8 Day Kilimanjaro Climbing, Lemosho Route

Day 1   Registration at Londorossi gate

After the registration at Londorossi gate we will drive through varied farmland with open outlooks over the plains to reach the Lemosho road. We will have  lunch at the road before starting to walk. It is an easy day of walking up a small path through beautiful and lush forest. We camp at Lemosho Big Tree Camp (2,650 m); [2-3 hours]

Day 2   At Shira One” (3,550 m). [6-7 hours]

We will enter the moorland region of massive heather. The trail goes up gradually with broad views to reach the rim of the Shira Plateau. There is a substantial sense of wilderness, especially if afternoon mists come in! We camp in the centre of the plateau at “Shira One” (3,550 m). [6-7 hours]

Day 3   At Shira Hut (3,840 m). [4-5 hours]

We will have an acclimatization day where we will explore the volcanic rock structure of Shira Plateau. We will then walk to the summit of  Shira Cathedral before reaching the next camp at Shira Hut (3,840 m). This campsite area has spectacular views, close to the glaciated ground of Kibo and the jagged rim of Shira Plateau. One of the views is unforgettable Mt. Meru floating in the clouds. [4-5 hours]

Day 4   At the Great Barranco valley (3,900 m), [5-7 hours]

We will experience a gentle rise and panoramic views, leaving the moorland plateau behind to walk on lava ridges under the glaciers of the Western Breach. After lunch next to the Lava Tower junction (4,550 m) we we will drop to the bottom of the Great Barranco valley (3,900 m), sheltered by towering cliffs and with extensive views of the plains far below. [5-7 hours]

Day 5   At Karanga (4,000 m),[4-5 hours]

We will continue going up through a sharp slope up the Barranco Wall leads us to an swelling trail on the south-eastern flank of Kibo, with superb panoramas of the Southern Icefields. The terrain transforms to scree, with pockets of lush vegetation in sheltered hollows, and there is only a short distance to our camp at Karanga (4,000 m), the last water point on the way to the summit. [4-5 hours]

Day 6   At the South-East valley (4,800 m). [3-5 hours]

We will pursue a simple path on compressed scree with wide views that gains altitude unrelentingly to reach the Barafu campsite (4,600 m) for lunch. There is a short acclimatization walk to the plateau at the bottom of the South-East valley (4,800 m). The remainder of the day is spent  resting in preparation for the final ascent before a very early night. [3-5 hours]

Day 7   To Uhuru Peak (5,896 m), Millenium campsite (3,800 m) [11-15 hours]

We will trek up by torchlight at about 1.00 a.m. to be up on the Crater rim by sunrise. The sharp walk over loose volcanic scree has some well-graded zig-zags and a slow but steady pace will take us to Stella Point (5,735 m), in about five or six hours. We will rest there for a short time to enjoy the sunrise over Mawenzi. Those who are still feeling strong can make the two hour round trip from here along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak (5,896 m), passing close to the spectacular  glaciers and ice cliffs that still occupy most of the summit area. The descent to Barafu is surprisingly fast, and after some refreshment, we continue to descend to reach our final campsite (3,800 m) Millenium. [11-15 hours]

Day 8    At Mweka gate (1,650 m) [4-6 hours]

We will then descent through the lavish green forest to the gate at Mweka (1,650 m) and on via coffee and banana farms to Mweka village [4-6 hours]