Mount Kilimanjaro Lemosho Ruten Itinerary

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

Lemosho ruten

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

Quick facts about the Mount Kilimanjaro Lemosho Ruten

Our Opinion of the Lemosho Route

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

Lemosho route overview

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.

The Lemosho is a beautiful route that departs from the West side of Mount Kilimanjaro
Due to its route profile the Lemosho can be completed on a seven or eight day itinerary and offers lots of opportunities to properly acclimatize. Because of it’s versatile route profile it is a highly recommended Kilimanjaro route that has relatively high summit success rates
It is also recommended as the starting point is relatively remote and hence provides trekkers with a rather untouched and wild start to their Kilimanjaro adventure. Spotting large wildlife, like antelope, buffalo and even elephant is unusual but not impossible
The route also provides unparalleled and spectacular views of the dramatic gorges that characterize the western side of Mount Kilimanjaro
The Lemosho offers trekkers the experience of hiking across the Shira Plateau – one of the largest high altitude plateaus in the world
Trekkers on the Lemosho typically converge with Machame route on day 3 at Barranco camp and use the Barafu camp route to the summit; however, it is now quite common for Lemosho trekkers to veer north before Lava Tower to join the Northern Circuit which circles the north side of Mount Kilimanjaro and follows an assault passage via Gilman’s Point. The Lemosho route can also be used by trekkers planning to climb the Western Breach to the summit
Like the Machame Route, the Lemosho route is fully catered camping only

Lemosho Route Highlights

Considerations

Lemosho Route Tours

What is the scenery like?

The Lemosho route is known for being one of the most beautiful Kilimanjaro routes. You walk through lush rainforest on the first couple of days. Spotting large wildlife, like antelopes, is not very common but possible! The route also gives you the experience of hiking across the Shira Plateau, which is one of the largest high-altitude plateaus in the world. The plateau affords you fantastic views of the dramatic rock buttress known as Shira Cathedral.

How hard is the Lemosho route?

No Kilimanjaro climb is easy, but the Lemosho route is generally considered one of the 'easier' climbs because of it's great acclimatisation profile. It has great 'climb high, sleep low' opportunities. Put simply, with the right Kilimanjaro preparation anyone can climb this route. You should be physically fit, and with the right support in the form of your mountain crew, you can achieve the summit whether you have previous hiking experience or are a first-time trekker.

What is the route's success rate?

The Lemosho route has one of the best summit success rates of all the routes up Kilimanjaro. This is because the path more than once takes you high before dropping you back down to sleep low. Proper acclimatisation is the name of the game on this route! Whilst there are no official statistics, the average success rate across all Kilimanjaro operators is 90% for the eight-day Lemosho trek and 85% for the seven-day Lemosho trek. KIAfrika Adventure has a success rate of over 95% for both the seven- and eight-day Lemosho routes!

How many days is the Lemosho?

The Lemosho route can be completed in seven or eight days. The extra day gives you more time to acclimatise.

How busy is the route?

The Lemosho route is generally quite busy, as many folks do, naturally, want to climb the most scenic route up the mountain! The first couple of days through the beautiful rainforest section is relatively quiet. It's when you join the Machame route near the Lava Tower that the crowds can get a little bigger in peak season.

What is accommodation like?

The Lemosho route only offers camping accommodation. As part of the KIAfrika Adventure climbing package, all of your camping equipment is included: tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat and pillow. And during the trek all tents are pitched and then taken down by our mountain crew.

What does the Lemosho route cost?

KIAfrika Adventure offers the Lemosho route as an eight-day group or private climb. This costs $2.000 per person (based on double occupancy). The fee includes eight days on the mountain and one day either side at a beautiful lodge in Moshi.

Northern Circuit

Western Circuit

Southern Circuit