9 days Lemosho standard route

Sample Itinerary:

Kilimanjaro, Lemosho standard route.

(Nine days)

Breakfast at your hotel is served from 0700. Please ensure that you have packed your bags before breakfast, have signed over your extra luggage that will not be required on the mountain to reception, and have deposited your valuables into the hotel’s safe.

Transfer and Registration.

You will normally be collected at 0730 from your hotel. Your driver will transfer you to Londorossi Gate where we complete registration formalities. Climbers should have their passport numbers for their registry entries but unless under 16 years of age or East African citizens, are advised to have kept their passports and valuables in the hotel safe (excluding the amount they will budget for tipping their crew). Following registration we continue a further 12km by vehicle to the route’s start point. This final drive can take anywhere between 45 minutes and 1 hour 30, depending on road conditions. Please be very careful in wet weather or following a spell of recent rains as the road can become badly damaged and there is risk of being jolted inside the vehicle. When the driver delivers you to start point please also note that following any transfer it is customary to tip the driver; around $5 - $10 per group is usual. When the road is in poor condition it is sometimes not safe or even possible for the vehicle to reach all the way to the road head. In this event there will be some 180 additional metres of ascent to trek and 1.9km required to reach the start point.

From Lemosho Start Point (2424m) to Forest Camp (2821m) the distance is 5.4km, over 400m of elevation gain. You are advised to stop regularly today and to move quietly in the hope of sighting wildlife near to the trail. Sightings of small antelope are virtually unique to the Lemosho and Rongai Routes.

Day 2

Trek from Forest Camp to Shira 1 Camp (3,504m) on western edge of Shira Plateau. It is normal to experience mild headaches on this day which should be alleviated with paracetamol. Those choosing to take Diamox should begin their course this morning with half a tablet (125mg) in the morning and the other half with supper in the evening. Optional afternoon excursion to Shira Peak (3950m). The distance to Shira 1 is 8.1km.

Day 3

This morning we begin to continue directly across the gentle slope of the Shira Plateau towards Shira Cave Camp (3875m). However, after 2.5km you are advised to request your guide to turn towards the south and enjoy an excursion via the dramatic Shira Cathedral, if you feel strong enough to add 3 kilometres to your day’s walk. The Shira Cathedral is an impressive volcanic outcrop that marks the southern lip of the Shira Plateau. It is possible to obtain excellent views towards Kibo, to the South and to the West from this point. We continue to Shira Hut/Shira 2 or Shira Cave Camp (at guides discretion). If we trek via the Cathedral the day’s journey will be 10.3km.

Day 4

Another trek of 10.3km, but considerably more difficult than yesterday. We trek from Shira Cave Camp to Lava Tower (4642m) before descending to Barranco Camp (3984m). Shortly before the Lava Tower the Lemosho Route merges with the Machame Route. If the weather’s good you can ask your guide to guide you to the summit of the Lava Tower (4688m) where the views are excellent. Lunch is normally taken at the foot of the tower. After lunch we descend from Lava to Barranco Camp (3984m). Distance from Shira to Lava Tower is 6.6km. Distance from Lava Tower to Barranco is 3.7km.

Day 5

Trek from Barranco Camp to Barafu Camp (4681m) via the 257m high Breach Wall across the valley from Barranco. You should be aware that there are three rises and falls before reaching Karanga Camp where we have lunch at 4040m. From Karanga the route ascends 640m to Barafu. Distance from Barranco to Barafu is 9.4km

Day 6

At leisure at Barafu Camp with optional excursions at guide’s discretion. Please discuss your physical condition and preferences with your guide. Please eat slowly and copiously and ensure you keep asking the staff for more fluids.

In our experience those who do not succeed in reaching the summit usually fail in their attempt because of exhaustion aggravated by a lack of sleep and loss of reserves that are the deleterious effects of prolonged exposure to high altitude. We use day 6 as a day of rest with optional pre-assault excursion to no higher than 5,000m to fine-tune our acclimatisation, and to see a little of the ridge that will be ascended tonight in darkness.

Aim to get to sleep as soon as possible tonight as you will be woken at around 2300-0000 to begin your assault. Don’t worry about waking yourself for meals - your staff will wake you for these. You are advised to get all your gear ready for the summit bid before you go to sleep as you may feel disoriented when awoken for the summit ascent. You probably won’t feel like eating but please try to do so as your body needs fuel.

Day 7

Around midnight (your guide will judge the time that is optimal for you based on your pace thus far) quit camp for the assault via Stella Point (5752m) to the summit. Tonight is very difficult - particularly the final 500m - and you’ll need to commit to fight for the summit. You will inevitably feel like giving up and going to sleep. This is normal and can be overcome with perseverance. When resting please ensure you only stand or sit and do not lie down or close your eyes. Please trust your guide; he is very adept at judging whether your condition will allow safe progress or whether you have succumbed to a potentially dangerous condition and to proceed will not be safe. Nausea and headaches are normal and around a quarter of climbers will vomit at or near Stella Point. While very uncomfortable, these are not symptoms that are indicative of being at risk, per se. The onset of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) and its related problems is usually marked by distinctive early warning symptoms that your guide is capable of identifying. Please maintain regular dialogue with him and frequently update him on how you are feeling.

When you reach Stella Point you will sit and rest. At this point the body often thinks you have finished your uphill fight and will be trying to coerce you into giving up and turning around.

While you may genuinely believe that you have already exhausted your reserves in reaching this point, this is actually very unlikely to be so. Remember that you are only 143 vertical metres short of the summit, the journey from here is much less steep, and you have plenty of time for further pauses. If you do feel the need to give up at Stella Point please try to push on a little bit further towards the summit for just two minutes before making your final decision. In most cases this act of re-establishing momentum is enough to persuade the mind and body to co-operate with your intentions and you will ordinarily find hidden reserves for a final push, reserves that you were not aware you still had.

On the summit your guide will advise how much time you can spend there in consideration of your condition, your timings, and the weather. The brain does not function very intelligently at this altitude so please remember to take many photographs in all directions or you will probably regret not having done so at a later stage.

From the summit you will continue to press westwards, passing Furtwangler Point at 5894m, before descending a steep scree slope to Crater Camp at 5729m. Having settled and enjoyed refreshments at Crater Camp you have the option of requesting that your guide accompany you to the top of the Breach Wall to watch the sunset over the Shira Plateau.

Distances on summit day:

Barafu to Stella Point: 3.3km Stella Point to Summit: 1.2km Summit to Crater Camp: 0.9km

Total summit day’s distance: 5.4km

Day 8

This morning, provided climbers are feeling strong and motivated and are judged by the guide to be in good health, we rise up from Crater Camp towards the very centre of Kibo and the Reusch Ash Pit viewpoint at 5845m. From here views are enjoyed towards the summit and into the centre of the volcanic cone where fumeroles and sulphur emissions can often be seen. Strength permitting, we continue to circumnavigate the Ash Pit towards the Eastern Icefields and Stella Point, where we begin the descent to Barafu Camp, this time moving left of our ascent route into the Southeast Valley, descending via its loose scree slopes. There is clear logic is descending a loose scree slope; it is far easier on the knees and as the ground collapses underfoot if you take short quick strides it’s easy to maintain momentum. We do short bursts and take regular rests, pausing to photograph the Saddle beneath us and Kenya to our left. At Barafu Camp we have a short refreshment break before continuing to Mweka 3090m where we overnight again.

Crater Camp to Stella Point via Crater Excursion: 5.2km

Stella Point to Barafu Camp: 3.3km

Barafu to Mweka Camp: 6.3km

Total day’s distance: 14.8km

Day 9

Descend from Mweka Camp (or Millennium) to Mweka Gate (1641m) where we sign the summit register and awarded your Certificate of Achievement before being collected and driven back to your hotel. Distance from Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate is 8.5km.

Typical tips for mountain crew tend to average some 10-15% of climb cost. All climbers’ contributions are usually added together and the total amount is presented to the chief guide at Mweka Gate. Our guides always divide these tips fairly amongst their crew according to a customary scale that is determined by the responsibilities and experience of each staff member.

PLEASE NOTE: Your safety is our business. All our Mountain Guides are highly trained in guiding at altitude and hold relevant, current First Aid Qualifications. In all matters of safety the decision of the Chief Guide is final.