OVERVIEW

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Join us for a two-part Tanzania Adventure. Starting in Kilimanjaro we take the Lemosho Route - an enchanting trek to the summit of Kilimanjaro. As one of the newer routes, Lemosho is a superb choice for your climb. It is our preferred route due to its ideal balance of low crowds, beautiful scenery and a high summit success rate.

 

We begin from the west, trekking in the fertile rainforest until we reach the wildflowers of the Heath ecosystem. Approaching from the west, we cross one of most beautiful areas on Kilimanjaro, the Shira Plateau, before traversing the mountain along the southern circuit.

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The total time on the mountain is 7 days but we recommend hiking the 8-day Lemosho route as it provides plenty of time for acclimatization and it also keeps the daily hiking distances very reasonable.

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The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the west, beginning with a drive from Moshi to Londorossi Gate. From there, the first two days are spent trekking through the rain forest to Shira Ridge. The Lemosho route crosses the entire Shira Plateau from west to east in a pleasant, relatively flat hike.

 

Crowds are low until the route joins the Machame route near Lava Tower. Then the route traverses underneath Kilimanjaro’s Southern Ice Field on a path known as the Southern Circuit before summiting from Barafu. Descent is made via the Mweka route.

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Transfer to Aishi Machame Lodge situated at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro for the second part of your adventure. The ambiance is unique – surrounded by the African wilderness, this place is a hideaway from bustling civilization and a perfect place to unwind for the next 5 days. We will have safaris, a Maasai Village visit, Arusha National Park safari and local wildlife walks included.

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ITINERARY

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Day 1 Hiking Time: 2-3 hours, 6km/4miles

We will give a briefing about the details of the trek, our guides will check your trekking gear before we depart. Then the adventure begins with a 3 hour drive to the Londorossi Park Gate , where we register and start the climb. From here we start our trek through with an armed Park ranger. He leads us on a forest track which is inhabited by buffalo, elephant and other wildlife. If you are lucky you might see them from up close. Continuing the track we will arrive at the first campsite Mti Mkubwa at 2650 meter.

 

Day 2 Hiking Time: 7-8 hours, 16km/ 10 miles

After breakfast, we continue as the trail gradually steepens and enters the giant heather moorland zone. We cover a long a long hike over heather scattered with volcano rock formations. After crossing serval streams we continue over the Shira Ridge, where you can see Uhuru Peak if its not cloudy. In head of us are the stunning views of the Northern Ice fields, at the western side of the mountain. The steady climb will help us acclimatization that brings us to the Shira 2 camp, here we set up camp and overnight at 3850 meter.

 

Day 3 Hiking Time: 5-6 hours, 8km/ 5miles

From the Shira Plateau we continue to the east up a ridge, passing the junction towards the peak of Kibo with its barren landscape. As we continue, our direction changes to the South East towards the Lava Tower, called the “Shark’s Tooth” at 4650 meter. Shortly after the tower we will follow the trail to the Arrow Glacier. We will descent down to the Barranco Camp at 3950 meter where take our dinner and rest. Although you end the day by gaining only 110 meters, this day is very important for acclimatization and will help your body prepare for summit day.

 

Day 4 Hiking Time: 3-4 hours, 5km/3 miles

We leave Barranco Camp behind and continue on a steep ridge up the Barranco Wall at 4250 meter. This will take us 1.5 hour to get reach the top of the wall. We reach a more level terrain and hike towards the steep descent intro the Karanga Valley at 4050 meter. Here we come across the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail. We overnight at Karanga Campsite.

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Day 5 Hiking Time: 3-4 hours, 4km/2 miles

We continue up to the Barafu Camp. You have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit and glaciers from different angles. Here we set up camp with views of the summit in the

 

Day 6 Hiking Time: 5-7 hours up to summit / 5-6 hours down to Mweka Camp, : 5km/3 miles up and 13km/8 miles down

At midnight around 2 am in the morning, we continue our way to the summit of Uhuru Peak , between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers.

 

This part of the hike is done in the dark and require a headlamp. You ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. From Stella Point, you may encounter snow all the way on your 1 hour ascent to the summit.

 

Once at Uhuru Peak at 5895 meter, you have reached the highest point of the Kilimanjaro and Africa! From the summit we begin our descent by continuing straight down to the Mweka Camp, stopping at Barafu for lunch.

 

You may want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. We arrive at Mweka Camp and enjoy our last evening on the mountain.

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