Kilimanjaro route: Machame

The Machame route approaches Kilimanjaro through forest and moorland from the south-west, and joins the Shira route before traversing beneath the southern icefields of Kibo. It leads to Barafu Ridge route to the summit. Reaching the rim at Stella Point relatively near to Uhuru is a bonus, and htis also applies to Shira and Lemosho routes.

Descent from the summit is mandatory on Mweka Route - a well maintained and beautiful rain forest trail.

Over 30% of all climbers now use the Machame route making it the most popular of the wilderness routes. One reason for the popularity of the route is that it is easy to access from Moshi and Marangu and so the logistics of setting up the climb are lower cost than for the remoter routes such as Lemosho and Shira. However you should bear in mind that it is the second most crowded route (after Marangu) and the ascent and descent are both on relatively close and similar sections of the southern flank.