The lemosho route, which starts from the western flanks of Mount Kilimanjaro, is considered to be the most beautiful of all the trekking trails up mount Kilimanjaro. It is the longest route to climb Kilimanjaro.The trail takes hikers through a beautiful rain forest where they might have the chance to spot wildlife along the way. Blue monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys and birds can be seen in the forest. From there, the path wanders on to the moorland zone.
As one of the newer routes, which were opened in the late 1900s to relieve Marangu and Machame routes from traffic and open the western parts of the mountain to international tourists, Lemosho is a superb choice for your climb. It is our preferred route, due to its ideal balance of lower crowds, beautiful scenery and a higher summit success rate than all the other routes in Kilimanjaro. It has more days to acclimatize and rest. Its climb high and sleep low itineraries, short distances between camps in most of days and shorter elevation gain from day to day, makes it the best route to acclimatize. This help to maximize the healthy and safety of trekkers, as this is the success “key” to make it safely to the summit. Most of our clients climb Kilimanjaro using this route and they consistently report that they loved it. Lemosho route is highly recommended.
Together with Rongai, Lemosho is one of the most remote routes on Kilimanjaro. It takes around four hours driving to get to the trailhead from Arusha. That is why the prices for Kilimanjaro trips through Lemosho route are usually slightly higher.
Lemosho route 9 days with crater camp is one of our popular itineries, due to its excitement of spending a night at crater camp, close to Furtwangler glacier inside the crater on mount Kilimanjaro. Also for its spectacular views, it`s like going around the mountain, and this offers great view of Kibo from different directions. At the crater camp,you can enjoy different features like glaciers, rim of the crater and the Reusch crater. This itinerary with crater camp is perfect for climbers seeking a more private trekking experience. Doing this route and spending a night in the crater camp, provides a unique adventure. This 9 day itinerary will help to increase the acclimatization rate of climbers who would like to overnight on the crater floor. It`s climb high-sleep low profile and low elevation gain from day to day particularly from day 3 all the way to the base camp(Cossovo camp),make climbers acclimatize properly well, and being able to spend a night at crater camp as they will be healthy and fully acclimatized.
The Lemosho route is a camping trip, climbers and crew use tents for sleeping, and the descent is through Mweka route.
TOTAL TREKKING DISTANCE: 86 KILOMETERS
TOTAK TREKKING TIME: 52 HOURS
DIFFICULTY: DIFFICULT
SUMMIT SUCCESS RATE: 96%
Upon arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO),(but if you have chosen to take a flight to JRO),you will be met by your host outside customs area. From here, you will drive to Arusha, to your hotel. A day before your climb, you will be met by your guide for a climb briefing and gear check in order to make sure that you have all the necessary and proper gear for the climb. The gear that will be missing, can be rented on the same day. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
ALTITUDE GAIN: 300m.
You will get up early today for the last climb preparation and early breakfast. Pack the stuff that you are not going to need on the mountain and handle them to the reception. Your passport number will be required at the gate for registration. Your crew and guide will arrive at the hotel in the morning around 07:30 and from there,you will all travel to Lemosho gate. At the gate, after registration, you will eat from your lunch box.
Then you will start to trek through the thick, untamed rain forest for the duration of the day. Adorable Bush babies and curious black and white colobus monkeys may peer down from the high trees. You will arrive at the camp in the late afternoon, and you will find your tents are ready for use. Warm washing water and tea in the mess tent will be waiting for you. The camp is located in the forest and being the good wind protection area.
Dinner and overnight at the Forest camp.
TREKKING DISTANCE: 6KM.
TREKKING TIME: 3-4HRS.
VEGETATION ZONE: FOREST
ALTITUDE GAIN: 1,170m.
The first part of the days trek is fairly steep as you climb up out of the jungle and in to the moorland ecosystem dominated by Giant heathers and a variety of grasses and wild flowers. You will first reach Shira ridge before the trail continues slightly downhill across the broad expanse of the Shira plateau to shira 1 camp. At the camp, in clear days, there are great views of Kibo cone and Shira features like Shira ridge, Shira plateau, Shira cathedral and Shira cone.
You will have lunch at the camp and will spend the rest of the day-time for relaxing at the camp and enjoying tea or coffee with popcorn.
Dinner and overnight at Shira 1 camp.
TREKKING DISTANCE: 13KM.
TREKKING TIME: 6-7HRS.
VEGETATION ZONE: MOORLAND
ALTITUDE GAIN: 340m.
After early breakfast, you will traverse the Shira plateau and climbing the western slope of Kibo. The terrain during the climb will change from the moorland to alpine desert. After a couple of hiking hours, you will get to the junction of Shira 2 camp. Separating from the official Lemosho Route, the path now leads to the northern slopes of Kibo. Then you will carry on to the left and will pass through Fischer`s camp. From here, you will be walking up and finally downhill to the camp.
You will arrive at the camp in the afternoon and will have lunch there. Later, in the afternoon, your guide will lead you to the acclimatization hike, if the weather permits, and you will gain about 150m.during the hike. After the hike, there will be warm washing water and tea for you.
Dinner and overnight at Moyr camp.
TREKKING DISTANCE: 14km.
TREKKING TIME: 6-7hrs.
VEGETATION ZONE: Alpine Desert
ALTITUDE LOSS: 210m.
Today is the best acclimatization day for you, as you will start from 4,160m. and stop for lunch at 4,640m.(nearly the same height as the Base camp) and overnight at 3,950m.So,you will be going up and sleep low, lower than the previous camp.
The destination today is Barranco camp, and the camp is in a big clearing at the head of the steep valley which drops down in to the Umbwe route, with dramatic cliffs around and right below the Ice fields of Kibo,a stunning location for a camp.
This morning, after breakfast, the starts with the steep hill and you will be walking up and down hills across the Alpine desert. After about three walking hours from the camp, you will come across the junction to Machame and Umbwe routes, and you will join them on the way to Barranco. From here, we will keep on trekking up towards Lava tower. We will arrive to Lava Tower in the afternoon, and we will have hot lunch in the mess tent and re-filling water in the empty drinking water containers.
You will reach the camp in the late afternoon and warm washing water and tea/coffee with popcorns will be waiting for you.
Dinner and overnight at Barranco camp.
TREKKING DISTANCE: 12KM.
TREKKING TIME: 7-8HRS.
VEGETATION ZONE: MOORLAND
ALTITUDE GAIN: 85m.
Today`s hike starts with the challenging climb of the great Barranco wall. This will be the hardest part of today`s stage as you have to scramble up the near vertical face of the Barranco wall, also commonly referred to as the “Breakfast wall” as you tackle it right after your breakfast. It looks a lot more difficult to climb than it is. You need to be careful as you climb on this wall, watch any step you are making. It takes between 1.5 to 2 hours to reach the top of the wall, 4,200m. At the top, there are great views all around, when it’s clear. Then continue to walk across ridges and valleys and finally you will cross the Karanga valley to Karanga camp site.
Expect to arrive at Karanga in the afternoon and lunch will be served here. Karanga camp is a very open camp on the sides of a hillside with great views of the summit massif and the expanse of land beyond the mountain. In the afternoon you will do a short acclimatization hike, if the weather permits. The rest of the day time, you will spend for resting at the camp and drinking tea.
Dinner and overnight at Karanga camp.
TREKKING DISTANCE: 5KM.
TREKKING TIME: 4HRS.
VEGETATION ZONE: MOORLAND
ALTITUDE GAIN: 835m.
Today you will work up early for early breakfast, aiming to depart at around 07:00,and you leave the Karanga valley on an easy but steep path through an increasingly inhospitable landscape. The path keeps getting steeper until you reach the Barafu camp (4,681m.). You can take a short rest here before you finish with the last steep hill for about an hour more to the Cossovo base camp. You will be served lunch here.
Dinner will be served early for an early sleep. After dinner, you will go back to your sleeping tent and organizing your gear before sleeping.
Dinner and overnight at Kossovo camp.
TREKKING DISTANCE: 6km.
TREKKING TIME: 5hrs.
VEGETATION ZONE: Alpine Desert
ALTITUDE GAIN: 846m.
Crater camp is a unique place. It is situated on the crater floor, about 144 vertical meters from the top of the crater rim. It is the highest base camp on Kilimanjaro. The camp is located in desert with no flora and fauna around. The ground is covered with volcanic soil and sand and some rocks scattered on the slopes of the rim. There is no toilet at the crater camp, so groups must bring their own private mobile toilets up with them. The only source of water is the melting ice. This camp is located in the extremely high altitude elevation, so make sure that all of your movements are very slow `pole-pole`, to avoid strong headache and other altitude symptoms.
You will be woken up at around 04:00am. and you will have just few minutes do the last preparation. Then you will enter the mess tent for an early breakfast. You will start your final ascent at about 05:00am through the arctic zone. The trek is a steep hike over loose volcanic scree and the path is in a zig-zag pattern towards Stella point. At the starting, it will be very cold but after the sunrise, at around 06:30,it will start to warm up again. Remember to use your sun-blocks before it`s sunny. It takes about five hours to reach the crater rim,Stella point. Here you can have a short break for drinking something hot, probably ginger tea,then you will push on to the summit, about one hour more. From Uhuru peak, you will keep on walking to the north ahead, along the rim, and you will find a descending trail and you will walk down to the crater floor,to the camp.It takes about an hour descending from Uhuru to the crater camp. You will have lunch at the camp. In the afternoon, we will ascend to Reusch crater to view the Ash-pit, if the weather and time allow,for an acclimatization walk.
Dinner and overnight at Crater camp.
TREKKING DISTANCE: 7KM.
TREKKING TIME: 7HRS.
VEGETATION ZONE: ICE CAPED
ALTITUDE LOSS: 2,616m.
In the morning, after packing your stuff and having breakfast, you will start your trekking across the crater floor towards Stella point. From Stella, you will be descending and on your way down, you will pass through Cossovo and Barafu base camps. From Barafu camp, you will carry on to Mweka high camp(3,850m.) where you will have a lunch break. After lunch, if you think that it will be too much for you to carry on to the next camp, just tells your guide in advance, so that he can organize your night stay at Mweka high camp. But if you feel that you are fit enough to carry on, then you can keep on walking down for about one and a half hours more to Mweka camp. Note: Mweka high camp is still located in the high altitude, therefore, it is not recommended much to overnight here. After arriving to the camp, there will be warm washing water and tea for you.
Dinner and overnight at Mweka camp.
TREKKING DISTANCE: 13KM.
TREKKING TIME: 6HRS.
VEGETATION ZONE: HEATHER
ALTITUDE LOSS:1,460m.
After your breakfast, you will have an opportunity to sing some old Kilimanjaro songs together with your porters and probably taking a group photo as well. Then you will start to walk down through the rain forest. The trail is good and steep down with steps at some points. On the way down you will be able to spot some birds and monkeys, like black and white colobus monkeys and blue monkeys, if you are lucky. There are also many trees like the huge can for, podocapus, African rose wood, African-pencil cedar among others. Wild flowers like impatient kilimanjarica (saxophone flower), blood lily flower, white begonias and gladiola can also be seen.
At the gate you will sign out and your guide will collect your summit`s certificate, hope you are going to make it! Then you will drive a bit further down and take a break to where you will have hot lunch. After lunch you will travel back to your hotel, In Arusha, a journey that can take about two more hours.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
TREKKING DISTANCE: 10KM.
TREKKING TIME: 3HRS.
We hope that, your stay in Tanzania during your tour with us, in our hands will be safe and enjoyable and your climb will be successful and a life-time experience.
WISHING YOU A GREAT CLIMB!
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