Hut route
Marangu Route, 6 days
The Coca-Cola route: the only Kilimanjaro trail with permanent huts, a dormitory bed every night and a gentler altitude profile once you add the acclimatisation day.
From$2,500
View trip
Length7 days / 6 nights
From$1,890per person sharing, group departure
StartsArusha / JROAny date
StylePrivate 4x4Your own guide
Route
Machame Gate · Shira · Barranco · Karanga · Barafu · Uhuru Peak
Why this trip works
- Walk high, sleep low: Lava Tower at 4,600 m then down to Barranco
- Barranco Wall, the most memorable hour of the whole trek
- Seven days for acclimatisation, one hour shorter summit night than Marangu
- Certified guides with 50 to 100+ summits each
Day by day
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Day 0 · Arrival and gear check
Airport transfer, hotel check-in and an evening briefing with your head guide.
Hotel in Arusha·Half board
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Day 1 · Machame Gate to Machame Camp (3,000 m)
Two to three hours' drive through coffee plantations to the gate, then five to seven hours climbing through cloud forest to camp.
Machame Camp·Full board
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Day 2 · Machame to Shira Camp (3,840 m)
A steep six to eight hours out of the forest onto the Shira plateau, with Kibo appearing ahead and Mount Meru behind you.
Shira Camp·Full board
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Day 3 · Shira to Barranco via Lava Tower (4,600 m)
The key acclimatisation day: climb to Lava Tower for lunch, then descend 700 m into the Barranco valley to sleep low among giant senecio.
Barranco Camp·Full board
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Day 4 · Barranco Wall to Karanga (4,200 m)
An hour and a half of scrambling up the Breakfast Wall, then a short descent and climb into Karanga valley.
Karanga Camp·Full board
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Day 5 · Karanga to Barafu (4,600 m)
Three to four hours to base camp, past the Heim and Kersten glaciers. Early dinner and sleep before the midnight start.
Barafu Camp·Full board
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Day 6 · Summit day and descent to Mweka (3,100 m)
Midnight start, six hours to Stella Point, one more along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak, then down to Barafu for lunch and on to Mweka Camp.
Mweka Camp·Full board
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Day 7 · Mweka Gate and Arusha
Four hours down through the cloud forest, certificates at the gate, then a celebration dinner with your crew in Arusha.
Hotel in Arusha·Half board
Included
- Park and rescue fees
- Professional guides, cook and porters, paid above the KPAP minimum
- Four-season mountain tents and full mess equipment
- All meals on the mountain and purified water
- Emergency oxygen and daily health checks
- Transfers, hotel nights in Arusha and summit certificate
Not included
- Visa, insurance and personal gear
- Sleeping bag and mat hire
- Tips for the mountain crew
Questions about this trip
Both are scenic and both cross the Barranco Wall. Lemosho starts further west, is quieter for the first two days and has a slightly better acclimatisation curve; Machame is shorter to reach and cheaper.
On our seven-day Machame departures, roughly nine in ten climbers reach Stella Point and the large majority go on to Uhuru. Extra days, hydration and honest acclimatisation do more for success than fitness alone.
Price
$1,890
per person sharing, group departure
- USD 1,890 per person sharing on a group departure; USD 2,920 for a private solo climb.
- Group dates are cheapest because porters, cook and transport are shared across the team.
Park, concession and crater fees included. Free quote in 24 hours.
