Climb Mount Kilimanjaro Via Lemosho Route 7-day Adventure

Although a relatively new route, Lemosho has steadily risen in popularity to become the most scenic route for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Approaching Mt. Kilimanjaro from the Western side, the route is adorned with scenic sites, wildlife, and diverse landscapes. The chances of seeing wildlife when you climb Mount Kilimanjaro via this route are high. From elephants and buffaloes to the diverse animals of the lower rainforest, you can be sure to have a hiking experience that feels like a safari.

Another advantage of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro via Lemosho is its airy hiking experience. The route is less crowded since not many climbers use it. And although the route is longer than, say Machame, this only adds to make your trip more enjoyable as you’ll see later.

Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro 7-day tour Via Lemosho Route Itinerary

Day 1: Nairobi – Arusha/Moshi

Our adventure begins with us picking you up in Nairobi early in the morning. We drive to Moshi or Arusha arriving late afternoon. The rest of the day is spent relaxing and acclimatizing for our Mount Kilimanjaro hike.

We have dinner and stay overnight at a hotel in Moshi or Arusha.

Day 2: Mt. Kilimanjaro Londorossi Gate – Mti Mkubwa Camp

After breakfast, the day starts with a 2 – 3-hour drive through the mountainside villages to Londorossi Park gate. Here, you can watch the black and white Columbus Monkeys monkeying around as we wait for gate clearance. A short drive takes us to Lemosho Glades and have a quick stop for a picnic lunch.

After Lunch, our trek to climb Mount Kilimanjaro begins with a pleasant nature walk through the rainforest. Along the way, we may see Monkeys and if we’re lucky water buffaloes. We continue hiking Mount Kilimanjaro until the track leads us to Mti Mkubwa campsite.

Mti Mkubwa (big tree) camp sits at the center of the forest and makes for a great first camp on our Mount Kilimanjaro hike. We have dinner and an overnight stay at this camp.

Day 3: Mti Mkubwa Camp – Mt. Kilimanjaro Shira 2 Camp

Our third day of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro starts with a long trek to clear the rainforest and make it to the plateau. The trail is a tough one with extremely steep paths. Therefore, we’ll have regular stops to rest. Streams along the way will serve as great resting stops to picnic and refill our water bottles.

As we climb Mount Kilimanjaro, we’ll pass through the magnificent giant heathers of the moorlands after clearing the forest. We continue the trek and make our way to Shira plateau. Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro on this day offers great views of the moorlands and the plateau.

We continue the trek for a short while and reach the Shira 2 camp. We have dinner and an overnight stay at camp.

Day 4: Shira 2 Camp – Lava Tower – Barranco Camp Mount Kilimanjaro

This is another long and tough day of hiking Mount Kilimanjaro. We are in for long treks at high altitudes. You may experience headaches, breathlessness, and irritability so we recommend sipping water every chance you get. Fortunately, the views are here to soothe the pain.

After breakfast, we climb Mount Kilimanjaro through arid areas with rocky trails and steep paths. We continue trekking for 5 hours before breaking for a picnic lunch and a short rest. Satiated, the journey continues through the rocky scree trail to Lava Tower. We descend for another 2 hours towards Barranco camp.

Trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro on this day offers views of the plains, southern glaciers, Western Breach, and Breach Wall. Additionally, the rise and drop of altitude along the way is great for acclimatization.

We have dinner and an overnight stay at Barranco camp.

Day 5: Mt. Kilimanjaro Barranco Camp – Barafu Camp

We leave camp after breakfast and make our way through a steep ridge to ascend the Great Barranco Wall. As intimidating as this wall may seem, it is not that hard to climb. The view of Heim Glacier on the other side of the wall makes the Mount Kilimanjaro hike so far worth it.

We continue to climb Mount Kilimanjaro by descending to Karanga Valley and heading towards Barafu hut. After an hour of trekking, we finally reach Barafu camp.

Most of this day is spent acclimatizing through exploration. The camp is situated atop a ridge and offers breathtaking views. We recommend familiarizing yourself with this ridge to avoid accidents once it gets dark.

This is a day that sees us complete the south circuit of hiking Mount Kilimanjaro.

We have an early rest in preparation for the summiting day.

Day 6: Mount Kilimanjaro Barafu camp (4550m) – Uhuru Peak (5895m) – Mweka

The day starts early, few minutes before midnight. We have breakfast and start the final leg of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to the summit. Trekking through the dark may seem difficult but you’ll find hiking at this altitude under the night sky an unforgettable experience.

We climb Mount Kilimanjaro at a steady pace through a rocky steep slope. The hike takes us to Stella Point where we watch the beautiful sunrise on the crater rim. Seeing the African sunrise illuminate the plains, glaciers, and valleys is awe-striking.

We continue hiking Mount Kilimanjaro to Uhuru Peak. We rest at the highest point in Africa (5895m), explore, and have a photo session.

After some time on the peak, we descend to Barafu camp for Lunch and continue further down to Mweka hut.

We’ll have dinner and stay overnight at Mweka hut.

Day 7: Mweka Camp – Mweka Gate – Moshi/Nairobi

After breakfast, we make our way through the moorland and forest towards Mweka gate. This last leg of our Mount Kilimanjaro hike takes around 3 hours.

You can collect a certificate at the gate if you made it to the summit.

We drive to Mweka village where we have lunch. After lunch, you can choose to proceed to Moshi town or Nairobi.

Note: Spending the night at Moshi Town will add an extra day to the package.

Mount Kilimanjaro Lemosho route 7 days charges upon request