Kilimanjaro Trekking on the Lemosho Route 
7 Day Kilimanjaro Trekking Tour + 2 nights hotel stay
Highlights
Day 1-9 | Tanzania
Day 2
Start: Lemosho Gate (2,385m)
Finish: Big Tree Camp (2,780 m)
Altitude: ↑ 395 m
Walking Time: 2-3h
Day 3
Start: Big Tree Camp (2,780 m)
Finish: Shira Camp 2 (3,900 m)
Altitude: ↑ 1,120 m
Walking Time: 7-8h
Day 4
Start: Shira Camp 2 (3,900 m)
Finish: Barranco Camp (3,960 m)
Altitude: ↑ 740 m ↓ 680 m
Walking Time: 6-7h
Day 5
Start: Barranco Camp (3,960 m)
Finish: Karanga Camp (4,035 m)
Altitude: ↑ 75 m
Walking Time: 3-4h
Day 6
Start: Karanga Camp (4,035 m)
Finish: Barafu Camp (4,640 m)
Altitude: ↑ 605m
Walking Time: 3-4h
Day 7
Start: Barafu Camp (4,640 m)
Finish:
Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) – Mweka Camp (3,080 m)
Altitude: ↑ 1,255 m ↓ 2,815 m
Walking Time: 10-14h
Day 8
Start: Mweka Camp (3,080 m)
Finish: Mweka Gate (1,630 m)
Altitude: ↓ 1,450 m
Walking Time: 2-3h
Facts
Private trekking:
Kilimanjaro via Lemosho Route
Tourcode: E09TKILLEM
From: Arusha
To: Arusha
Min. number to guarantee tour: N/A
Max number of participants: private climb
Departure day: any day of your choice
Price: from 2,490 USD (>6 pax)
Single Supplement: 80 USD (hotel only)
Day 1 Kilimanjaro Airport – Arusha
Upon your arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport you will be greeted and transferred to the Meru View Lodge in Usa River, close to Arusha. The rest of the day is for you to enjoy at leisure. You may opt to visit the town of Arusha (taxi required) or spend the day lounging around the lodge pool. In the early evening, you will attend a briefing to prepare you for your upcoming trek. Dinner and overnight at Meru View Lodge.
Dinner
Day 2 Arusha – Lemosho Gate (2,385m) – Big Tree Camp (2,780 m)
After breakfast you will be picked up at the lodge and taken to the Lemosho Gate at the height of 2,385 m. Here you will be registered by the national park authorities and your trek through a dense rainforest begins. The moderately steep track makes its way through an unspoilt natural forest to the Big Tree Camp (2,780 m). You will be accompanied by an armed ranger for the first 2 days of your trek as wild game can be found in the area. You will spend the night in tents at Big Tree Camp.
Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Day 3 Big Tree Camp (2,780 m) – Shira Camp 2 (3,900 m)
You have a long trek ahead today on a small trail, passing through the rainforest. As you ascend, the forest gradually thins out and the landscape becomes more dry and bare. On the moorland you will find lobelia and ericas dotting the landscape. You will pass Shira ridge before reaching Shira Camp 1 after 4 to 5 hours. Here you will have your lunch break and rest your limbs, enjoying the views of Mt Meru and the Rift Valley in the distance. You will trek for about another 3 hours, ascending 250 m. Walking on solidified lava, you will pass giant senecios, almost 9 meters in height, before finally reaching your destination of the day, the Shira Camp 2. You will enjoy an evening meal and with a little bit of luck you will be able to see the summit basking in the orange glow of the sunset.
Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Day 4 Shira Camp 2 (3,900 m) – Lava Tower (4,640 m) – Barranco Camp (3,960 m)
Today’s stretch will allow your body to acclimatise to the ever increasing altitude. Your destination for the day is the Barranco Camp, only slightly higher than the previous night’s stay, but it will be reached through a detour to Lava Tower at 4,640 m in height. The ascent begins with a long trek above the Shira Plateau in the direction of the Lava Tower. The landscape slowly changes to alpine desert and the vegetation becomes less and less. Passing through the lobelia and senecio filled Barranco Valley, you will reach your camp after 6 – 7 hours of walking. Your camp for the evening is the Barranco Camp, said to be one of the most beautiful camps on the mountain.
Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Day 5 Barranco Camp (3,960 m) – Karanga Camp (4,035 m)
Many ascents and descents are on the agenda for today. You will start the journey tackling the steepest part of the entire route – the Barranco Wall. As you climb you might need to use your hands, but your guides will always be close by to offer assistance. At the top of the Barranco wall you will walk along the mountain ridge, which offers spectacular views of the southern glacier of Kibo as well as the summit itself. Around lunch time you will arrive at Karanga Camp, where a well-deserved rest is the order of the day.
Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Day 6 Karanga Camp (4,035 m) – Barafu Camp (4,640 m)
After breakfast you will continue through the alpine desert until you have reached the Barafu Camp, situated at an altitude of 4,640 m. The journey takes about 3 to 4 hours giving you enough time to relax and prepare for the summit night ahead. An early dinner will be followed by an early bedtime, before being awoken at around midnight.
Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Day 7 Barafu Camp (4,640 m) – Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) – Mweka Camp (3,080 m)
After a light snack and some hot tea, you will be ready to start the dark ascent to Uhuru Peak at around midnight. You will walk on frozen lava ash, using your headlamp to light the way. After 5 to 7 hours you will arrive at the crater rim of Mt Kilimanjaro, Stella Point. You will continue along the crater ridge which will lead you to the “Roof of Africa”, the summit of Uhuru Peak (5,895 m). The landscape shimmers and shines in the light of the rising sun before you. After all the necessary photos have been taken, you will return to a smiling crew at Barafu Camp. After a hot lunch and well-deserved break, you will make your way to Mweka Camp, where you will camp for the night.
Breakfast; Lunch; Dinner
Day 8 Mweka Camp (3,080 m) – Mweka Gate (1,630 m) – Arusha
Your amazing adventure comes to an end with a traditional farewell ceremony by your mountain crew before a gentle descent through the rainforest to Mweka Gate. Your driver will be waiting for you and he will take you back to the Meru View Lodge, where you can enjoy a shower and celebrate your wonderful achievement.
Breakfast; Dinner
Day 9 Arusha – Kilimanjaro Airport
After breakfast, you will be taken to Kilimanjaro Airport or you can opt to extend your stay in Tanzania with a safari or beach holiday.
Breakfast
Items included:
- Kilimanjaro trekking according to the itinerary
- Professional, English-speaking guide
- Mountain crew (cook & porters)
- Overnight stays in hotels and mountain tents
- Camping equipment (tents, sleeping mats, chairs, tables etc.)
- Portable toilet and toilet tent
- Meals according to the itinerary
- Drinking water
- All national park fees
- All mentioned transfers
Items excluded:
- Sleeping bag
- Flights
- Optional activities
- Alcoholic and soft drinks
- Visa fees
- Tips
- Personal spending money for souvenirs etc.
- Travel insurance
- This is a private tour and hence there won’t be any other climbers joining you. Your group will only consist of the people you chose to travel with and your mountain crew.
- According to the national park authorities, children under the age of 10 years are only allowed to hike until Shira Camp 2 (3900 m). There are no official restrictions for children above the age of 10 years but because the chances of children succumbing to mountain sickness are a lot higher than they are with adults, we recommend a minimum age of 14-16 years. Please note that children of all ages have to be accompanied by one of their parents at all times. Although there is no maximum age restriction, a medical check-up is advisable for climbers above the age of 60.
- Africa’s highest peak is one of the only mountains of this magnitude that can be conquered without you being an experienced alpinist. However, it goes without saying that you should be healthy and fit to master the 4-6 hour daily hikes as well as the 12-14 hour hike on the night of the summit. In addition thereto, strong willpower and endurance is required.
- The warmest time with the least rainfall is between December and February, followed by the main rainy season from March until the beginning of June. Between June and October, temperatures are moderate with almost no rainfall. November is regarded as the small rainy season and daily short rainfalls with cloudy views are common.
- The best time to travel is between the end of June and the middle of October and although it is possible to climb Kilimanjaro in the main rainy season, we strongly discourage anyone from doing so.
- The Lemosho Route starts off on the remote western side but meets up with the Machame Route on day 3. Although this route is comparable to the Machame Route when it comes to the changes in altitude, it offers an extra acclimatization day at Karranga Camp to recover from the strains of the first three days. After a hopefully successful summit night, you will descend on the Mweka Route.
- You will overnight in two-man mountain tents equipped with sleeping mats. Single travellers often share a tent with another group member of the same gender, but single tents can be requested at extra cost.
- Apart from very basic long drops (simple latrines), there are no further ablution facilities. Climbers are however provided with a bowl of warm water for their daily wash.
- Meals are included as mentioned in the itinerary.
- For breakfast there will be a choice of fruit, scrambled eggs, porridge, toast, jam, hot chocolate, coffee or tea. Lunch will be provided in form of a lunch box containing sandwiches, boiled eggs, chicken etc.
- For dinner you will enjoy soup and bread followed by meat or poultry along with starch (i.e. chips, mashed potatoes, pasta or rice) as well as vegetables.
- While breakfast and dinner are served in a mess tent equipped with a table and chairs, lunch is enjoyed en-route.
- Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements or food allergies and we will do our outmost to cater for them (only possible with advanced notification).
- Almost everybody climbing Kilimanjaro will be affected by the altitude in some or other way. Top athletes are just as much at risk of suffering from it as are people who are out of shape. Headaches, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite and nausea are all signs of possible mountain sickness. Symptoms are mostly mild, enabling you to continue your hike and only in very few instances are symptoms more acute, making an immediate descent unavoidable. Severe altitude sickness is a serious matter and you should bear in mind that it can be life threatening and at worst lead to death. It is also important to replace lost body fluids due to physical activity by drinking enough water. We suggest two to four litres per day along with magnesium to prevent muscle cramps.
- Mountain rescue services in Tanzania can in no sense be compared to the ones found in the European Alps for example. If you find yourself unable to walk, you will either be carried or transported on a wheeled stretcher. As this is by all means a very unpleasant experience, it is important that you only push yourself as far as your body allows. Helicopters are hardly ever deployed as they can only land at a lower altitude.
- Please also make sure your health insurance covers you while travelling. If you are not adequately covered, we urge you to take out suitable travel insurance assuring all your medical expenses including rescue and repatriation costs are covered.
- Yes you should bring some extra money for tips, souvenirs and other personal expenses.
- If you are bringing USD, please make sure the bills have been be printed after 2004 as any earlier printed ones will not be accepted.
- Tips for the mountain crew are common practice. Gratuities are a large portion of the crew’s income and thus highly appreciated. Below are some recommendations from our side (per group, not per person):
Guide: 15-18 USD per day
Assistant Guide: 12-15 USD per day
Cook: 8-10 USD per day
Waiter: 7-9 USD per day
Porter: 6-7 USD per day
- There are a few things you should pack for a Kilimanjaro climb and as the list is quite extensive, you will receive a detailed packing list from us once you have confirmed the booking.
- For your convenience we also rent out all essential clothing items and other gear.
- For most travellers it is possible to obtain a visa upon arrival but nevertheless, it is every visitor’s obligation to check the latest visa regulations with their respective embassies.
- Every traveller is responsible to be in the possession of the required travel documents.
- Officially, no vaccinations are required by the Tanzanian health department. However, Tanzania is a yellow fever region and thus we advise that you get yourself vaccinated for this.
- In general we also recommend that you have all other shots such as Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio and Hepatitis A & B up to date.
- Malaria is present in Tanzania but there are no mosquitoes at high altitude. It is your own choice if you wish to take any precautionary medication, but we suggest that you consult your doctor or travel clinic in this matter.
