Kilimanjaro 9 Days Lemosho route
Itinerary Details
The Lemosho Route is one of the best options for climbing Kilimanjaro. The route provides plenty of time for acclimatization and takes in the entire scenery of the mountain as it practically traverses it from west to east. The access via the western route requires a bit longer drive to the trail head but is well worth it as you get to drive through some wild country and may even be lucky enough to spot buffalo or an elephant. During the first few days of the trek you will ascend the western flank of the mountain a side of mountain few visitors reach as you ascend through the lowland jungles to the Shira Plateau. After reaching Shira Camp 2 on the third day the remainder of the trek follows the traditional Machame Route and the number of trekkers on the trail increases. The fourth day of trekking is quite helpful for acclimatization as you ascend to the Lava Tower (15,000 feet / 4600m) before descending to the campsite in Barranco Valley. Another day of trekking brings you to the high camp at Barafu, which lies on a barren volcanic plain. Climbers spend the afternoon resting here before making a midnight summit push. It’s a 6 hour slog to the crater rim and another hour of traversing across the rim of the crater to reach Uhuru Peak the final summit and highest point in Africa.
Day by Day Itinery
FULL ITINERARY
Day 1 – Kilimanjaro Airport to Moshi
Pick up from Kilimanjaro International Airport and transfer to Moshi town which is known as the gateway to Kilimanjaro. Meet your guide and review your equipment in the evening in preparation for the trek the following day.
Day 2 – Mti Mkubwa Camp
(2900 m/9,500 feet), 6 km/4 miles (3 to 4 hours)
It is between 3 and 4 hours of driving to reach Londorossi Gate the starting point for the climb. It’s an interesting drive through some remote country so keep your eye out for wildlife. Another few hours of formalities with the park rangers at the gate and you will be on the trail. The trail goes through the lowland forests where you’re likely to spot the large Colobus monkeys which are fairly common.
Day 3 – Shira 2
(3875 m/12,715 feet), 16 km/9 miles (7 to 8 hours)
The first part of the days trek is fairly steep as you climb up out of the jungle and into the moorland ecosystem dominated by Giant Heathers and a variety of grasses and wildflowers. You will first reach Shira Ridge before the trail continues slightly downhill across the broad expanse of the Shira Plateau to Shira 1 Camp for rest and lunch. We then continue on to Shira 2 camp across the Shira Plateau, and are able to admire the Western Breach if the skies are clear. Today’s long day allows us more time to acclimatize at the higher camps with shorter days before our big summit day.
Day 4 – Barranco Camp
(3,983 m/13,066 feet), 10km/6 miles (5 to 8 hours)
Leaving Shira 2 in the morning you climb towards the main peak Kibo, with the western glaciers clearly visible across the rugged high-altitude desert of volcanic rocks and boulders. The trail ascends to the Lava Tower site (15000 feet / 4600m) before descending back down into Barranco Valley. The area before the campsite is known as the “Garden of the Senecios”, which features many huge senecio plants as well as the shorter lobelia plants. Its 7 to 8 hours walking and the total ascent is only 110m total but having climbed much higher and dropped back down assists acclimatization.
Day 5 – Karanga Camp
(13,066 feet/3,983 m), 5 km/3 miles (4 to 5 hours)
Today consists of a challenging climb up the steep Barranco wall (some scrambling but not technically difficult), easily one of the highlights of the trek. You’ll be able to admire the majestic views at the top before dropping into the Karanga Valley where we will break for lunch and spend the second half of the day resting and acclimatizing.
Day 6 – Barafu High Camp
(15,239 feet/4,645 m), 5 km/3 miles (4 to 5 hours)
Today we make our final push to Base Camp, and we see our longer early days paying off on this day. Arriving to Barafu at lunch time allows us to spend the day resting our legs and preparing for the big push to the roof of Africa. After a hearty dinner you will retire to your tents for a little shut eye before we begin our climb at midnight.
Day 7 – Uhuru Peak Altitude
(5895 m/19340 ft) Walking Distance: 5 km/3 miles ascent + 12 km/7 miles descent (10-16 hours)
The day starts at midnight with the final push to the summit. It’s a cold and grueling six hour hike to summit rim up a steep slope. The trail is doable but steep with many switchbacks. The summit rim is reached just about sunrise and it’s a fairly level hike around the rim to Uhuru Peak the ultimate summit and highest point in Africa. Going down you will head back to Barafu Hut for a short nap and snacks before continuing down to Mweka camp (3068m / 10,065feet). One of the reasons for such a long day of trekking is to avoid problems with acclimatization and get you back down to a lower elevation quickly.
Day 8 – Mweka Campsite to Moshi
(3068m/10,065 feet) Walking Distance: 10 km/6 miles (3 to 4 hours)
From Mweka campsite it is a 4 to 5 hours descent through the forest to Mweka gate to collect certificates and meet the vehicle. Return to Moshi for the night and to have a final farewell dinner with your guides.
Day 9 – Moshi
After breakfast, according to your flight time we will drop you at the airport or assist you in catching the shuttle to Nairobi. Or continue with the wildlife safari extension in Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and serengeti End of our services.
PRICE PER PERSON $2550P/P
MORE THAN 2 PEOPLE $2450P/P
• What’s Included?
• 9 day adventure, 7 of which include 3 meals a day
• 2 nights of accommodation in Moshi, breakfast included
• Airport Pickup from Kilimanjaro Airport
• All Ground Transfers
• Accommodation while trekking*
• Private Toilet Tent*
• National Park Entry Fees
• Fully-licensed, English-speaking guide
• Porter service on the trek
• First aid kit
• Trip completion certificate
• Farewell Dinner
Our Reviews
finnkai2024-04-04Malaki is an above and beyond safari guide and person Our 4-person Tanzania adventure with Malaki of Malaki Safaris was beyond expectations. Malaki’s combination of professionalism, warmth, knowledge, passion, and cultural connection made the trip phenomenal. Our itinerary took us to Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Empakai, Lake Natron, and Central and Southern Serengeti. Every place awed us with the wildlife and scenery, and we enjoyed staying at a variety of lodges and tented camps, all in beautiful settings. We also spent 2 days hiking with local Maasai guides who taught us about some of their traditions and current realities facing pastoral people in Tanzania. Malaki is a skillful, responsive communicator, so trip planning was enjoyable rather than stressful. He provided suggestions, and he customized our safari according to preferences we expressed. A review below from September 2023 by tomtom771 highlights outstanding aspects of Malaki Safaris, all important to consider when splurging on a trip of a lifetime. Many Tanzania safari itineraries are similar, but it’s the guide who makes the biggest difference. Malaki is from a rural Maasai village, and he pursued his formal education in cities. He knows Tanzania’s landscapes, wildlife, and cultures from lived experience, and he truly loves sharing all of it. Our group had a particular interest in birds, and Malaki eagerly brushed up on his already impressive birding repertoire. When we had questions, Malaki usually had answers, and he often came back later with more information. He has stellar abilities maneuvering the jeep to maximize views and photo opportunities, and he manages to do so without ticking off other drivers. When one of our group members stayed on in Tanzania to do solo travel, Malaki continued to check in on him, occasionally arranging lodging or transfers as a courtesy. It’s not essential that one has a guide who you befriend and hope to see again, but with Malaki we got the best of both worlds, an A+ safari and a talented guide who brightened every day.
sandrab2024-04-04A good, honest and knowledgeable guide! Malaki was highly recommended to us by a friend, and we had a great time with him on the 14-day tour he designed. He guided us at Tarangire National Park, Ngorogoro Crater and Serengeti NP. He worked with us on our budget and is a good communicator. He was very patient, knowledgeable with animals and birds and his pleasant personality made our adventure lots of fun! You could tell that he’s been guiding tours for many years. Other guides respected him and he has good contacts in the area. We stayed in a variety of lodges/tented camps, all pleasant and at times luxurious. If you want an honest guide with good morals and great experience, you can’t go wrong with Malaki.
Renato M2023-09-305 day safari Great guide, speaks excellent english! Perfectly organized trip with great accommodations! He was not just our guide and secure driver but become a friend and was a member of our group! Great experience and absolutely recommandatable!
tomtom7712023-09-27Unvergesslich Schön Overall for our safari was an unforgettable and, most likely, a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience. However, if we are ever fortunate enough to go on another safari in the Serengeti, we will definitely use Malakisafaris Safaris again. For anyone considering a personal safari tour, they should book with Malakisafaris Safaris and here is why… A. Our Malakisafaris team was very organized and provided clear communication and great service from the time we began the scheduling/reservation process early on until the time we departed Tanzania to come back home. Everyone that we interfaced with was very friendly, personable and always answered our questions to our satisfaction. B, Once in the Serengeti, our safari driver/guide was excellent. We always felt safe in the vehicle and he was an absolute expert at spotting animals on our game drives. In fact, very informative. We where very impressed with our guide’s extensive knowledge of the African cultures, animals, etc., that we experienced. C. Our vehicle was always clean and comfortable, obviously well maintained and reliable on the trail. The vehicle was always well stocked with drinks, bottled water and snacks. The seats even had extra top cushions to protect our hind parts from the daily “African Massage” provided by the trails. D. All of the accommodations provided at the various camp/overnight locations exceeded our expectations. Each of the tented camps/lodges that we stayed at in tarangire, the Serengeti National Park, and in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, were in beautiful natural settings and were conveniently located for the daily game drives. E. The food, and the food service, was very good and the in-camp meals were delivered/provided in unexpectedly formal dining areas. This was tent dining at its finest, but it really wasn’t tent dining at all! We were all surprised at how nice all of the dining areas were. Therefore, keep up the great work, the high standards and thank you folks for a wonderful vacation! You will not go wrong choosing Malakisafaris to organize your trip
Kai H2022-11-06Great 7-day Safari in late October We had a fantastic trip with Malaki, visiting the National Parks of Arusha, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Central and North Serengeti. Excellent service, with plenty of water, cookies, plugs for camera and phones while the car was always clean (not easy given the dusty roads). Most importantly Malaki is a safe driver, excellent in spotting animals (we were alone in spotting a rhino, a lioness on the hunt and wildebeest crossing the Mara river) and knows the best spots to take pictures (he worked a few years for National Geographic). He knows most of the camps and their managers so that we could have our lunch box and a free tour in some of the most stunning places in the Serengeti and Tarangire. Furthermore, he is an interesting person with lots of knowledge of Tanzania and the animals you encounter, so I can fully recommend him if you want to organize a Safari in Tanzania.
kathy s2020-02-23My second tour with Malakisafaris Another amazing adventure in Africa with Malakisafaris. Once again, Malaki delivered with a great tour of Kenya and Masai Mara by Onesmu. Malaki was our second guide and didn't miss a beat. The animal behavior info and knowledge of culture and country makes for a robust adventure in an amazing country. THANK YOU!!!
Erin S2020-02-04masai mara the safari was more than I could have imagined. both Malaki and Onesmus were INCREDIBLE guides, with knowledge on any topic we asked them, We learned about the animals, the jungle, Kenyan culture, government and so much more. Onesmus was a great driver, with an amazing energy and laugh. It was clear that both Malaki and Osesmus love their job, love sharing their country and truly respect the animals.
Xavier2020-01-12No tourist traps - Malaki Safaris are exceptionally! Our family of four including a 9 and 6 year old went on a 6 day safari with Malaika. The whole experience was amazing. We were impressed by the guiding knowledge and absolutely blown-away with Malaikas ability to accommodate our kids. From a smaller height Jeep to allow kids views to a specialized itinerary was only the beginning. Malaika truly enjoys kids. We highly recommend Malaika Safaris.
Shukti N2019-11-27Ngoragora and Sarengeti The Safari experience was an unforgettable, fantastic and amazing journey. With a passionate, knowledgeable and experienced guide to educate us on the animals and their whereabouts made the tour phernorminal. 100% go again with Malachi. It was also a safe, fun and humourous trip!! Thank you!Toddle2019-06-20Amazing Malaki himself runs these tours. He’s top tier, does a first class experience. Go to the Legendary Lodge. Don’t go to Rhino lodge.