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The Mount Kilimanjaro Lemosho ruten is one of the best Kilimanjaro routes – perhaps even the best. We explain why we favour this route and recommend it to clients of all abilities and experience.
The Lemosho ruten is one of the newest Kilimanjaro routes. It was introduced as an alternative to the Shira route, which starts at a higher and therefore more challenging altitude.
The Lemosho offers gorgeous scenery. We love the rather untouched, wild start to the trail. We also love how the scenery changes from day to day.
There are several trekking routes to the summit. Among them, the Lemosho Route is a newer one, but already one of the preferred routes as it offers a great combination of fewer crowds, amazing scenery and high summit success rate. The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the west, via the Londorossi Gate, and goes through the rain forest to Shira Ridge. The Lemosho route crosses the entire Shira Plateau from west to east in a pleasant, relatively flat hike. Near Lava Tower, the route joins the Machame Route . Then it traverses underneath Kilimanjaro’s Southern Ice Field on a path known as the Southern Circuit before summiting from Barafu. The descent is made via the Mweka route. There are several possible variations to the Kilimanjaro Lemosho route, so don’t be surprised if you see an itinerary that mentions different camps and different heights.
Our standard Lemosho Route itinerary is 8 nights (7 trekking days, 9 days total). As all our departures are private, we can be quite flexible and on request, we can adapt the itinerary and make it shorter or longer to suit your preferences and stamina.
Trek Overview
On this route we approach the mountain from the west by the lightly-used Lemosho trail. Experienced guides consider this ascent route to be both easier and more beautiful than any other trail and it retains a real sense of unspoilt wilderness, crossing the caldera of Shira volcano, before traversing beneath the southern ice fields of Kibo. Lemosho is a little-used approach route and there is time to enjoy the unspoilt wilderness, and the breathtaking scenery, on Shira Plateau before the convergence with other routes in the later stages of the trip. The final ascent to the summit is made along the Barafu route, often providing stunning views of Kibo.
The Lemosho route is an unspoilt, remote, little used and beautiful way up to the Shira Plateau. The route is one of the few where groups may be accompanied on the first day by an armed ranger, as the forests around the Lemosho Glades are inhabited by buffalo, elephant and other wildlife
Day | Start | Altitude (m) | Altitude (ft) | Finish | Altitude (m) | Altitude (ft) | TIme | Distance | Distance |
1 | Londorossi Gate | 2,360 | 7,742 | Mti Mkubwa | 2,895 | 9,498 | 3-4 | 6 | 4 |
2 | Mti Mkubwa | 2,895 | 9,498 | Shira 1 Camp | 3,505 | 11,500 | 5-6 | 8 | 5 |
3 | Shira 1 Camp | 3,505 | 11,500 | Shira 2 Camp | 3,810 | 12,500 | 3-4 | 10 | 6 |
Shira 2 Camp | 3,810 | 12,500 | Moir Hut | 1,200 | 13,800 | 2-3 | 4 | 2 | |
4 | Moir Hut | 1,200 | 13,800 | Lava Tower | 4,630 | 15,190 | 2-3 | 4 | 2 |
Lava Tower | 4,630 | 15,190 | Barranco Camp | 3,976 | 13,044 | 2-3 | 3 | 2 | |
5 | Barranco Camp | 3,976 | 13,044 | Karanga Camp | 3,995 | 13,106 | 4-5 | 5 | 3 |
6 | Karanga Camp | 3,995 | 13,106 | Barafu Camp | 4,673 | 15,331 | 4-5 | 4 | 2 |
Barafu Camp | 4,673 | 15,331 | Uhuru Peak | 5,895 | 19,341 | 7-8 | 5 | 3 | |
7 | Uhuru Peak | 5,895 | 19,341 | Mweka Camp | 3,068 | 10,065 | 4-6 | 12 | 7 |
Mweka Camp | 3,068 | 10,065 | Mweke Gate | 1,640 | 5,380 | 3-4 | 10 | 6 |
At KIAfrika Adventure we love the Lemosho route. It’s our personal favourite because you get to experience a bit of everything. We really enjoy the first couple of days in the forest, and also the opportunities to take beautiful photographs of the amazing views and scenery along the way. In fact, the Lemosho route stops over at locations that offer some of the best sunrises and sunsets on Kilimanjaro.
All of this beauty goes hand in hand with the fact that the chances of summiting Kilimanjaro are high among trekkers using the Lemosho route – always a plus!
The Lemosho route therefore ticks all of the boxes when it comes to choosing a Kilimanjaro climb. If you’re especially concerned about acclimatising, you can also opt for an eight-day Lemosho route over the seven-day option, as this gives you
The Lemosho route can be done in seven or eight days. The extra day on the eight-day route allows for an extra day of acclimatisation, which is always a good thing.
It is also possible for this route in six days to do, then you climb on day four of Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp Site, this trip takes approximately seven hours.
Most of our customers climb this route in eight days.
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