8 day Kilimanjaro Climb

The Lemosho route begins at the Londorossi Gate, at an elevation of 2,100 meters. You will proceed by vehicle (around 3-4 hours) to Kilimanjaro National Park’s western gate, known as Londorossi Gate, in Moshi Town. This is where you’ll meet your mountain trip crew. Following the fast formality of obtaining climbing permits and registering with the search and rescue organization, the group ascends to their drop-off site via off-road vehicles. We drive to the trailhead, where the hike officially begins by crossing the rainforest zone to the first camp, Mti Mkubwa Camp.

As you travel around the Shira crater’s outer flanks, you may encounter some steep areas. You’ll leave the forest zone a little distance from the camp and enter a savannah of tall grasses, heather, and volcanic rock covered with beard-like lichens. As we climb higher, weaving through the beautiful rolling hills and passing multiple streams, we reach Shira Ridge before gradually dropping to Shira 1 Camp. The camp is located on the western edge of the Shira plateau. Here we get our first glimpse of the Kibo summit, which towers over the Shira flat.

The day is set aside to explore the ever-beautiful wide field of the Shira Plateau, a twisting grassland plain on Kilimanjaro’s Eastern moorland zone and one of the highest plateaus on the planet. The first several hours of today’s hike are rather straightforward, with the majority of it taking place on level ground. This trip takes us to Shira 2 Camp, then veers off to join the main road to our resting camp for the day, the rarely used Moir Hut Camp, nestled right beneath Mount Kilimanjaro’s Lent Hills. You will get spectacular views of the Shira plateau and Mount Meru, which will be visible through the clouds. The Lent hills are utilized for acclimatization on the mountain by ascending and descending their slopes.

After leaving this wonderfully tranquil camp, your trail begins to wind over Kibo’s southern slopes.  You’ll join the routes leading from the Shira camps, where Lemosho and Machame converge to form one trail. Hike up a ridge before reaching the beautiful and scenic Lava Tower, called the “Shark’s tooth,” which is a constructed volcanic feature located in the SouthEast direction from Moir Hut and is 300 feet tall. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to see the Western Breach.

After ascending the mountain’s steep crest, we descend to Barranco Camp to aid in adequate acclimatization. This calm hike leads through the lovely Senecio plant that covers this alpine desert zone. Despite spending the most of your journey at the same heights, the time spent at a higher altitude is more important in ensuring that you are adequately acclimatized.

The highlight of the day for many is the ascent in the morning. Leaping over the Barranco barrier. From a camp, it can appear daunting. Your guides will provide you with ample assistance on the uneven path, so the ascent is not too tough. The Kibo massif suddenly seems uncomfortably close as you approach the summit, perhaps rewarding you with an amazing vista. A trail that winds through the Karanga valley begins here. Reaching Karanga camp merely requires crossing a valley. You’ll have fantastic views of Kibo itself and the plains should the clouds break.

We travel from Karanga Camp to a track that meets the Mweka route after our morning meal as usual. A considerable amount of hiking remains till the rocky Barafu Hut Camp. At the conclusion of the journey across Kilimanjaro’s Southern Circuit, you will be rewarded with breathtaking views of the peak of Kibo upon arriving at Barafu Camp.

Our overnight camp will be at Barafu Camp, where we will recover, have dinner, and prepare for our midnight summit attempt. We take an acclimatization tour to the intermediate Kosovo Summit Camp (4,800m) before returning to Barafu Camp for a hot meal. This is done before dinner. The two towering peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro, Mawenzi and Kibo, are plainly visible from a distance.

We start our climb to the summit, known as Uhuru Peak, at approximately midnight. In addition to being physically taxing, the ascent to the summit requires mental toughness because you have to endure severe weather, wind, and often complete darkness during the night, unless you are doing the eight-day Lemosho route under a full moon.

We only have our headlamps and our guides to help us navigate the dense scree and twisting routes of the Ratzel and Rebmann Glaciers during our first six-hour ascent, which ends at Stella Point. Many claim that this is the hardest part of the entire climb, but the payoff is maybe the most breathtaking and emotional dawn you have ever seen or will ever see in your life.

We will join the final stretch of the Marangu trail after taking some photos at the sign and enjoying a quick break. It will take another one to two hours to reach your ultimate destination, the top of Africa’s highest mountain, Uhuru mountain, at 5,985 meters. Standing 5,895 meters above sea level, this peak is often known as the rooftop of Africa.

On the Lemosho path, you will now descend to Mweka Hut Camp from the peak, your final climbing point. En route, you will stop briefly for lunch at Barafu Camp. Keep an eye on your knees because it may be rather taxing to use your lower body to support and break your upper body. Trunks can be a big assistance in this situation. Rain or mist is likely to occur at any time of day, especially in the late afternoons, due to the erratic weather in the higher rainforest zone surrounding Mweka Camp. Our resting place, supper spot, and overnight stay is Mweka Hut Camp.

Today marks the conclusion of our 8 day trek, along the Lemosho route on Mount Kilimanjaro. As we make our way down the mountain towards Mweka Gate we will receive our deserved certificates for reaching the summit of this majestic peak. The area surrounding Mweka Gate is known for its damp conditions. On our journey we will pass through the heath and forest zones keeping an eye out for colobus monkeys along the trail. Once we have collected our certificates we will continue to Mweka Village, an one hour trek. There a vehicle provided by us awaits to transport us back to our hotel, in Moshi town.