Tag Archive for: Machame Camp

Shira Camp

Sunset at Shira

Today, from the Machame camp the team started hiking up the trail through the forest and gained elevation very quickly, as the landscape changed from the lush forest to moor lands with large Senecio trees dotting the hillsides. They gained the Shira Plateau and enjoyed a great view over the valley below. Each day upon arriving at camp in the afternoon the team celebrates by dancing and singing with the staff, learning the dance and songs of the Chagga tribe! The team is doing great and are having a wonderful time on Kilimanjaro!

Here’s a short message from the team:

Out of the jungle and camped above the clouds at 12,000 ft.  Happy team relaxing in the sun.  Over and out. Team Madison Mountaineering!

Stats for day 2
Start: Machame Camp, 9,927’
Finish: Shira Camp, 12,355’
Distance Traveled: 5 miles

(photo: Madison Mountaineering archives)

If climbing Kilimanjaro is in your future, please contact our office, we would love to have you climb with us!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

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Kili Team Arrives and Heads Up the Mountain!

July 2021 Kilimanjaro team at Machame Gate ready to start day one!

All of the team members for our first Kilimanjaro climb and safari expedition for 2021 have arrived in Tanzania and have headed up the mountain from the trailhead at Machame Gate (1814 m / 5,950 ft).

This morning the team traveled by Land Crusier from Arusha through forests and coffee fields to the Machame trailhead, where they checked in with the Park HQ and sorted loads for the local porters, the Chagga people. They hiked through the lush rain forest and finished the day at the Machame Camp. Everyone is doing well and had a great first day on the climb of Mount Kilimanjaro!

Stats for Climb day 1
Start: Machame Entrance, 5,718’
Finish: Machame Camp, 9,927’
Distance Traveled: 6 miles

July 2021 Kilimanjaro team arriving Arusha

July 2021 Kilimanjaro team arriving Arusha

July 2021 Kilimanjaro ready to leave the hotel for the trailhead!

July 2021 Kilimanjaro team ready to leave the hotel for the trailhead!

The July 2021 Kilimanjaro team

July 2021 Kilimanjaro team photo!

Kilimanjaro team loading up to head to the trailhead and get climbing!

Kilimanjaro team loading up to head to the trailhead and get climbing!

If climbing Kilimanjaro is in your future, please contact our office, we would love to have you climb with us!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

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July 2021 Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari Kick-off!

Climbers Barranco camp to Karanga Kilimanjaro

Our initial 2021 Kilimanjaro expedition and safari kicks-off in one week with the team members arriving to Tanzania on Monday!  Expedition leader, Mara Larson, and the team of climbers are excited to return to Tanzania and reach the Roof of Africa!  Follow their progress with our daily dispatches and real-time map updates:  https://madisonmountaineering.com/maps/kilimanjaro-2021-07.

Our expeditions to Kilimanjaro are truly an experience of a lifetime in journeying to Tanzania and undertaking one of the Seven Summits. Climbers experience first-hand the five ecosystems and game parks that Kilimanjaro towers over as we climb the mountain slopes on our way to the summit. For those in good shape who can trek a few hours per day, Kilimanjaro is an accessible mountaineering objective. Although Kilimanjaro is considered a non-technical climb, roughly 1/3 of the visitors do not reach the summit. While some circumstances are out of the climbers’ and guides’ control, a lot of this has to do with the expertise of the climbing company one chooses. Our guides are among the finest in the world, through our expertise and adherence to safety, we have a 100% success rate on Kilimanjaro over the last seven years.

By the way, it’s not too early to start making your plans to join us on Kilimanjaro or any of our other expeditions in the 2021 season!  Contact our office for details.

Approaching the summit of Kilimanjaro

Approaching the summit of Kilimanjaro

If climbing Kilimanjaro is in your future, please contact our office, we would love to have you climb with us!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my Madison Mountaineering flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

– our Garmin inReach Mini powered real-time tracking map:

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Kilimanjaro Day 2

Kilimanjaro Shira Camp

Today, from the Machame camp the team started hiking up the trail through the forest and gained elevation very quickly, as the landscape changed from the lush forest to moor lands with large Senecio trees dotting the hillsides. They gained the Shira Plateau and enjoyed a great view over the valley below. Each day upon arriving at camp in the afternoon the team celebrates by dancing and singing with the staff, learning the dance and songs of the Chagga tribe! The team is doing great and are having a wonderful time on Kilimanjaro!

Stats for day 2
Start: Machame Camp, 9,927’
Finish: Shira Camp, 12,355’
Distance Traveled: 5 miles

(photo: Madison Mountaineering archives)

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

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Private Kilimanjaro Expedition Kicks-off!

Starting the Kilimanjaro climb at the Machame Gate

This morning the team traveled by Land Crusier from Arusha through forests and coffee fields to the Machame trailhead, where they checked in with the Park HQ and sorted loads for the local porters, the Chagga people. They hiked through the lush rain forest and finished the day at the Machame Camp. Everyone is doing well and had a great first day on the climb of Mount Kilimanjaro!

Stats for Climb day 1
Start: Machame Entrance, 5,718’
Finish: Machame Camp, 9,927’
Distance Traveled: 6 miles

Hiking up to Machame Camp on Kilimanjaro

Hiking up to Machame Camp on Kilimanjaro

Climbing into the moor lands on Kilimanjaro

Climbing into the moorlands on Kilimanjaro

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions

– Instagram:

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Shira Camp!

The view from Kilimanjaro's Shira Plateau
Follow the team’s progress with our real-time tracking map

Another beautiful day on the mountain with our team reaching Kilimanjaro‘s Shira Plateau at 3845 m / 12,615 ft.  The day’s hike covered about 3 miles while gaining nearly 3,000 ft. in elevation.  Heading out of Machame camp at 8:30 am, our speedy team pulled into Shira Camp just in time for lunch!

Tonight they are hoping to catch a glimpse of the Perseid meteor shower in the crystal-clear dark skies above their 12,615 ft perch.  And tomorrow they will ascend up to the Lava Tower at 4636 m / 15,210 ft before dropping back down through the giant Dendrosenecio kilimanjari to Barranco Camp’s 3981 m / 13,060 ft for the evening.

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates

– Instagram:

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Hitting the Trail!

MM Team at Kilimanjaro's Machame Gate trailhead
Follow the team’s progress with our real-time tracking map

Our Kilimanjaro team hit the trail this morning and climbed their way over six miles through the Cultivation and Rainforest climate zones from the trailhead at the Machame Gate (1814 m / 5,950 ft) up 1,217 vertical meters or ~4,000 ft. into the Heather and Moorland climate zone of Machame Camp (3022 m / 9,915 ft).

We received one shot from the trailhead and it didn’t fail to capture the excitement of beginning the trek up the highest free-standing mountain in the world!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear Garrett Madison’s daily audio expedition updates

– Instagram:

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