The Kilimanjaro Lemosho route is one of the newer routes and starts on the west side of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The route is arguably the most beautiful route to climb Kilimanjaro and has a high success rate. The route passes incredible views on the west side and then connects with the Machame route. This means that you get to experience the best views and highlights from two different routes. It is slightly more expensive, but if you are looking for a truly unique and quieter route, the Lemosho is the route for you.
Over the course of these 7 or 8 days, we’ll be spending our nights at the established campsites and reach the summit of Kilimanjaro on day 6 or 7, right at sunrise!
Seasons:
Your Team: Per group you climb with a professional team, generally consisting of 1 or 2 English speaking guides, 1 cook and 3 porters per person. The exact number sometimes varies and depends on specific requirements of our guests.
Our guides will lead you to the summit and provide you with all the necessary information, tips & tricks & lift your spirits when in dire need, to maximise your chances of a successful climb. All of the guides know the mountain like the back of their hands, are specially trained and have years of climbing experience.
The porters will carry all your belongings, tents & food, so you can climb at ease with only your daypack. The cook will prepare 3 solid meals a day, so you can take on the mountain like a champion. Drinking water will be provided as well, which will be refilled with a water filter at various points on the mountain.
This trek includes
Not included
*International flights can be arranged via us if preferred.
Safety: Safety on the mountain is our first priority. Even though it doesn’t take a professional climber to summit Kilimanjaro, it’s still a tall mountain and the high altitude comes with risks.
Prior to each climb, our guests receive a comprehensive briefing that covers the route, safety procedures on the mountain and discuss potential health issues of each individual guest, to ensure that everyone can ascend the mountain fully prepared and in a safe manner.
Our guides receive annual training on the effects of altitude, providing medical assistance and administering oxygen. The team is equipped with a professional medical kit in case of Emergency. They are responsible for your safety and have the authority of discontinuing the trek if they think the conditions are unsafe. At high altitudes, your blood pressure is measured daily to monitor your health.
Acclimatisation: Climbing is done according to the ‘climb high, sleep low’ principle. This principle states that one should climb to a relatively higher elevation than the altitude of where one sleeps. This gives your body the chance to get used to the high altitudes when climbing high, and grants the opportunity to recover and rest at the lower elevations. Doing so, decreases your chance of altitude sickness and increases your chance of reaching the summit.
Fair treatment of our personnel: We are committed to the fair and ethical treatment of all porters and guides. We strictly adhere all rules set by KINAPA (Kilimanjaro National Park); ensuring that each porter has the proper gear to ascent the mountain, and that all carrying bags supplied by us are weighed, to ensure that they do not exceed the maximum of 20 kg.
Furthermore, we promote fair wages, accommodation, insurance & food for cooks, guides & porters as set by the KPO (Kilimanjaro porters association). This way, you can climb the mountain feeling confident about yourself ánd your team.
Leave only footprints: On all our climbs, we strive to reduce our environmental impact to a bare minimum. We make sure that any waste that has gone up the mountain, comes back down as well. By doing this, everybody can enjoy this magnificent mountain for many years to come.
*We also recommend that you bring your own water bottle to reduce plastic waste.
On the first day of the Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route, we’ll pick you up from you lodge in Moshi and drive onwards to the gates of Mount Kilimanjaro National Park. On the way, we’ll pass the village Machame, which lies below the mountain. After reaching the gate, we’ll begin our final preparations, so you’ll be fully ready. Starting from the gate, our hike takes us through the forest at the base of Kilimanjaro, all the way to the first camp. Here, we rest, have dinner together, and overnight.
After a good breakfast, we will leave the forest and ascend into the heather moorland zone. We will hike until lunch. In between, we’ll pass through lush rolling hills and cross several streams. After lunch, we will trek into the Shira Caldera, an impressive high-altitude desert that is rarely visited. Shira is the third of Kilimanjaro’s volcanic cones and is filled with lava flow from Kibo Peak. At the end of our full-day hike, we will overnight at Shira 1 Camp at 3500m.
Today is a good day on the Lemosho route to let your body acclimate to the high altitudes, as we will only gain 385m in elevation. This helps reduce the chances of altitude sickness and will prepare your body for greater heights. In the morning, we will start hiking again, through the Moorland and to the east, crossing the Shira Plateau and passing the Shira Cathedral. At the end of the day, we will reach Shira 2 camp.
From the Shira Plateau, we’ll continue across a desert-like rocky landscape towards the Lava Tower, also known as the “Shark’s Tooth.” For most people, this is the toughest day of the climb. There’s the highest chance of experiencing breathlessness and headaches due to the high altitude, so be sure to take one step and one breath at a time. Slowly, slowly. Once we’ve reached the Lava Tower, we will head back down towards the Barranco Camp. The descent offers beautiful views of the Western Breach and Breach Wall, making it a great moment for a photo. After about two hours, we’ll reach the camp, situated in a valley below the Breach and the Great Barranco Wall.
Here, we will enjoy dinner and give our bodies a chance to acclimatize to the high altitude. This day is necessary to let your body adjust as we follow the ‘climb high and sleep low’ principle, which prepares your body for a successful summit day.
Even though this day is ‘optional’, it is still strongly recommended. We climb according to the ‘climb high, sleep low’ principle, which gives your body the chance to get used to the high altitudes. This increases your chance of reaching the summit and is highly recommended for inexperienced climbers.
After Breakfast, we will depart from Barranco Camp and continue on a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall and further through the Karanga Valley. Here you will get the chance to see the glaciers up close. After, we will have Lunch and a little break at the Karanga Valley campsite. Here you can view the Mawenzi Slopes as well as the Tanzania Sugar Plantation farms. Before returning to the campsite for dinner and overnight stay, you can take a short walk in the surrounding area.
In the early morning, we will leave Karanga Valley campsite, onwards to the junction that will take us on the Mweka Trail. From here we’ll continue to the Barafu Hut at 4600m high, which offers views of the summit. At this point, we have completed the Southern Circuit. This is a great moment to grab your camera, as the two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are visible from this site. Here we will set up camp, so we can overnight with our eyes on the prize.
Make sure to eat well and drink lots, as tonight is summit night!
In the early, early morning. Still shivering from our short and cold night, we will enjoy warm coffee or tea together to lift our spirits. Now we will hike in the dark, with flashlights towards the summit of Uhuru peak at 5895meters high. Our last ascent of the Lemosho Route. Once at the top, we will enjoy one of the world’s most incredible sunrises. Such moments make the climb well worthwhile. You’ve made it! Uhuru Peak is the highest point of Kilimanjaro ánd the whole of Africa. A place never to forget.
Make sure to bring two sets of clothing. The night will be bitterly cold, but after the sun rises over the peak of Kilimanjaro, the temperature will quickly rise.
After the summit, we will make our descent straight down to the Mweka Hut Campsite, stopping at Barafu Camp for lunch. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest.
Hopefully well-rested and not too sore from the long hike the other day, we will have breakfast. We continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your Kilimanjaro-Lemosho summit certificate. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy.
The car will be waiting for you at the Mweka Gate to take you back to the hotel in Moshi for a hot shower.
On the Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route we camp at the established campsites mentioned in our day-to-day. On this route we camp in tents. We spend the night in four-season mountain tents, made of thick high-quality canvas, capable of withstanding all weather conditions on Kilimanjaro.
The tents are carried by our porters, who will walk ahead of you to set up the camp. Once you have reached the campsite, you can relax without having to worry about setting up your tent.
