LEMOSHO ROUTE - CLIMBING MOUNT KILIMANJARO 6 Days / 5 Nights
Day 1: Your day starts early with a briefing, followed by breakfast and a 2-hour drive from Moshi (910 m) to Londorossi Park Gate (2100 m). The guides and porters prepare and pack the supplies and your equipment in the village. You will receive a lunch pack and you can also buy mineral water in the village. From here a forest track requiring a 4WD vehicle leads to Lemosho Glades (2100 m, 11 km, 45 minutes). You will have a lunch break about half way and then walk along forest trails to Mti Mkubwa (big tree campsite, 2750 m, 3 hours). Your porters (arriving at the camp site long before you) will have your tent set upon on your arrival. In the evening the porters will boil drinking and washing water and the cook will prepare dinner, before you retire to your tent for the night. Night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at this campsite.
Day 2: You rise early at Mti Mkubwa camp and, after breakfast, you climb an hour or so to the top of the forest and then the trail gradually steepens and enters the giant heather moorland zone. Several streams are crossed. A gentle walk across the plateau leads to Shira 2-camp on moorland meadows next to a stream (3840 m). By now you will be able to see, in an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers. The porters will boil drinking and washing water, before serving dinner. The night at this exposed camp will even be colder than the previous night, with temperatures dropping to well below freezing. Enjoy dinner and overnight.
Day 3: The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower where you reach an altitude of 4600 m after about a 5 hours walk. Lunch is served in a designated are before ascending the rocky scree path to Lava Tower (4600 m). Definitely the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability and headaches. After lunch you descent again by almost 650m to the Barranco camping area and after reaching the high altitude of 4600 m at Lava Tower, the true acclimatization benefit of this day becomes clear. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall, which should provide you with a memorable sunset white you wait for your dinner.
Day 4: Make sure that you familiarize yourself with the terrain before dark to avoid any accidents. The summit is now a further 1345 m up and you will make the final ascent the same night. Prepare your equipment, ski stick and thermal clothing for your summit attempt. This should include the replacement of your headlamp and camera batteries and make sure you have a spare set available as well. To prevent freezing it will be wise to carry your water in a thermal flask. Go to bed at round about 1900hrs and try to get some precious rest and sleep. Overnight at Barafu camp.
Day 5: You will rise around 2330 hrs, and after some tea you shuffle off into the night. You will head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This 6-hour walks to Stella point is for many climbers, mentally and physically the most challenging on the route. At Stella Point (5685 m) you will stop for a short rest and then proceed to summit. The time you will spend on the summit will depend on the weather conditions. Do not stop here for too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue. Enjoy your accomplishment and a day to remember for the rest of your live. The walk back to Barafu from the summit, takes about 3 hours. Here you will have a well earned but short rest and collect the rest of your gear, before heading down to Mweka hut (3100 m). Overnight at Mweka Camp.
Day 6: After an early breakfast, it is a short 3-hour and scenic hike back to the Park gate. It is strongly recommended not to pay your porters any tips until you and all your gear have reached the gate safely. From the Mweka Gate you will continue down into the Mweka village, normally a muddy 3 km (1 hour) hike. In the Mweka village you will and drive back to Moshi for a long overdue hot shower, dinner and celebrations! Overnight in Moshi or Arusha hotel/lodge.
In most cases this itinerary is accompanied with a safari to the Tanzania Park such as Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti National Parks including Ngorongoro Crater and can be extended to the Southern or Western Central of the country let alone the beach holiday of Zanzibar, Mafia and Pemba Island.
But if it’s Kilimanjaro climbing only then the safari end up there and follows with the connection of the international flight back home at the Kilimanjaro International Airport.
LEMOSHO ROUTE - CLIMBING MOUNT KILIMANJARO 12 Days / 11 Nights
Day 1: Depart home to Tanzania.
Day 2: You will be met by our staff and get transferred to your booked hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 3: Breakfast at your hotel. Meet with your guide to review the trip, check gear and get your questions answered. Your can ask for hiking on slopes of Mount Meru to the view point of Arusha and waterfallsor rest up from the flights and to try any of the area restaurant for lunch and dinner.
Day 4: Drive to Londorosi Park gate. After picking up the requisite documantation at the Park gate continue to Lemosho Glades starting point (6890). Less steep than Machame route and less used, todays trek is through the forest that laces the foot of the Mountain.This evenings camp is pitched in the forest. Mti Mkubwa Camp (7,382 ft).
Day 5: Today's trek takes you slowly up the edge of the Shira volcano. As you gain altitude the vegetation thins and exotic species of high altitude appear. Camp is situated near the rim of the ancient volcano and provides a good opportunity to get the first direct of Kilimanjaro, Peak. Camp is pitched at about (11,450ft.)
Day 6: Trek to shira 2 Camp across the Shira Plateau, the flat caldera of volcano that was actually bigger and is much older than Kilimanjaro. Views can be very weather specific but on good days are breathtaking. Billiors cloud are often observed melting down from its rim onto hearth covered plateau. Kibo also shine with a silvery luminance as the glaciers reflect the strong sunlight. At times mist covers the plateau-views come and go quickly. You arrive in time for lunch and then have plenty time to relax and even go for a short acclimatization walk in the afternoon.
Day 7: We continue our walk across the Shira Plateau to Shira II Camp (3850 m; 12,600 ft). At this camp we join the Machame Route. The camp is near the Shira Hut, used by Tanzanian Park Service wardens as well dinner and overnight.
Day 8: We ascend through the moorland and alpine desert zones to the Lava Tower camp at 4600 meters, or 15,090 feet for dinner and overnight.
Day 9: Ascend to Arrow Glacier Camp (4800 m; 15,750 ft) then have dinner and overnight.
Day 10: We cross the Western Breach into the crater, camping at 5700 meters, or 18,700 feet explore the crater then have light dinner and overnight.
Day 11: Summit day. In less than two hours from camp, a measured pace will get us to the highest spot in Africa, Uhuru Point (5894 m; 19,339 ft). We descend the Barafu Route all the way to 10,000 feet at the top of the forest (Mweka Hut) for dinner and overnight.
Day 12: We walk through the forest to the park gate, where our Vehicles are waiting to take us back to either Moshi/Arusha to catch hot shower, leisure at the booked hotel, then dinner and overnight.
In most cases this itinerary is accompanied with a safari to the Tanzania Park such as Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti National Parks including Ngorongoro Crater and can be extended to the Southern or Western Central of the country let alone the beach holiday of Zanzibar, Mafia and Pemba Island.
But if it’s Kilimanjaro climbing only then the safari end up there and follows with the connection of the international flight back home at the Kilimanjaro International Airport.
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