KILIMANJARO – LEMOSHO ROUTE

Your journey begins at Londorossi Gate, on Kilimanjaro’s quieter western flank. Porters sing as gear is weighed, and you step into rainforest alive with birdsong. Blue monkeys chatter above, and if you’re lucky, a colobus leaps from branch to branch, its white tail streaming like a banner. The air is humid, ferns crowd the trail, and giant fig trees rise overhead. By dusk you reach Big Tree Camp, where fireflies flicker between mossy trunks.

Leaving the forest behind, you climb steadily into heath and moorland. The air dries, the trees shrink, and giant heather draped with lichen sways in the breeze. Colorful sunbirds flit among proteas, their wings catching the sun like gemstones. As you crest the Shira Plateau, the landscape opens—wide, golden, and dramatic. You camp at Shira 1, where the first full views of Kibo, Kilimanjaro’s icy summit cone, fill the horizon.

A gentle trek across the vast Shira Plateau, a land of rolling moorland scattered with wildflowers. Look closely and you might spot a klipspringer antelope perched on volcanic
rocks, perfectly balanced. At night, the skies blaze with stars—this is one of the best places on Kilimanjaro for stargazing. You rest at Shira 2 Camp, high on the plateau’s edge.

The trail climbs into the alpine desert, where little grows but tough mosses clinging to lava rock. You ascend to Lava Tower, a giant black volcanic plug standing stark against the sky. Here, breathing is harder, but the acclimatization helps prepare your body. Descending into the Barranco Valley, life returns: towering giant lobelias and prehistoric-looking groundsels line the path. At Barranco Camp, cliffs glow orange at sunset.

Morning brings the challenge of the Barranco Wall, a thrilling scramble that rewards you with sweeping views. Beyond, the trail crosses a high alpine landscape where raven-like augur buzzards ride the thermals. At Karanga Camp, perched above the clouds, silence reigns—broken only by the wind.

A short but steep climb brings you to the barren, windswept ridge of Barafu Camp, your final base before the summit. Here, no trees grow, no flowers bloom—just rock, ice, and sky. The world feels stripped to its essence. Dinner is early; at midnight, your summit attempt begins.

Under a sky glittering with stars, you climb slowly into the freezing night. The crunch of boots, the sound of breath—this is the rhythm of the summit push. At dawn, the horizon blazes with pink and gold as you reach Stella Point, and soon after, Uhuru Peak, the Roof of Africa. Glaciers glisten like frozen cathedrals.
After photos and celebration, you begin the long descent through shifting zones of rock, then moorland, to Mweka Camp, where you sleep among the trees again.

The rainforest welcomes you back—mist clings to mossy branches, and the calls of turacos echo through the canopy. At the Mweka Gate, you receive your summit certificate, a testament to courage and endurance. The journey ends where it began—in the embrace of Kilimanjaro’s wild beauty.