Kilimanjaro Expedition - Day 1

Kilimanjaro - day 1/6: Machame Gate (1800 m) - Machame Camp (2835 m)

Route map

(click on objectives for extended version)

Technical box

Difficulty: easy
Duration / distance: 5 hours / 11 km
Marking: Machame Route, unmarked
Water sources: none
Alt min: 1.800 mdm, at Machame Gate
Alt max: 2,835 mdm, at Machame Camp
Level difference: +1.216 m / -0 m
Remarks: tropical rainforest area, access with payment and guide

1. Until Machame Gate

The night before the start of the expedition we slept in Moshi, where we had both accommodation and breakfast.
Around 11am I was picked up by the expedition organizer, Paul, by car to drive me to Machame Gate, the entrance gate to Kilimanjaro Nature Park for the Machame Route. We stopped to buy a local internet card, which has served me well in every camp. We followed the A23 to Arusha, in Weru Weru we changed direction to the right on a secondary road for 6,5 km to our destination. We crossed Nshara, Machame, Nkweseko through the cultivation area. Most of the inhabitants are poor, living in very modest houses. They sell their cultivated products: bananas, coffee, other fruits and vegetables, but also souvenirs or sun hats. After about an hour we arrived at Machame Gate.

Machame Gate

2. Machame Gate

Here is an important registration and organization point. We had our breakfast at the casserole. In the generous parking lot, the porters organize the luggage to be carried. The weights allowed to be carried are regulated, 15 kg maximum for men and 10 kg for women. The luggage to be carried by the porters includes in addition to the large luggage of each tourist, food, tents and accessories necessary for the whole team serving the group of tourists. There are many groups, each with at least one guide, to which can be added an assistant guide, a cook, a waiter, a waiter and more porters, depending on the size of the group. It is possible for a team to serve just one tourist. There are dozens of local Kilimanjaro climb organizers and dozens of groups that depart on expeditions from the various Kilimanjaro Park gates. At the registration point, the guide fills in his name and the composition of the tour group with name, age, gender.
We took pictures at the entrance to the park, where we lingered boringly. Here we found out that on the first day we had in front of us 11 km to cover in 5 hours, that we start at 1800 meters above sea level and that we are in the rainforest area. Up to Uhuru Peak there are 42 km to cover in 32 hours on the Machame route.
We also learn that Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the 7 Wonders of Africa
14:00
Let's go. We immediately pass another checkpoint with gates, where they check not to enter the nature park with plastic, because plastic is banned on Kilimanjaro. Note that they accept water containers from tourists, but not plastic bottles of water or other store-bought drinks.
14:10
We pass the starting point marker. The desire to move my feet on the path is very strong. At the beginning, we follow a wide, smooth road, seemingly leveled for car access. Luckily it didn't take long and we finally enter the path.

me and Azizi

Machame Gate

The 7 wonders

Checkpoint

Machame Route

3. Through the equatorial forest

We are in the equatorial forest. Vegetation is abundant. Green everywhere. And not only green.
Researchers have found distinct ecosystems and forest types in this green strip at the foot of the mountain. It's where it rains the most. In fact the part of the trail where you're most likely to get rained on. On the south side of the mountain, specifically the Machame Route where we are, the amount of rainfall is higher than on the north side. Flora and fauna are rich. In general, animals are expensive to see and don't show much on the road. The exceptions are Colobus monkeys and baboons.
We met our first monkeys at the Machame Gate starting point.
Although this habitat is home to leopards, mongooses, elephants, rhinos, giraffes and buffalos, they are rarely seen. The chances of seeing wildlife are more likely to be in the upper rainforest, but don't get your hopes up.
The tropical rainforest is fascinating both for the richness of the vegetation, the many shades of green, sprinkled with other gorgeous colors of yellow, red, purple and white of the flowers encountered.
Huge ferns are everywhere.
The trees look twisted. The moss coats the tree stems and branches.
Our trail looks very groomed, an expectation I wouldn't have had before I researched it. It's bordered with tree branches, which line it and protect it from rain. There are also fords for any water runoff that crosses the path. Wooden and earth steps are dug in the sloping sections.
I tend to have a faster climbing pace than my guide, Azizi. He tells me that we are going to climb "pole pole" which means slowly. But really that slow? I wonder to myself, especially as the route is easy on this first day.
There are two toilets on the route.
Isn't he gorgeous?
As we climb in altitude we encounter more and more "beards" hanging from tree branches, like stalactites in a cave or like decorations trapped in a green ceiling.
I make friends with an American, Prince, who is resting and recovering from muscle cramps through massage. And I'm amazed. I learn that he has been to my native Romania, and he begins to amaze me with details of his visits to Cluj, Timisoara, Sibiu, Brasov.
The forest begins to thin out, a sign that we have gained altitude and that the rainforest climatic zone is soon ending. Yes, we are close to the end point of today's route, right at the upper limit of the rainforest. What an easy route we've had.

Monkey

Flowers from the rainforest

Impatiens kilimanjari

Ferigi

Rainforest

Muschi

Rainforest

Poteca

Wads in the path

Azizi

Toilet

Rainforest

Kilimanjaro

Barbi

fellow travelers

the forest is shrinking

4. Machame Camp

18:30
We're entering the first camp area, Machame Camp. We are at 2835 meters altitude, but you wouldn't know it! By comparison, although not very apt, it feels like 1800 in Romania.
We wander around camp for about 10 minutes and report to the tent. Soon dinner is ready.
In Machame Camp there are also 2 ranger houses.
We see the top of the mountain for the first time. Still seems a little far away. No, it's close!
18:40
In a few minutes it even went dark.