Lemosho Route – 8 days Kilimanjaro Hiking trip

DAY 1: Lemosho Gate to Big Tree Gate

( Lemosho Route – 8 days Kilimanjaro Hiking trip )

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

Time to be used: 4 hours

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Big Tree Camp

DAY 2: Big Tree Camp to Shira Camp

( Lemosho Route – 8 days Kilimanjaro Hiking trip )

Today you will cover a lot of ground as you trek across a plateau of grassy moorland and heather scattered with volcanic rock formations. We will trek through Shira 1 Camp from where there are often views of Kibo Peak floating on the clouds as we head towards our destination which is Shira 2. We gain a reasonable amount of altitude as we head towards Shira 1 and parts of the route are fairly steep. As you proceed towards Shira 2 you will get the chance to view the Northern Ice fields from the western side of the mountain with some unusual views of Kibo. Our steady climb across the moorland of the Shira Plateau will help with acclimatization and we enjoy great panoramic views.

Distance Covered: 16.5kms

Time to be used: 9 - 11 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Shira Campsite

DAY 3: Shira Campsite

( Lemosho Route – 8 days Kilimanjaro Hiking trip )

Today you will have very moderate walk across the plateau which leads you to Shira Camp two on moorland meadows by a stream. Although variety walks are available on the plateau just to make this an excellent acclimatization day.

Distance Covered: 10km

Time to be used: 7 hrs

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Shira Camp

DAY 4 : Shira Campsite to Lava Tower

( Lemosho Route – 8 days Kilimanjaro Hiking trip )

You will have breakfast and precede hiking east up to a steeping path above the vegetation toward Kilimanjaro looming mass. After several hours of walking now commerce you’re a 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 plentiful 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 become aware of any signs of altitude sickness.

Distance Covered: 5.5 km

Time to be used: 5 hrs

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Barranco Camp

DAY 5: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp

( Lemosho Route – 8 days Kilimanjaro Hiking trip )

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

Time to be used: 3 hours

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Barafu Camp

DAY 6: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp

( Lemosho Route – 8 days Kilimanjaro Hiking trip )

This morning you will hike east over intervening ridges and valley to join the Mweka Route, which will be your descent route. Turn left toward the mountain and hike up the ridge through a sparse landscape for another hour to Barafu Hut where you will receive a hot lunch. The last water point on this route is Karanga Valley as there is no water at Barafu Cam. 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, and drink a lot of fluids. After an early dinner, go to bed for a few hours of valued sleep.

Distance Covered: 13.4km

Time to be used: 12- 15 Hrs

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Accommodation: Millenium Campsite

DAY 7: Barafu Camp - Summit - Mweka Camp

( Lemosho Route – 8 days Kilimanjaro Hiking trip )

You will be up around 11:30 PM, and after some hot tea and biscuits you will drag your feet off into the night. 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. At Stella Point 5,685 m/18,650 ft you stop for a short rest and a chance to see a supremely sanguine sunrise. At Stella Point you join the top part of Marangu Route but do not stop here too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and exhaustion. Depending on the time of year and current storms you may stumble upon snow on your remaining hike along the rim to Uhuru Peak. On the summit, you can enjoy your accomplishment and know that you are creating a day that you will remember for the rest of your life. After your 3-hour descent from the summit back to Barafu Camp, you will have a well-deserved but short rest collect your gear, and hike down a rock and scree path into the moorland and sooner or later into the forest to Mweka Camp 3,100 m/10,170 ft This camp is in the upper forest, so you can anticipate mist or rain in the late afternoon., Dinner and washing water will be prepared and the camp office sells drinking water, soft drinks, chocolates, and beers.

Distance Covered: 12.5km

Time to be used: 6.5 hrs

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

DAY 8: Mweka Campsite to Mweka Gate to Moshi

( Lemosho Route – 8 days Kilimanjaro Hiking trip )

After a well deserved breakfast it is a short scenic 3-hours hike back to the park gate, please note no tips is given on the way until all your gears and the rest of the crew have reached the gate safely, but do remember to tip your staff at the gate, At Mweka Gate you will sign your name and add details in a register. This is also where successful climbers normally receive their summit certificates and can be followed by a bottle of champen. Climbers who reached Stella Point are issued green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak receive gold certificates. From Mweka Gate you will continue down to Mweka Village 3 km where you will be served a delicious hot lunch after which you are driven back to Moshi.

Distance Covered: 12.5km

Time to be used: 6.5 hrs

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch