Mweka Camp Elevation / Altitude: 3,050 meters above sea level
Located on the Mweka Route, Mweka Camp also known as Mweka Hut Camp is an overnight accommodation site used by climbers who are only descending from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro.
For Mount Kilimanjaro climbers coming down from the mountain, Mweka Camp is usually the last campsite used for descent by 5 out of the 7 Kilimanjaro routes, namely the Northern circuit, Machame, Shira, Lemosho, and Umbwe routes.
Climbers prefer this campsite because it is the closest to the exit gate (Mweka gate) even though they have another choice to choose from which is the Millenium campsite further up the mountain, their choice depends on their levels of fatigue. The Millenium campsite is rarely used due to the distance from the gate and it is smaller in comparison.
Mweka Camp Facilities
The accommodation at Mweka Camp that is recommended here is in the form of tents thus you are required to bring your own tents. There are no accommodation structures here apart from KINAPA’s ranger hut that is in the form of an erect green metal sheet that resembles a hut that has existed since the early days of Kilimanjaro climbing;
Until recently ranger’s accommodation has since been converted into a cabin made of wood that is located next to the ranger’s hut
The toilets at the campsite are dry, long drop toilets otherwise known as pit latrines.
Location of Mweka Campsite
Mweka Hut Campsite or simply, Mweka Camp is located on the base of Mount Kilimanjaro’s southern slopes amongst the rainforest vegetation zone.
Just like Mti Mkubwa Camp, Mweka Camp itself is an area that is evident of ground cleared by tree felling in the middle of a dense forest. The park’s exit Mweka gate is only a few hours away, approximately 3 hours or less.
Due to the fact that this campsite is very close to the exit gate of Mweka, climbers descending prefer to skip it because they do not see any sense of sleeping on a descent that is only a few hours away from finishing. The other alternative located about an hour away from Mweka Hut Campsite is the Millenium campsite located further up the Mountain.
Precipitation on this campsite is plenty, with plenty of rain meaning the ground here is always wet and kind of slippery.
Distance from Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate
The distance from Mweka Camp (3,100 m) to Mweka Gate (1,640 m) is a mere 10 km or 6 miles apart. It would take you about 3 hours trekking on foot from Mweka Camp to Mweka gate.
Additional information
| Routes | Northern circuit, Machame, Shira, Lemosho and Umbwe routes. |
|---|---|
| Amenities | Pit Latrines |
| Vegetation | Rain Forest |
