Scenic, remote and unspoilt – those are the best words we have to describe Lemosho route. It starts on the west side of Kilimanjaro, is one of the newest routes for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, and was initially introduced as an alternative to Shira route. The latter also approaches Kilimanjaro from the west and follows an almost identical trail, but starts at the rather challenging altitude of 3600 m / 11810 ft. Lemosho route however debutes at 2100 m / 6890 ft, making it more adapted for climbers who have less experience with high altitude. Day 1 of Shira route will take you over a wide road that’s accessible by 4 wheel drive, whereas Lemosho route takes you straight into the rainforest and offers good chances of seeing wildlife like buffalos and elephants. A ranger will accompany you on this day to ensure your safety.
Below we describe the 7-day itinerary for Kilimanjaro Lemosho route. We’ll explain the difference for the 8-day itinerary under day 5. Remember, we only recommend the 7-day trek if you’re a very fit mountain climber with some experience.
We pick you up at your hotel in Moshi and drive about 2 hours to Londorossi Gate, where you enter Kilimanjaro National Park. You’ll sign in at the Park Office and get back in the car to drive another 12 km to your starting point. From here you’ll start hiking through remote rainforest. It’s a relatively easy hike, but there’s an abundance of wildlife. Black and white colobus monkeys and antelopes are seen very regularly, and you might see buffalos and elephants as well.
After 3 to 4 hours you’ll arrive at your first stop, Mti Mkubwa or Big Tree camp, where you’ll spend your first night.
Hiking time: 3-4 hours
Distance: 5.5 km / 3.5 mi
Habitat: Montane forest
After an early breakfast you’ll start walking again. The trail leads you through the forest for about an hour, and then becomes steeper as you reach the moorland zone. Amazing views of Kibo and Mount Meru await as you hike to Shira Plateau, a collapsed volcanic crater. You’ll spend your second night on the plateau, offering beautiful views on clear days.
Hiking time: 5 hours
Distance: 10 km / 6.2 mi
Habitat: Moorland
On day 3 of your Mount Kilimanjaro hike, you continue to hike across the Shira plateau and will traverse an open moorland zone. You’ll get your first glimpse of the Western Breach and its breathtaking glaciers. It will take roughly 5 hours to reach Shira 2 camp, where you’ll overnight. This camp site is very exposed, and temperatures drop well below the freezing point. Make sure to dress accordingly!
Hiking time: 4 hours
Distance: 8 km / 5 mi
Habitat: Moorland
Today you hike from Shira camp to the Lava Tower as the landscape becomes more and more rocky. Shortly before you reach the Lava Tower, Lemosho route joins with Machame route and from here on the itineraries of both routes are identical. It might get a bit busier than before and you might start experiencing the first symptoms of altitude sickness, like headaches and breathlessness. It’s definitely a difficult day, harder than the previous ones.
After lunch you descend by more than 650 m / 2150 ft through the magnificent Barranco valley to the Barranco camp site, bringing you to nearly the same altitude as at the start of the day. Climb high, sleep low. This is great for acclimatization, and is very likely to hugely increase your chances of making it to the summit.
You overnight on the Barranco camp site, where stunning sunset views of the Barranco Wall await. A beautiful reward for what’s probably the most difficult day of your hike so far.
Hiking time: 8 hours
Distance: 10 km / 6.2 mi
Habitat: Semi desert
You’ll start the day by climbing the Barranco wall, a 257 m rock facade for which you’ll need some basic climbing skills. Previous experience is however not required, as long as you’re in good physical condition, you should be able to do it. There you’ll start hiking through the Karanga Valley, over a path that goes up and down the whole time. You have lunch at Karanga camp, after which you continue hiking to Barafu camp.
You’ll arrive here between 4pm and 5pm, get some food and head to bed, as you’ll start your summit attempt later that night. Prepare your equipment and get as much sleep as you can. Tomorrow’s going to be a long, but rewarding day!
For the 8-day trek, day 5 of the 7 days Lemosho route is split up in 2 days.
You hike to Karanga camp on day 4, and continue to Barafu camp on day 5, having an extra night at Karanga camp. Both hikes only take half a day, meaning you’ll have 2 afternoons to do some extra acclimatization hikes. We strongly recommend this extra day to get better adapted to the altitude, unless you’re an experienced hiker in excellent shape.
Hiking time: 8-10 hours
Distance: 9.5 km / 6 mi
Habitat: Alpine desert
Today’s adventure starts right before midnight, as you head out into the night and start hiking towards the summit. The trek up Kibo is hard and slow, and this is definitely the hardest part of the trek. After about 6 hours you’ll reach Stella Point on the crater rim, at an altitude of 5739 m / 18838 ft.
But your Kilimanjaro trekking adventure isn’t over yet. The summit lies another 156 m / 511 ft higher and the hike up there takes about 2 hours. You’ll take a brief rest at Stella Point before making your final ascent to Uhuru Peak. Many climbers want to give up here, but try to grab your final energy and make it to the top. Our guides will do anything they can to motivate you! Obviously, if you are experiencing severe altitude sickness, you should descend immediately. Inform your guide, he’ll know what to do!
Weather conditions will determine how long you’ll be able to stay at the summit, combined with the fact that you have to get back to Mweka camp in time. But don’t worry, you’ll get enough time to realize what you’ve just achieved, and fully enjoy the moment, your moment standing on top of Mount Kilimanjaro!
You’ll walk back to Barafu camp to pick up the rest of your gear and from there on continue to Mweka camp. For the descent, which takes another 5-8 hours, we strongly recommend to use trekking poles. You’ll have a good night’s sleep at Mweka camp, and be able to enjoy the fresh air full of oxygen!
Hiking time: 6-8 hours up to Uhuru peak, followed by 5-8 hours down to Mweka camp
Distance: 4.5 km / 3 mi up, and 11 km / 7 mi down
Habitat: Glacial zone and all the previous zones
Today you keep walking to Mweka gate, which – even though you’re probably exhausted – is a pleasant walk. Once you get there, you get to sign your name into a register, and receive your summit certificate – a green one for those who reached Stella Point, and a gold one for climbers who made it all the way to Uhuru Peak. The day ends with a 1 hour drive back to Moshi, and a well-deserved night in a comfortable bed.
Hiking time: 3-5 hours
Distance: 9 km / 5.5 mi
Habitat: Rainforest
Prices for this climb depend on the size of your group and are as follows:
7-day climb
8-day climb
For this tour, we can try to join you with other guests to form a group. Let us know you want a group tour whilst booking and we will contact you with possible dates, prices and options as soon as possible. Or check out our current open groups to see if there’s an option that suits you.
Please contact us for different group sizes or groups including children, or if you wish to add extra options.
The cost of your climb explained
The following services are included in our package:
The following services are included in our package:
