8 days Lemosho route Kilimanjaro hiking tour by Widerange Safaris

Day 1: Lemosho trailhead to big tree camp

You will be picked up from your hotel after breakfast and driven to Londrosi Gate (which is approximately 3 hours from Moshi). After registering, you will drive another 12 km on a wooded road to the Lemosho starting spot. To begin your trek up the mountain, you will enter the gorgeous and untouched rainforest. This is not a challenging trip, but it will allow you to acclimate to your surroundings and see some of Tanzania’s wildlife. It`s not uncommon to see Black and White Colobus monkeys and small antelopes, and you might even see buffalos and elephants if you`re lucky. Mtimkubwa Camp due to the enormous conifer trees that give shade over the campsite, is reached after 3 to 4 hours of Hiking.

Day 2: Mti mkubwa camp to shira 1 camp

You`ll get up early for breakfast on the second day and begin climbing a little harder gradient through the moorland vegetation zone. While continuing down a steep slope to Shira Plateau, you`ll have great views of Kibo, Mt Kilimanjaro`s summit cone. Shira, the first of Kilimanjaro`s three volcanic cones to collapse, is actually a collapsed volcanic crater. As you approach Shira Camp from the plateau, the terrain becomes a little easier. On a clear day, you`ll be treated to spectacular panoramic vistas.

Day 3: Shira 1 camp to shira 2 camp

After breakfast, continue hiking through the rocky slope on to the Shira Plateau. Where you can see the easterly side and the western breach with its magnificent glaciers. You`ve reached the west side of Kibo Peak, and the Shira two Campsite is just a short distance away. To help warm up your body before the evening`s main dish before retiring to sleep, tea/ coffee and some nuts will be offered. Shira 2 camp is extremely exposed and will be much colder as temps drop below freezing.

Day 4: Shira camp to barranco camp via lava tower

The trail now leads you through semi-desert and rocky terrain to Lava Tower, a 300- foot- high volcanic rock feature. Then, after a steep drop into the Barranco Valley, you`ll hike the rocky scree trail to Lava Tower for spectacular panoramic views. Because some hikers begin to develop symptoms of altitude sickness, this walk may be a little more difficult than the previous days. Despite the fact that you will end today`s climb at about the same elevation as when you began, it is excellent acclimatization exercise and will aid in your body`s preparation for summit day. Barranco camp is situated in a beautiful, secluded valley below the towering Barranco wall.

Day 5: Barranco camp to Karanga camp

Our day begins with a descent into the Great Barranco, a massive valley. We then ascend the Great Barranco wall, which separates us from Kibo’s southeastern slopes. It’s a rock climb that’s not technically difficult but is long and exhausting. We go towards the Karanga Valley, passing beneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers. From here, we have a tough trek up from Karanga Valley to Karanga camp, which is located at 3963 meters. We’ll have a mid- afternoon acclimatization walk up to roughly 4200m for those who feel up to it before returning to camp for the night.

Day 6: Karanga camp to Barafu camp

We started our hike to Barafu camp at 4640m after a nice night’s sleep and breakfast. We’ll be climbing across bleak scree hills with no vegetation in sight. The altitude adds to the difficulty of the uphill walk. We eat and rest when we get at camp in the afternoon as we prepare for a long night and day ahead. It’s critical to stay hydrated and warm. We eat a late dinner and then try to sleep because we’ll be up between 11 and 12pm to begin the climb to the summit.

Day 7: Barafu camp – Uhuru peak to millenium campsite

We begin our ascent to the peak glaciers at midnight. We’ll be climbing scree 4 to 5 hours, but we’ll gain a lot of altitude in a short amount of time. As a sunrise, we should be on the crater rim at Stella point (5739m). The crater’s spectacular ice cliffs surround us, and the views to the craggy Mawenzi mountain and beyond are amazing. Another hour of walking brings us to Uhuru Peak, the highest point on the mountain (5895m). we start our descent by retuning to Stella Point, then descending on the scree slope and trail back to Barafu Camp for breakfast before travelling down to millennium camp for a well-deserved rest.

Day 8: Millennium campsite to Mweka gate

A moderate journey through the rainforest leads us to Mweka Gate, where we complete park requirements and obtain certificates to proudly display! After that, we’ll be greeted by our vehicles and taken back to the hotel in Moshi, where you may enjoy a welcome shower (and perhaps a cold drink or two!) before our huge celebration.