The Most Beautiful and Balanced Route to the Roof of Africa
The Lemosho/ Shira route consists of two tracks (Lemosho and Londrosi) starting at the same point on the Western side of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Once you arrive at the Shira plateau, the vegetation change is spectacular, with open grasslands sweeping into moorlands. After this point, you will pass the impressive Shira Cone, Shira Cathedral, and then Shira Needles. For an enjoyable hike, this trek requires a minimum of 7 days, though 8 or 9 days is recommended.
Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi / Moshi
Depart Nairobi early this morning with a shuttle/ private van to Moshi town, over the Tanzanian border. Upon your arrival, you have several options, including a visit to the vibrant marketplace, or you may prefer to relax in your comfortable hotel for the rest of the afternoon, to prepare for your trek tomorrow.
Day 2: Moshi / Mti Mkubwa camp
After breakfast at your hotel, we will drive in a Land Cruiser to the Londrosi park gate, where we can register for our climb and, upon obtaining a permit, drive back to Lemosho starting point, where our trek can begin. From here we have a 6km climb, which will take about 3 hours to our first camp at 2750m. We will stay at Mti Mkubwa Camp (Big Tree) for dinner and spend the night here.
Day 3: Mti Mkubwa / Shira 1 camp
Today we have a 5- 6 hour climb from Mti Mkubwa Camp through the moorlands to the next camp at 3500m, named Shira 1 Camp, about 9kms away. We can have dinner and spend the night here.
Day 4: Shira 1 / Shira 2 camp
After breakfast, we have about a 3-hour trek through the heather Moorlands of the mountain to Shira 2 Camp at 3850m, where we will have dinner tonight and spend the night.
Day 5: Shira 2 / Baranco camp
This morning, we can leave Shira 2 Camp to hike across the Lava Tower at 4600m for acclimatisation. From here, we can continue on to Baranco camp at 3950m, where we will arrive before dinner, and which will take us in total about 6- 7 hours trekking.
Day 6 : Baranco / Karanga Camp
Today we can leave Baranco camp for Karanga camp, about 5 km away, which will take us about 3-4 hours. On our hike, we will climb the Baranco Walls at 4250m, from where we can cross Karanga Valley to arrive at Karanga camp before dinner, at an altitude of 4000m.
Day 7: Karanga / Barafu Camp
After breakfast, we can continue our hike to Barafu camp, about 4kms away from Karanga camp, which will take us about 3 hours. We will have dinner and spend the night here, at an altitude of 4600m.
Day 8 : Barafu / Uhuru peak 5895 / Mweka Camp.
We can leave very early morning from Barafu camp to begin our trek to the summit, first passing Stella Point where we can relax and soak in the views before our final ascent to Uhuru peak, the highest point of Mt.Kilimanjaro at 5895m. From Barafu camp to the summit is about a 6-hour trek. After celebrating, we can then start to return to Barafu camp for a rest and lunch, before our last descent to Mweka High camp (3700m) or Mweka Camp (3100m), which at an will take us about 2 hours before we arrive at our camp for the night, in time for dinner.
Day 9: Mweka Camp / Moshi
After breakfast, we can continue our final descent to Mweka park gate, which is about a 3-hour walk down. Our vehicle will be waiting for us, and your comfortable hotel in Moshi town will invite you in for a hot shower before a late lunch, after which the driver will bring you to the airport from where you will take your flight back home. If you’ve decided to go on a safari, well, that’s a different adventure, and we’ll take care of that for you!
Important Information
Safari Inclusions:
- Licensed Kilimanjaro guides, porters & cooks
- Park entrance & camping fees
- Full board meals while on the mountain
- Hotel stays in Moshi before & after the climb
- Camping equipment (tents, mattresses, kitchenware)
- All transfers between Nairobi, Moshi & park gates
- Emergency rescue coordination
What to Bring:
- Warm layered clothing for summit night
- Waterproof outerwear (jacket, pants, gaiters)
- Trekking boots & comfortable hiking gear
- Sleeping bag rated to -10°C
- Trekking poles, headlamp, sunglasses, sunscreen
- Personal medications & first aid kit
- Camera & extra batteries for summit photos!
