THE CLIMB - 2010
LEMOSHO-LAVA TOWER ROUTE
13 DAYS/12 NIGHTS

January 13 - DEPART NORTH AMERICA
Fly to Tanzania


January 14/15 - MOSHI (3,300 ft.)

After arriving in Moshi, you check into the Keys hotel, and have a hot meal, and a good night's rest. We spend 2 nights in Moshi. On your second day you will meet your guide for a climb orientation and equipment check.

This is also a great time to immerse yourself in Chagga culture on one of our cultural trips.

January 16  - LONDOROSSI GATE to MTI MKUBWA (9,170 ft.)

A three-hour drive from our Moshi Hotel brings us to the Londorossi Park Gate located on the western side of Kilimanjaro. At the gate we sign in and then drive to the trailhead at Lemosho Glades and start our trek through the rain forest. In places the vegetation is so untouched that it grows right across the narrow track. The flora and fauna are richer here than on the other more popular routes through the rain forest. In about 3-4 hours we reach our camp in the rain forest at Mti Mkubwa (Big Tree).

January 17 - MTI MKUBWA to SHIRA CAMP (11,500 ft.)

After breakfast, we start the climb cross the remaining rain forest towards the giant moorland zone. Today is a 6-7 hour trek with an altitude gain of 2,400 ft. A great lunch stop is in a beautiful valley just outside the Shira Crater at around 10,000 ft. After lunch we cross into the Shira Caldera, a high altitude desert plateau which is rarely visited. Shira is the third of Kilimanjaro's volcanic cones, and is filled with lava flow from Kibo Peak. The crater rim has been decimated by weather and volcanic action. Today you'll get your first close views of Kibo - the dramatic summit of Kilimanjaro.

January 18 - SHIRA CAMP to MOIR CAMP (13,650 ft.)

After breakfast we continue to hike east across the Shira Plateau past the Shira Cathedral towards Moir camp. The views of the plateau are nothing less than spectacular. Moir is one of the most beautiful and least-used site, situated at the end of a vast canyon. It's about a 7 hour hike.

 

January 19 - MOIR CAMP to LAVA TOWER (14,950 ft.)

In this Alpine Moorland Zone, the plants are extremely hardy, and consist of lichens, grasses, and heather among others. Our camp is at the foot of Lava Tower. This is the high point of the first section of the trek, and is excellent for helping our bodies get used to the thin air.

January 20 - LAVA TOWER to BARRANCO CAMP (12,850 ft.)

We descend just over 2,000-ft/600-m on a trek down through the Giant Senecio forest to Barranco. Camp is beautifully set up on a ridge at the foot of the Barranco Wall, just across a beautiful stream.This is where the Machame and Lemosho-Lava Tower routes converge, so we meet other climbers ascending the Machame Route.

January 21 - BARRANCO to KARANGA CAMP (13,200 ft)

After breakfast, our big challenge is to hike up the Barranco Wall, a 500 -ft lava flow. It’s not a technical wall, but challenging nonetheless. Once on top of the "wall", the climb becomes easier and extremely beautiful with fantastic views of the crags and crevasses of the jagged peaks of Kibo on your left. Lastly we descend into the Karanga Valley and up the other side, for our overnight camp. The sunsets here are truly spectacular.

January 22 - KARANGA to BARAFU CAMP (14,950 ft)

Karanga to Barafu camp isn't far as the crow flies, but it's all up hill, and takes us 3-4 hours to get there.  It's alpine desert here, with sweeping views of the Kibo saddle and Mawenzi Peak. Today's a key day for acclimatizing as we hike up to 16,500 feet to allow our bodies to adjust.

January 23 - BARAFU to CRATER  CAMP (18,370 ft.)

We repack our gear, taking only what we'll need for one day in the crater. The porters will carry the rest of our gear around to Millennium Camp, for a rendezvous on our descent.

The views from the route up are nothing less than spectacular. Some Tusker climbers have talked about a spiritual experience as they approach Stella point, at the crater rim- with dramatic cloud formations hovering over the mountainous landscape and the savannah, miles below you. Slowly winding our way up, we reach the edge of the crater floor after about 8 hours, and enjoy our camp at the highest possible altitude.

January 24 - THE SUMMIT! to MILLENNIUM CAMP (19,340 ft. - 12,500 ft.)

We spend about 2 hours hiking up to Uhuru Peak,
thesummit, taking in the spectacular view. After all the photos and celebration, we head down to our last camp on the mountain, feeling "high" in more ways than one.

You will be totally euphoric after reaching Uhuru Peak. It's a long hike down to Millennium Camp, and your lungs will thank you as you as you breathe the oxygen-rich air. On the way down, we stop for lunch, refill our water and continue down to Millennium camp through the Heath and Moorland. This is our last night on the great mountain.

January 25 - MILLENNIUM CAMP to MOSHI (3,300 ft.)

In the morning we have a 4-hour walk down to the road. We then get a lift back to the hotel and a well-deserved shower - and a cold beer, where we spend the night at the Keys Hotel.

January 26 - Depart Tanzania, or continue on your Wildlife Safari.

The 6-day safari takes you through some of the most spectacular wildlife reserves on the planet. You stay In some of the finest lodges of East Africa in the SERENGETI, NGORONGORO CRATER and at LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK. February and March is the finest time of the year to visit the SERENGETI, as most of the migratory wildlife is concentrated in the south, around our lodge. It's also the annual calving season for the millions of wildebeest. This is a spectacle not to be missed.

Click here for safari details.