7 Days Lemosho Route Trek

DAY 1: LEMOSHO GLADES (2385METERS) TO BIG TREE CAMP (2780METERS)

Location: Lemosho Glades

Approx. trekking time: 4 hours

Distance: 7km / 4.3 miles

Zone: Rainforest

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast and briefing from your guide you will be collected from your hotel in Moshi and you will be driven to 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.

DAY 2: BIG TREE CAMP (2780METERS) TO SHIRA 2 CAMP (3900METERS)

Location: Shira 2 Camp

Approx. trekking time: 9 – 11 hours

Distance: 16.5km / 10.3 miles

Zone: Rainforest

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day two 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.

DAY 3: SHIRA 2 CAMP (3900METERS) TO BARRANCO CAMP (3960METERS)

Location:
Barranco Camp

Approx. trekking time: 7 hours

Distance: 10km / 6.2 miles

Zone: Low alpine zone

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Your trek starts with an ascent with far reaching panoramic views, walking in to the climatic zone of the upland desert and on the lava ridges beneath the glaciers of the Western Breach. You will reach the distinct pinnacle of the Lava Tower (4640 m), our high point for the day and a great place to enjoy your lunch. In the afternoon we make a steep descent to our camp for the night, located in the base of the Great Barranco Valley (3960 m), sheltered by towering cliffs but with extensive views of the plains below.

DAY 4: BARRANCO CAMP (3960METERS) TO KARANGA CAMP (3963METERS)

Location: Karanga Camp

Approx. trekking time: 5 hours

Distance: 5.5km / 3.4 miles

Zone: High alpine zone

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

On day five early wakeup, breakfast and the start of summiting Barranco Wall. Hiking up the gorge wall is not technical but long and tiring, only takes around an hour. After the climb you can have a rest and take photos in front of the Kibo volcano. Then you start a more difficult hike to Karanga Camp, which features numerous ascents and descents during the route, but don’t worry: our guides are experts at choosing an optimal pace for the group. After reaching the camp you will be offered warm lunch. After a couple of hours you will have to complete an acclimatization hike in the direction of Barafu Camp with a 200-meter gain in altitude, and then descent back down to the camp.

DAY 5: KARANGA CAMP (3963METERS) TO BARAFU CAMP (4640METERS)

Location: Barafu Camp

Approx. trekking time: 3 hours

Distance: 3km / 1.9 miles

Zone: High alpine zone

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day five is summit night (and day)! We start off at around midnight, and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Mweka Camp for a long well-earned rest.

DAY 6: BARAFU CAMP (4640METERS) TO UHURU PEAK (5895METERS) AND DOWN TO MWEKA CAMP (3100METERS)

Location: Mweka Camp

Approx. trekking time: 13hours – 15hours

Distance: 16.4km / 9.6 miles

Zone: Glacial zone and the all preceding zones

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We start off at around midnight, and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Mweka Camp for a long well-earned rest.

DAY 7: TREK MWEKA CAMP (3100METERS) TO MWEKA GATE (1630METERS)

Location: Mweka Gate

Approx. trekking time: 3 hours

Distance: 9.1km / 7.5 miles

Zone: Rainforest

Hotel: Bed & Breakfast

A gentle trek takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We are then met by our vehicles and return to the hotel in Moshi, where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower then celebrate with cold drinks. Overnight at your arranged Hotel.