Kilimanjaro Climb - Lemosho Route

We have just returned from this amazing trip. What a wonderfully experience it was. David the tour leader was absolutely fantastic. He was strong and decisive leader and was exactly what we all needed to complete this tough challenge. The porters were unbelievable and every bit of credit you read about them in other reviews is so very well deserved. See for yourselves how dedicated to you they are. It’s like a small village constantly on the move up the mountain together. The food was first class and there were a lot of choices for everybody. To be fair we all ate really well and you certainly wont go hungry at all. The mess tent had a great vibe as you will find similar people wanting to do similar things as yourselves. Our group of 11 had a great balance. Me and my wife were the only couple together and all the others had come despite being in relationships. Advice Don’t take a book or a kindle. There is very little ‘down time’ so you wont get the time you think you will get because there is always something to do. I thought we’d have hours of waiting around in the afternoons but it never worked out that way. Sometimes everybody would be tired and take a nap other times a card game would commence. You’ll be amazed at how quickly the hours go. You will have a great group of people believe me. You booked this trip for the same reasons that they did so embrace it. You will wear a lot of the same clothes, just ensure you have your summit night clothes fresh and ready to go. Because we went in early February there were hot days and cold nights. Your clothes wont smell and neither will you so take a little roll on deodorant and use it every morning. You will get a wishy washy (bowl of hot water) every morning and most afternoons too. Remember it’s nothing like Glastonbury camping mainly because you will always be sober. Believe it or not but the 15kg allowance is plenty. No it really is. Don’t stress about packing it’s all going to be OK… Don’t go mad with your snacks as there is unlimited chocolate and biscuits provided by Exodus. The only small complaint was that the toilet tent was a bit shabby and the zipper needed attention. The toilet itself was absolutely fine. I’m sure Exodus can afford a new toilet tent. The organisation was first class and a lot of friendships developed. It’s amazing how it’s all arranged and so well put together. I would recommend this trip 100% and Exodus as a company have got you covered. They might cost a little more than other tours but you get what you pay for on the mountain.

A great route up Kilimanjaro allowing for some of the best (for Kilimanjaro) altitude aclimatisation on the way, helping to ensure greater success and less physical stress. Lemosho is a busy route though, even more so when the trail merges with the Machame route. You will definitely not feel like you have the mountain to yourself.

Exodus and their team, whether those based in the UK or on the ground in Tanzania, could not have acted more professionally or been more helpful in ensuring that I had a fantastic trip. Our group's all female team of guides, led by Lucia, with Joyce, Anna, Angela and Happiness did their utmost everyday with words of encouragement, smiles and gentle cajoling to steer us to the summit! It was like being looked after by a pride of lionesses! Without the rest of Lucia's team of porters, chefs etc, success would not have been possible. The aim of the trek was to summit Kilimanjaro but by taking the Lemosho Route, it enabled us to enjoy, stunning scenery, interesting and unusual flora and fauna and perhaps most important of all, a little more time to acclimatise for the summit attempt. Prospective trekkers should be aware that a sunrise at the top of Kibo is not guaranteed. The five of us who successfully summited, were greeted by a temperature of -10 deg C and very strong winds! Just glad I had so many layers on! All summit attempts for the previous night were cancelled. This experience will stay with me for the rest of my life, including getting to know my seven fellow trekkers, who were great fun! Have a good look at Exodus, you will not be disappointed. Date of experience: 25 February 2024

I loved every minute of this trip. We had a great group, 16 people. Our leader and porters were fantastic. The weather during the day was good. It was cold at night. Thankfully I brought a hot water bottle and the porters filled it for me at night. My only comment would be, that the sleeping bags which we hired were very poor quality. I think that they had been laundered too many times, hence there was no warmth in them. The sleeping bags were very small, just one size! Not sure that a well built man would be able to fit into one of them! I didn't have any altitude sickness symptoms, but some of my fellow travellers did. The food was great, very plentiful and for me, no tummy problems. I had the right clothes for the trip and this made a huge difference. We had a proper toilet at each camp and that was great for us girls...! I just loved this trip, I would go again tomorrow. I am already looking at Everest Base Camp - I am hooked.

This trip is well worth booking, challenging yet rewarding I am so pleased we chose to do this through Exodus. The food is great, it's hard to believe food to such a high standard is prepared in a tent.

A tough but inspiring adventure that provides stunning scenery, great camaraderie and the realisation of a bucket list dream

The overall trip was a great success. The Kia Lodge was basic but clean. The initial transfer from Kia Lodge to the Moivaro hotel was smooth. The Moivaro Coffee plantation hotel was a good quality hotel with good facilities. The journey to Lemosho Gate was as expected. The 8 day hike was well led, well supported and the food was plentiful and of good quality. The chef did a superb job. The tents could do with an upgrade, and the groundsheets were a tad smaller than necessary. The support staff were magnificent and all played their parts in making this a memorable journey. The return to Moivaro was as expected although some of the admin could have been completed quicker to allow more time at the hotel after 8 days hiking. The private transfer back to Jaro airport was a mess! Transport did not arrive on time, after chaser call, Exodus admin staff member (who did her utmost) arrived to pick us up in private car about 20 mins later but ran out of petrol. Taxi was flagged and passenger ejected. Private taxi then tried to play catch-up and had to stop to fill up before rushing us to the airport exceeding limits, risky overtaking and honking horn. We got to the airport.....but not a particularly satisfactory end to the trip.

While summit night was very challenging due to a snow blizzard and extreme cold the overall trip was very well led by our Chief guide David, the porters were wonderful, the food was amazing considering we camping for 8 days and our group of 10 bonded quickly as a team and were all very supportive and encouraging of each other.

I was in a team with 4 others who will be ‘forever friends’ such a short time on the mountain six days up and two down yet we got to know each other so well encouraging each other all the way. An absolute dream team . Thank you Caroline , Hazel, Fay and Andrew . Our head guide Julian (J.T) was superb as were Hance and David. As long as I can remember I have wanted to climb this mountain and at 62 I thought I should give it a go! A month ago today I stood on the roof of Africa. What a day!

This was my third trip with exodus and it did not disappoint. I had a great time and met some fantastic fellow travellers. The trek was fairly easy walking with a few points that required scrambling over rocks mainly Barranco wall, one of my favourite days on the trek.

I had the privilege of trekking up Kilimanjaro (8 day Lemosho route) with the best walking pals and crew in the entire world. I've never walked at altitude before, and I was honestly a little nervous, but I am so glad I booked the trip. The views are incredible, you learn a lot about yourself and above all you are surrounded by the most supporting, caring and knowledgeable leaders and crew who seem to permanently have smiles on their faces - ably led by JT (Justin Thomas). What a wonderful way to spend 8 days, I can't recommend it highly enough.

I was born in East Africa and having walked through the rift valleys as a child, it was always my desire to climb to the roof of Africa. Although a regular walker myself, the ascent on few occasions became a challenge, especially on the summit night and I would not have succeeded the climb if it wasn’t for the support I was given by John (Tony Seka) and his support team. Their continuous kindness and patience was very much appreciated - and I know that this view is shared by everyone in my group!

Very well organised and supervised trip Guides were amazing All staff very helpful Amazing trip

All ten of our party summited after a long and sometimes difficult tiring trek. This was down to Johns fantastic leadership skills and constant encouragement and help. He has a first class team of assistant guides and brilliant porters who all had a real positive attitude and couldn’t do more for you.

Review of my Exodus trip to Kilimanjaro in The Herald: https://www.heraldscotland.com/life_style/16237809.travel-trek-to-the-summit-of-mount-kilimanjaro/

Wonderful feeling on reaching the summit after a midnight start !

Absolutely loved every moment of the trip

I will echo previous reviews which have noted how fantastic this trip is - to me, time spent on Kilimanjaro was just magical... The mountain was as majestic as I expected it to be; the Lemosho route providing a great opportunity to discover the various landscapes it holds at different altitudes. Reaching Uhuru after days living above the clouds was the culmination of a special journey which would not have been possible without the incredible support, kindness, professionalism and all around awesomeness (TO THE MAX! ;)) provided by our dream team, aka JT and his crew - a total of 63 badass Tanzanian men and women, the real heroes and sheroes of this adventure! Their smiles and songs literally propelled me to the top of Kilimanjaro!

A fantastic trip which was an experience rather than bagging a summit. The camaraderie and bond that developed between us and the crew made the trip special. Can I do it again?

The title is Swahili for "Cool as a crazy banana in the fridge". This trip was excellent! Well organised and well operated by our leader, JT. He and his team were friendly, knowledgeable, supportive, capable, polite, skilled, very VERY experienced, professional, the list goes on! I was nervous about coming on this trip as I had never done anything like it before, but everything was so well managed that one by one, my worries disappeared and turned into excitement and even relaxation. Everyone in the group was like-minded, determined and supportive of each other so we all got along very well. I went on my own so it was a relief to find that every one of my group had similar enough ambitions and were easy to get along with, despite coming from a range of backgrounds. I don't believe this was just a happy accident - everyone climbing this mountain has more than enough in common to bond over and Exodus nourishes that bond well.

Kilimnjaro - Awesome - To the MAX !!!

Just back from a great trip. From the moment you land your African adventure starts. The Moivaro lodge provides a relaxing and comfortable start and end point, but your focus is inevitably on the challenge ahead. Our guide JT gave an excellent pre-trek briefing and throughout the trek provided support and motivation - always with a smile, a laugh or a song. If you have even the slightest concern about altitude and acclimatisation, the Lemosho route is an excellent choice: the extra time allows for a gradual approach over the Shira Plateau, with some acclimatisation walks (going higher and sleeping lower). And it’s attractive. Don’t expect to be trekking in splendid isolation on any route. Even on the supposedly quieter Lemosho route (which eventually merges with two other routes) there is the daily traffic of porters passing you every morning...and you get to recognise and chat with other groups as you pass each other on the way. I hadn’t realised when I first chose my dates, that this trip was a ‘female crew’ trip. I’m so glad it was. Apart from the value of this scheme in providing opportunities for females porters and guides, having a mixed crew really added to the friendly atmosphere of our camp. All organised groups seemed to have moments when their crew sang for the clients, but for us this went to a different level. Not only did their voices (and smiles) really lift the singing, but you never felt this was a performance; it carried on even when they were in their own tent in the afternoons. Oh, and although we were a small group, we all reached the summit!

An amazing trip up Kilimanjaro, with a professional leader, guides, porters & support team (66 in total). The team got all 16 in the party up and all were very supportive!

amazing holiday, professional n experienced guides. felt extremely safe. look no further book with exodus. i"'ll do this trip all over again.

If you have been thinking about climbing Kilimanjaro for a while but have hesitated go ahead and do it. The Lemosho route gives you plenty of time to acclimatise and why go all the way to Tanzania and rush it The guides make sure no one goes too fast and it was only on the summit climb that we gradually split into small groups according to ability. So don't worry you will not get left behind and you wont get made to feel you are slowing the group down. EVERYONE goes slowly. It's compulsory. And don't worry if you want to go solo. I think most people climbing Kilimanjaro are solo travellers anyway.

This is one of those experiences that will stay with you for the rest of your life! To stand on top of the worlds highest freestanding mountain and know that you did it on your own steam is a fantastic feeling.

Superbly organised and our guides / porters were the best!

A gruelling but worthwhile trip.

Very challenging but ultimately rewarding trip. Camping is a pain in the neck after a while. Prepare to be dirty, cold and generally uncomfortable for the whole trip, I think this got to me more than the walking. I believe Kili is quite scenic but it was misty for us most of the time and I could have been at home in Scotland out a damp hillwalk.

A well organised and coordinated trip lead by the African Walking Company who displayed a high level of professionalism and made the trip an enjoyable one for all participants. The passion for the mountain which the guides demonstrated and the effort by the team as a whole for helping us achieve our personal goal of reaching the summit was evident daily and greatly apreciated.

This was my second and successful attempt on summiting Kilimanjaro in nine weeks. On the first attempt I was recommended to abandon the trek at 5,000m because breathing had become difficult and I was suffering the first signs of "freeze-up". I shook hands with my guide, Naiman, and did as he asked and returned to camp. These guides watch you like hawks and will know the state of your health better than yourself. Respect them. When I returning in October (I'm not a quitter!) I was better equipped and the Kili Weather Gods were kind to us: summit night, this time, was relatively mild (-2 degrees - instead of -14 degrees without the terrific winds we had in August) and reaching Stellar Point and ultimately Uhuru peak just after sunrise was magical as was the icecapes and amazing vistas.

This was a fantastic experience for myself and my wife, as part of a team of 14: all of who got to Stella point and with 13/14 getting to Uhuru point. The local staff, from the African Walking Company, were superb - friendly, professional and always with safety and wellbeing at the top of their agenda. The food, given the conditions, was 5*. Was it hard Yes it was, particularly on summit night. But was it worthwhile and would I recommend the experience to others - ABSOLUTELY!

Fantastic organisation, wonderful staff and amazing food and a clean toilet even on the mountain!

A great trip with African Walking Company. Everything was organised but still flexible and great team of guides, cook, porter all 39 were amazing! Highly recommend this trip to people who don't mind camping for over a week and hiking to the summit with a start at midnight.

Truly a trip of a lifetime that was made by the wonderful group of people (8 of us) and the fantastic guides. Our head guide Makeke was superb as were his assistant guides, Tony, Diglan and Samweli who looked after us exceptionally well. We were very lucky with the weather which definitely helped as we could appreciate the beautiful and varied landscape fully. The overall organisation of the trip was superb, the tents up when we arrived, fantastic food throughout the trip (thank you Spiderman!) and the tea and washy- washy every morning set us for the day. Wish I could do it all over again!

An amazing adventure superbly organised & undertaken. From Florence our lead guide through to all the porters, assistant guides & cook, all were friendly, helpful & full of good humour. The scenery & weather were great & the support we received was positive & encouraging. Great care was taken of our well-being, the food was an amazingly high standard, the pace & distances well thought through. Trip of a lifetime!

A brilliant and very memorable trip! The team of guides and assistant porters really brought the trip together and the food during the trek was amazing. It is a trip of a lifetime, this was genuinely the best trip I have ever done.

A really brilliant trip. Very well organised and with great people. The summit night was tough but brilliant to have finished it.

This is one of the longest routes up Kili. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to climb this mountain. The extra days certainly gave us the time needed to acclimatise to ever increasing altitude. The tour was well organised and we were expertly looked after - our safety was paramount at all times and the guides were constantly checking on us to ensure that we were showing no signs of altitude sickness. A wonderful experience and a great trek!

Kilimanjaro is an amazing experience and it'll be one that you'll remember for the rest of your life, regardless of whether you're travelling solo, with a friend or a partner, you'll be in a group of like minded people, not all from the UK, we was fortunate enough to have members from all over the world sharing their experiences and plans with us. This trip was far beyond any expectations that I had set myself, I loved every moment of it! The guides have a great sense of humor! you'll be quickly introduced to phrases such as "Pole Pole" (slowly slowly) as well greeting all the porters that pass you "Jambo!" (hello!).

If you want a relaxing holiday step away from this review now! Regardless of what anyone or reviews tell you being fit for Kilimanjaro is essential. Altitude sickness is a condition, having strength in your legs is pre trip requirement due to the terrain you will have to cover. However, without a doubt this trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I can't even begin to share the roller coaster emotions of myself and the group. Laughter, tears, singing and support both from the travellers and the guides and porters, it really is something you will never forget. It's a challenge both physically and mentally but so so worth stepping out of those boundaries and finding out what you are really made of. It is an experience, one to conquer but also one to savour for many years to come.

This was the most amazing adventure of a lifetime. Yes climbing to the summit was extremely tough both physically and mentally, not least because you have 50% less exygen to breathe in due to the altitude. Guide ratio best on mountain. Porters brilliant. Food, exactly what was required.

Excellent. If you want to get to the top of Kilimanjaro and stand in awe on 'The Roof of Africa' which is surely why you are considering this trip, the eight day Lemosho Route is the trek for you. It's the right length, with three days or more of going higher but sleeping lower and it will give you the best chance of making a successful summit bid.

The whole trip has been incredible, very well organised and everything has been thought off. The climb was amazing, beautiful scenery and wonderful people. Easily the hardest physical challenge of our lives to date but also the most enjoyable and rewarding. The crew were first class and we will never forget this wonderful experience for the rest of our lives. A real privilege and a life changer.

The whole trip has been incredible, very well organised and everything has been thought off. The climb was amazing, beautiful scenery and wonderful people. Easily the hardest physical challenge of our lives to date but also the most enjoyable and rewarding. The crew were first class and we will never forget this wonderful experience for the rest of our lives. A real privilege and a life changer.

An outstanding trek. Organisation was superb in every detail. Special mention to the African Walking Company for their guides, porters, cooks and everyone involved.

I couldn't have asked for a better Kilimanjaro experience than what I had with this tour company. The guides and rest of staff were incredibly knowledgable and attentive, the Lemosho route was beautiful and varied in its scenery and summit night - though mentally and physically taxing - was an incredibly fulfilling experience.

amazing holiday, professional n experienced guides. felt extremely safe. look no further book with this tour company. i"'ll do this trip all over again.

I cannot describe in words how wonderful the experience was. Our group was of 15 people from different backgrounds and age range 15-69years. There are two ways of climbing Kilimanjaro - 1. The only aim is to get on the top and back and 2. Enjoy the walk up and scenery and also get to the top. Lemosho route is best for those looking for the second option. The scenery is stunning and terrain changes everyday. Its hard to decide which day is better than others as all days are amazing. Organisation by the tour operator and attention to detail makes this trip a memory of lifetime. Bit more expensive but if you are going to do this once then better do it with he best.

Excellent. If you want to get to the top of Kilimanjaro and stand in awe on 'The Roof of Africa' which is surely why you are considering this trip, the eight day Lemosho Route is the trek for you. It's the right length, with three days or more of going higher but sleeping lower and it will give you the best chance of making a successful summit bid.

This is one of those experiences that will stay with you for the rest of your life! To stand on top of the worlds highest freestanding mountain and know that you did it on your own steam is a fantastic feeling.

Superbly organised and our guides / porters were the best!

I couldn't have asked for a better Kilimanjaro experience than what I had with Exodus. The guides and rest of staff were incredibly knowledgable and attentive, the Lemosho route was beautiful and varied in its scenery and summit night - though mentally and physically taxing - was an incredibly fulfilling experience.

A gruelling but worthwhile trip.

Very challenging but ultimately rewarding trip. Camping is a pain in the neck after a while. Prepare to be dirty, cold and generally uncomfortable for the whole trip, I think this got to me more than the walking. I believe Kili is quite scenic but it was misty for us most of the time and I could have been at home in Scotland out a damp hillwalk.

A well organised and coordinated trip lead by the African Walking Company who displayed a high level of professionalism and made the trip an enjoyable one for all participants. The passion for the mountain which the guides demonstrated and the effort by the team as a whole for helping us achieve our personal goal of reaching the summit was evident daily and greatly apreciated.

A fantastic, challenging but exhilarating experience! If you are thinking about it - do it!!

This was my second and successful attempt on summiting Kilimanjaro in nine weeks. On the first attempt I was recommended to abandon the trek at 5,000m because breathing had become difficult and I was suffering the first signs of "freeze-up". I shook hands with my guide, Naiman, and did as he asked and returned to camp. These guides watch you like hawks and will know the state of your health better than yourself. Respect them. When I returning in October (I'm not a quitter!) I was better equipped and the Kili Weather Gods were kind to us: summit night, this time, was relatively mild (-2 degrees - instead of -14 degrees without the terrific winds we had in August) and reaching Stellar Point and ultimately Uhuru peak just after sunrise was magical as was the icecapes and amazing vistas.

Amazing trip of a lifetime, would strongly recommend. If you're thinking about it then go for it, you'll be more than glad you did! Met some amazing people who will remain firm friends. Guides and porters were fabulous and having been home a week now I've missed everyone and everything every second.

This was a fantastic experience for myself and my wife, as part of a team of 14: all of who got to Stella point and with 13/14 getting to Uhuru point. The local staff, from the African Walking Company, were superb - friendly, professional and always with safety and wellbeing at the top of their agenda. The food, given the conditions, was 5*. Was it hard? Yes it was, particularly on summit night. But was it worthwhile and would I recommend the experience to others - ABSOLUTELY!

Fantastic organisation, wonderful staff and amazing food and a clean toilet even on the mountain!

I cannot describe in words how wonderful the experience was. Our group was of 15 people from different backgrounds and age range 15-69years. There are two ways of climbing Kilimanjaro - 1. The only aim is to get on the top and back and 2. Enjoy the walk up and scenery and also get to the top. Lemosho route is best for those looking for the second option. The scenery is stunning and terrain changes everyday. Its hard to decide which day is better than others as all days are amazing. Organisation by Exodus, their partnership with African walking company and attention to detail makes this trip a memory of lifetime. Bit more expensive but if you are going to do this once then better do it with he best.

A great trip with African Walking Company. Everything was organised but still flexible and great team of guides, cook, porter all 39 were amazing! Highly recommend this trip to people who don't mind camping for over a week and hiking to the summit with a start at midnight.

A truly unforgettable, amazing experience! A must do!!

Truly a trip of a lifetime that was made by the wonderful group of people (8 of us) and the fantastic guides. Our head guide Makeke was superb as were his assistant guides, Tony, Diglan and Samweli who looked after us exceptionally well. We were very lucky with the weather which definitely helped as we could appreciate the beautiful and varied landscape fully. The overall organisation of the trip was superb, the tents up when we arrived, fantastic food throughout the trip (thank you Spiderman!) and the tea and washy- washy every morning set us for the day. Wish I could do it all over again!

My sister and I climbed Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho route in early June, and it was undoubtedly one of the best experiences of our lives. We were very fortunate with a great group (8 trekkers), an excellent group leader and we were blessed with fantastic weather on the mountain (no rain). We were therefore able to enjoy the varied terrain, spectacular views and the achievement of standing on top of the tallest mountain in Africa.

An amazing adventure superbly organised & undertaken. From Florence our lead guide through to all the porters, assistant guides & cook, all were friendly, helpful & full of good humour. The scenery & weather were great & the support we received was positive & encouraging. Great care was taken of our well-being, the food was an amazingly high standard, the pace & distances well thought through. Trip of a lifetime!

A brilliant and very memorable trip! The team of guides and assistant porters really brought the trip together and the food during the trek was amazing. It is a trip of a lifetime, this was genuinely the best trip I have ever done.

A really brilliant trip. Very well organised and with great people. The summit night was tough but brilliant to have finished it.

This is one of the longest routes up Kili. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to climb this mountain. The extra days certainly gave us the time needed to acclimatise to ever increasing altitude. The tour was well organised and we were expertly looked after - our safety was paramount at all times and the guides were constantly checking on us to ensure that we were showing no signs of altitude sickness. A wonderful experience and a great trek!