Why climb via the Machame Route? Why not shorten the summit day and camp in the Crater?
The trail for the Machame Route has recently been overhauled and it’s nice walking now, even if we get some rain. Gone are the deep mud issues of the past. And, the Machame Route takes us beneath some of Kilimanjaro’s most spectacular scenery. The camp at Barranco is spectacular, starring up at the Western Breech, while beginning the following morning with a fun climb of the Barranco Wall. Also note, by taking a full 7 days for the climb, people have a very reasonable acclimatization program. The Day 5, going to high camp from Karanga is short, which allows us to reach high camp without having had a hard, long climbing day, so we get there early, shortly after noon. That means plenty of time to drink, eat, pack and rest in preparation for our early start the next day. Crater camp? Not for us. Camping at almost 19,000 ft is tough. It’s cold and headaches/restless sleep are the norm. Much better to get up and get down before too much trouble can occur. Remember the old climber’s adage, “
