The Lemosho Route is relatively new. It starts on the Western side of Mount Kilimanjaro at the Londorossi Gate and was introduced as an alternative to the Shira Route which begins at a higher, more challenging altitude.
The Londorossi Gate is a fair drive from the town of Moshi, and considerably further from Arusha. At the gate, you will register with the authorities before being driven a further 12km to the starting point.
The western side of Kilimanjaro is still very wild and you may get lucky and spot large antelope, buffalo and maybe even elephant.
The Lemosho Route joins the Machame Route at Lava Tower and heads down towards Barranco Valley via the Southern Circuit (see map below). As with the Machame Route, Lemosho trekkers need to transverse the Barranco Wall and then summit from Barafu Camp.
The descent is via the Mweka route.
At Lendorosi gate
Big Tree Camp | Distance Covered: 7km / 4.3mi | Approx. Time Taken: 4 Hours You will be picked up at your hotel at around 08:00 am and transferred to the Lemosho route at Londorosi gate which is located at 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.
Shira Camp 1 | Distance Covered: 8.5km / 5.3mi | Approx. Time Taken: 7 Hours 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.
Shira Camp 2 | Distance Covered: 8km / 5mi | Approx. Time Taken: 5 Hours 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.
Barranco Camp | Distance Covered: 10km / 6.2mi | Approx. Time Taken: 7 Hrs 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.
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 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 at between 11 pm and 12 pm to start the climb to the summit.
Uhuru Peak | Distance: 16.4km / 9.6mi | Approx. Time Taken: 13 – 15hours 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 Mweka Camp for a long well-earned rest.
Mweka Camp | Distance: 9.1km / 7.5miles | Approx. Time Taken: 6 Hours 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 Moshi, where you can treat yourself to a welcome shower then celebrate with cold drinks. Overnight at your arranged Hotel.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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