6-Day climbing Umbwe Route

Distance covered: 7 km

Approximate time taken: 3-4 hours

Habitat: Rainforest

Meal: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

You will enjoy an enticing breakfast at the hotel before proceeding from Moshi to Londorossi Gate (1,800m). The three-hour drive travels on an unpaved stretch of bumpy road through the town of Boma N’gombe, and the Sanya Juu village offers motorists an intimate encounter with the natives. After completing the necessary park registration, you will be transported to the initial point of your trek at 2,350m. The glory of the forest is revealed in the illuminating radiance of the sun. Almond-brown trees stand serenely, brimming with a tender glow. Gems of amber encrust the bark exterior. Green canopies deliver shelter for the exotic blue monkeys. The short trek through the rainforest leads to the Mti Mkubwa Camp (2750m).

Distance covered: 17 km

Approximate time taken: 8-10 hours

Habitat: Heath and Moorland

Meal: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

Today is a long day because we will skip Shira I Camp and go directly to Shira II Camp. Around 7:00 am you will start to hike from Mti Mkubwa to the second camp through heath and Moorland zone, following the Shira ridge we enter vast high-altitude desert plateau where we get the first clear view of Mount Kilimanjaro. Overnight at Shira II Camp (3900 m).

Distance covered: 10 km

Approximate time taken: 6 hours

Habitat: Alpine desert

Meal: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

The Lemosho Route connects with the Machame Route before approaching the molten Lava Tower. The gentle incline leading to the Barranco Camp is encompassed in beautiful scenery and encrusted in vivid desert shrubberies (6-7-hour hike). Shark’s Tooth is an enormous, serrated rock that a volcano discharged thousands of years ago; it is also an indication that we must travel south and cross the light valleys to the immense Lava Tower (4,600m).

Specks of snow will gradually scatter themselves on the scenery, and as we descend to Barranco Camp, the frosted landscapes of the Western Breach will begin to sprout. The ashen Barranco Wall is engraved with extraordinary indents, and olive foliage is strewn across the ‘Breakfast Wall.

Distance covered: 6 km

Approximate time taken: 4 hours

Habitat: Alpine desert

Meal: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

The day commences with a simple trek up the astonishing Barranco (200m high). For a short period, you will need to use your hands and feet to scramble up the wall, and upon reaching the surface you will have an opportunity to marvel at the scenic splendour of the vistas of Kibo. The trail traverses up and down with various shallow streams leading to the flickering, glittery streams of the Karanga River. An appetising lunch will be served at the Karanga campsite (3,930m). The short trek will assist your acclimatisation.

Distance covered: 4 km

Approximate time taken: 3 hours

Habitat: Alpine desert

Meal: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

The rocky zone provides an uphill path that features landscapes battered in the crystal glow of the Southern Glaciers. Intersecting with the Mweka route allows us to witness the splendid vistas. A sixty-minute climb up a steep, rock-strewn Lava Ridge is your ticket to the Barafu Camp (4,681m).

Reaching the camp signifies that you have dominated the Southern Circuit of the mountain, and the enchanting, sky-piercing view of the summit is submerged in an ocean of clouds. The terrain at the campsite resembles an unfinished painting. The landscape is blanketed in a thin layer of snow with sparse vegetation.

A substantial, warm meal will be served, and we suggest that you jump into your sleeping bag as soon as possible. We will embark on our journey to the summit at midnight.

Distance covered: 20 km

Approximate time taken: 14 hours

Habitat: Glacier/Moorland/Rainforest

Meal: Breakfast, lunch and dinner included

You will be awoken at 11:00 pm, and we will provide you with a light snack and a steaming cup of tea before you begin your 5km trek to the summit. This is an extended hike that lasts approximately 16 hours, making this the most challenging day on the 8-day Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route. Temperatures typically range between -5°C and -10°C.

The gradually increasing incline of the valley, located near the eerily tranquil scree fields, traverses among the Rebmann and Ratzel Glaciers—the view is so astounding that the freezing temperatures will be forgotten. At Stella’s Point (5,672m), brilliant gold and orange hues bleed like fire over the rocks. The first sliver of the sun peeks over the skyline in a radiant, white form, and the snow turns liquid gold and silver.

After sixty minutes, you will reach the highest point in Africa, Uhuru Peak (5,895m). You will have an opportunity to take some photos and marvel at the surrounding scenery, glinting ice cliffs, and the jagged Mawenzi Peak. Our descent requires us to turn around and embark on the trail to Barafu Camp, where we will have a brief resting period.

The spectacular, vast plains of Kilimanjaro are so enchanting that the 9km route to Mweka Camp (3,100m) feels rapid. The route is moderate and lasts four to five hours. As you venture on the declining rocky scree trail, the scenery will start to sprout, and the ice will melt away.

The barren landscapes of the moorland will be the first milestone; dense vegetation and exotic wildlife will begin to radiate as we approach the forest habitat. We will proceed to the campsite, where you can scoff down a scrumptious, piping-hot dinner while seizing the last opportunity to observe the Milky Way.