8 Days Lemosho Route - Mount Kilimanjaro Climb

You should aim to arrive as early as possible the day before the trek. Once you arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport, you will be picked up and taken on a 50-minute transfer to your hotel in Moshi, where you will be booked on a bed and breakfast basis. You will have a group briefing in the evening with our head guide to prepare you for the journey ahead. Our head guides are WFR licensed and qualified and one among the best and experienced in the Mountain

Your day starts with breakfast and a 3 hour drive from Moshi 1,000m to Londorossi park gate 2,250m/ 7,382 feet. Our guides and porters will be preparing and packing the supplies need on the mountain. Hot Lunch will be provided at the gate along with, mineral water. After lunch we will drive to the start of the forest track and the Lemosho Route entrance at 2,300m/ 7,546 feet. Your Kilimanjaro Lemosho route climb is underway. We will walk along forest trails to Mti Mkubwa (big tree) campsite at 2,800m/ 9,186 feet, 3 hours. Our porters will arrive at the camp site before you will have your tent set up on your arrival. We use quality mountain hard wear 4 person tents for your comfort. On arrival you will have water for washing followed by tea and popcorn. In the evening the chef will prepare dinner before you retire to your tent for the night. Our kitchen staff will boil drinking water for you, so it is ready for the following morning. Night temperatures can sometimes drop to freezing point at this campsite.

You will wake up at 6am and breakfast will be served at 7am. You hike for an hour and a half before exiting the rain forest at 3,000m/ 9,842 feet. Your Kilimanjaro Lemosho route day 2 is underway. The trail moves to more open terrain. We will then go up and down a few hills before arriving at our lunch spot. Tents will be set up and lunch served. After lunch the trail steepens up along a ridge that leads to the Shira Plateau.
There are some great views off the western side of Kilimanjaro. Our goal is to stay hydrated and take our time, slowly walking toward the crest of the ridge. We will continue by traversing across the Shira Plateau. You will be rewarded with spectacular views back into the rain forest as the summit comes into view. The final section is downhill towards Shira Camp One at 3,500m/ 11,482 feet in the moorlands of Kilimanjaro for our second night’s sleep.

After an early start, your Kilimanjaro Lemosho route day 3 starts, we have a gentle walk across the Shira plateau which leads to Shira Camp Two on moorland meadows next to a beautiful stream 3,900m/ 12,795 feet. By now you will be able to see, in an easterly direction, the Western Breach Route up Kilimanjaro with its stunning glaciers. There will also be stunning sunset views across the dormant Shira volcano. The porters will boil drinking and washing water, before serving dinner. As this camp is quite exposed, it can be substantially colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping below freezing.

The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding the Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4,640m/ 15,223 feet after approximately four/five hours of walking. Lunch is served in a designated area before ascending the rocky scree path to the Lava Tower. This is definitely the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, ill humor and headaches due to the high altitude.
After lunch you descend again by almost 680m/ 2,231 feet to the Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of at the Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for your dinner.

After spending a night under the Great Barranco Wall, we make our way up this awesome looking obstacle, which in the end normally turns out to be easier than anticipated. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier at 4,200m/ 13,779 feet, you now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is with the spectacular views. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley over intervening ridges and valleys, and then joins up with the Mweka route. There can be amazing panoramic sunset views from the Karanga Camp while we enjoy our evening at 4,010m/ 13,156 feet.

In the morning, after a warm and hearty breakfast, you will begin your hike to Barafu Summit Camp. This camp is the starting point for the final night summit to Uhuru Peak (5,895 m /19,336 f) - your end goal. Our team will set up camp ahead of time, so when you arrive your tents and sleeping bags will already be prepared, meaning you can just relax and rest when you reach Barafu Summit Camp. It is better to spend the remainder of the day resting and sleeping before the night summit.

Your group will depart from Barafu Camp (4,673 m /15,327 f) at night and start the final summit toward the highest point of Kilimanjaro - Uhuru Peak (5,895 m /19,336 f). Technically speaking, the climb is relatively simple; however, given the high altitude, even normal physical activity can feel strenuous. For this reason, every two climbers will be paired with a personal guide for the entire ascent to monitor their physical and mental well-being more closely. After your successful ascent to Uhuru Peak - the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and the final point of the climb on the Lemosho Route, you can descend to the nearest glacier, if desired. Then you will return to Barafu Camp for a 2-hour rest before continuing your descent to Millenium Camp (3,950 m /12,956 f).

The Millenium Camp is situated in a tropical rainforest. When you wake up, you will feel relief from the reduction of altitude and the satisfaction of reaching the summit. After a warm breakfast, you will head for the park's exit: Mweka Gate (1,640 m /5,379 f). After your descent the whole group will gather to congratulate you, followed by offering you a chance to share your opinions on the climb in the guestbook. Lastly, we will present you with your commemorative certificates in our office and provide you with a transfer back to the hotel.

Wake up and have breakfast with the team. You have options today. You can to go for a message at the hotel, sit by the pool, play golf or visit the local market before your transfer back to Kilimanjaro International for your flight home. If you have chosen one or our quality safari’s you will start the journey today.