The Lemosho route 8 days is one of the best routes for acclimatization. The route is less used and a beautiful way up to the Shira Plateau.
The route is one of the few where groups may be accompanied on the first day by an armed ranger, as the forests around the Lemosho Glades are inhabited by buffalo, elephants,s and other wildlife.
The minimum duration for the Lemosho route is 6 days, however, we strongly recommend hiking via the lemosho route 8 days package. The additional 7th day will give your body more time to acclimatize, reducing the effects of altitude sickness and giving you more time to rest before attempting the summit
Day 1 – Lemosho Glades
We’ll start our adventure by departing from your lodge and making our way to the Londorosi gate, located on the Western side of Mount Kilimanjaro. From there, we’ll begin our hike at the Lemosho trailhead. Please note that in rainy/muddy conditions, extra hiking may be required if the vehicles can’t reach the true trailhead. After a picnic lunch, we’ll hike for about 4 hours to the forest camp, where exotic moss and flowers await. Keep an eye out for Black and White Colobus monkeys and signs of elephants in the area. Overnight at Forest Camp.
Day 2 – Shira Plateau
Leaving the Montane Forest, we’ll enter the Hagenia zone where we’ll catch our first glimpse of the Kibo peak. This is a good acclimatization hike, as we go up and down several ridges along the way to our highest point of the day at 11,500′. We’ll then descend to camp and overnight at Shira 1 Camp.
Day 3 – Moir Camp
We’ll traverse the Heath zone of the Shira Plateau and begin climbing the western slope of the Kibo Massif. Along the way, we’ll enjoy a picnic lunch at Scott Fisher Memorial Camp before continuing to the upper heath zone and Moir Camp. Depending on the weather, acclimatization hikes can be arranged in the late afternoon. Overnight altitude is approximately 13,650′.
Day 4 – Barranco Camp
We’ll leave the heath zone and enter the alpine zone, hiking 4-6 hours past Lava Camp with its volcanic landscape and then down a bit into the scenic Barranco Valley to camp. Overnight altitude is around 13,044′.
Day 5 – Karanga Camp
We’ll ascend the Great Barranco Wall with views of Kilimanjaro mountain ice fields, then hike up and down across some small valleys on our way to Karanga Camp. Overnight altitude is approximately 13,106′.
Day 6 – Barafu Camp
Hike about 3-5 hours to Barafu Camp, with ups and downs across small valleys. After settling into camp, we’ll have a demonstration on the use of safety equipment such as the Gamow (hyperbolic) bag and oxygen. Early supper and rest in camp before your wake-up call to start your summit ascent around 11:00 PM or midnight. Overnight altitude is around 15,100′.
Day 7 – Summit and Mweka Camp
It’s summit day! We’ll start our ascent to the summit (19,340ft – 5,896m) around 11:00 PM or midnight the night prior. Our goal is to reach the peak right at sunrise, but there is a several hour span where most climbers reach the summit due to differences in hiking speed, energy, and altitude acclimatization. Using headlamps (bring extra lithium batteries, which last much better in cold dark conditions!) you will ascend 6-7 hours to Stella Point and then another 1-2 hours to Uhuru Peak, the summit. After a summit celebration and photo, we’ll descend to Barafu camp for lunch and then to Mweka camp to sleep overnight. Summit typically takes 12-17 hours, and the overnight altitude is around 10,448′.
Day 8 – Mweka Park Gate
We make the final descent to the trailhead today, about 3-5 hours hiking. Here we will have lunch and say goodbye to our mountain crew before leaving Mount Kilimanjaro and heading back to town. Arrive at your lodge usually between 3-5 PM.
Hiking: 3-5 hours
This will be the end of your lemesho route 8 days experience. We welcome you to review our safari packages.
