SHIRA PLATEAU/WESTERN BREACH (8days/7nights)

This route is also commonly known as the Lemosho Route. This route is the most dramatic and beautiful route up Kilimanjaro. It is the most remote and untraveled route which traverse some of Kilimanjaro's most striking and least traveled landscapes, including the base of Kibo Peak's dramatic south-facing glaciers. This route has added benefits of trekking across the Shira Plateau: a World Heritage Site, trekking 180 degrees around Kilimanjaro’s south facing glaciers and summit during the day, versus the other routes that they have to summit during the night. We have allowed plenty of time to acclimatize to the high altitude. This is the key to your safety, comfort, enjoyment and success.

 

Day 1: ARRIVAL AT KILIMANJARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (JRO)
We will meet you on your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and transfer you to your overnight hotel.

            Overnight: Ilboru Safari Lodge or similar (Bed & Breakfast)

 

Day 2: PRE-CLIMB ORIENTATION

This day is designed to give you plenty of time to relax, pack and recoup from the long journey. Your Kilimanjaro climbing team leader and guides will meet you in the late morning for a short pre-climb orientation. During the orientation, you will meet the Trip Leader and the Guides and you will go through the climbing program, discuss about the mountaineering and group expedition ethics, hazards on the mountain, sickness prevention, treatment and evacuation procedures. Our guides will go through our group camping gear and demonstrate the use and operation of all the equipment. They will also show you and demonstrate the use and operation of our safety equipments especially Emergency Supplemental Oxygen Tanks, Pulse Oximeter, Gamow Hyperbaric Chamber and our climbing expedition First Aid Kits. Safety is our first priority on the mountain. The guides will answer any questions you have about the climb. We will do equipment check with each person to be sure that you are fully prepared. 

Overnight: Ilboru Safari Lodge or similar (Bed & Breakfast)

 

Day 3: DRIVE FROM ARUSHA TO LEMOSHO GLADES TRAIL HEAD (7,550’) & HIKE TO MONTANE FOREST CAMP (9,450') 3.9 miles

            After breakfast in the morning we will drive approximately for about 2-2.5 hours to the Londorosi Registration Entrance Gate (7,750’) of Kilimanjaro National Park. We will check in and register at the gate. After registration, we will continue with our drive (about 1 hour drive) through Kilimanjaro National Forest to the Lemosho Glades trail head; where we will meet the rest of our climbing crew including guides, assistant guides, porters and the cook. Our Lead Guide will give you a full introduction of the entire climbing team. After the introductions, we will start our hike for about 3-4 hours through a very thick and undisturbed forest to our first camp on the mountain for the night. We will see a lot of very beautiful flowers on the way; with luck we may hear and see Black and White Colobus Monkeys, signs of elephants or buffaloes and other forest wildlife on our hike to camp.

 

Day 4: MONTANE FOREST CAMP (9,450’) TO SHIRA PLATEAU - WEST SIDE     CAMP (11,450') 4.9 miles

            Today will be one of our long hikes, which will take us about 6 – 7 hours from the Montane Forest, through a transition zone into the Heath zone on the west side of the Shira Plateaus, where you will be able to see the old Lava flows. Your climbing guides will point out and discuss with you unique environmental differences that characterizes each climatic zone. We will take our time hiking slowly while spotting some of the plentiful different game and birdlife life to our overnight camp which offers dramatic view of Kilimanjaro and its glaciers.

 

Day 5: SHIRA PLATEAU - WEST SIDE CAMP (11,450') TO SHIRA PLATEAU -      EAST SIDE OR MOIR HUT (13,580’) 6.8 miles

            Our hike today will be about 4 - 5 hours across the Shira Plateau, a World Heritage Site to our picnic lunch stop at Scott Fisher’s Camp. After lunch we will proceed with our hike for about 1 – 2 hours up to the western slopes of the Kibo Massif. We will be hiking through Moorland Zone where we will spend our time admiring and exploring the plateaus, arriving to our beautiful overnight camp which is at the base of massive lava flow, a very fascinating terrain with a lot of elevation changes and uneven wall-type features that are very intriguing to rock climbers.

 

Day 6: MOIR HUT (13,580’) TO LAVA TOWER (14,950') 2.3 miles

            Today will be a short hike for about 3 – 4 hours to our overnight camp just under Lava Tower, a 300 foot high volcanic lava plug that juts out of the side of the mountain. We will arrive at the Lava Tower Camp for lunch. After lunch, you will take some time to relax. We will leave in mid-afternoon and embark on an acclimatizing hike to the top of Lava Tower to enjoy the scenery of the surrounding areas and descend back down to the camp just in time for early evening appetizing hot drinks and snacks, before dinner. Adequately, this will increase your performance by acclimatizing high on top of the tower. This will be our first introduction to the Alpine Desert Zone, with the only plant life being the hardiest of grasses and lichens. We will have a spectacular view of our final ascent route up the Western Breach Wall and the Breach Icicle.

 

Day 7: LAVA TOWER (14,950') TO ARROW GLACIER (15,970') 1.7 miles

With the Western Breach ascent route in full view, we will spend about 1 - 2 hours climbing to the base of the route where we will camp near Arrow Glacier. The day will be spent mostly resting and conserving strength, but there will also be an afternoon hike partway along the final climbing ascent route. This will get us to higher elevations for better acclimatization and give us a chance to familiarize ourselves with the beginning of the toughest hiking day of the whole climb.

 

Day 8: ARROW GLACIER (15,970') TO THE CRATER CAMP (18,800') 1.5 miles

We will wake up very early in the morning for breakfast and ready to start hiking by 5am. We will wind our way up the Western Breach non-technical climbing route. The first part of the trail is covered with a lot of scree or loose rock with the final part of the trail being steep rocky slopes which you will need to use your hands to navigate the sections and using rocks for handholds. There are a total of 4 such rocky sections to the rim of the crater, which many climbers consider fun. Although many people consider the trail steep, it is only 30 – 40 degree slope which takes about 6 – 7 hours to the camp for the night which is next to the Furtwrangler Glaciaers. We will have an optional hike after lunch break to explore the inner crater and ash pit. This is a raised, circular inner rim, the inside of which slopes down to a flat floor, and then a 400'-deep inverted cone (hole) at the very center of the volcano. Kilimanjaro has one of the most perfectly formed volcanic ash pits of any mountain in the world. The climb up the soft scree slope will top-out at 19,200'; which is only 140' lower in elevation than Uhuru Peak, the actual summit of Kilimanjaro. The view of the inner crater and ash pit is amazing; this spot is much more beautiful and awe-inspiring than Uhuru Peak itself. The inner crater and ash pit are the most impressive landmarks that you will see on the mountain. In the evening you will enjoy the stunning views westward towards Mount      Meru and the setting African sun. The high altitude of crater camp makes it a physically demanding experience, but the reward is a radical scene of towering glaciers rising from the harsh rock landscapes.

 

Day 9: CRATER CAMP (18,800') TO UHURU SUMMIT (19,340’) AND DESCEND TO MWEKA CAMP (10,000') 7.5 MILES

We will start our ascent to the summit early enough in the morning to be on the summit by sunrise. This final ascent to the summit is only 540 feet, but very tiring. We will start the hike after early breakfast. The beginning part of the trail is very soft, loose, dusty scree and few steep rocky scrambling to the top of the rise, followed by relatively flat terrain of about 300 yards to the Uhuru Summit sign. This is quite a contrast to the 4,000 feet slog required to summit via all the other ascent routes on Kilimanjaro. The rewards of seeing the summit crater glaciers and standing on Africa’s highest peak are well worth the efforts. After taking in the view from Uhuru Peak we will begin the long descent through Stella Point to Barafu Hut (about 2 - 3 hours) where we will stop for lunch break. After break we will proceed with our descent for about 3 – 4 hours to Mweka Hut Camp which is our last camp located in a thick rainforest zone.

 

Day 10: MWEKA CAMP (10,000') TO MWEKA EXIT GATE (5,380’) (6.3 miles) & DRIVE BACK TO THE HOTEL IN ARUSHA                                                               

            Today’s hike will take us about 4 to 5 hours to make the 4,500 feet descent to the park exit gate. We will start the hike down through rainy forest in a steep downhill and very often slippery terrain all the way to the park exit gate. We will arrive at the gate in the afternoon, sign-out on the National Park log book and receive your certificates. You will say goodbye to your climbing crew which is usually quite a sad moment after you have created a bonding with them over the days you were on the mountain. We will drive through very beautiful lush coffee plantations and small villages of the Chagga people back to Arusha for a nice hot shower and time to relax looking forward to go on safari or depart back home the following day.                                      

            Overnight: Ilboru Safari Lodge or similar (Bed & Breakfast)