Tour Itinerary
Day One: Arrive Aishi Hotel – Moshi
Accommodation: Aishi Hotel
Meal Plan: none
Optional Excursion Options: walk in village
Trekking Lemosho route first choice hotel is always Aishi Hotel. Located just on the outskirts of the village of Machame at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro, the lodge got large gardens, comfy rooms and a peaceful setting, and is by far the best hotel in the area to start and end your Lemosho Trek!
In the evening you will meet your guide who will have a briefing on the trek. After dinner make sure you pack the travelling bag with excess luggage which you will be leave at the hotel during the trek. Make sure you get a good night sleep because you have a very long adventure ahead.
Day Two: From Gate of Landarossi (2200) – to the Forest Camp/ Mti Mkubwa (2650m)
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
The Adventure begins. You will meet up with guides and some of the porters after breakfast at the hotel once cars are packed there is a 2 hour long drive to the Lemosho gate there you will complete registration procedures.
Walk along beautiful forest trails to Mti Mkubwa (Forest Camp) campsite, (2650m). 3 – 4 hours walk. A fine site, water is quite a long way from the camp but will be brought by porters. Night temperatures can already drop to freezing point at this campsite.
Day Three: From Forest Camp – to Shira 1 (3450m)
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
After breakfast, you climb to the top of the forest and then the trail gradually steepens and enters the giant heather moorland zone. Shira 1 camp is located by a stream on the Shira Plateau (3450m). 5-6 hours walk.
Day Four: From Shira 1 – to Shira II (3950)
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
By now you will be able to see, in an easterly direction, the Western Breach with its stunning glaciers.
Hike across the high desert to Shira II camp with significant acclimatization effect as we goes up the mountain. 4-5 hours walk.
Day Five: From Shira II – to Barranco Camp (3900m)
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
The route now turns east into a semi desert and rocky landscape surrounding Lava Tower, where you reach an altitude of 4600m. This is definitely the toughest day so far. It is normally around this point, where for the first time, some climbers will start to feel symptoms of breathlessness, irritability and headaches. After lunch you descend to the Barranco camping area. This descent to Barranco camp takes about 2 hours and offers great opportunities to take some beautiful photographs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall. The camp is situated in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Wall. A long day, 7-8 hours walk.
Day Six: From Barranco Camp – to Karanga Valley Camp (3950m)
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Today you start by climbing the Barranco Wall (not technical) and then you will follow the Kibo South Circuit. You will have great of Kibo’s southern glaciers if the weather allows.
You will stop for lunch by a river in the Karanga Valley. One of the shorter days of the trek you should be in camp already at lunch time which is just after the Karanga Valley set at a ridge top.
This is yet another valuable acclimatisation day since you will be walking only half of the day and you will be ascending and descending ridges and valleys during your trek.
Day Seven: From Karanga Valley Camp – to Barafu Hut (4600m)
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner
Starting at Karanga you head to join the South Circuit and the Mweka route. Your goal of the day is Barafu (Swahili for ice). Once you hit Mweka route you start walking up the ridge for about two hours ending at Barafu Hut at 4600 Meters.
You will arrive in camp by Lunch time which will leave you plenty of time to rest before the summit attempt. Make sure you drink and eat enough you will need all energy and strength ahead of the tomorrow which might be one of the toughest days of your life.
Day Eight: Summit – Mweka
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch
A very tough day ahead! You start walking at around midnight the walk from Barafu to Stella point is steep and will need all your strength.
At Rebmann Glacier (4870m) you head north between Rebmann and Ratzel Glacier. This will bring you up to the crater rim just west of Stella Point 5669 (about six hours), here you will join the main trail for the last leg (about two hour) this last 220 altitude meters will be the longest in your life and it feels never ending but once you stand on the summit Uhuru Peaks (5895m) the roof of Africa it is all worth it.
You will go back down via the Mweka route to Mweka at the edge of the rain forest which is where the last camp of the trek will be set. The section from Uhuru down to Barafu will take about four hours , then you head down through the various vegetation zones, on a continual downhill, into Mweka (three to four hours) at an altitude of approx 3100 metres. Half down you are going to wish you were walking up hill and not down your legs will be aching and your toes will make them self known more than ever before in your life.
Once in camp you will be able to buy a very expensive but great tasting beer enjoy and your achievement with a good breath and a great night sleep.
Day Nine: Machame Village, Moshi
Accommodation: Camping
Meal Plan: Breakfast / Lunch
The walk through the rainforest from Mweka to the park gate is three to four hours. At the gate lunch is served and there are usually beers on sale. Here you say goodbye to the team which by now will be great friends after the adventure you have had together.
Once goodbyes are said vehicles will transfer you back to the Aishi hotel. No it is time to enjoy an afternoon of swimming, cold beer, and a long overdue shower! In short just enjoy your achievement.
Day Ten: End of Tour
Whilst we commit to running your tour as per the itinerary above, we are at the mercy of many factors outside of our control and from time to time it may be necessary to amend the itinerary to suit the local conditions. We will always notify you if the changes are essential and we have advance warning, often though any changes are due to weather conditions and we have no control over this, and usually very little warning. We ask please that you embark on your African Safari with a sense of adventure & willingness to accept and last minute changes as part and parcel of the adventure and therefore we ask that you use the itinerary above as a guide only.
Tour Preparation
Transport: Our mode of transport to starting points of Trek and at end of trek will vary depending on numbers it could either be a 4×4 Land Cruiser, Land rover, Minibus or larger costar bus.
Meals: Meals at hotel pre and after is only Bed and breakfast on the trek it is full board. All meals a prepared by the food team who is following you on the trek from start to finish, the chefs will prepare Breakfast, lunch and dinner that is suitable for the different stages of the trip so that you will the correct things in your body at the right time. You will be surprise along the way what amazing food they will be able to produce out of a small tent at 4500 meters.
Luggage: The luggage for that you carrying on the trek will be carried by a porter, please use a duffel bag which will be the easiest for them to carry in the trek bags. You will have to have a day pack that you will be carrying your personal belongings, water and clothes you are using for the day. You will be able to leave luggage behind at hotel a padlock is a good idea to have for that bag left behind. . We do provide a Packing List that can be used as a guide to help you decide what to bring and what to leave at home.
Visas: Depending on your Nationality you may require a visa to enter Kenya or Tanzania & in most cases this visa can be obtained on arrival at either Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Nairobi) or Kilimanjaro International Airport (Moshi / Arusha). However, there can often be long queues to buy your visa and we therefore suggest you check the price of pre purchasing your visa in your home country vs. buying it on arrival and preferably buy your visa in advance to save any unnecessary hassle on arrival. If you are holding a valid visa you can proceed straight to the Immigration Officer for your passport to be stamped & avoid the visa queue.
Vaccinations: It is essential that you visit a Medical Practitioner at least 6 weeks prior to travel to discuss any vaccinations that you may require for your visit to Kenya or Tanzania. Please also be aware that both Kenya and Tanzania are malarial areas and we strongly suggest you discuss malaria prophylactic options with your Medical Practitioner to ensure you use the appropriate medication.
Insurance: It is a booking condition of Top Cream Tours & Safaris that you have full travel insurance valid for the duration of your tour to cover you for medical emergency and repatriation to your home country. It is also important that you leave a copy of your insurance with the person nominated as your emergency contact..
Personal Spending & Credit Cards: On the trek you only need money for tips and the odd beer on the way down see below for tipping. Before and after climb you will require extra money for your own personal spending on the tour for Activities and Excursions, snacks, drinks, souvenirs, tips and items of a personal nature. We suggest as a guideline you budget USD$20 – USD$30 per day for incidental expenditures whilst on Safari. ATM machines are readily available in both Arusha and Nairobi and it is possible to draw local currency for these incidental expenses on arrival.
If you are bringing USD$ cash with you please be aware that all notes need to be issued after 2006 as most places in East Africa will not accept notes dated pre 2006.
If you are purchasing visas on arrival we suggest you bring USD$ cash to cover these expenses
Tipping: This is always a matter for your own individual discretion but as in many areas where tourism is an important contributor to the economy, it has become customary to give a small gratuity to local staff, including your guides, porters, cooks, waiters at the end of a trek if services rendered have been to your satisfaction. As a guideline only we suggest USD$20 per person per day if you are happy with the services provided by your Guide. Tips are always paid end of trek at the gate. Tips are divided according between the of staff group. We are a member of the Kilimanjaro porters association which is a body that ensures porters and Mt Staff get good salaries and get a fair division of tips etc on Kilimanjaro.
In case of Emergency: We suggest for your own piece of mind, and that of your friends and family, that you leave the following emergency contact information at home:
