Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route
After arriving at Kilimanjaro airport, we'll pick you and check into our hotel. We spend a night in Moshi allowing you time to regenerate and meet with your guides next day as they give you a detailed climb orientation and gear check as well you can do hiking in Moshi town with a guide.
DAY 2: LONDOROSI-MTI MKUBWA CAMP (9,170ft/2,800m)
We use track to the Kilimanjaro National Park to the Londorosi Gate where we check in. The route is located on the western side of Kilimanjaro. Our trek today will be short a little walking through the mountain rain forest. The flora and fauna are richer here than the other popular routes through the rain forest up to our first camp at Mti Mkubwa (Big Tree).
DAY 3: MTI MKUBWA-SHIRA CAMP (11,500ft/3,505m)
After breakfast we leave the camp, and start the climb a little at rain forest then to the heath and moorland zone. A couple hours after lunch we cross into the Shira Caldera, a high altitude desert plateau, very different from the rain forest and less vegetation. Shira peak is the third of Kilimanjaro volcanic cones, and is filled with lava flow from Kibo Peak. Weather and volcanic action have decimated the crater rim. Today you'll get your first close views of Kibo - the summit of Kilimanjaro.
DAY 4: SHIRA PLATEAU-MOIR CAMP (13,650ft/4,160m)
After breakfast we hike towards East across the Shira Plateau still heath and moorland passing the Shira Cathedral towards Moir camp, tucked away at the end of a huge gorge, at the foot of a giant lava flow. We enjoy a hot lunch at Fisher Camp, which are only a couple hours to our destination.
DAY 5: MOIR CAMP-BARRANCO CAMP (12,950ft/3,950m)
After breakfast, we start climbing toward Lava Tower lower camp, at 14,950-ft/4,556-m, where we stop for lunch, allowing our bodies to acclimatize. We descend down through the valley and see lots of attractive flowers such as Giant Senecio and Giant lobelia (this flower closes during the night and opens during the day) to Barranco Camp, which is beautifully set up on a ridge at the foot of the Barranco Wall. This is where the Machame, Umbwe and Lemosho routes converge, so we meet other climbers because this camp is crowded sometimes.
DAY 6: BARRANCO-KARANGA (13,200ft/4,023m)
After breakfast, this day will be a fun day but our big challenge is to climb the Barranco wall a 500 ft lava flow. It’s not a technical wall, but challenging nonetheless. Once on top of the "wall", the climb becomes easier and extremely beautiful with fantastic views of the crags and crevasses of the jagged peaks of Kibo on your left. Lastly we descend into the Karanga Valley then up to the camp sunsets here are truly spectacular.
DAY 7: KARANGA to BARAFU & SUMMIT (15,200ft/4,633m)
It’s all slope and a little uphill to the rocky, Barafu means "ice" in Swahili, and it is extremely windy and cold at this altitude. There is a buzz of excitement in the air, as climbers anticipate our toughest day just ahead. The clouds revealing the eroded peak of Mawenzi, painted with colors of the African sun. Summit will be at midnight Today’s the toughest day, we slowly up over the rocky outcrops and through the scree until we reach to the top of the rim earlier to enjoy the sunrise on the top of the roof of Africa, view of the summit is dramatic, the weather and effects of altitude will determine how long we stay here. After summit you will be back to Barafu for lunch then down into Mweka camp for last night on the mountain.
DAY 8: MWEKA CAMP to MOSHI
Mweka camp: (10,000ft/3000m) Mweka Gate: (5,500ft/1,676m) Moshi: (3,000ft/600m) • 30 minutes drive to the hotel. In the morning we shall have a 3-4 hour walk down to the gate, where the Covenant tours vehicles meet us and take us back to the hotel.