Climbing Kilimanjaro: Lemosho Route

Elevation gain: 660 m ↑ 150 ↓ Walking time: 4-5 hours Distance: 10km You will be picked up in the morning by our guide, who will take you to the Londrosi Gate. There you will first complete the formalities before continuing on foot for another 15 km on a forest road. This is where the ascent begins. First you will walk through the unspoilt and diverse nature on a moderate gradient up to the Big Tree Camp at 2,780 m, today's destination. Since this region is still home to many elephants and buffalo, we will also be accompanied on the route by an armed ranger. Overnight stay is in a tent.

Elevation gain: 900 m ↑ 200 ↓ Walking time: 5 - 6 hours Distance: 8km After breakfast in the camp, we hike along a narrow path through the rainforest, which becomes increasingly thinner as the altitude increases. The vegetation changes and leads into an extensive raised moor area with heather bushes, heather and lobelia plants up to the Shira ridge at around 3,700 m. You then descend again to Shira Camp 1, where we set up camp surrounded by a beautiful landscape for acclimation reasons. Overnight in a tent.

Elevation gain: 400 m ↑ Walking time: 4 hours Distance: 12 km Today's motto is "Pole Pole" (slow-slow). After breakfast, the path leads across the plateau and through a barren lava landscape to Shira Camp 2. Huge senecios, up to 8 m high, line the path, and if the visibility is good, the view stretches over Mount Meru to the African Rift. When you reach your destination, you can enjoy the view of Kibo in the setting sun. Today is a good day to acclimatize at the ideal altitude. Overnight in a tent.

Elevation: 660 m ↑ 535 ↓ Walking time: 5-6 hours Distance: 6km Today the motto is "walk high - sleep low" - an acclimatization hike. You will hike to heights of 4,500 m, but spend the night at just under 4,000 m. You will circle part of the mighty Kibo summit on its south side. At the Lava Tower at around 4,600 m you will reach the highest point of today's stage and there you can treat yourself to a short rest in the lava landscape with a view of the glacier fields of Kilimanjaro. The route runs at a more or less constant altitude, which is very beneficial for the body's adaptation to the altitude. The landscape becomes barren and numerous boulders characterize the surroundings. The path leads past fascinating giant lobelias and man-sized senecios. From Barranco Camp, in the dark and with a cloudless sky, you can see the lights of Moshi, which is 60 km away and about 3,400 m lower.

Elevation gain: 250 m ↑ Walking time: 2.5 hours Distance: 4km After a night beneath the Great Barranco Wall, you will climb the infamous rock face today. It's easier than it seems at first glance. Above the wall, just below the Heim Glacier, the beauty of Kilimanjaro magically unfolds. The route leads through the Karanga Valley, where the Karanga Camp is located. From here you can see the summit of Mawenzi. It is important that you use the rest of the day to rest, as the climb to Uhuru Peak is approaching.

Today's hiking stage leads to Barafu Camp. You will hike through the stunning, spectacular landscape, which is strewn with small and large volcanic rocks that bear witness to the past volcanic activity. The last stretch to Barafu Camp is on the Mweka route. On the route you can enjoy the views of Kibo and Mawenzi. Barafu Camp is located on a ridge, exposed to wind and weather. The ground is rocky and the wind blows very often. Familiarize yourself with the terrain around the camp before darkness falls, as this will prepare you when the climb to the summit begins shortly after midnight. Prepare your equipment and warm clothing for the climb to the summit the next day and fill your drinking water in a thermos flask so that it does not freeze into ice. Go to bed early to be well rested for the challenge the next day.

Elevation gain: 1255 m ↑ 2075 m ↓ Walking time: 10-14 hours Distance: 5 km uphill and 12 km downhill Difficulty: difficult You set off from Barafu Camp at around 1-2 a.m. and begin your ascent to the summit of Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak)! The ascent begins with breakfast around midnight. In the light of the headlamp, the path winds up past the Rebmann Glacier. After around 5-6 hours, we reach Stella Point on the crater rim at 5,745 m at dawn. We are now just under an hour away from Uhuru Peak, the roof of Africa. An entire continent is now at our feet. The ascent is on good paths, the hardest part is the altitude. A personal guide is assigned to each climber so that he can keep a close eye on their physical and mental condition. Once at the top of the summit, you can enjoy a beautiful sunrise. After a small celebration on the summit, you can descend to the next glacier if you wish. The ascent route takes half the time to get back down to the camp, where we treat ourselves to a longer break and a meal. The further descent takes us another 3 hours to Mweka Camp at 3,100 m, where the camp has already been set up again.

Elevation gain: 1500 m ↓ Distance: 10 km Walking time: 3-4 hours Difficulty level: easy Landscape: rainforest Today you will descend the remaining 1500 meters along a jungle path to the Mweka Gate. The path leads through the tropical rainforest. After arriving at the gate, you will be picked up by our driver and taken to the booked accommodation, where you can recover from the exertions of the mountain climb.