8 Days Kilimanjaro Climb Lemosho Route

Kilimanjaro Climb Lemosho Route Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive Day

Arrive Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) met and transfer to Moshi Town. While in the lodge our Mount Kilimanjaro guide will brief you about the next day trek.  The guide will also help you to check for your climbing equipment. In addition to the above he / she will also confirm you have the appropriate mandatory medical coverage and travel insurance.

Day 2: Lemosho Big Tree Camp (2,650 m); 3-4 hours walking.

Transfer to Londorosi Gate where you will do the necessary registration formalities. From Londorosi we  drive through varied farmland with open views over the plains to reach the Lemosho roadhead. The last section of the road is of poor quality and difficult to drive after rain, sometimes we start walking a kilometre or two below the roadhead. We often have our lunch at the roadhead before starting to walk. It is an easy day of walking up a small path through beautiful and lush forest. We camp at Lemosho Big Tree Camp.

Day 3: Shira One” (3,550 m); 5-6 hours walking.

We soon leave the forest behind and enter the moorland zone of giant heather. The trail climbs steadily with wide views to reach the rim of the Shira Plateau. There is a tangible sense of wilderness, especially if afternoon mists come in! We camp in the centre of the plateau at “Shira One.

Day 4: Great Barranco valley (3,900 m); 7-8 hours walking

A morning of gentle ascent and panoramic views, leaving the moorland plateau behind to walk on lava ridges beneath the glaciers of the Western Breach. After lunch near the Lava Tower junction (4,550 m) we descend to the bottom of the Great Barranco valley sheltered by towering cliffs and with extensive views of the plains far below near our campsite at Barranco valley.

Day 5: Karanga campsite (4,000 m); 4-5 hours walking

A steep climb up the Barranco Wall leads us to an undulating trail on the south-eastern flank of Kibo, with superb vistas of the Southern Icefields. The terrain changes to scree, with pockets of vegetation in sheltered hollows, and there is only a short distance to our camp at Karanga (4,000 m), the last water point on the way to the summit.

Day 6: Barafu campsite (4,600 m); 3-4 hours walking

We follow an easy path on compacted scree with wide views that gains altitude unrelentingly to reach the Barafu campsite (4,600 m) for lunch. There is a short acclimatisation walk to the plateau at the bottom of the South-East valley (4,800 m). The remainder of the day is spent resting in preparation for the final ascent before a very early night.

Day 7: Mweka forest camp (3100 m); 13-15 hours walking

Proceed with the Lemosho Route climb by ascent by torchlight at about 1 a.m. so that we can be up on the Crater rim by sunrise. The steep climb over loose volcanic scree has some well-graded zig-zags and a slow but steady pace will take us to Stella Point (5,735 m), in about five or six hours. We will rest there for a short time to enjoy the sunrise over Mawenzi. Those who are still feeling strong can make the two hour round trip from here along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak (5,896 m), passing close to the spectacular glaciers and ice cliffs that still occupy most of the summit area. The descent to Barafu is surprisingly fast, and after some refreshment, we continue to descend to reach our final Mweka forest camp.

Day 8: Mweka forest camp to Mweka Gate (1,650 m); 3-4 hours walking.

A sustained descent through lovely forest with lush undergrowth takes us to Mweka National Park gate.