9 Days
Daily Tour
10 people
English
The Lemosho route is considered the most scenic trail on Kilimanjaro, granting panoramic vistas on various sides of the mountain. As one of the newer routes, Lemosho is a superb choice for your climb. It is our preferred route due to its ideal balance of low crowds, beautiful scenery and a high summit success rate. Topi Adventure specializes in guiding on the Lemosho route. Most of our clients climb Kilimanjaro using this route and they consistently report that they loved it. Thus, Lemosho is highly recommended. The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the west, beginning with a long drive from Moshi to Londorossi Gate.
The 9 day Lemosho Crater Camp Route is better altitude acclimatization programme. Lemosho is perfect for climbers seeking a more private hiking experience. Although the route joins with the more popular Machame route on the third evening, the first three days on the mountain are relatively quiet with very few other trekking groups on the trail.
This journey starts off with a few long days as you go up, and has several days built in to help you acclimatize, improving your chances of summiting!
Topi Adventure offers Lemosho as an eight day group climb or as a seven to eight day private climb. The seven day variation combines days five and six, going from Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp without staying at Karanga. A nine day variation that includes an overnight at Crater Camp is available as a private climb by special request.
Elevation Gain: 650 meters, 2,133 feet
The Lemosho Route offers a more private Kilimanjaro experience than the other routes of Marangu and Machame. Although the trail joins with the more popular Machame route on day three, the first two days on the mountain are relatively private, with few other trekking groups around. On the first day, arrive at Londorosi Gate at about 11am. Once you arrive, you’ll spend about an hour waiting at the gate while Topi Adventure registers your climb and the porters and guides make final preparations.
At around 12pm, you will begin hiking with your guides to Mti Mkubwa Camp. Hike through the rain forests of Kilimanjaro viewing trees and birds along the way. You will eat a packed lunch on the trail while enjoying the sounds of the forest. Arrive at the campsite at about 4pm to rest for the next day.
Elevation Gain: 730 meters, 2,397 feet; Hiking time: 6 to 8 hours
Hike through the forest en route to Kilimanjaro’s moorland and enjoy the stunning variety of beautiful wildflowers. As the trail flattens out, take in your first views of Kibo peak. After lunch climb the Shira Plateau, created when Kibo’s lava flows filled up the Shira crater. Stop at Shira 1 Camp, where you will relax for the rest of the day.
Elevation Gain: 380 meters, 1,180 feet; Hiking time: 3 to 5 hours
This is an acclimatization day that allows you to take day hikes that explore the Shira Plateau. Look to the west at sunset and you may catch a glimpse of the twin eruptions from the craters of Ol Donyio Lengai (The Mountain of God), an active volcano 100 kilometers distant.
Elevation Gain: 810 meters, 2,660 feet; Hiking time: 6 to 8 hours
Although this up and down day ends with an elevation gain of only 110 meters, by early afternoon you will have climbed 690 meters to a height of 4,530 meters before beginning your descent to Barranco Camp. This day is crucial for acclimatization. After breakfast, continue east on the Shira Plateau for two hours before reaching the junction for the Machame Route.
Continue through the barren landscape for another thirty minutes before stopping for lunch. Shortly after lunch, reach the highest point of the day before descending quickly to Barranco Camp. From the high point see the Lava Tower, a 300-foot lava formation jutting from the mountainside. Optional detour via Lava Tower. The descent to Barranco Camp will take you through a valley that is home to many unusual plants including the Senecio Kilimanjari. Barranco Camp is considered to be the most scenic campsite on the route. It is set in a canyon among forests of Senecio Kilimanjai beneath the Heim glacier. From the campsite, enjoy magnificent views of Mount Meru, Heim Glacier, Kibo’s southern face and the imposing Barranco Wall.
Elevation Gain: 250 meters, 820 feet
Leave Barranco Camp after breakfast for Karanga Valley. The day begins with an hour and a half scramble up the Barranco Wall. This is the hardest part of the day and in some places you may have to use your hands to pull your body up. After reaching the top, hike through fairly level terrain before making a short but steep descent into the greener Karanga River Valley. Karanga Camp is located on the ridge above the river valley.
Elevation Gain: 400 meters, 1,320 feet; Hiking time: 3 to 5 hours
After breakfast, begin the hike to Barafu Camp. On the way to Barafu, view several of Kibo’s glaciers as well as the junction that connects the descent route, Mweka, with the Machame trail. During the hike you will pass the Heim, Kersten and Decken glaciers. Although the trail to Barafu passes through alpine desert with little vegetation, there are stunning views of Kibo and Mawenzi peaks along the way. Try to sleep after finishing dinner as you will need to wake before midnight to start your summit ascent.
Elevation Gain: 1,115 meters, 3,650 feet; Hiking time: 6 to 8 hours
Due to the steep ascent at high altitude, this is the most challenging day of the ascent. Leave Barafu Camp early in the morning to begin your hike to the top of Kibo Crater. It is important to remember to snack during the ascent to keep up your energy. You will likely lose your appetite during the hike and begin to feel new effects of altitude sickness. After ascending Kibo's wall, hike to Crater Camp, the highest camp on Kilimanjaro. The camp is located inside Kilimanjaro's Kibo crater, and offers stunning views of the surrounding glaciers. Some climbers choose to summit in the afternoon instead of the following morning.
Elevation Gain: 180 meters, 590 feet; Elevation Loss: 2,795 meters, 9,170 feet; Hiking time: 1 hour to summit, 3 to 4 hours to Barafu, 4 hours to Mweka.
At dawn, begin the final ascent to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. The hike to the summit is slow, taking up to two hours to gain 180 meters. Reach Uhuru around 8am and take photos at the roof of Africa. Descend to Barafu Camp where you'll eat brunch. At 1pm continue to Mweka Camp, your final camp on Kilimanjaro.
Elevation Loss: 1,600 meters, 5,250 feet; Hiking time: 4 hours
After breakfast, complete the trek with a descent to Mweka Gate. Your last hike on Kilimanjaro is a beautiful one, passing through Kilimanjaro’s cloud forest. Watch your step during the descent as the trail can be slippery.Our vehicles will be waiting at the lower station of Mweka Gate to take you back to Hotel in Moshi for hot shower.
Airport transfers are not included in the price of this tour, however you can book for an arrival transfer in advance. Our representative will be at the airport to greet you. To arrange this please contact our customer service team once you have a confirmed booking.
You are expected to carry your own day pack, with only things which should be able to sustain you until you reach the next camp at the end of the day. You do not need to carry your personal backpack/ duffel pack - It will be carried by our porters.
No worries about that - this is a common concern. It is much better for your body if you proceed slowly and guides will permanently remind you about this (“pole-pole” - which means “slowly slowly”). By walking slowly, your body will much better acclimatize to high altitude.
There is plenty of time allocated each day for the treks, even for those who like to go very slowly.
Some climbers may fall short of reaching the summit, but not at the expense of their overall experience. Even for those who never reached the top, the experience of the wonders of Kilimanjaro is very rewarding.
If one or more members of the group decide they cannot continue, or if a guide deems it unsafe for an individual (or a group) to continue, they are escorted to the most convenient campsite or Hut.
Our guides intimately know the network of shortcuts to escort climbers to safety, and they are trained to act quickly and calmly under any circumstance.
On the Marangu Route, there are simple basic Huts. The first 2 Huts sleep four people each and the last Hut is a dome-style with bunk beds.
On all the other routes, you will sleep in 3 dome-style Tents, two people each. The Tents are modern and have an outer flysheet and large vestibules keep equipment from the elements. They are set up, broken down and carried- along with everything else- by our porters.
There are public toilets set up at every campsite, but portable toilets are available upon request at the cost of $ 100 per group for the whole tour. Hot water is provided for each person every morning but No showers during trek
There will be dining tents with chairs and tables where all meals will be served. Before any meal, we will provide soap and hot water for washing your hands.
For each trek on the Mount a dedicated cook will be part of the logistical team. They are professional chefs and have the ability to prepare different kinds of dishes. Please see a sample page for Dietary Menu.
You shouldn't worry- You are in safe hands. Our guides are professionally trained to handle all sorts of distress and respond quickly and accordingly. They all have Wilderness First Aid Responder qualification and they will all time bring you to safety. They will directly call for an emergency evacuation if the situation worsens.
The tours are scheduled to start in Moshi, departing on Daily basis. However, circumstances like clients’ arrival time, activities to be done and client’s preference could affect the program. Our company is flexible for such arrangements and adjustments. Normally the program starts around 7:30 AM
The tours are scheduled to End in Moshi. You may also wish to be dropped outside Moshi at an extra cost depending on the place of drop off. However, our travel specialists will need to know your specific drop-off point prior to the hike to get aligned with the program
Member Since 2022
