7 Days Hiking Kilimanjaro’s Lemosho Route

Kilimanjaro Tanzania

Duration

7 days

Tour Type

Country

The Lemosho Route is often hailed as the premier path up Mount Kilimanjaro. While Kilimanjaro climbing used to be limited to the Marangu (Coca-Cola) and Machame (Whiskey) routes, the expansion of Tanzania’s tourism has introduced several new trails. Among these, Lemosho stands out for its stunning scenery, isolation, and high success rate. It optimizes climbers’ chances of reaching the summit and enhances their overall experience.

The Lemosho Route typically takes six days (five nights) to complete, but an eight-day (seven-night) trek is recommended for better acclimatization. The adventure begins at Londorossi Gate on the mountain’s western flank, meandering through its lush rainforest. From there, climbers traverse the Shira Plateau, then circle the southern circuit to enjoy panoramic views. The final ascent is made from the east, and the descent follows the Mweka Trail.

Day 1 | Moshi to Mti Mkubwa Camp

You will be picked up at your hotel at around 08:00am and transferred to the Lemosho gate located on 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.

Elevation: 915m to 2,650m
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
Distance: 7 kilometers
Difficulty: Moderate
Habitat: Rainforest

Day 2 | Mti Mkubwa Camp to Shira 2 Camp

Today you will cover a lot of ground as you trek across a plateau of grassy moorland and heather scattered with volcanic rock formations. We will trek through Shira 1 Camp from where there are often views of Kibo Peak floating on the clouds as we head towards our destination which is Shira 2. We gain a reasonable amount of altitude as we head towards Shira 1 and parts of the route are fairly steep. As you proceed towards Shira 2 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.

Elevation: 2,650m to 3,850m
Hiking Time: 6-7 hours
Distance: 8 kilometers
Difficulty: Moderate to Challenging
Habitat: Heath and Moorland

Day 3 | Shira 2 Camp to Barranco Camp via Lava Tower

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.

Elevation: 3,850m to 3,960m via 4,640m
Hiking Time: 7-8 hours
Distance: 10 kilometers
Difficulty: Challenging
Habitat: Alpine Desert

Day 4 | Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp

The 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 to our night’s camp at Karanga camp, set at 3963m. For those feeling strong we will go for a mid-afternoon acclimatization trek up to around 4200m before descending back to camp for the night.

Elevation: 3,960m to 4,035m
Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
Distance: 6 kilometers
Difficulty: Moderate
Habitat: Alpine Desert

Day 5 | Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp

After a good night’s rest and breakfast, we set off 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 11pm and 12pm to start the climb to the summit.

Elevation: 4,035m to 4,640m
Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
Distance: 4 kilometers
Difficulty: Moderate
Habitat: Alpine Desert

Day 6 | Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp

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 Millennium Camp for a long well-earned rest.

Elevation: 4,640m to 5,895m, then down to 3,080m
Hiking Time: 10-14 hours
Distance: 20 kilometers
Difficulty: Very Challenging
Habitat: Arctic (summit), Alpine Desert (descent)

Day 7 | Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate to Moshi

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 hot shower.

Elevation: 3,080m to 1,640m
Hiking Time: 4-5 hours
Distance: 10 kilometers
Difficulty: Easy
Habitat: Rainforest

Day 8 | Depart Tanzania

The day is left free to wind down after the trek before your flight home. Depending on flight times you could go and explore Moshi or Arusha town and grab some gift shops before heading to the airport.

Safari, Cycling Adventures and other add-on are available if you wish to continue exploring Tanzania