Detailed Itinerary Lemosho Route – 8 Days (Moir Camp)

Day 1:        

After completing the necessary registration formalities at Londorosisi National Park gate, we drive through varied farm land with open views over the plains to reach the Lemosho road head.  The last section of the road is of poor quality and difficult to drive after rain and the drive there should be considered as part of the adventure, sometimes we start walking a kilometer or two below the road head.  We often have our lunch at the road head 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 Tyree Camp (2,650 m) 2-3 hours walking]

Day 2:        

We soon leave the forest behind and enter the moorland zone of giant heather.  The trial climbs steady with wide views to reach the rim of the Shira Plateau. There is a tangible sense of wilderness, especially if afternoon mists come in!  We camp in the centre of the plateau at “Shira One” (36-7 hours walking

Day 3:

The morning walk is a steady climb away from the moorland if Shira Plateau to reach the upland desert beneath the Lent Hills, with expansive views in all directions.  After lunch in our camp there is the option for a strenuous afternoon walk to reach the summit of the Lent hills (4,200m).  We camp at Major Camp 4,200m [3-6 hours walking]

Day 4:

After breakfast you will start climb out of the Major Valley and pass Lava Tower crossing the Bastian’s stream and then descend into the Barronco Valley.  The Barronco Camp is at 3,900m in this valley and is sheltered by towering cliffs and with extensive views of the plains for below (5-8 hours walking)

Day 5:

A steep climb up the Barronco Wall leads us to an undulating trail on the South Eastern flank of Kibo, with superb vistas of the Southern Icefields.  The terrain changes to scree, with pockets of lush vegetation 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 walking

Day 6:

We follow on easy path on compacted scree with wide views that gains altitude unrelentingly to reach the Barafu composite (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 very early night [3-5 hours walking]

Day 7:

We will start our ascent by torchlight at about 1am so that we can be up on the Crater rim by sunrise.  The steep climb over loose volcanic scree has some well-graded zigzags 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 felling 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 (3,800m) millennium [11-15 hours walking]

Day 8:        

A sustained descent on a well constructed path through lovely tropical forest alive with birdsong and boasting lush undergrowth with considerable botanical interest. Our route winds down to the National Park gate at Mweka  (1,650 m).  Here we sign out from the national park before walking on for a further 15 minutes through coffee and banana farms to Mweka village where our vehicle awaits.  The shower, the beer and the swimming pool are tantalizingly close [4-6 hours walking]