Experience the Splendid Views of the Lemosho Route
The Lemosho route is one of the newer routes on Mount Kilimanjaro. The route begins in the West, and rather than simply intersecting Shira Plateau (like Machame), Lemosho crosses it from Shira Ridge to Shira Camp. Climbers encounter low traffic until the route joins the Machame route. Afterward, Lemosho follows the same route through Lava Tower, Barranco, and Barafu, known as the southern circuit. The minimum number of days required for this route is six days, although eight to nine days is ideal.
Lemosho is considered the most beautiful route on Kilimanjaro and grants panoramic vistas on various sides of the mountain. It is our favorite route because it offers a great balance of low traffic, scenic views, and a high summit success rate. Thus, Lemosho is highly recommended.
The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the West, beginning with a long drive from Moshi to Londorossi Gate. From there, the first two days are spent trekking through the rainforest 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.
Holiday Adventure Africa is happy to offer you the chance to get to the roof of Africa via the Lemosho route from 6 to 9-day tours.
Please find detailed programs and prices of each option in the following links and Holiday Adventure Africa Gallery.
Lemosho Route 9 Days 8 Nights: This option is for those who wish to extend the hiking based on physical and mental conditions. Below is a sample of Lemosho Route climbing 8 days 7 nights.
Lemosho Route
8 Days 7 Nights Itineary
Day 1: Londorosi Gate to Mti Mkubwa (Big Tree Camp)
For the first day, we will leave your hotel early in the morning and drive to Londorosi Gate for registration. We will then drive to Lemosho Glades (2389m), where you will start the memorable trek through the unspoiled rainforest, to Mtimkubwa (Big Tree Camp) (2785m), where we will have dinner and stay overnight in nature.
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Elevation:
2389m/7838ft To 2785m/9137ft
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Distance:
4.8km/3mile
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Hiking Time:
3-4 Hours
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Meals:
Lunch – Dinner
Day 2: Mtimkubwa Camp to Shira One
Today the trek will take gain an altitude of approximately 719m. Lunch will be served in an exciting valley outside the Shira crater at 3004m. After lunch, we'll go across the rim into the Shira Caldera, filled with Kibo's lava. We will camp and have dinner at Shira One camp (3504m).
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Elevation:
2785m/9137ft to 3504m11,496ft
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Distance:
7.9km/5mile
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Hiking Time:
6-7 hours
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Meals:
Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 3: Shira One Camp to Shira Hut
Today we will have a long walk toward the Eastern side across Shira Plateau. This will bring you to Shira Two camp via Shira Cathedral peak at 3862m. Shira Two camp is at 3895m, where we stay overnight.
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Elevation:
3504m/11496ft to 3895m/12779ft via Cathedral Peak 3862m/12671ft
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Distance:
6.9km/4.3mile (10.11km/6.3mile via Cathedral Peak)
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Hiking Time:
6-7 hours
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Meals:
Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 4: Shira Hut to Barranco Hut via Lava Tower
Today consists of two different routes: you will cross a ridge at 4600m over the Lava Tower, which offers invaluable altitude acclimatization. From here, we will have a further 5-6-hour trek as we drop down through the Barranco Valley to the camp beside Barranco Wall at 3986m, where we will stay overnight.
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Elevation:
3895m/12779ft to 3986m/13077ft
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Distance:
10.1km/6.3mile to Barranco Hut and 6.7km/4mile to Lava Tower
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Hiking Time:
8-10 hours
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Meals:
Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 5: Barranco Hut to Karanga Upper Camp
After an early breakfast, we will start by climbing up the legendary Barranco Wall, which gives us an altitude gain of 300m. We continue our trek for 5-6 hours, crossing ridges and valleys to Karanga Upper camp (4034m), where we will have our lunch. In the afternoon, we will have an optional altitude acclimatizing trek up the scree slopes.
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Elevation:
3986m/13077ft to 4034m/13235ft
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Distance:
5.3km/3.3mile
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Hiking Time:
8-10 hours
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Meals:
Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 6: Karanga Upper Valley to Baranfu Huts
After breakfast, we will have a 2-4 hour trek to an altitude of 4600m. At the camp, we can either take an afternoon rest or acclimatization until midnight, when our trek to the summit will commence.
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Elevation:
4034m/13235ft to 4662m/15295ft
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Distance:
3.1km/1.9mile
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Hiking Time:
2-4 hours
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Meals:
Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 7: Barafu Huts to Uhuru Peaks Descend to Mweka Hut/millenium Camp
At midnight, we will start the ascent up to the crater rim through the scree slopes to Stella Point, then to the top of Africa, Uhuru Peak. Stella Point is located at 5745m around the crater rim. After enjoying the unforgettable views of Kilimanjaro's summit, we will trek downwards via Stella Point and the scree slopes back to Barafu camp for some hours resting before heading to Millennium camp or Mwaka Hut. It is the hardest day for the trekkers. We will camp and have dinner at Millennium camp/Mweka Hut.
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Elevation:
4662m/15295ft to 5895m/19341ft, then down to 3827m/12556ft or 3106m/10191ft
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Distance:
4.86km/3mile - Descend distance: 11.5km/7.1mile
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Hiking Time:
13-15 hours
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Meals:
Breakfast – Lunch – Dinner
Day 8: Mweka Hut to Mweka Gate
We leave the camp early in the morning and trek downwards to Mweka Gate via Mweka camp. The path from Millennium camp takes us through where heather grows for about an hour. The muddy path continues until we enter a heavy rainforest that takes us to the gate where we have a picnic lunch, get certificates, and celebrate your memorable journey before heading back to town, where we will have dinner and stay overnight.
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Elevation:
3106m/10190ft to 1633/5358ft
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Distance:
9.1km/5.6mile
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Hiking Time:
4-5 hours
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Meals:
Breakfast – Lunch