THE LEMOSHO ROUTE

Your first night will be spent at Arusha's Karama Lodge. If you have chosen to be picked up
from Kilimanjaro International Airport by The Africa Safaris, your driver will be waiting to
greet you and take you to your Arusha lodge to relax after your flight.

We leave the hotel one hour later after an early breakfast (07.00) to arrive at the Londorossi
Gate for registration around 12.00, just in time for our picnic lunch. Today's walk is 7
kilometers long, with a walking time of 3.5 to 4 hours.
Our starting elevation is around 2100 meters, and we finish at 2700 meters. Our approach to
the mountain is from the west, which some say offers the best views of Kilimanjaro. We might
see some colobus or blue monkeys at the start of our walk, but encounters with buffalo,
elephants, or leopards are uncommon nowadays. Our steady ascent is a wonderful experience,
complete with a fantastic forest and some colorful flowers. Mti Mkubwa Camp ('Big Tree
Camp') is usually reached by 18.00, and dinner is served at 19:30.

You'll get used to the early breakfast at 07.00, and our departure time is at 08.00. Although our
walking distance is similar to yesterday's, we will be ascending from 2700 meters to 3500
meters today, and we anticipate a longer walking time of 6.5 to 7 hours. Today, the trees of our
first day thin out, and we eventually leave the forest environment behind as we move onto the
moorland, where we get our first glimpse of the Shira Plateau and Kibo itself.
To reduce the likelihood of feeling ill, you should continue to walk pole pole (slowly). Our
route is mostly eastward, and we stop for a picnic lunch around 13.00. After lunch, the terrain
flattens and you descend slightly to Shira 1 Camp, with the snow-capped Kibo ahead of you.
Our dinner will be ready at 18.30 if we arrive around 16.00.

In comparison to yesterday, our ascent today is less (350 meters) and takes us to an altitude of
3850 meters. We'll cover a similar amount of ground, about 7km. It's a steady uphill climb that
will take you about 3.5 to 4 hours to complete.
Today's breakfast will be at the civilised hour of 08.00, and our departure will be one hour later.
We set out in a south-eastern direction across the Shira Plateau's moor and heathland. Buffalo,
dik-dik, and klipspringer graze here and can be seen on occasion. We plan to arrive at Shira 2
Camp – also known as Shira Huts – by 13.00, in time for a hot lunch. Tonight's dinner will be
at 18.00.

Today we return to our regular breakfast time of 07.00 a.m., in preparation for our 08.30
departure. We have about 10km to cover, but even though we will end the day only 90 metres
higher than we began, we must first climb to the foot of the Lava Tower (4267 metres) before
descending to Barranco for the night.
You can expect to walk for about 6.5 to 7 hours, during which time you will leave the Shira
Ridge and connect with the more popular Machame trail. Today's scenery is dominated by
Alpine desert. Your picnic lunch will be at 13.00, your arrival at Barranco will be around 16.00,
and dinner will be around 19.00.

Today we eat breakfast a little later (07.30), and our walk is only 4 kilometers long, but it takes
between 3.5 and 4 hours to complete. Our departure time today will be 08.30, and we will have
a hot lunch at Karanga at 13.00, with the afternoon free to enjoy the views before dinner at
18.00. Today's altitude gain is only 160 meters.
We begin the hardest part of today's stage by scrambling up the near-vertical face of the
Barranco Wall (also known as the 'Breakfast Wall' because you tackle it right after breakfast!).
You will be rewarded with views of the Heim Glacier at the summit of this climb. The rest of
today's walk becomes a little easier after that, as we first descend to the gully below and into
the cold.

Another short-distance day begins with breakfast at the camp at 07.30 and another departure at
08.30. Today we will ascend about 500 meters over a distance of about 5 kilometers, with a
walking time of between 3.5 and 4 hours. We'll try to get to the Barafu Camp by 13.00, when
we'll be rewarded with a hot lunch.
(Because tomorrow is the summit day, it is critical to relax and prepare for the hard work
ahead.) Tonight's dinner is served at 17.30, giving you plenty of time to get to bed early.
Today's stage climbs steadily after leaving Karanga, passing through barren, rocky terrain with
the Decken and Kersten glaciers visible to your left. As you descend into a valley at the top of
the climb, the landscape remains Rebmann, you've caught sight of another glacier. The Barafu
Camp, located at the valley's end, is today's destination, which you will reach after a short,
steep scramble and a walk.

Today is the most difficult day, but hopefully it will end with a great sense of accomplishment
from reaching your goal – the summit of Kilimanjaro! Our 'Summit Day' agenda is, of course,
very different. We get up at 23.00 and have tea and biscuits (23.30) before our midnight
departure. The day begins with a long, difficult climb from Barafu at 4600 meters to Stella
Point at 5745 meters; some of this will be done on screen, making the trek more difficult.
From there, it's another 150 meters uphill and a 45-minute walk to the summit. Our goal is to
reach the summit by 07.00, then celebrate by taking precious photos and enjoying this oncein-a-lifetime experience. We return to Barafu after the summit for a couple of hours of rest and
After a hot lunch, we will depart at 13.30 p.m. to continue our descent to Mweka Camp (3100
m), where we will spend the night. We'd like to arrive at 17.00 and eat dinner at 19.00. (Today,
we walked about 17 kilometers in about 13 hours.)

Still ecstatic about your accomplishment, breakfast is served at 07.00, and at 08.00, you have
the opportunity to reward your trekking team at the 'Tipping Celebration.' Departure is at 09.00,
and you will descend to Mweka Gate at an altitude of 1640 meters, where you will be served a
hot lunch and presented with your well-earned certificate at midday. Your transportation will
be waiting to take you back to your hotel in Arusha or Mosh, where you can relax – or celebrate!
Your hotel will be picked up and you will be driven to Momella Gate in Arusha National Park.
The first day of hiking is similar to a walking safari; expect to see giraffes, zebras, antelope,
buffalo, and possibly elephants close to the trail. Due to the high likelihood of encountering
wildlife, we must hike with an armed ranger. As you continue your hike. When you arrive at
Miriakamba Hut (2500m), your chef will prepare a hot dinner for you as well as washing water.
Take advantage of the overnight.