LEMOSHO ROUTE KILIMANJARO CLIMBING OVERVIEW
Lemosho Route starts on the west side of Kilimanjaro from Londorossi Gate. After the starting gate the trek continues to the Shira camp travelling through the lush rainforest zone. The path then move towards east of Shira plateau and reach at the Lava tower. The descending via Lemosho route follows the Mweka route.
It is prescribed to take the Lemosho Route with a whole night, to encounter the astounding background of Carter camp. The undertaking to carter camp is a standout amongst the most courageous piece of Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing. It gives you and possibility of dozing medium-term in the bowl of the cavity.
Travel Style: Active
It is basically a hiking route provided by Kilimanjaro. The hiking includes non-technical climbing and long walks.
Service Level: Camping
Camping is the only way to accommodate during the hike. The route offers various camping spots to stop and spend nights in the camp.
Physical Rating: 5 – Challenging
Practicing high-altitude hikes, cycling, and other instances of heavy exercise are highly recommended. Come prepared to sweat a bit.
Age Requirement: 12+
All travelers under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Lemosho Route Overview
Lemosho Route is the newest route discovered that initiates from the west side of the Kilimanjaro. There are 6 prime Kilimanjaro Routes are used for Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. It is hands down the most spectacular Kilimanjaro route that is highly preferred by the trekkers.
Lemosho is considered as one of the best routes that takes you to the Uhuru Peak. The route is also the most scenic route of Kilimanjaro as well as one of the less crowded track to hike.
The route is highly preferred by the trekkers. It is one of the newer routes of Kilimanjaro. Out of 30,000 trekkers coming to Kilimanjaro most of trekkers chose Lemosho Route after Machame.
This Route is more preferred as Lemosho offers high acclimatizing opportunities. To grab the best opportunity to walk high sleep low method many trekkers prefer to Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro via Lemosho Route. It is one of the best Kilimanjaro Route that offers a high success rate.
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro through Lemosho Route is not only good for acclimatization but also offers a great view. The hike starts at the Londorossi Gate at an altitude of 2360 meters.
The journey starts as you land in Kilimanjaro International airport, and then you will pick by the trekking company’s staff. After that you will be shifted to your hotel in Moshi. From Moshi to the Londorossi gate takes about 3 to 4hours drive.
From Londorossi the gate to gate distance is approximately 70km. The hike starts from the south side of the mountain. Then the hike follows through the coffee firms, villages, and dense rainforest. In this region you are likely to meet some primates and other mammal species.
The Lemosho Route offers 2 options; 7 days climbing and 8 days climbing. The trekkers can choose any itinerary as per their physical strength. The journey begins at the scenic Londorossi Gate at 7,742ft to Mti Mkubwa at 9,498ft.
From Mti Mkubwa treks to the second stopover at shira 1 camp at an elevation of 3505m. The distance from Mti Mkubwa to Shira 1 camp is 8km and can be covered within 5 to 6 hours traversing through scenic heath zone.
The next stop over is at Shira 2 camp at the elevation of 3,810m. The next hike continues from Shira 1 to Shira 2 camp and it takes 5 to 7 hours to cover. From Shira 2 to the hike goes to the next stopover to Barranco Valley through Lava tower.
The hike further continues from Barranco Camp through the great Barranco wall to Karanga Camp at the elevation of 3995m.
The next hike starts from Karanga valley to Barafu hut that elevates from 13,106ft to 15,331ft. The hike takes 4 to 5 hours traversing through panoramic alpine desert. Next the hike starts from Barafu hut and reach Stella point from there the final hike goes to the top of Uhuru.
The Western breach and Lava tower are the most challenging part the trekkers face during their hike to Uhuru Peak.
Few interesting facts about Lemosho Route:
- The descending follows the Mweka route via Mweka gate
- Located at the west side of the mountain to reach it takes few hour drives from Moshi or Arusha
- It offers more than 90% climbing success rate
- It can take 7-8-9 days to complete the climbing depending upon trekker’s physical stamina
- Stunning view of Mount Kilimanjaro after crossing the rainforest zone
6-9 days trekking
Lemosho Route is one of the panoramic routes of Kilimanjaro. Amongst all Kilimanjaro routes, this newer route is gaining more popularity day by day. Mount Kilimanjaro can be hiked in a maximum of 9 days and a minimum of 6 days in total. However, the longer itinerary increases the success rate.
The various campsites and huts along the route are –
- Mti Mkubwa Camp (2895 m)
- Shira 1 Camp (3505 m)
- Shira 2 Camp (3810 m)
- Moir Hut (4200 m)
- Barranco Camp (3976 m)
- Karanga Camp (3995 m)
- Barafu Camp (4673 m)
- Mweka Camp (3068 m)
High Success Rate
Lemosho Route generally treks within 7 or 8 or 9 days. Following is the Success Rate of each itinerary.
- 9 days trek via Lemosho route- 95%
- 8 days trek via Lemosho route- 92%
- 7 days trek via Lemosho route- 85%
Medium Traffics
Being one of the new routes, Lemosho Route doesn’t offer a lot of crowds. However, due to the high acclimatizing feature, the route is gaining more traffic day by day. If you are looking for a quitter trekking route away from crowd then Lemosho Route can be the best choice for you. However, you can expect medium traffic on the route.
Good acclimatization features
The route offers a great acclimatizing feature. The route is mostly completed within 8 days. However, some of the trekkers having good physical fitness prefer to complete it in 7 days. As well those who are looking for the highest success rate tend to trek in 9 days.
Great & varied Kilimanjaro scenery
The Lemosho Route is known to be extremely picturesque routes among all Kilimanjaro routes. Chose by few crowds as the route is a bit pricy trekkers can expect an exclusive and remote journey. Wildlife is also possible to spot while traversing. There is a chance to meet animals like antelopes, bison and even elephants.
Take on the Barranco Wall
As Lemosho offers 2 different itineraries one is 7 days and one is 8 days the 1 extra day of acclimatization ads at the great Barranco wall. The 1 more days in the itinerary is added at Barranco wall is great to give a better acclimatizing opportunity. It gives more time to prepare for the successful summit attempt while allowing you the best chance of making it to the top!
Best Tips for Success
Slow and steady wins the race. During the trek walk on a slow pace and try keeping communication with your fellow climbers to keep up with the slow speed.
Don’t forget to take snack breaks. In between the trekking take rest for a while, munch on some of your favorite snacks that will give some instant energy to body.
Make sure you stay hydrated, as this is essential to reduce the symptoms of Kilimanjaro Altitude Sickness.
If possible, try to go for short treks before your Kilimanjaro adventure, as a fit hiker enjoy the experience more.