Mt Kilimanjaro Lemosho Trek

We will meet you on arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport and drive you to your lodge in Arusha. Make sure to get a good night’s rest in preparation for the trekking adventure ahead of you. 

After breakfast, you'll be met by your local guide and take a short drive from Arusha to Londorrosi Gate. Here, we go through registration and your briefing session, and you'll meet the rest of your team, including guides, cooks and porters. 

Your Lemosho trek begins on the lower slopes of  Mount Kilimanjaro, surrounded by the thick rainforest, which is teeming with animal and plant life. Be sure to keep an eye out for the black and white-capped colobus monkeys, which are very rare to spot in the wild. 

The gradient of the beginning of the Lemosho route is gentle, but you do trek a fair distance before settling into the first campsite at Mti Mkubwa.

You'll start to ascend up into the alpine moorland today and gain altitude. The flora changes once you're out of the rainforest, with fig and rubber trees making way for the Giant Heather and Erica. 

The most challenging element comes at the end of the day, where you'll climb over the Shira Ridge (3,600 metres above sea level) before descending onto the Shira Plateau to camp.

Today, you'll benefit from a key acclimatisation day as most climbers begin to feel the effects of altitude between 3,500 metres and 4,000 metres. 

You'll trek across the Shira Plateau and ascend steadily through the lower alpine moorland, renowned for the beauty of its indigenous flowers and unique plants, such as the Giant Lobelia.

Traversing the plateau is a short trek, but our guides will take you on an acclimatisation hike above Shira 2 Camp before you head down for dinner and a nightcap.

Your gradual acclimatisation to the mountain is a real benefit, as you'll trek to Lava Tower (4630 metres above sea level) shortly after lunch, and most trekkers will feel the effects of high altitude here. 

From Lava Tower, you'll make your way down into Barranco Valley and feel the benefits of dropping altitude. The descent further down to Barranco Camp offers fantastic views of the Western Breach and Breach Wall, making for some spectacular photo opportunities. 

Today is a real challenge, but excellent for acclimating as you trek high above 4,500 metres, then sleep low at around 3,900 metres. 

Most treks will head straight to Barafu Camp, but the Lemosho route takes the strategic option of heading to Karanga Camp. You must still overcome the great Barranco Wall, where in parts you will have to scramble using your hands and feet to climb. 

Your effort is rewarded with some wonderful views of the Hiem Glacier and the summit of Kilimanjaro. You'll then descend slowly into the mystical alpine desert of the Karanga Valley and finally arrive at Karanga Camp.

In the morning, you'll set off towards the final camp, Barafu, and your porters will collect the last water available along the way - there will be none further up. 

The temperature grows colder, and the alpine desert transforms into an increasingly barren world. 

You'll reach Barafu Camp, and two of the three peaks, Mawenzi and Kibo, can be seen from this vantage point. Sleep is difficult but vital because, in the early hours of tomorrow morning, you will begin your summit attempt in search of sunrise at Uhuru Peak. 

A hot drink and a light midnight snack precede the most challenging and rewarding day of your trek. You climb slowly, using all your strength, to the rim of the main crater. 

Arriving at Stella Point at 5685 metres, and if the weather holds, you will watch the sunrise from the greatest vantage point in Africa. The sun’s first rays then spur you on for the final push to Uhuru Peak, 5895 metres above sea level, on the rooftop of Africa! 

Take a few moments to savour your accomplishment - you will remember this day for the rest of your life. 

From the summit, you'll descend steadily back to Barafu Camp, where you take a short rest and collect the gear you left behind. Your lungs welcome every breath as you drop altitude, and the enormity of what you have just achieved starts to settle in. The descent back to Mweka Camp rewards you with the best sleep you’ve ever had!

On your final day on Kilimanjaro, you'll wake up full of oxygen, and it’s a short, leisurely descent to Mweka Gate. Enjoy the forest on the lower slopes of the mountain, and on arrival at Mweka Gate, you'll receive your certificates: green for Stella Point and gold for Uhuru Peak. 

Then it’s back into Arusha, and it may feel a little strange to be back in town. Take your time relaxing, showering and celebrating with a well-earned meal and a drink. 

Today, you'll check out of your hotel and head back to Kilimanjaro Airport in plenty of time for your onward flight. 

As part of your tailor-made Kilimanjaro trekking trip, you may wish to extend your adventure with a safari in one of Tanzania's amazing national parks or ease your muscles with time on the idyllic white sands of Zanzibar.