions for porters working on Kili, there is still an astonishing amount of abuse of porters on the Mountain. Receiving this accreditation shows our emphasis on what it means to travel responsibly.


This Kilimanjaro trek is the ultimate challenge for keen trekkers, the chance to conquer the highest free standing peak on Earth and watch the sunrise from the highest point in Africa. Aided throughout the trek by your team of local guides and porters you can be sure that this fantastic trip will not only give you an enormous sense of personal accomplishment, but will also benefit local families and businesses in Tanzania.
Working with our ground agent in Tanzania we recruit all our ground staff from the communities surrounding Kilimanjaro, working to a ratio of one experienced guide to every two climbers, plus a team of assistant guides, porters, cooks and assistant cooks to accompany our trekkers.
Porters will carry your baggage during the trek, with trekkers only expected to carry a day pack. In the interest of porter welfare, you will therefore be required to limit the weight of your baggage on this trip. We ensure that our support are all well cared for when escorting our groups; from having appropriate equipment and clothing, enough food and getting paid a fair wage.
Your support team will encourage you throughout to take steps to make your climb as environmentally responsible as possible. Rubbish and refuse will not be left on the mountain, and our camping areas will be left as we find them. Your group leader will be on hand to assist with the appropriate disposal of rubbish en route, even if this means carrying it back down with us. To reduce waste (and limit the amount of weight carried), trekkers should carry refillable water bottles with purification tablets to enable them to remain hydrated, rather than rely on plastic bottles purchased prior to the climb.

The Impacts of this Trip
We are proud to be a partner of Kilimanjaro climb outfitter by the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP).
KPAP is a project supported by our Foundation meaning that all of our climbs have been assessed and scored based on a number of criteria, all of which are designed to ensure the proper treatment of porters on the Mountain.
Despite the significant efforts of KPAP to improve conditions for porters working on Kili, there is still an astonishing amount of abuse of porters on the Mountain. Receiving this accreditation shows our emphasis on what it means to travel responsibly.

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