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Kilimanjaro 8 Days Lemosho Route

Mount Kilimanjaro

From

$2483

Duration

8 days

Tour Type

Mountain Hiking

Tour highlights

As a newer route, it is more remote and arguably more beautiful, but a bit longer and slightly more expensive. It starts on the Western side of the mountain at the Londorossi Gate which is a further drive from town, and was introduced as an alternative to the Shira route. After beautiful forests and moorlands it crosses the Shira Plateau on day 3 to connect with the Machame Route at Lava Tower and down towards Barranco Valley via the Southern Circuit. You may be lucky enough to see buffalo, elephant and other game. Because this route can be done over a longer period of time for acclimatization, it has a higher success rate of summit.

Max Guests

Min Age

Tour Location

Kilimanjaro Mountain

Languages Support

English

Journey to the Top of Africa with Confidence

Itinerary idea in detail

Day 1: Londrossi Gate – Mti Mkubwa Camp: 4.8km /3mi | 3-4 Hrs | Rainforest

Elevation: 2389m/7838ft to 2785m/9137ft
Altitude gained: 396m

Departing from Moshi a 45-minute drive will take you through welcoming mountainside villages to the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate. We will patiently wait for our permits to be issued while watching the hustle and bustle of operations as many crews prepare for the journey ahead Enjoy the beautiful rainforest scenery and windy trails while your guide tells you about the local flora and fauna and natural wildlife. At these lower elevations, the trail can be muddy and quite slippery. We highly recommend gaiters and trekking poles here.

Day 2: Mti Mkubwa Camp – Shira I Camp: 17km/5mi | 6-8hrs | Moorland

Elevation: 2785m/9137ft to 3895m/12,779ft
Altitude gained: 1110m

After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, we emerge from the rain forest and continue on an ascending path, we leave the forest behind now, the trail climbs steadily with wide views to reach the rim of the Shira Plateau. Temperatures begin to drop.

Day 3: Shira I Camp – Shira Hut: 6.9km/4.3mi | 5-7hrs | Moorland

Elevation: 3504m/11,496ft to 3895m/12,779ft
Altitude gained: 391m

We explore the Shira plateau for a full day. It is a gentle walk east toward Kibo’s glaciered peak, across the plateau which leads to Shira 2 camp on moorland meadows by a stream. Then we continue to Moir Hut, a little-used site on the base of Lent Hills. A variety of walks are available on Lent Hills making this an excellent acclimatization opportunity. Shira is one of the highest plateaus on earth.

Day 4: Shira Hut – Lava Tower – Barranco Camp: 10.1km/6.3mi | 4-6hrs | Semi Desert

Elevation: 3895m/12,779ft to 3986m/13,077ft
Altitude gained: 91m

Although you end the day around the same elevation as when you began, this day is very important for acclimatization. From Shira Plateau we continue east up a ridge, passing the junction towards the Kibo peak before we then continue, South East towards the Lava Tower, called the “Shark’s Tooth” (elev. 4650m/15,250ft). Shortly after the tower, we come to a second junction, which leads to the Arrow Glacier. We then continue to descend to overnight at Barranco Camp.

Day 5: Barranco Camp – Karanga Camp: 5.2km/3mi | 4-5hrs | Alpine Desert

Elevation: 3986m/13,077ft to 4034m/13,235ft
Altitude gained: 48m

After breakfast, we continue on a steep ridge up to the adventurous Barranco Wall to the Karanga Valley and the junction, which connects, with the Mweka Trail. This is one of the most impressive days to see the power, agility, and strength of your crew zip over this wall with what appears such ease. Overnight at Karanga Camp.

Day 6: Hike Karanga Camp – Barafu Camp: 3.3km /2 Mi | 4-5hrs | Alpine Desert

Elevation: 4034m/13,235ft to 4662m/15,295ft
Altitude gained: 628m

We continue up toward Barafu Camp, and once reached you have now completed the South Circuit, which offers a variety of breathtaking views of the summit from many different angles. An early dinner and rest as we prepare for summit night. Overnight at Barafu Camp.

Day 7: Barafu Camp – Summit: 4.86km /3mi Up | 5-7hrs | – Mweka Camp: 13km /8mi Down | 5-6hrs | Glaciers, Snow Capped Summit

Elevation: 4662m/15,295ft to 5895m/19,341ft
Altitude gained: 1233m
Descent to 3106m/10,190ft
Altitude lost: 2789m

Excitement is building as morning comes with an early start between midnight and 2 a.m. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek. We continue our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers trying to stay warm and focused on the amazing sense of accomplishment that lies ahead. With a switchback motion in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. You will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise during your short rest here. Faster hikers may view the sunrise from the summit. From here on your remaining 1 hour ascent to Uhuru Peak, you are likely to encounter snow all the way. Congratulations, one step at a time you have now reached Uhuru Peak the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the entire continent of Africa! After photos, celebrations and maybe a few tears of joy we take a few moments to enjoy this incredible accomplishment. We begin our steep descent down to Mweka Camp, stopping at Barafu for lunch and a very brief rest. We strongly recommend gaiters and trekking poles for uncooperative loose gravel and volcano ash terrain. Well-deserved rest awaits you to enjoy your last evening on the mountain. Overnight Mweka Camp.

Day 8: Mweka Camp – Mweka Gate – Moshi: 9.1km/6mi |3-4hrs | Rainforest

Elevation: 3106m/10,190ft to 1633m/5358ft
Altitude lost: 1473m

After breakfast and a heartfelt ceremony of appreciation and team bonding with your crew, it’s time to say goodbye. We continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates. As the weather is drastically warmer, the terrain is wet, muddy and steep and we highly recommend Gaiters and trekking poles. From the gate, a vehicle will meet you at Mweka village to drive you back to your hotel in Moshi (about 30 minutes). Enjoy a long overdue hot shower, dinner and celebrations!! Overnight Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel 4 stars B&B. before being transferred to your journey home, safari or a relaxing trip to Zanzibar. CERTIFIED ETHICAL CLIMBING: We believe the tourism industry has an obligation and a great opportunity to protect the world’s natural habitats, cultural heritage sites, and communities. We actively promote environmental sustainability and social responsibility. Every climb is audited to ensure crewmembers are provided proper salaries, tips, food, equipment and sleeping conditions. We think it’s pretty great and our clients do as well, check out our Tripadvisor profile to see what people are saying about us.

INCLUDES

All meals on the hike.
All Park entrance fees.
All prices are quoted in US Dollars.
Camping equipment if applicable (tents
mattresses
sleeping bags
pillows
table and chairs)
Flying Doctors rescue insurance for the time of the tour with Smile With Us Africa.

EXCLUDES

Flights (International)
Alcoholic and soft drinks
Tips for Guides, Porters & Chef
Personal expenses in nature such as money for souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees etc.
Visa fees (100 USD for American and 50 USD for non-American)
Immunization documents (yellow fever recommended for visa processing on arrivals)
Government imposed increase of taxes and /or park fees

Inquire This Tour

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Words From Our Happy Clients

Taylor W

2023-06-15

Unable to attend, but they were great I was unable to attend due to an illness. They were in constant communication and contact with me throughout the refund process and I received my refund in a timely manner. They were very nice and great communicators throughout the process. I can’t wait to try and rebook in the future, as it looks incredible and I was so bummed I was unable to attend.

royreut17

2023-05-01

Great and reliable tour operator! What a fantastic experience we had! Everything was arranged to perfection. Our guide Erick is the best guide ever! He has a lot of humor, speaks good English and knows a lot about nature and animals. He does everything to see all the animals. The overnight stay was great. The people were very friendly and the food was really perfect! I can really recommend this reliable party if you are looking for a once in a lifetime safari! We had booked a two-day Selous safari from Zanzibar (Dutch couple).

Jordan H

2023-03-28

Truly Amazing Experience 👏 we have just got back from such an amazing experience with this company!!!!from initial interaction with the team here it was seamless, the hotel to airport transfer was completely private along with the tour. The guide named 'Eric' was the best guide- nothing was a problem for him and made sure we got very close to the animals but always kept the animals feeling safe and not scared. his communication was outstanding,a really really nice man. the lodge which we stayed was also very comfortable and luxurious again all staff where very friendly.would highly recommend Smile with Us tours 5 start company Eric and Isack made the experience amazing!!

Ashlie H

2023-03-27

Amazing! We had an amazing time on our safari! We were able to see almost all the animals and many of them were very close to us. Our driver was great and did everything he could to help us see as much as possible. Highly recommend!

Marco S

2023-03-13

Nice Safari We had a 5 day trip from Dar es Salaam to Mikumi NP, Udzungwa Mountains NP, Nyerere NP and back to Dar es Salaam.Pros:+ All accommodations were superb, clean and really nice (didn't had much time to spend inside though) + Our driver and tour guide (Msese) was really good.++ we've seen much more animals than the others in the camps (elephant 🐘, giraffe 🦒, zebra 🦓, pumba, hyene, lion 🦁, hippo, chameleon, crocodile 🐊, ...) ++ we got a lot of information on the whole tour++ he really made us feel welcome++ he drove very good and safe++ we could always say stop when we wanted to stay longer at a place + the car (Toyota LandCruiser) was in good condition, clean and the seats are comfortable + the tour was very well organised and planned + they kept care of my gluten allergy, this was not a problem. Just make sure to tell the company in advance as well as the driver when leaving (I used the Celiac travel card in swahili) Con:- make sure that the driver knows the whole plan. For us he missed some parts of the tour and they arranged everything on short notice without any issues - bring your own binoculars, some animals are very shy (I guess also depends on the season and weather) - at one national park they build a big hydro dam, this already has a big impact on nature (has nothing to do with the tour itself) - not the cheapest option, but still much cheaper than the tours offered from the Golden Tulip Hotel in Dar es Salam

Maximilian

2023-02-25

Unvergesslich und einmalig Wir haben eine von Anfang bis Ende gut durchgeplante und aufregende Safari erlebt. Alles war perfekt. Ein freundlicher und vor allem erfahrener Guide, der einem jede Frage beantworten konnte. Eine perfekte Unterkunft. Ein tolles Frühstück im Busch. Es war wundervoll und wir kommen aus dem schwärmen nicht mehr raus. Ein absolutes Muss für jeden der noch nie eine Safari gemacht hat.

Monica B

2023-01-30

Outstanding experience! I went on a solo safari trip with Smile With Us Tours in January 2023. The experience was super from the beginning to the end. Everything was very well organized to meet my wishes, and I felt so taken care of from the moment I was picked up from my hotel in Zanzibar. At arrival in Nyerere National Park (the plane landed while giraffes and other exotic animals were walking by the runway!), I was met by the most welcoming and genuine guide, Eric. He made sure I had many moments I will remember for life during my two days game drive with him. He put in all his effort to find the animals, we got up really close with them, and he was full of knowledge. I saw hippos, lions, zebras, elephants, African wild dogs, hyena, buffalos, crocodiles, giraffes, warthogs, baboons, black face monkey, impalas, waterbuck, wildebeest and more. I am so thankful for everything he did for me to give me the best experience possible. I also did a safari walk and a river safari where I got to see even more animals, birds and learned about animal tracks, herbs, plants and trees, and about surviving in the wilderness. My accommodation during my stay was at Selous Jimbiza Camp. Here I was met by a very welcoming staff. I was treated as a queen, the food was great, the crocodile and elephant bread the chef made were impressive, and I felt safe both day and night. I totally recommend Smile With Us Tours, and would love to go on a tour with them again!

Ivan J

2023-01-18

Positive safari experience with Eli We were having a 3 day safari trip in Selous Game Reserve. From the start communication about everything was fast and efficient. On the first day we had the river boat safari, which was fun and we were lucky enough to see the elephants on the way back to our camp. On the second day we had a full day for a safari. Our guide was Eli and he was amazing, really knowledgable and funny, trying his best to show us as much as possible. We enjoyed every minute of it. My partner was not feeling so well and Eli was kind enough to check every now and then is she ok or needs anything. We would recommend this to everyone and if we ever go to a safari again would love to have Eli as a guide.

TMischler1978

2023-01-01

Brilliant I was quite nervous about booking through a local agent, having never been to TZ before but Jacob answered all our questions very promptly.Our guide (Allen) was very knowledgeable, very friendly and very helpful.Would definitely recommend!

duif1969

2022-12-27

Highly recommended! loved doing a private safari - great divers and guides. Loved the game drives and we also did the hike to the Sanje waterfall. They are intense days with early starts and after the 5 days it was perfect that we had some time planned at the beach. Flying out of Selous to Zanzibar was a perfect ending. Highly recommend the company - they were great to deal with and quick to respond.