Mount Kilimanjaro: The Lemosho Route
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At 5,895m (19,340 ft), Mt Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest peak and one of the most spectacular free-standing summit treks in the world.
Start: Moshi Town
Finish: Moshi Town
At 5,895m (19,340 ft), Mt Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest peak and one of the most spectacular free-standing summit treks in the world.
The Lemosho route is one of our preferred routes due to its low traffic, beautiful scenery and a high summit success rate. Starting off from the west, Lemosho is considered by many to be the most beautiful path up to the Shira Plateau. This adventure starts off with a few long days as you gain altitude, where you can enjoy magnificent forests and moorland, before emerging into high-alpine deserts. After the summit has been reached, you join the Machame Route at Shira 2 Camp, before descending into Mweka Gate.
This is a journey of a lifetime
Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Tanzania:
You will be picked up at the Kilimanjaro International Airport and transferred to your hotel in Moshi town, you will meet your guide who will brief you on your upcoming trek and do an equipment check to make sure you have all the necessary mountain gear.
Gear which is missing can be rented on this day.
Meals: No Meals Included
Day 2
Lemosho Glades (2385m) to Big Tree Camp (2780m):
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.
Distance covered: 7km / 4.3mi
Approx. time taken: 4 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 3
Big Tree Camp (2780m) to Shira 1 Camp (3500m):
Today you will trek across a plateau of grassy moorland and heather scattered with volcanic rock formations. Our destination for today is the Shira 1 Camp from where there are often views of Kibo Peak floating on the clouds. We gain a reasonable amount of altitude today and parts of the route are fairly steep.
Distance covered: 8.5km / 5.3mi
Approx. time taken: 7 hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 4
Shira 1 Camp (3500m) to Shira 2 Camp (3900m):
Today 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 acclimatisation and we enjoy great panoramic views. Our destination today is the Shira 2 Camp.
In the afternoon you will take an acclimatisation walk then head back to camp for dinner and overnight.
Distance covered: 8km / 5mi
Approx. time taken: 5 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 5
Shira 2 Camp (3900m) to Barranco Camp (3960m):
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.
Distance covered: 10km / 6.2mi
Approx. time taken: 7 hrs
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 6
Barranco Camp (3960m) to Karanga Camp (3963m):
Our 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 acclimatisation trek up to around 4200m before descending back to camp for the night.
Distance covered: 5.5km / 3.4mi
Approx. time taken: 5 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 7
Karanga Camp (3963) to Barafu Camp (4640m):
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.
Distance covered: 3km / 1.9mi
Approx. time taken: 3 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 8
Barafu Camp (4640m) to UHURU PEAK (5895m) & down to Mweka Camp (3790m):
We start off at around midnight and walk steeply upwards to the summit glaciers. We will be climbing slowly for 4 to 5 hours while gaining incredible heights 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 Mweka Camp for a long well-earned rest.
Distance covered: 13.4km / 8.3mi
Approx. time taken: 12 – 15 hours
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Included
Day 9
Mweka Camp (3790m) to Mweka Gate (1630m):
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 shower.
Overnight at the hotel.
Distance covered: 12.1km / 7.5mi
Approx. time taken: 6 hours
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch Included
Day 10
Departure:
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 town and grab some souvenirs before heading to the airport.
Accommodation
Included
- All national park fees.
- Rescue fees.
- Camping/Hut fees
- All meals and water on the mountain
- A nice and comfortable mattress {camping routes}
- Tents {personal sleeping tent, mess tent for our guests to have their meals, kitchen tent as cooking place and to store our food, as well as shelter tent for the porters use}
- All Transport
- Hotel staying in Moshi with bed and breakfast for two days (1 day before and 1 day after your climb)
- Professional and experienced Mountain Guides, amazing chef and trusted porters to make your adventure with us in Tanzania the most successful one.
- Portable chemical toilet
- Emergency Oxygen
- Pulse Oximeter
Excluded
- Flights
- Visas
- Travel Insurance
- Personal drinks and snacks
- Tips for the climbing team
- Personal equipment (listed below)
- Sleeping bags (can be rented)
Essential Information
Let's begin with Ecological Zones:
It all begins at the base of the mountain as we embark on our climb, allowing us to pass through lush rain-forests, proceeding through heath, moorland, alpine desert and finally entering the arctic zone. Climbers need to be prepared for the wide range of temperatures as we pass through all the different zones, especially the extreme cold on entering the arctic zone. Climbers also need to be aware that the forest sections can often be quite slippery, as moorland can get very wet due to poor weather conditions. Additionally, the final ascent through the arctic zone is almost entirely of scree and lose rock, so watch your step. Although this section can be tricky, there are no technical climbing skills needed.
What is Altitude Sickness & Will I Get It?
Altitude sickness symptoms occur when the rate of ascent into higher altitudes is too quickly that the body doesn’t get time to acclimatise. Altitude sickness generally develops at elevations higher than 2,400 meters above sea level. The most common cause of altitude sickness is ascending too quickly, therefore, the main way to avoid altitude sickness is allowing the body to get used to the altitude slowly (Acclimatisation). Remember, this is not a race - look up and smell the roses!
Our professional guides will be monitoring you constantly throughout the trip, therefore, symptom checks will be a regular occurrence. It is important to be aware of the normal altitude symptoms that you may encounter, so please familiarise yourself with signs and symptoms before you depart and be very vocal about your own health during your trek. We will send you a full need to knows list at the time of booking!
If you are feeling nauseous, dizzy or experience other symptoms, please be sure to let your local guide know immediately so that we can monitor your condition.
[Click here to learn more about altitude sickness and how to avoid it] (http://)
How Fit Do I Need To Be & Do I Need To Train?
The short answer is: a basic level of fitness and good health is needed and training is highly recommended. However, you do not need to be a professional athlete or a marathon runner. What is going to get you to the end of your challenge is a mental and emotional commitment to the cause. As long as you set time aside to prepare for the challenge ahead, success will be on your side!
Check out our full fitness breakdown here
Weather:
Weather conditions and temperature on Kilimanjaro varies depending on season and altitude, cold temperatures and precipitation are the main weather concerns while climbing the mountain. The warmer, drier months are the best times to climb Kilimanjaro, climbs during January, February and September are all very good, while climbs in June, July and August equally have good it’s possible the temperature will be a little cooler. Times to try and avoid climbing the mountain are during the rainy season which falls in the months of March, April, May and November although climbers can still experience rain during the dry season, the weather on the mountain is unpredictable. Please note that this is a challenging and tough trek, which reaches an altitude of 5895m. It is possible to find this climb very difficult even if you consider yourself to be relatively fit, it mostly depends on how well your body acclimatizes to high altitude.
Visa:
It is possible to obtain a tourist visa for a single entry at any one of the following main entry points to Tanzania, subject to the fulfilment of all immigration and health requirements for approximately USD$50 in cash:
- Dar es Salaam International Airport
- Zanzibar International Airport
- Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA)
- Namanga Entry Point (Tanzania-Kenya border point)
- Kasumulu Border crossing
- Isebania Border crossing
Alternatively, you will need to purchase your visa in advance at any Diplomatic or Consulate Mission of the United Republic of Tanzania abroad.
The cost is approximately USD100 depending on nationality and should take one business day. At the present time, you do not require a multi-entry visa to Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda due to an agreement between the three countries (i.e. if you exit Kenya to Tanzania you can re-enter Kenya on the same visa).
However, if your trip visits Tanzania twice after a visit to a country other than those listed above, you may need to purchase two visas.
For the most up to date information on visa requirements, we recommend you contact the Tanzania embassy in your country or visit https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/tanzania/entry-requirements
Vaccinations:
It may be required to show a Yellow Fever certificate upon entering the country. Please check in with your local consulate and health expert for advice on Yellow Fever and other inoculations required for this area.
Travel Insurance:
Travel insurance is compulsory in order to participate in any of our trips. When travelling on a group trip, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance has been sighted by your Tour leader/ local representative, who will take note of your insurance details and emergency contact number. We strongly recommend that the policy also covers personal liability of luggage, cancellation, curtailment and loss and personal effects, alongside covid-19 cover.
If you would like to obtain cover for your trip please feel free to contact specialist Insurance Brokers, Campbell Irvine Direct for a quote. GoKo Travels is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Campbell Irvine Ltd who are Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority .
Covid-19:
Please click here to learn more about what we do to keep you safe while on a GoKo run tour.
For more up to date information regarding the current travel restrictions within Tanzania, please click here
Additionally, you can email: info@gokotravels.com and a GoKo Travel Manager will get back to you as soon possible with all the relevant information.
Travel With Confidence:
Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, the safety and wellbeing of all of our travellers, leaders, suppliers and staff remains our top priority. Not only have we updated our booking policies so you can flexibly amend booking arrangements before departure and get the most out of your holidays while away, we have also introduced new measures and safety guidelines so you can travel with GoKo Travels safely and securely.
What does this new booking policy mean for me?:
Fully Flexible bookings for peace of mind - We understand that sometimes plans change. That’s why GoKo Travels have updated our booking policies, so you now have full flexibility to change your travel plans if needed.
Our flexible booking policy includes:
(a) Free date changes up to 45days prior to departure - with no interest or added fees
(b) Full refund giving if you have to cancel the trip due to any COVID-19 related issues or international restrictions.
(c) You can now lock in your trip with a small refundable deposit and then pay the rest in instalments whenever you like, with no interest or fees.
Booking Terms:
Please note: This trip must receive a minimum of three reservations forty-five days prior to the departure date. In the unlikely event that we do not receive three or more bookings for each departure, you will have two options:
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You will be able to change dates at no additional cost to you (flexibility up to 3 years)
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Full refund will be given.
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Book with Confidence
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Full Flexibility
Free date changes and cancellations up to 45-days before departure on the majority of our holidays
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Your Money is Safe
Full financial Protection on all of our bookings so you can travel with piece of mind.
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COVID-19 Commitment
Full refund given if you have to cancel the trip due to any COVID-19 related issues or international restrictions.
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Travelling Safely
When you travel with us you can be confident that all of our holidays meet COVID-19 safety regulations.
Giving Back
As part of our commitment to preserving planet earth, we donate 3% of our profits to GoKo Travel's registered non-for-profit, "The GoKo Earth Preservation".
The GoKo Earth Preservation has been set up to protect and preserve the natural habitats of our planet and to conserve and enhance the biodiversity of threatened environments and endangered species around the globe. This is achieved through rewilding, reforestation and marine conservation projects, alongside local community support.
Securing A Rainforest Reserve
Support the purchase of our very own GoKo Rainforest reserve - preserving biodiversity and protecting endangered species in the world's most important habitat.
Assisting Marine Conservation
With your help, we can buy boats to support marine conservation; securing the future for our fragile oceans and the wonderful beings that inhabit them.
Creating New National Parks
By helping with the creation of new parks, we can support local economies, empower native communities and put healthy landscapes into permanent protection.
Looking to Carbon Offset?
Although all of our GoKo holidays promise to warm your hearts, we don’t want it to contribute to warming the planet.
Upon request, we can help you go Carbon Neutral. Thanks for our contacts, we can support a 3-step carbon offset scheme to calculate and neutralise your holiday footprint, allowing you to travel conscious free. This covers every step of the journey where you travel with us, from international flights to hotel heating, transport, food and more.
If requested, the GoKo Carbon Offsetting scheme does not focus on just planting trees, but rather the purchasing, persevering and protecting standing forests from deforestation and degradation - helping revive forests back to full health and avoiding the release of stored carbon. This also enables the regeneration of degraded habitats, which gradually re-absorb atmospheric CO2.
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