The Lemosho-Shira Route begins at the Western side of Mount Kilimanjaro. This route starts at a
high altitude, but allows climbers to properly acclimatize on their way to the peak by “climbing high and sleeping low”.
This route is more secluded than the Marangu or Machame Routes, and therefore offers better scenery and environment to enjoy.
We leave Arusha, and begin driving to Londorossi Gate. After we register at the gate, we drive up a road to get to the Shira Gate. This is where we begin our trek on foot in the Tropical Rainforest Zone. We hike towards Simba Campsite for the night.
We wake up in the morning, and get ready to make our depart from Simba Camp. Today we will be crossing through the Shira Plateau. We explore the beautiful landscapes, and head towards our next campsite called Shira 2 Camp.
We wake up in the morning for breakfast, and make our depart from Shira 2 Camp. We continue to trek and head through the end of the Moorland/Heather Zone. We hike up towards Lava Tower in order to give our bodies better acclimitization. After our lunch, we head towards Barranco Camp. To reach here, we must travel through the Senecio Forest. This day is very good for acclimatization. We sleep overnight at Barranco Camp.
We wake up in the early morning and start the day off by making our way through the Great Barranco Wall. We climb up a small steep-like cliff. We head through a series of valleys all the way until we reach our next campsite: Karanga Valley Camp.
After having breakfast, we depart Karanga Valley Camp and head for the Mweka Trail. This is the path that we will be taking in order to get to our next camp. After travelling throughout the series of camps we have just passed, we have finished completing what is called the "Southern Circuit" of Mt. Kilimanjaro. This is great for beautiful views of the summit. We will have dinner earlier and go to bed so we can get all the rest we need for our biggest day of the trek: Summit Day. We sleep at Barafu Camp.
We wake up in the early morning around midnight. Depending on the weather, it can get very cold and windy at this elevation. We will get the chance to see a beautiful sunrise near Stella Point (18,900 ft). Shortly after, we arrive at Uhuru Peak where we will enjoy some time after accomplishing our trek to the Roof of Africa.
We make our descent from Uhuru Peak the same way we came up. We stop at Barafu Hut to have a quick lunch before descending further down to Mweka Camp. The descent can be very hard on your knees, so trekking poles are highly encouraged to be used during this part of the climb.
We have our breakfast, and afterwards have a short hike down to Mweka Gate. This is where we sign the official register, grab a cold drink, and get our certificate presented by our Head Guide. We will then get picked up and head to our hotel in Arusha for a well deserved shower.
Three nights at a hotel, in a standard room, including breakfast
Pick ups / drop offs at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
Transfers to/from the hotel and the Kilimanjaro trailhead
Mountain Hardwear Trango 4 tent
All meals in a private mess tent (three meals per day)
Porters/team for the climb
Filtered water
Private toilet tent
Hot water bottle
Foam mattress and pillow
Chairs at camp
Facebook updates
Our climbing team carries and has been trained to use our emergency safety equipment consisting of a Pulse Oximeter, Oxygen Cylinder, Hyperbaric Chamber and Automated External Defibrillator(AED).
Airfare to Tanzania
Travel and Medical Insurance
Cost of Visa
We recommend tipping a minimum of
$ 300 USD per climber. These funds are lumped together with other guests and distributed amongst all the team based ranking.
We compiled all the necessary clothing and equipment needed for any trekker in one simple list at your convenience. If you have any questions about the packing list, please do not hesitate to send us an e-mail.
