Machame

Machame is a town and ward in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania, located on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro within Moshi Rural District. It lies near Kilimanjaro National Park and serves as the gateway for the Machame Route up Kilimanjaro. The town is part of the greater Moshi area and is connected by road to Moshi town and Arusha.

The area is inhabited primarily by the Machame people, a sub-group of the Chagga (Wachagga) people who live on Kilimanjaro’s southern and eastern slopes. The Machame speak a dialect of the Chagga language and Swahili; traditional livelihoods include agriculture such as coffee, bananas, maize, and beans, with tourism playing an increasing role due to Kilimanjaro.

Kilimanjaro National Park encompasses the Machame Gate, from which climbers begin the Machame Route. The route, sometimes called the Whiskey Route, is a popular trekking path characterized by a forested ascent that climbs to the Shira Plateau and then to higher moorland and alpine zones. In common itineraries the trek takes six days, including acclimatization days, and is considered technically straightforward but physically demanding.

The area has a history of Chagga settlement dating centuries and experienced frontier development during German and British colonial periods. Today Machame supports local commerce, trekking operators, and services for hikers and park visitors.