Machame Gate

The busiest starting point on the mountain

Machame Gate sits on the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro, among the Chagga farmland and forest above Moshi. It is one of the mountain’s eight gates and the entry point for the Machame route, which TANAPA names among the four access gates for climbs alongside Marangu, Lemosho via Londorossi and Rongai.

Machame carries more trekkers than any other route on Kilimanjaro. That is worth factoring into expectations of the first two days, which are the ones where the route is at its most concentrated: everyone leaves the gate at the same sort of time and camps in the same place.

What happens here, and what happens next

The gate is where permits are checked, porters are weighed and registered, and the walk into the montane forest begins. TANAPA describes a wide band of montane forest encircling the whole mountain from about 1,800 to 2,800 metres, and the Machame first day is spent entirely inside it — steep, wet, green and, in the rainy months, hard work underfoot.

The route is a camping route. TANAPA provides hut accommodation only on the Marangu route, and lists professionally designated camping sites with toilet facilities on the wilderness routes of Rongai, Mweka, Umbwe, Machame, Lemosho, Kilema and Londorosi. First camp is Machame Camp, at the top of the forest.

Nobody descends to Machame Gate. TANAPA states that Mweka Gate is used for descent, and Machame parties come off the mountain there, on the other side of the southern flank. That has a practical consequence worth confirming with an operator: transport has to meet the party at a different place from where it was dropped.

Where the route goes from here

Machame climbs through the forest to the Shira ridge, crosses the Shira Plateau, and joins the other western routes at Lava Tower before descending to Barranco. From there the southern circuit crosses the Barranco Wall and the Karanga valley to Barafu at 4,837 metres, and the summit push goes from there to Uhuru Peak.

That profile — up to Lava Tower and back down to Barranco — is the reason Machame has the reputation it does for acclimatisation, and it is covered properly in the Machame route guide rather than here.

The rules

All climbs must be guided by a licensed operator and solo trekking is not permitted. Climbers may enter and leave only at the gates named on the permit, and may camp only at designated campsites. Porters may carry a maximum of 25 kilograms including their own belongings. Children under ten are not allowed above 3,700 metres. Drones need prior authorisation. Rescue services, first aid and radio communication are available at all mountain stations.

Common questions