7 Days Lemosho Kilimanjaro Trakking

Description

Lemosho have Lovely forest, great views, wonderful scenery, fewer crowds (for the first few days at least) – these are all reasons why we think the Lemosho Route might be our favourite official trail on the mountain.

Details

>>>The Lemosho Route (incorrectly called Shira Plateau Route by some agencies) is our favourite of the official trails on Kilimanjaro. It’s a lengthy yet gentle trail, at least by Kilimanjaro’s standards! A path that offers both exceptional chances of seeing wildlife and a higher than average chance of reaching the summit.

PRICE INCLUDE & EXCLUDE

INCLUDE

>>> Private transport from Kilimanjaro International Airport to your accommodations in Moshi.
>>> Kilimanjaro Park rescue team fees.
>>> Government taxes.
>>> 3 freshly-prepared delicious meals daily on the mountain prepared by professional cooks who are happy to accommodate your dietary needs.
>>>3-4 liters of mineral/treated water per person per day.
>>> Hot drinks on the mountain and hot water for washing.
>>> Private transport to and from the hotel to the Kilimanjaro Park Gate.
>>> National Park entry fees and hut fees.
>>> Portable oxygen tanks, ox meter and emergency first-aid kit.
>>> Porter’s Cook’s and Guide’s Salary.
>>> 2 nights of accommodation at Hotel Moshi.
>>> Friendly and highly qualified mountain guides, assistant guides and professional cooks.
>>> Enough Porters to carry camping gear and additional baggage.
>>> Accommodation in Huts/camping.

EXCLUDE

>>>Lunches, dinners and drinks at your hotel in Moshi before climb and after climb.
>>> Personal items and toiletries.
>>> Tips for guides, porters and cook (this is a guide to tipping on the mountain.

Tipping on Kilimanjaro from the trekking group (not per climber):

>>> Guides: US $15/day/guide.
>>> Cook : US $10/day.
>>> Porter: US $8/day/porter.
NOTE: Our Guides, cooks and Porters are always satisfied with your thanks giving (tip) you have and not beyond your ability.

Map of Lemosho Route

MOUNT KILIMANJARO TREKKING EQUIPMENTS

Day 1:Moshi/Arusha to Londorossi Gate to Lemosho Glades to Mti Mkubwa Camp

Drive from Moshi or Arusha to the Londorossi Park Gate. From here follow a forest track in a 4WD vehicle for about 11 km/7 mi (45 minutes) to Lemosho Glades and a possible campsite. From the Glades, walk for 3 hours along beautiful forest trails to the Mti Mkubwa (big tree) campsite.

Day 2:Mti Mkubwa Camp to Shira Camp 1

The trail gradually steepens, enters the giant heather moorland zone, then crosses the Shira Ridge at 3,600 m/11,810 ft and drops gently to Shira Camp 1 located by a stream on the Shira Plateau.

Day 3: Shira Camp1 to Shira Camp2

A gentle walk across the plateau leads to shira camp 2 on moorland meadows by a stream. A variety of walks are available on the plateau making this an excellent acclimatization day.

Day 4:Shira Camp1 to Shira Camp2

After breakfast, you will hike east up a steepening path above the highest vegetation toward Kilimanjaro's looming mass. After several hours, you walk through a rocky landscape to reach the prominent landmark called Lava Tower at 4,630 m/15,190 ft. This chunky remnant of Kilimanjaro's earlier volcanic activity is several hundred feet high, and the trail passes right below it.
For extra credit, the sure-footed can scramble to the top of the tower. After a lunch stop near Lava Tower, descend for 2 hours below the lower cliffs of the Western Breach and Breach Wall to Barranco Camp at 3,950 m/12,960 ft.
There are numerous photo opportunities on this hike, especially if the walls are festooned with ice. Barranco Camp is in a valley below the Breach and Great Barranco Walls, which should provide you with a memorable sunset while you wait for your dinner. On this day, be careful to notice any signs of altitude sickness.

Day 5: Baranco Camp – Barafu Camp

Leave slowly crossing the floor of the great Barranco Valley and up the Barranco wall; continue the trek on the South Circuit path through the Karanga Valley. Then slowly trek (7 hours) to Barafu Hut (4600m). From Barafu you will have excellent views of Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. Barafu Hut is situated on an exposed and dangerous ridge, so it is necessary to familiarise yourself with the terrain before dark. We will have our dinner, rest and prepare for summit night.

Day 6:Summit Day! Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp

You will rise around 11:30 PM, and after some steaming tea and biscuits, you shuffle off into the night. Your 6-hour climb northwest up through heavy scree between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers to Stella Point on the crater rim is the most challenging part of the route for most climbers. At Stella Point (5,685 m/18,650 ft) you stop for a short rest and a chance to see a supremely sanguine sunrise. At Stella Point you join the top part of the Marangu Route, but do not stop here too long, as it will be extremely difficult to start again due to cold and fatigue.
Depending on the season and recent storms, you may encounter snow on your remaining hike along the rim to Uhuru Peak. On the summit, you can enjoy your accomplishment and know that you are creating a day that you will remember for the rest of your life. After your 3-hour descent from the summit back to Barafu Camp, you will have a well-earned but short rest, collect your gear, and hike down a rock and scree path into the moorland and eventually into the forest to Mweka Camp (3,100 m/10,170 ft).

Day 7: Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate to Moshi

After a well-deserved breakfast, it is a short, scenic, 3-hour hike back to the park gate. At Mweka Gate, you can sign your name and add details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Climbers who reached Stella Point are issued green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak receive gold certificates. From the Mweka Gate you will be driven back to Moshi for an overdue hot shower and comfortable night.

MOUNT KILIMANJARO INFORMATION

People can climb the mountain throughout the year, however there are times which are more convenient to climb due to different weather conditions. Bad weather conditions like rain makes it difficult to climb hence low summit success rate.

There are main two seasons for climbing Kilimanjaro. They are dry(June to October) and wet seasons (April to June). The dry season is referred to as the peak season.

During peak season, the weather is usually good with warm conditions making it easy for climbing Kilimanjaro and higher summit success rate. However being peak season is not because of weather but because the time coincides with American and European summer holiday.

Alternative time for climbing is from January to March where the weather is neither cold nor wet. The timing is best suitable for hikers who prefer less crowds of people.

Month	Low (F)	Average (F)	High (F)	Humidity (%)	Rain Fall (in)
January	64	78	92	58	1.4
February	64	78	92	57	2.0
March	66	78	90	63	4.7
April	67	76	85	73	13.8
May	65	72	79	77	9.3
June	62	70	78	69	1.0
July	60	69	78	69	1.0
August	60	60	80	69	0.7
September	60	71	83	61	0.6
October	62	75	88	57	1.0
November	64	76	86	57	2.5
December	64	77	90	60	2.1

ALTITUDE SICKNESS

Sometimes called “mountain sickness,” altitude sickness is a group of symptoms that can strike if you walk or climb to a higher elevation, or altitude, too quickly.

WHY IT HAPPENS?

The pressure of the air that surrounds you is called barometric pressure. When you go to higher altitudes, this pressure drops and there is less oxygen available. If you live in a place that’s located at a moderately high altitude, you get used to the air pressure. But if you travel to a place at a higher altitude than you’re used to, your body will need time to adjust to the change in pressure. Any time you go above 8,000 feet, you can be at risk for altitude sickness.

TYPES:

There are three kinds of altitude sickness:

Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is the mildest form and it’s very common. The symptoms can feel like a hangover – dizziness, headache, muscle aches, nausea.

High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) is a buildup of fluid in the lungs that can be very dangerous and even life threatening.

High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) is the most severe form of altitude sickness and happens when there’s fluid in the brain. Its life threatening and you need to seek medical attention right away.

SYMTOMS

You might have:

Headache

Dizziness

Nausea

Vomiting

Fatigue and loss of energy

Shortness of breath

Problems with sleep

Loss of appetite

Symptoms usually come on within 12 to 24 hours of reaching a higher elevation and then get better within a day or two as your body adjusts to the change in altitude. If you have a more moderate case of altitude sickness, your symptoms might feel more intense and not improve with over-the-counter medications. Instead of feeling better as time goes on, you’ll start to feel worse. You’ll have more shortness of breath and fatigue. You may also have:

Loss of coordination and trouble walking.

A severe headache that doesn’t get better with medication

A tightening in your chest.

If you develop a severe form of altitude sickness like HAPE or HACE, you might have:

Confusion

Shortness of breath even at rest

Inability to walk

A cough that produces a white or pink frothy substance

Coma.

WHO GETS TO?

Anyone can develop altitude sickness, no matter how fit, young, or healthy they are -- even Olympic athletes can get it. In fact, being physically active at a high elevation makes you more likely to get it. Your chance of getting altitude sickness depends on a few other things: how quickly you move to a higher elevation, how high you go up, the altitude where you sleep, and other factors. Your risk also depends on where you live and the altitude there, your age (young people are more likely to get it), and whether you’ve had altitude sickness before Having certain illnesses like diabetes or lung disease doesn’t automatically make you more likely to develop altitude sickness. But your genes could play a role in your body’s ability to handle higher elevations.

TREATMENT

If you get a headache and at least one other symptom associated with altitude sickness within a day or two of changing your elevation, you might have altitude sickness. If your symptoms are more severe, you’ll need medical attention. Your doctor might listen to your chest with a stethoscope or take an X-ray of your chest or an MRI or CT scan of your brain to look for fluid. Knowing the symptoms of altitude sickness will help you seek treatment early, while the condition is still mild. The most important treatment for any level of altitude sickness is to go down to a lower elevation as soon as possible while remaining safe. If you have severe altitude sickness, you’ll need to be taken down to a lower elevation right away -- and it must be lower than 4,000 feet. You’ll have to see a doctor as soon as possible and you may need to go to the hospital. If you have HACE, you might need a steroid called dexamethasone. If you have HAPE, you will need supplemental oxygen and may need medications, as well as moving to a lower altitude.

PREVENTION

The best way you can lower your chance of getting altitude sickness is through acclimatization. That means you let your body slowly get used to the changes in air pressure as you travel to higher elevations. You’ll want to climb to higher altitudes gradually. Going slowly helps your lungs get more air through deeper breaths and allows more of your red blood cells to carry oxygen to different parts of your body.

Some of the basic guidelines for acclimatization are:

Start your journey below 10,000 feet. If you have to fly or drive somewhere that’s higher up, stop at one destination that’s lower for at least a full day before going any higher.

If you walk, hike, or climb over 10,000 feet, only go up an additional 1,000 feet per day. For every 3,000 feet you climb, rest at least a day at that height.

“Climb high and sleep low”: If you have to climb over 1,000 feet in a day, make sure you come back down to a lower altitude to sleep.

Drink 3-4 quarts of water every day and make sure about 70% of your calories are coming from carbs.

Don’t use tobacco, alcohol, or other medications, such as sleeping pills.

Know how to identify the first signs of altitude sickness. Immediately move to a lower elevation if you start to develop these symptoms.

Kilimanjaro Climbing Packing List

Kilimanjaro climbing is one of the adventurous tour activity that one shouldn’t miss. However to make it more entertaining, it’s required to pack the right and necessary equipment.
The following list will be of a great help:-

Clothes

Waterproof pants

1-2 Long Sleeve Trekking Shirts

1 Pairs of hiking pants

1 Fleece Jacket

1 Insulated Winter Jacket

2 pairs synthetic warm weather trekking socks

4 pairs heavier synthetic or wool blend socks

Top and Bottom Base Layer

3-4 Short Sleeve

Water/Windproof mittens

Lightweight gloves

Lightweight Rain gear

1 Pair of hiking boots

Balaclava

Trekking Equipment

A day pack

Headlamp with extra batteries

1 Sleeping bag

1 Duffel bag

A pair of trekking poles

Accessories

Backpack cover

Water bottle

Sunglasses

Electronic devices

Camera/Smartphone

Extra batteries/Power bank