Featuring captivating scenic vistas, pristine wildlife, excellent acclimatization opportunities and low traffic of climbers, Lemosho is our personal first favorite for reaching the roof of Africa. As one of the newer routes, Lemosho is a superb choice for your climb. It is our preferred route due to its ideal balance of low crowds, beautiful scenery and a high summit success rate.. Most of clients climb Kilimanjaro using Lemosho route and their feedback to this route is excellent. We highly recommend Lemosho route to our clients. The climb begins at Londorossi Gate at an altitude of 2380 meters, with an approach far to the west of the mountain. It then circles around Kilimanjaro to the south, passing through majestic rainforest where some of the region’s most unique wildlife can often be seen. The route continues up to the mountain’s third summit at Shira Ridge.
Our experience with hundreds of clients has shown that this 8 day itinerary offers
the highest chance of reaching the summit successfully while ensuring a safe descent.
After breakfast at the hotel in Moshi, we drive approximately 3 hours through the rural countryside to the Londorossi Gate where you will complete entry formalities. We begin hiking through undisturbed forest which winds to the first camp site.
Overnight Big Tree Camp (breakfast – lunch – dinner).
We continue on the trail leading out of the rain forest and into a savannah of tall grasses, heather and volcanic rock draped with lichen beards. As we ascend through the lush rolling hills and cross several streams, we reach the Shira Ridge before dropping gently down to Shira 1 Camp. Here we catch our first glimpse of Kibo across the plateau.
Overnight Shira 1 Camp (breakfast – lunch – dinner).
Today we follow easy path to the summit of Shira Cathedral before reaching the next camp at shira 2.
At this camp is quite exposed, it can be substantially colder than the previous night with temperatures dropping to well below freezing.
Overnight Shira 2 Camp (breakfast – lunch – dinner)
To take advantage of acclimatization, today you will to a high altitude and then descend to a lower altitude. The trek will take you into alpine desert and if you are feeling strong you can even head up to Lava Tower before descending to Barranco camp. Lunch is taken as a picnic lunch en route. Expect today to be a long day and the next time you head to this altitude is in two days time – great acclimatization day!
Overnight Barranco Camp (breakfast – lunch – dinner)
Today is the second of our acclimatization treks. After breakfast, we leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge through alpine desert passing the Barranco Wall. Our destination is the Karanga Valley campsite. This is a short day and the afternoon is free to relax and adjust to the altitude.
Overnight Karanga Camp (breakfast – lunch – dinner)
We set off from Karanga past the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail. From there we continue climbing through alpine desert to Barafu Hut. It can be slow-going and cold due to the high altitude. On arrival at Barafu, we have completed the South Circuit, which offers magnificent views of the summit from many different angles. In the distance the horizon is punctuated by the magnificent peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo. The afternoon is free to rest ready for tonight’s ascent to the summit.
Overnight Barafu/ High Camp (breakfast – lunch – dinner).
Our final ascent is at night with head torches at the ready. We set off between midnight and 2.00am and follow a slow zigzagging climb to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. We then continue through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging section of the whole trek. At Stella Point (5669m) we stop for a short rest and (weather permitting) will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see. From Stella Point, we may encounter snow on the remaining one hour ascent to the summit. At Uhuru Peak (5895m), we have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa – an incredible achievement! (Faster trekkers may see the sunrise from the summit). We then start our descent to Mweka Hut campsite, stopping at Barafu for lunch. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected. This evening we enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.
Overnight Mweka Camp (breakfast – lunch – dinner)
Today the descent is rapid. In 3-4 hours we reach Mweka Park Gate. After saying farewell to the local team we transfer to the hotel to relax, rebalance and celebrate our achievement.
