8-Day Lemosho Route: The Kilimanjaro Climb We Recommend to First-Timers

Why the 8-day Lemosho Route is our top pick for first-time climbers

If you have the time and this is your first high mountain, the 8-day Lemosho Route is the climb we would suggest. It solves the two biggest problems most people face on Kilimanjaro: going up too fast and sharing the path with too many others. It begins in quiet forest on the western side, gives you two gentle days on the Shira Plateau and approaches the summit with plenty of nights at altitude behind you.

Prices start from $2,335 per person, including your own guide, five porters and a cook. That is only $245 more than a 7-day climb, and for most people it is the best-value day they can add to the trip.

8-day Lemosho climb at a glance

Why the eighth day on the Lemosho Route makes the difference

Altitude does not care how fit you are, and it is the most common reason people turn back. This climb spreads the Shira Plateau over two days, so you gain height slowly before Lava Tower. Compared with the 7-day Lemosho, your hardest early day is much shorter and you gain height more gradually.

Operators publish very different summit figures and none are independently audited, so treat any single number with caution. Commonly quoted ranges run from about 27 to 42 percent on 5-day climbs, and from about 64 to 92 percent on 7-day climbs, with 8 and 9-day climbs reported higher still. The exact figures matter less than the pattern: more days means better odds.

Who should choose the 8-day Lemosho Route?

This is the right climb for first-timers, for anyone who wants the best chance of feeling well at the top, and for people who care about scenery as much as the summit. It suits most reasonably fit adults who train properly.

It is less suitable if you dislike camping, because you spend seven nights in a tent. In that case, consider the 6-day Marangu. The only climb with more time to adjust is the 9-day Northern Circuit, which also has more remote scenery.

8-day Lemosho itinerary, day by day

Here is how the 8-day Lemosho climb runs from gate to gate. Distances and walking times are typical figures, and your guide will set a pace that is slower than you expect. You also spend one night in a Moshi hotel before the climb and one after it.

1. 01

   Day 1: Londorossi Gate to Mti Mkubwa (Big Tree) Camp

   • Sleep at 2,780 m (9,120 ft)
   • About 6 km (4 mi), 3 to 4 hours

   The drive from Moshi to Londorossi Gate on the western side of the mountain takes about three hours and includes park registration, so this is a late start. A short walk through quiet, rich forest follows, with far fewer climbers than on the southern routes. Colobus monkeys are the most likely sighting. Elephant and buffalo live in this forest too, although you are unlikely to see them. Mti Mkubwa means "big tree", and the camp sits among huge old trees.

2. 02

   Day 2: Mti Mkubwa to Shira 1 Camp

   • Sleep at 3,505 m (11,500 ft)
   • About 8 km (5 mi), 5 to 6 hours

   You leave the forest behind and climb through heath and moorland to the rim of the Shira Plateau, one of the highest plateaus in the world and the remains of a collapsed volcano. When you come over the top, Kibo fills the view for the first time, and most climbers stop for a long moment here. Shira 1 feels remote and quiet, and the night sky can be spectacular if it stays clear.

3. 03

   Day 3: Shira 1 to Shira 2 Camp

   • Sleep at 3,840 m (12,600 ft)
   • About 7 km (4 mi), 3 to 4 hours

   A gentle crossing of the plateau with only a modest gain in height. This easy day is what the extra night on the 8-day route buys you, because your body gets a chance to catch up before you go any higher. You arrive at Shira 2 by early afternoon, where the path joins the one used by Machame climbers. Many guides take a short walk higher in the afternoon to help you acclimatize.

4. 04

   Day 4: Shira to Barranco Camp via Lava Tower

   • Sleep at 3,976 m (13,040 ft)
   • About 10 km (6 mi), 6 to 8 hours

   This is the day that does the most for your acclimatization. You climb through bare alpine desert to Lava Tower (4,600 m / 15,090 ft), a volcanic plug that is the highest point you have reached so far, and eat lunch there. Then you drop more than 600 meters (2,000 feet) to sleep at Barranco. Headaches at Lava Tower are common and usually ease on the way down, which is exactly how "climb high, sleep low" is meant to work. Tell your guide how you feel. The last hour of the descent passes through a valley of giant groundsels.

5. 05

   Day 5: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp

   • Sleep at 4,035 m (13,240 ft)
   • About 5 km (3 mi), 4 to 5 hours

   The morning starts with the Barranco Wall, a 250-meter (820-foot) scramble that looks far more intimidating from camp than it feels on the rock. You use your hands in a few places, and your guide will show you where to step, but it needs no ropes and no climbing experience. From the top, the glaciers of the southern icefields seem close enough to touch. The path then rises and falls across valleys to Karanga, where you arrive by early afternoon. Use the extra time to rest, eat and drink, because this easy afternoon is why this schedule works.

6. 06

   Day 6: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp

   • Sleep at 4,673 m (15,330 ft)
   • About 4 km (2.5 mi), 3 to 4 hours

   A short, slow climb over bare rock takes you to the high camp. Barafu means "ice" in Swahili, and the camp is exposed, windy and cold. You arrive around lunchtime, eat, and go through the summit plan with your guide. Lay out your layers, charge what you can, fill your water bottles and try to sleep by early evening. Few people sleep well here, and that is normal. Rest is what matters. You will be woken around 11 p.m. for tea and a snack.

7. 07

   Day 7: Barafu to Uhuru Peak, then Mweka Camp

   • Sleep at 3,100 m (10,170 ft)
   • About 17 km (10.5 mi), 11 to 15 hours

   You leave around midnight and climb steep volcanic scree by headlamp, in temperatures that can fall to around -20°C (-4°F) with wind. It is slow and mentally tough, and most climbers find the hours before dawn the hardest of the whole trip. Stella Point on the crater rim (5,752 m / 18,871 ft) usually comes around sunrise, and Uhuru Peak (5,895 m / 19,341 ft) is about an hour further along the rim. After photos you descend to Barafu for food and a short rest, then continue down to Mweka Camp. Trekking poles help your knees a great deal on this descent.

8. 08

   Day 8: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate

   • Finish at 1,650 m (5,410 ft)
   • About 10 km (6 mi), 3 to 4 hours

   The final morning is a walk through rainforest on tired legs, and the thick air feels wonderful. The path can be slippery after rain, so stay careful even though the hard part is over. At the gate you sign out and receive your certificate: Uhuru Peak earns a gold summit certificate, and Stella Point earns a green one. Then we drive you back to your hotel in Moshi for a long shower and your second included night.

How hard is the Lemosho Route on 8 days?

The Lemosho Route is a hard walk, but it is a very fair one. The early days are moderate, the Shira Plateau gives you time to adapt, and the only section that needs your hands is the Barranco Wall. As on every route, summit night is the real test, with about 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) of climbing in the dark from Barafu. You do not need any climbing experience, but you should be able to walk on hills for 6 to 8 hours and do it again the next day.

The eight-day schedule takes the pressure off. Most walking days are moderate, and you have long afternoons to rest.

Summit night on the Lemosho Route: what to expect

Summit night on the Lemosho Route follows the same path as Machame, starting from Barafu around midnight. You climb long zigzags of scree for around 6 to 8 hours by headlamp, usually reaching Stella Point around dawn, and then walk the crater rim to Uhuru Peak in about an hour. After the extra days on the plateau, many climbers feel stronger here than they expected. It is still very cold and can be windy, so wear every layer, and keep your water insulated.

How much does the 8-day Lemosho climb cost?

The 8-day Lemosho climb starts from $2,335 per person with two people sharing. Prices differ slightly by group size because of how hotel rooms are shared in Moshi, not because of your crew, who are arranged per climber. For more than six climbers, or a different hotel level, ask us for a quote. Your final price is confirmed in your written quotation.

What the 8-day Lemosho price includes, and what it leaves out

Budget separately for flights, your visa, insurance and tips. Our Kilimanjaro cost guide shows what to expect in total, so nothing catches you out.

Your crew and safety on the Lemosho Route

Every climber on our Kilimanjaro climbs has one guide, five porters and one cook. A group of two therefore has two guides, ten porters and two cooks. That ratio is higher than many operators offer, and it means that if one climber needs to slow down or turn back, the other can continue with their own guide.

Our guides have worked on Tanzania tours for 7 years. They are graduates of the College of African Wildlife Management, Mweka, and the National College of Tourism, and they hold certification from those institutions. We are also a partner of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP), which works for the fair treatment of mountain crews.

Altitude is the main risk on this climb

Mild headaches and poor sleep are normal above 3,000 meters (10,000 feet). Severe symptoms are an emergency, and the treatment is to go down. Be honest with your guide about how you feel each day, and read our guide to altitude sickness on Kilimanjaro before you travel. We carry pulse oximeters to track your blood-oxygen levels each day, emergency oxygen cylinders for emergency descents and severe altitude illness, and a Gamow bag, a portable pressure chamber used to treat advanced altitude sickness. Helicopter evacuation is available through providers including Kili MedAir and Proflight Helicopters, with fees starting from $3,500 per person. It is not part of the climb price, so check that your travel insurance covers trekking to 6,000 meters (19,685 feet) and evacuation before you buy it.

How much to tip your crew

Tips are paid at the end of the climb and are not in the price. Common guidance is about $20 to $30 a day for a guide, $12 to $20 for a cook and $5 to $10 for each porter. With our crew of seven, that works out at about $460 to $800 per climber on this 8-day climb. We go through how to do this fairly at your briefing.

Planning your 8-day Lemosho climb

Best time to climb the Lemosho Route

The driest months are January to mid-March and June to October. Lemosho stays quiet for its first days even in peak months, so it is a good way to avoid crowds in July, August and September, although you will meet other climbers after Lava Tower. The forest section can be very muddy in the rains from mid-March to May, and the long drive to the gate can be slower in wet weather. Our month-by-month guide goes into more detail.

Getting to the start of the Lemosho Route

Londorossi Gate is on the far western side of the mountain, about three hours by road from Moshi including park registration. We collect you from your hotel in the morning, so you will reach the trailhead around midday. The climb finishes at Mweka Gate, about an hour from Moshi, and we drive you back to your hotel. Fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), about an hour from Moshi, and we meet you there.

Preparing for 8 days on the mountain

Start training at least 12 weeks before you travel, with long hikes on back-to-back days. Our Kilimanjaro training plan shows you how, and our packing list covers what to bring and what you can rent in Moshi. Two nights in a mid-range Moshi hotel are included by default, one before and one after the climb. If you would prefer a different standard, tell us and we will adjust your quote.

After the climb

Your legs will need a day or two, and then many climbers add a northern circuit safari. We can build this into one quote.

8-day Lemosho climb: your questions answered