Lemosho Route

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About Lemosho Route

The Lemosho Route is widely considered to be the best route on Mount Kilimanjaro. Not too long ago, there

were only two main routes used to climb Kilimanjaro – the Marangu (Coca Cola) route and the Machame

(Whiskey) route. But as Tanzania’s tourism industry flourished, the Kilimanjaro park authority created more

trails to African’s highest peak. Lemosho, a relatively new route, is preferred by reputable operators due to

its beauty, remoteness and success rate. In short, it maximizes the chances that a climber will reach the

summit, and enjoy the experience overall. The Lemosho route can be done in as little as six days (five nights)

on the mountain. However, it is ideally tackled over eight days (seven nights) for a better altitude

acclimatization schedule. The trek begins at Londorossi Gate, located in the western base of mountain, within

its lush, fertile rainforest. The route heads across the Shira Plateau, before circling along the southern circuit

halfway around the mountain, exposing the climber to great views from all angles. The approach to the

summit is made from the east, and the descent follows the Mweka trail.

Itinerary:

Arrive in Tanzania

You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Moshi town;

you will meet your guide who will brief you on your upcoming trek and do an equipment check to make sure

you have all the necessary mountain gear. The missing gear can be rented on this day.

Day 1: Lemosho Glades (2385m) to Big Tree Camp (2780m)

You will be picked up at your hotel at around 08:00am and transferred to the Lemosho gate located on the

western side of Kilimanjaro. After the registration process you will still start our climb steadily through the

forests of the Lemosho glades to reach Big Tree camp where you will be spending the night.

Distance covered: 7km / 4.3mi

Approx. time taken: 4 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Day 2: Big tree camp  to Shira Camp 1

After breakfast, hike across the remaining rainforest towards the giant moorland zone. Today is a full-day trek with an altitude gain of 2,000 ft.
Stop for lunch at a beautiful valley just outside the Shira Crater at around 10,000 ft. After lunch, we cross into the Shira Caldera, a high altitude desert plateau that is rarely visited. Shira is the third of Kilimanjaro volcanic cones, and is filled with lava flow from Kibo Peak.
The crater rim has been decimated by weather and volcanic action. Today you will get your first close views of Kibo – the dramatic summit of Kilimanjaro.

Day 3: Shira 1 camp to Shira 2  (3500m)

Today you will trek across a plateau of grassy moorland and heather scattered with volcanic rock formations.

Our destination for today is the Shira 2 Camp from where there are often views of Kibo Peak floating on the

clouds. We gain a reasonable amount of altitude today and parts of the route are fairly steep.

Distance covered: 16km / 10.3mi

Approx. time taken: 9-11 hrs

Day 4: Shira 2 Camp (3900m) to Barranco Camp (3960m)

Your trek starts with an ascent with far-reaching panoramic views, walking in to the climatic zone of the

upland desert and on the lava ridges beneath the glaciers of the Western Breach. You will reach the distinct

pinnacle of the Lava Tower (4640 m), our high point for the day and a great place to enjoy your lunch. In the

afternoon we make a steep descent to our camp for the night, located in the base of the Great Barranco

Valley (3960 m), sheltered by towering cliffs but with extensive views of the plains below.

Distance covered: 10km / 6.2mi

Approx. time taken: 7 hrs

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Day 5 : Barranco Camp (3960m) to Karanga Camp (3963m)

Our day starts by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. We then exit steeply, up the

Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a climb over rock, not

technical but long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, we head towards the

Karanga valley. From here we have a steep climb up from Karanga valley to our night’s camp at Karanga

camp, set at 3963m. For those feeling strong we will go for a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek up to around

4200m before descending back to camp for the night.

Distance covered: 5.5km / 3.4mi

Approx. time taken: 5 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Day 6: Karanga Camp (3963) to Barafu Camp (4640m)

After a good night’s rest and breakfast, we set off on our walk to Barafu camp at 4640m. The climb will take

us across desolate scree slopes with no vegetation around us at all. It’s a tough steep walk made more

difficult by the altitude. On arriving at camp we eat and spend the afternoon resting as we prepare for a long

night and day ahead. It is important to keep hydrated and warm. We have an early dinner and then try to get

some sleep as we will be getting up at between 11pm and 12pm to start the climb to the summit.

Distance covered: 3km / 1.9mi

Approx. time taken: 3 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Day 7: Barafu Camp (4640m) to UHURU PEAK (5895m) & down to Millennium Camp (3790m)

We start off at around midnight, and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree

for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on

the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater

surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking

takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then

descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to

Millennium Camp for a long well-earned rest.

Distance covered: 13.4km / 8.3mi

Approx. time taken: 12 – 15 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included

Day 8: Trek Mweka Camp – Mweka Gate (1630m)

A gentle trek takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and

receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We are then met by our vehicles and return to the

hotel in Moshi, where you can treat yourself to a hot welcome shower.

Distance covered: 12.1km / 7.5mi

Approx. time taken: 6 hours

Meals: Breakfast & lunch included

And this will be the end of our trek to Kilimanjaro via Lemosho route, then the vehicle will take you back to the hotel in Moshi, where it is definitely time for celebration. Depart for the Airport or other destination in Tanzania.