For many visitors in Tanzania, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is on the to-do list. Currently, there are 5 different routes to the summit. For this, you should plan between 5-8 days. But it is also possible to do only a day hike in the Kilimanjaro National Park. However, it is not possible to go alone into the park, a guide is always needed. We would like to introduce you to the Machame Route.
The park entrance is located at 1800 meters above sea level. The first camp, Machame Camp, is 11 kilometres away. On this stretch there are 1000 meters of altitude difference to overcome. The incline is moderate, so that even inexperienced hikers can manage to do the round-trip in one day. The biggest part of the route leads through a tropical mountain rainforest. At average temperatures of 20-25 degrees Celsius and a high level of humidity, the route follows paths and trails through lush greenery. The forest is absolutely magical, everything is overgrown with mosses and lichens hang from the trees.
It's amazing how quiet it is in the jungle. Only sometimes you can remotely hear water splashing, a bird calling or leaves rustling caused by monkeys. The higher we get, the more the rainforest turns into a bizarre moorland landscape. Heather plants over 3 meters high are not uncommon. The temperature drops noticeably.
Depending on your physical condition, it will take 3-5 hours to reach the first camp on the way to the summit. The air has become noticeably thinner. We sign the visitors' book of the park administration, and then we have some time to rest and have a picnic before we start our descent again.
As there are often heavy rain showers further down in the rainforest, especially in the afternoon, it is advisable to start the day tour early in the morning. This also has the advantage that one has the forest for oneself. The gate opens at 8 am. The groups that want to reach the summit usually start a little later on the first day.
