Ascend Mountain Kilimanjaro via Lemosho Route

Day 1: Lemosho Gate to Big Tree – Kilimanjaro National Park (L, D)

You will be picked up at your hotel at around 08:00 am and transferred to the Lemosho gate located on the western side of Kilimanjaro. After the registration process, you will still start our climb steadily through the forests of the Lemosho glades to reach Big Tree camp where you will be spending the night.

🏚️ Accommodation: Overnight at Big Tree.

Day 2: Big Tree Camp – Shira 1 Camp (B, L, D)

Today you will trek across a plateau of grassy moorland and heather scattered with volcanic rock formations. Our destination for today is the Shira 1 Camp from where there are often views of Kibo Peak floating on the clouds. We gain a reasonable amount of altitude today and parts of the route are fairly steep.

🏚️ Accommodation: Overnight at Shira 1 camp.

Day 3: Shira 1 Camp – Shira 2 Camp (B, L, D)

Today you will get 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 acclimatization and we enjoy great panoramic views. Our destination today is the Shira 2 Camp. In the afternoon you will take an acclimatization walk then head back to camp for dinner and overnight.

🏚️ Accommodation: Overnight at Shira 2 Camp.

Day 4: Shira 2 Camp – Barranco Camp (B, L, D)

Your trek starts with an ascent with far-reaching panoramic views, walking into the climatic zone of the upland desert and on the lava ridges beneath the glaciers of the Western Breach. You will reach the distinct pinnacle of the Lava Tower (4640 m), our high point for the day and a great place to enjoy your lunch. In the afternoon we make a steep descent to our camp for the night, located in the base of the Great Barranco Valley (3960 m), sheltered by towering cliffs but with extensive views of the plains below.

🏚️ Accommodation: Overnight at Great Barranco valley.

Day 5: Barranco Camp – Karanga Camp (B, L, D)

Our day starts by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. We then exit steeply, up the Great Barranco Wall, which divides us from the southeastern slopes of Kibo. It’s a climb over rock, not technical but long and tiring. Passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, we head towards the Karanga valley. From here we have a steep climb up from Karanga valley to our night’s camp at Karanga camp, set at 3963m. For those feeling strong, we will go for a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek up to around 4200m before descending back to camp for the night.

🏚️ Accommodation: Overnight at Karanga Camp.

Day 6: Karanga Camp – Barafu Camp (B, L, D)

After a good night’s rest and breakfast, we set off on our walk to Barafu camp at 4640m. The climb will take us across desolate scree slopes with no vegetation around us at all. It’s a tough steep walk made more difficult by the altitude. On arriving at camp we eat and spend the afternoon resting as we prepare for a long night and day ahead. It is important to keep hydrated and warm. We have an early dinner and then try to get some sleep as we will be getting up between 11 pm and 12 pm to start the climb to the summit.

🏚️ Accommodation: Overnight at Barafu Camp.

Day 7: Barafu Camp – UHURU PEAK & Down to Millennium Camp (B, L, D)

We start off at around midnight and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing scree for 4 to 5 hours but gain incredible height over a short distance. The views are spectacular. We should be on the crater rim at Stella Point (5739m) as the first rays of the sun hit us. Spectacular ice cliffs within the crater surround us and the views to jagged Mawenzi peak and beyond are breathtaking. Another hour’s walking takes us to the summit, Uhuru Peak (5895m). We begin our descent by returning to Stella Point and then descending on scree slope and track back to Barafu Camp for breakfast, before finally heading down to Millennium Camp for a long well-earned rest.

🏚️ Accommodation: Overnight at Millennium Camp.

Day 8: Millennium Camp – Mweka Gate (B, L)

A gentle trek takes us down through the rainforest to Mweka Gate, where we complete park formalities and receive certificates, which you can hang up with pride! We are then met by our vehicles and return to the hotel in Arusha, where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower and a big celebration.