Kilimanjaro - Lemosho Trek

Our Kilimanjaro adventure starts today in the peaceful surrounds of our comfortable pre and post trek accommodation in Moshi - the Weru Weru River Lodge, from where there are great views of the mountain. Depending on your arrival time, you can relax by the pool before your briefing with the trek leader, who will provide you with the essential information for your trek to the roof of Africa.

After a drive through farmland and plantations we reach the Londorossi National Park Gate on the western side of Kilimanjaro. We continue from there to the Lemosho roadhead at 2100 m from where we start our trek up the mountain. We will climb steadily through the lush forest of the Lemosho glades to reach Big Tree Camp (2780 m). Porters will assist throughout the trek carrying your trek kitbag. You only need to carry what you will need for the day - waterproofs, camera, water bottle, extra fleece, sunhat, packed lunch and three litres of drinking water. Please note that drones are not permitted in Kilimanjaro National Park without a permit, please refer to the equipment section of the trip notes for more information.


Today's seven kilometre trek is expected to take approximately three to four hours with an ascent of 680 metres.

Today we trek across a plateau of grassy moorland and heather scattered with volcanic rock formations. Our destination for today is the camp at Shira One (3,500 m), from where there are often views of Kibo Peak, seemingly floating on the clouds. We gain a reasonable amount of altitude today and parts of the route are fairly steep.

Today's eight-and-a-half kilometre trek is expected to take approximately four to five hours with an ascent of 720 metres.

Today we have the chance to view the Northern Ice fields from the western side of the mountain with some unusual views of Kibo. Our steady climb across the moorland of the Shira Plateau will help with acclimatisation and we enjoy great panoramic views. Our tents will be set up for us at the Shira Two Camp (3,900m). In the afternoon we will take an acclimatisation walk to the junction of the trail to the Moir Hut.

The eight kilometre trek between the camps at Shira One and Two is expected to take approximately five hours with an ascent of 400 metres. The afternoon acclimatisation trek is for an additional one to two hours.

Today's walk is longer and perfect for our acclimatisation as we will ascend to a high point of 4640 m before descending to a lower altitude for the night. Our trek starts with an ascent with far-reaching panoramic views, walking in to the climatic zone of the upland desert and on the lava ridges beneath the glaciers of the Western Breach. We reach the distinct pinnacle of the Lava Tower (4,640 m), our high point for the day and a great place to enjoy a leisurely lunch. In the afternoon we make a steep descent to our camp for the night, located in the base of the Great Barranco Valley (3,960 m), sheltered by towering cliffs but with extensive views of the plains below.

Today's 10 kilometre trek is expected to take approximately seven to eight hours with an ascent of 740 metres and descent of 680 metres.

Our trekking today starts with a steep ascent of the Barranco Wall, a rocky cliff almost 260 metres high that is believed to have been created by a huge landslide around 100,000 years ago. The trail wends its way up the 'Wall' and there are sections of what could be termed as light scrambling where you will be pulling yourself up over the rocks and it's easiest to put your trekking poles away. You don't need any technical ability and we will take it slowly. The climb leads to an undulating trail on the south eastern side of Kibo providing us with great views of the Southern Ice fields, if we are lucky with the weather. The terrain ranges from volcanic scree to pockets of lush vegetation as we make a descent into the Karanga Valley followed by an ascent to our campsite at 4,035 m. The valley is the last water point on the approach to Barafu.

Today's six kilometre trek from the Barranco Valley to Karanga is expected to take approximately four to five hours with an ascent of 360 metres and descent of 185 metres.

This morning we make a steep climb out of the Karanga Valley following an easy path on compacted scree constantly gaining altitude with good views, until we reach our camp at Barafu (4,640 m). This afternoon we rest in preparation for the final night time ascent, and plan to get a very early night!

Today's six kilometre trek is expected to take approximately four to five hours with an ascent of 605 metres.

Today we make our final ascent to the summit at 5,895 m before descending over 2000 m to our last camp site. It is undoubtedly a long and strenuous day, particularly with the high altitude and extreme cold. We plan to make a midnight start as at this time the scree and potential snow are still frozen and our aim is to have summited and descended before the top layer of scree becomes wet and slippery. Our path zigzags up the scree and after passing Rebmann Glacier, we reach Stella Point (5,685 m) on the crater rim. Although at times you may be able to walk for only 10 paces before you have to stop and rest, there is no doubt that it is all worth it when you reach the top. From Stella Point we continue around the crater rim to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa at 5,895 m. After time to enjoy your achievement and take those all important photographs at the famous summit sign, we descend back down the scree to Barafu Camp for a rest and something to eat. It's then a virtual continuous descent down to the Millennium Camp at 3,790 m where the air feels positively oxygen rich in comparison to where we have just ventured!

Today's walking totals 19.5 kilometres and is expected to take up to 14 hours. The trek from Barafu Camp to Stella Point is an ascent of 1,045 metres and will take around five to six hours, with the hike from here around the crater rim to Uhuru Peak (additional 210 metres of ascent) taking another one to two hours. The trek down from the summit to Millennium Camp, (a total descent of 2,105 metres), is expected to take approximately five to six hours (excluding the time spent resting at Barafu).

After a well-deserved night's sleep and rest, our final day on trek takes us down through the lush beauty of the rainforest, enjoying the increasing warmth and richness of the mountain air. The trail end is at the Mweka gate (1,630 m) from where we travel by road to Moshi and back to the comforts of our lodge. We will have a well-earned lunch on arrival back in Moshi.

Today's 12 kilometre trek is expected to take approximately five to six hours and is a total descent of 2160 metres.

The day is left free to relax after the trek before the trip ends mid-afternoon. Weather permitting, we may be treated to some final views of Kilimanjaro from our lodge. Depending on the time of your flight you may like to join an optional game drive around the Momella Lakes area in Arusha National Park which is famed for its high giraffe population as well as elephants, hippos and buffaloes. This trip will run from approximately 0630-1300hrs.