February 14th, 2024–
The team at Machame Camp (Phunuru)
Phunuru Sherpa reports that the team had a very nice day hiking up through the forest to the Machame Camp at about 9400 ft. They started out with a one hour ride up the lower slopes of the mountain from Moshi to the Machame Gate (5400 ft) where they checked their permits with the National Park rangers, and then hit the trail accompanied by their Chagga guides and porters. It took them about five and a half hours of steady hiking to reach the camp which is situated right at treeline, with peekaboo views of Kilimanjaro through the trees. The weather was gorgeous and everyone did well. Now they are ensconced at the Machame Camp for the night and will be heading to the Shira Plateau camp tomorrow. So far so good!
Kilimanjaro climbers and guides at the Machame Gate ready to hike! (Phunuru)