8 Days Lemosho Route

After breakfast on day 2 of the Lemosho Route, drive from Moshi to the Londorosi Park Gate, elevation 7’300 ft. The drive is about 5 hours. Continue driving up towards to the Gate after registration, you will drive back from Londorosi park gate to the Starting point where you will start your hike to the First Cap which is Big Tree, “Mti Mkubwa” campsite. The drive through the Shira plateau is one of the best opportunities to see a big game on Kilimanjaro. At approximately 11’000ft elevation you will stop for lunch break. Then continue hiking and you will arrive at the campsite around, set up camp, and eat dinner during the early evening. Arriving at the Camp will depend on the weather on the Lemosho Route. Between April to June and December to Feb can be raining and mud on the hiking paths so can make you delay to arrive at the Camp. Some climbers arrive at Big Tree, “Mti Mkubwa” campsite around 07:30 pm to 08:45 pm. But if the weather is good and dry you will arrive early at around 06:30 pm 0r latest 07:00 pm. You will have dinner and overnight at Big Tree, “Mti Mkubwa” campsite.

On this day you will need to wake up at around 06:30 am get prepared and after breakfast, breaks the camp, and begins the hike at around 08:00 am from Big Tree “Mti Mkubwa” camp to Shira 1 campsite, the elevation of 12’500ft. This usually takes approximately 3 to 4 hours, but at this camp required for adequate acclimatization. The west face of Kibo volcano (usually referred to as Kilimanjaro) looms above the campsite. Have lunch, set up camp, rest or take a day hike, and eat dinner during the early evening. This hike traverses the lower moorland where large shrubs and wildflowers dominate 5 the landscape. You will have you Diner and Briefing for the next day with your Guide. After Dinner and briefing, you will overnight at Shira Campsite. 

Shira Camp (3,840 m/12,500 ft) to Lava Tower (4,630 m/15,190 ft) to Barranco Camp (3,950m/12,960 ft) 15 km, 7 hours Semi-Desert: Wake up at 06:30 am on day 4 of the Lemosho Route trek, start preparing gears and get ready for breakfast at 07:00 am. This day is a very sensitive day, and you will hike east up a steepening path above the highest vegetation toward Kilimanjaro looming mass. After several hours, you walk through a rocky landscape to reach the prominent landmark called Lava Tower at 4,630 m/15,190 ft. This chunky remnant of Kilimanjaro earlier volcanic activity is several hundred feet high, and the trail passes right below it. For extra credit, the sure-footed can scramble to the top of the tower. After a lunch stop near Lava Tower, descend for 2 hours below the lower cliffs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall to Barranco Camp at 3,950 m/12,960 ft. There are numerous photo opportunities on this hike, especially if the walls are festooned with ice. Barranco Camp is in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Walls, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for your dinner. On this day, be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness. You will have dinner and overnight at Barranco Camp.

After spending a night under the imposing Great Barranco Wall, you climb this awesome obstacle, which turns out to be easier than it looks. Topping out just below the Heim Glacier, you can now appreciate just how beautiful Kilimanjaro really is. The route then heads down through the Karanga Valley and goes over intervening ridges and valleys to join the Mweka Route, which will be your descent route. You have now completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. For now, all eyes are still on the summit, so turn left and hike up the ridge for another hour to the Barafu Hut. The last water on the route is in the Karanga Valley; there is no water at Barafu Camp, even though Barafu is the Swahili word for “ice.” The famous snows of Kilimanjaro are far above Barafu Camp near the summit of the mountain. Your tent will be pitched on a narrow, stony, wind-swept ridge, so make sure that you familiarize yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. Prepare your equipment and warm clothing for your summit climb. This should include replacing your headlamp and camera batteries, and to prevent freezing, consider carrying your water in a thermal flask. Go to bed by 07:00 PM and try to get a few hours of precious sleep. You will rise around 10:30 PM, and after some steaming tea and biscuits, you shuffle off into the night. You will start the summit hike walk at around 11:00 pm from Baranko Camp to Summit.

Your 6-hour climb northwest up through heavy scree between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers to Stella Point on the crater rim is the most challenging part of the route for most climbers. You will reach Stella Point (5,685 m/18,650 ft) at around 05:30 am and you will stop for a short rest and a chance to see a supremely sanguine sunrise. At Stella Point, you join the top part of the Marangu Route, but do not stop here too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue. Depending on the season and recent storms, you may encounter snow on your remaining hike along the rim to Uhuru Peak. On the summit, you can enjoy your accomplishments and know that you are creating a day that you will remember for the rest of your life. After your 3-hours descent from the summit back to Barafu Camp, you will have a well-earned but short rest, collect your gears, and hike down a rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest to Mweka Camp (3,100 m/10,170 ft). This camp is in the upper forest, so you can expect mist or rain in the late afternoon or evening. Dinner and washing water will be prepared, and the camp office sells drinking water, soft drinks, and chocolates! After Dinner, you will overnight at Mweka Camp.

After a well-deserved breakfast, it is a short, scenic, 3-hours hike back to the park gate. Don’t give your porters any tips until you and all your gear have reached the gate safely but do remember to tip your staff at the gate. At Mweka Gate, you can sign your name and add details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Some climbers like to get their Certificates at the Hotel or where they will be staying and have a celebration dinner and drinks with their Porters and Guides and get Certificates with photos of a Give presenting the Certificates to each member of the Group for Good Memory after accomplishing the dream. Climbers who reached Stella Point are issued green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak receive Gold with Green colors certificate. From the Mweka Gate, you will continue down to the Mweka Village, possibly a muddy, 3 km, 1-hour hike if the road is too muddy for vehicles. In the Mweka Village, you will be served a delicious hot lunch after which you are driven back to Moshi for an overdue hot shower and comfortable night in a Hotel or similar lodging.

Depart for the airport or other destinations in Tanzania or Kenya. A trip to the beaches at Zanzibar is a good way to recuperate. We can arrange as many for reasonably priced trips and safaris around Moshi or Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.