11 Days Lemosho Route With Crater Camp

Day 1: Arrival

To get to Kilimanjaro International Airport, every hiker must arrange their own flights (JRO). We will set up a private transfer for you from JRO to your hotel. You will meet your local Tito Tanzania agent that evening or early the next morning and receive a thorough pre-climb briefing.

• Transport: Private transfer (0.8 hour, 40 km)
• Accommodation: Hotel

Day 2: Lemosho Gate to Mti Mkubwa Camp

Transfer in a 4WD to the Lemosho Park Entrance to register. Before we start our ascent up the woodland trail to Mti Mkubwa (Big Tree) campsite at 2895m, our porters prepare and load our provisions and bags. We’ll spend the night here.

• Transport: 1.7 hours, 80 km
• Hiking time: 3 – 4 hours
• Ascent: 535 m
• altitude: 2895 m
• Accommodation: Camping
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 3: Mti Mkubwa Camp to Shira 1 Camp

Shira Cathedral is magnificently visible as we travel farther east on the Shira Plateau. To get to Shira 1 Camp for dinner and overnight camping at 3500m, we cross a moorland meadow. The beautiful glaciers of the Western Breach will be visible by now. Tonight will be significantly colder than last night, with potential lows below zero.

• Hiking time: 5 – 6 hours
• Ascent: 605 m
• altitude: 3500 m
• Accommodation: Camping
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 4: Shira 1 Camp to Moir Hut

The trail becomes steeper as it enters the moorland region as we leave the forest behind. You can reach Moir Hut, which offers stunning views of the Arrow glacier, by walking across the high-altitude Shira Caldera at a moderate gradient. Here at 4200m, we’ll set up camp for the night.

• Hiking time: 6 – 7 hours
• Ascent: 700 m
• altitude: 4200 m
• Accommodation: Camping
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 5: Moir Hut to Barranco Camp Via Lava Tower

We will ascend to 4600 meters today and descend to the base of the Lava Tower for lunch and acclimatization. Our hardest day thus far will be today, and you might feel the effects of the altitude for the first time. Following the acclimatization maxim “hike high, sleep low,” we will descend once again by over 650 meters to Barranco Camp after lunch. We descend to Barranco Camp over a two-hour period, which provides wonderful possibilities to capture some breathtaking images of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is located in a valley between the Great Barranco Wall and the Breach.

• Hiking time: 6 – 7 hours
• Ascent: 400 m
• Descent: 650 m
• altitude: 4600 m
• Accomodation: Camping
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 6: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp

A quick but enjoyable day that begins with a climb up the Great Barranco Wall. To reach the Karanga Valley (3930m), which is located beneath the icefalls of the Heim, Kersten, and Decken Glaciers, we then travel through scree. At the campsite at Karanga, we’ll spend the night.

• Hiking time: 4 hours
• Ascent: 260 m
• Descent: 280 m
• altitude: 4210 m
• Accommodation: Camping
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 7: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp

In order to reach the intersection with the Mweka downhill trail, we leave the Karanga campground behind. We then ascend to Barafu Camp from here. You have now finished the Southern Circuit, which gives numerous perspectives of the summit. We may rest, eat dinner, and get ready for the summit day in camp. From here, it is possible to see Mawenzi and Kibo’s two peaks in full view.

• Hiking time: 3 – 4 hours
• Ascent: 670 m
• altitude: 4600 m
• Accommodation: Camping
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 8: Barafu Camp to Summit to Crater Camp

Awakening will occur about 7:00. Starting between the Rebman and Ratzel glaciers, we ascend to Stella Point on the crater rim on our ascent to the summit. The hardest portion of the walk both psychologically and physically is this. We will pause at Stella Point (5732m) to have a little break. The highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro on the African continent, Uhuru Peak (5895m), is now only an hour away. We take a few summit shots before starting our descent into Kibo Crater, where we’ll set up camp for the evening. Depending on the season, you will observe the rapidly retreating glaciers set amidst either sand, desert, or snowy conditions. The view is simply stunning.

• Hiking time: 9 – 10 hours
• Ascent: 1295 m
• Descent: 165 m
• altitude: 5895 m
• Accommodation: Camping
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 9: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate

To make it to the Crater Rim in time to view the sunrise, we get up early. We walk down to the campground at Mweka Hut from the rim. In order to navigate the loose gravel leading to Mweka Camp, trekking poles will be required (3100m). We will have our final meal on the mountain later in the evening before a well-deserved rest.

• Hiking time: 7 – 8 hours
• Descent: 2630 m
• altitude: 5730 m
• Accommodation: Camping
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Day 10: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate

This is your last day of the journey; after breakfast, we continue our descent of 1300 meters to the Mweka Park Gate, where you can pick up your summit certificates from the park headquarters. to your hotel by transfer.

• Transport: 0.6 hour, 17 km
• Hiking time: 3 – 4 hours
• Descent: 1300 m
• altitude: 3100 m
• Accomodation: Hotel
• Meals included: Breakfast / Lunch

Day 11: Departure

We’ll say farewell after a much-needed night of rest. If you have scheduled an airport transport with us, a safari, or a vacation to Zanzibar, we will pick you up in the morning for your next destination.

• Transport: 0.8 hour, 40 km
• Meals included: Breakfast