Climb Kilimanjaro with Derek Cullen Outdoors: Machame Route

Are you ready for the climb of your life? Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa (5,896m), and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. This adventure is all about the journey and slowly hiking/camping your way to the summit, but standing on the ‘roof of Africa’ is a memory that will remain with you for the rest of your life. We spend 7 days trekking on the Machame route to the summit of Kilimanjaro. This allows for one extra day trekking to acclimatize and significantly reduce the chances of altitude sickness. The Machame route is arguably the most varied of the trekking routes on Kilimanjaro and features changing landscapes from one day to the next. In fact, we begin trekking through lush rain forests and moorland before heading up into alpine tundra. Summit day is on the evening of day 6 when you begin trekking under headlamp toward the summit of Kilimanjaro – Uhuru Peak (5,895m). This means the majority of climbing Kilimanjaro takes place during the day but we will aim to summit Kilimanjaro on full moon.

Summiting on a cloudless night is an unforgettable experience as the glaciers can sometimes glitter in the moonlight as we inch closer to the summit. Although full moon is rather bright for sleeping and stars are not as visible, a summit attempt during a full moon can sometimes make the climb easier. You might not even need to switch on your head lamp as the bright moonlight helps provide spectacular views of Kibo and Mawenzi peak in the distance. But why should you consider trekking with Outdare Adventures?

We use some of the best mountain guides on Kilimanjaro and a team of porters who take pride in their work. This team mostly originates from Marangu Village and you will feel secure and welcome in their presence. All meals are provided on the mountain and a ‘waiter’ brings hot coffee and warm washing water to your tent every morning and evening. Outdare Adventures even provides private access to a portable toilet on the mountain which is a huge benefit in terms of hygiene. The mess tent is a comfortable space to unwind before/after walking each day and we only use quality tents and camping equipment which is not always the case with other companies. At the time of writing this description, Outdare Adventures has a 100% success rate of our clients reaching the summit.