7-Day Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route Trek to Uhuru Peak

Drive from Moshi to the Londorossi Park Gate. From here, follow a forest track in a 4WD vehicle for about 11 km/7 mi (45 minutes) to Lemosho Glades and a possible campsite. From the glades, walk for 3 hours along beautiful forest trails to the Mti Mkubwa (Big Tree) campsite.

The trail gradually steepens and enters the giant heather moorland zone, then crosses the Shira Ridge at 3,600 m/11,810 ft and drops gently to Shira Camp 1, located by a stream on the Shira Plateau.

A gentle walk across the plateau leads to Shira Camp 2 on moorland meadows by a stream. Various walks are available on the plateau, making this an excellent acclimatization day.

After breakfast, you will hike east up a steepening path above the highest vegetation toward Kilimanjaro's looming mass. After several hours, you walk through a rocky landscape to reach the prominent landmark called Lava Tower at 4,630 m/15,190 ft. This chunky remnant of Kilimanjaro's earlier volcanic activity is several hundred feet high, and the trail passes right below it. For extra credit, the sure-footed can scramble to the top of the tower. After a lunch stop near Lava Tower, descend for 2 hours below the lower cliffs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall to Barranco Camp at 3,950 m/12,960 ft.

There are numerous photo opportunities on this hike, especially if the walls are festooned with ice. Barranco Camp is in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Walls, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for your dinner. On this day, be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness.

Leave slowly, crossing the floor of the Great Barranco Valley and climbing up the Barranco Wall. Continue the trek on the South Circuit path through the Karanga Valley, then slowly trek for about 7 hours to Barafu Hut (4,600 m). From Barafu, you will have excellent views of Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. Barafu Hut is situated on an exposed and dangerous ridge, so it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the terrain before dark. We will have dinner, rest, and prepare for summit night.

You will rise around 11:30 PM, and after some steaming tea and biscuits, you shuffle off into the night. Your 6-hour climb northwest up through heavy scree between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers to Stella Point on the crater rim is the most challenging part of the route for most climbers. At Stella Point (5,685 m/18,650 ft), you stop for a short rest and a chance to see a supremely sanguine sunrise. At Stella Point, you join the top part of the Marangu Route, but do not stop here too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue.

Depending on the season and recent storms, you may encounter snow on your remaining hike along the rim to Uhuru Peak. On the summit, you can enjoy your accomplishment and know you are creating a day you will remember for the rest of your life. After your 3-hour descent from the summit back to Barafu Camp, you will have a well-earned but short rest, collect your gear, and hike down a rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest to Mweka Camp (3,100 m/10,170 ft).

After a well-deserved breakfast, it is a short, scenic, 3-hour hike back to the park gate. At Mweka Gate, you can sign your name and add details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Climbers who reach Stella Point are issued green certificates, and those who reach Uhuru Peak receive gold certificates. From Mweka Gate, you will be driven back to Moshi for an overdue hot shower and a comfortable night.