Day 3 - The Climb Begins!

Early Departure for Machame Village at base of the Mountain, Begin the Trek after a hot lunch at Machame Gate @ 6,000 ft., Overnight Machame Camp @ 10,000 ft.

UPDATE FROM OUR TEAM

What a first day on-mountain! After a 2 hour drive from Mount Meru Hotel to the gate of Kilimanjaro national park, we had a quick lunch of veggies, beef samosas, soup, roti, and fried chicken. There has been no shortage of food thus far, and we’re not anticipating that trend to change. The team got started late, but embraced the challenge of the first (and longest, distance wise) climb of the trek; a full 6 hours, 6 miles, and 4000 feet in elevation gain through a dense, lush rainforest. We finished the hike via headlamp in pitch black darkness to arrive at a cozy Camp Machame and enjoyed a dinner of tilapia over tomato sauce, beef soup, and baked potato. The team was quick to bed after dinner and even quicker to sleep to enjoy an exhaustion fueled slumber. On to day 4!

MOUNTAIN ROUTE OVERVIEW

Our group will start climbing after registering in the National Park’s Climber Log and eating lunch. They’ll start hiking on a forest road through the rain forest – which is why it’s wet and humid climate where they start climbing. To the right and left of the road are Mount Kilimanjaro’s giant red germs and impatiens. The path will get narrower and steeper as it winds through the rainforest. After another hour of hiking, the landscape will start changing as they enter the moorland zone and approach their first camp. Upon arriving at camp, porters will welcome them with a tent that’s already pitched and hot tea with biscuits. After resting, they’ll debrief about the following day’s climb and eat dinner. If the weather is good, they’ll see a beautiful sunset and catch a glimpse of the first snow-capped peak of Kibo!!

MOUNTAIN ROUTE STATS

Starting elevation 6,000 feet

Ending elevation 9,900 feet

Elevation gain 3,900 feet

Distance hiked 6 miles

Average hiking time 6 to 7 hours