7 DAY LEMOSHO ROUTE AND 3 DAYS SAFARI
- Places to visit: Kilimanjaro And Safari
Overview
The seven-day Lemosho route variation is preferred over the six-day option because it breaks up day two into two days, providing better acclimatization and a more gradual ascent. On the seven-day route, we walk from Forest Camp to Shira Camp 1 on day two, a reasonable altitude gain of 2,000 feet. Then on day three, we continue from Shira Camp 2 to the little-used Moir Hut, at 13,800 feet. Overall, the exposure to this altitude will help prepare the body for higher altitudes coming on the following days.
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However, the trek from Barranco to Barafu, followed by the summit day, remains unchanged from the six-day Lemosho variation. This schedule is still very tough, though the extra day on the mountain on the seven-day route will help climbers deal with the exhausting itinerary better than those who opted for the six-day route.
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After conquering Mount Kilimanjaro, extend your adventure with a three-day safari to experience Tanzania’s incredible wildlife. Begin your safari with a visit to Tarangire National Park, known for its large elephant population and stunning baobab trees. Spend the night at a comfortable lodge before heading to the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater on the second day, where you can witness a diverse array of animals in a breathtaking setting. Finally, conclude your safari with a visit to Lake Manyara National Park on the third day, home to tree-climbing lions and a variety of bird species, before returning to your base. This combination of trekking and safari offers a comprehensive Tanzanian adventure, showcasing both the majestic peaks and the rich wildlife of the region.
Itinerary
Day 1: Londorossi Gate to Forest Camp
ā¢Elevation (ft): 7,800ft to 9,500ft
ā¢Distance: 6 km
ā¢Hiking Time:3-4 hours
ā¢Habitat: Rain Forest
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We depart Moshi for Londorossi Gate, which takes about 4 hours, where you will complete entry formalities. Then drive to the Lemosho trailhead (another hour to reach the trailhead). Upon arrival at trailhead, we eat lunch, then commence through undisturbed forest which winds to the first camp site.
Accommodation:
Day 2: Forest Camp to Shira Camp 1
ā¢Elevation (ft): 9,500ft to 11,500ft
ā¢Distance: 8 km
ā¢Hiking Time 5-6 hours
ā¢Habitat: Moorland
We continue on the trail leading out of the forest and into a savannah of tall grasses, heather, and volcanic rock draped with lichen beards. As we ascend through the lush rolling hills and cross several streams, we reach the Shira Ridge before dropping gently down to Shira 1 camp. The view of Kibo from across the plateau is amazing.
Accommodation:
Day 3: Shira Camp 1 to Shira 2 to Moir Hut
ā¢Elevation (ft): 11,500ft to 13,800 ft
ā¢Distance: 14 km
ā¢Hiking Time: 5-7 hours
ā¢Habitat: Moorland
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We explore the Shira plateau for a full day. It is a gentle walk east toward Kiboās glaciered peak, across the plateau which leads to Shira 2 camp on moorland meadows by a stream. Then we continue to Moir Hut, a little used site on the base of Lent Hills. A variety of walks are available on Lent Hills making this an excellent acclimatization opportunity. Shira is one of the highest plateaus on earth.
Accommodation:
Day 4: Moir Hut to Lava Tower to Barranco Camp
ā¢Elevation (ft): 13,800ft to 13,000ft
ā¢Distance: 7 km
ā¢Hiking Time: 4-6 hours
ā¢Habitat: Semi Desert
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From the Shira Plateau, we continue to the east up a ridge, passing the junction towards the peak of Kibo. As we continue, our direction changes to the South East towards the Lava Tower, called the āSharkās Tooth.ā Shortly after the tower, we come to the second junction which brings us up to the Arrow Glacier at an altitude of 16,000ft. We now continue down to the Barranco Hut at an altitude of 13,000ft. Here we rest, enjoy dinner, and overnight. Although you end the day at the same elevation as when you started, this day is very important for acclimatization and will help your body prepare for summit day.
Accommodation:
Day 5: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp
ā¢Elevation (ft): 13,000ft to 15,000ft
ā¢Distance: 9km
ā¢Hiking Time: 8-10 hours
ā¢Habitat: Alpine Desert
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After breakfast, we leave Barranco and continue on a steep ridge passing the Barranco Wall, to the Karanga Valley campsite. Then, we leave Karanga and hit the junction which connects with the Mweka Trail. We continue up to the Barafu Hut. At this point, you have completed the South Circuit, which offers views of the summit from many different angles. Here we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner, and prepare for the summit day. The two peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo are to be seen from this position.
Accommodation:
Day 6: Barafu Camp to Summit to Mweka Hut
ā¢Elevation (ft): 15,300ft to 19,345ft (and down to 10,000ft)
ā¢Distance: 5 km ascent / 12 km descent
ā¢Hiking Time: 7-8 hours ascent / 4-6 hours descent
ā¢Habitat: Arctic
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Very early in the morning (midnight to 2am), we continue our way to the summit between the Rebmann and Ratzel glaciers. You head in a northwesterly direction and ascend through heavy scree towards Stella Point on the crater rim. This is the most mentally and physically challenging portion of the trek.
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At Stella Point (18,600 ft), you will stop for a short rest and will be rewarded with the most magnificent sunrise you are ever likely to see (weather permitting). From Stella Point, you may encounter snow all they way on your 1-hour ascent to the summit. At Uhuru Peak, you have reached the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro and the continent of Africa. Faster hikers will see the sunrise from the summit.
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From the summit, we now make our descent continuing straight down to the Mweka Hut camp site, stopping at Barafu for lunch. You will want gaiters and trekking poles for the loose gravel going down. Mweka Camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. Later in the evening, we enjoy our last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.
Accommodation:
Day 7: Mweka Camp to Moshi
ā¢Elevation (ft): 10,000ft to 5,400ft
ā¢Distance: 10 km
ā¢Hiking Time: 3-4 hours
ā¢Habitat: Rain Forest
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After breakfast, we continue the descent down to the Mweka Park Gate to receive your summit certificates. At lower elevations, it can be wet and muddy. Gaiters and trekking poles will help. Shorts and t-shirts will probably be plenty to wear (keep rain gear and warmer clothing handy).
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From the gate, you continue another hour to Mweka Village. A vehicle will meet you at Mweka village to drive you back to hotel in Moshi.
Accommodation:
Day 8: Tarangire
The Park Located slightly off the main safari route, Tarangire National Park is a lovely quiet park in Northern Tanzania that is most famous for its elephant migration, birding and quiet authentic safari atmosphere. The majority of travelers to the region either miss out Tarangire altogether or venture into the park for a matter of hours leaving parts of Tarangire virtually untouched. The park is famous for its huge number of elephants, baobab trees and tree climbing lions. Visitors to the park can expect to see any number of residential zebras and wildebeests in addition to the less common animals. Other common animals include waterbuck, giraffe, and olive baboons.
Accommodation: Acacia Tarangire Luxury Camp
Day 9:Lake Manyara
Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzaniaās birdlife. More than 400 species have been recorded, and even a first-time visitor to Africa might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day. Inland of the floodplain, a narrow belt of acacia woodland is the favored haunt of Manyaraās legendary tree-climbing lions and impressively tusked elephants.
Accommodation: Marera Valley Lodge
Day 10:Ngorongoro Crater
The jewel in Ngorongoroās crown is a deep, volcanic crater, the largest unflooded and unbroken caldera in the world. About 20kms across, 600 meters deep and 300 sq km in area, the Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtaking natural wonder. We will visit Lake Magadi, a large but shallow alkaline lake in the southwestern corner, which is one of the main features of the crater. A large number of flamingos, hippos and other water birds can usually be seen here.
Accommodation: Acacia Tarangire Luxury Camp
- Inclusions
- Exclusions
- Park fees
- All activities (unless labeled as optional)
- All accommodation as stated in the itinerary
- A professional driver/guide
- All transportation (unless labeled as optional)
- All Taxes/VAT
- Roundtrip airport transfer
- All Meals (as specified in the day-by-day section)
- International flights (from/to home)
- Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
- Tips (tipping guideline US$10.00 pp per day)
- Personal items (souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees, etc.)
- Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees
- Alcohol drinks
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REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS
What Our Clients Say
Catherine J2024-04-21Safari with Aardwolf An absolutely amazing trip with my daughter to east Africa. Vera was so easy, caring and professional to work with she delivered everything perfectly. We were given a wonderful guide Timothy whoĆ¢ĀĀs was knowledgeable, patient and persevered in finding the best spots to view the animals. We definitely recommend this trip, itĆ¢ĀĀs an amazing and unforgettable experience. Catherine Jacobson.bry0072024-03-02Wonderful safari Had an amazing time with Aardwolf. My travel companion had a preexisting medical condition and the team went above and beyond in making sure she was comfortable and looked afterAndrew M2024-02-19A fantastically memorable safari in Kenya We enjoyed a fantastic 5-day safari to Lake Naivasha, Nakuru and Masai Mara organised for us by Vera at Aardwolf. Everything about the planning and the trip was perfect. Vera really got the brief right and even took the trouble to meet us on the Sunday before to answer questions. Our guide, Evans, was super friendly and knowledgable. The accommodation lodges were better than we were expecting and most importantly, we saw a staggering variety of wildlife. Trip of a lifetime. I really recommend Aardwolf. It's worth noting that they are a member of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO). Also, their prices were very competitive.Fernando2023-07-02Full service from back to end Everything organized and smooth. They take care of you from Nairobi airport, take you to the local airport, arrange accommodation and game drives, pick you back and show you around Nairobi tooElise K2023-03-24A place everyone should see Ć°ĀĀĀ»Ć°ĀĀĀĆ°ĀĀĀ I had a unforgettable experience. The tents were comfortable as can be. Falling asleep to nature sounds was a highlight. All our servers became friends that were easy to chat and learn from. The food was delicious. We saw all the wild animals except the Rino. Each day was special.Katharina W2022-11-23Authentic Kenyan adventure What an amazing trip! From inquiry to booking to the actual trip, Aardwolf Africa delivered everything we hoped for and more. Vera was always very responsive and proposed the best and most unique accomodation - we recommend especially the Basecamp Adventure camp in Maasai Mara for a simple but stylish and very personal experience. If you like small camps in the midst of nature, great food and care about sustainability and empowering the local Maasai community, this one is for you! Our driver guide Wilson was incredibly knowledgeable and made sure we not only experienced the highlights of each park we visited on our 6 day/5 night trip to Samburu, Nakuru and Maasai Mara but also added in unique experiences off the beaten tourist track. Thank you so much Aardwolf Africa and Wilson for an authentic Kenyan adventure!Alexey K2018-10-02This company cares! We had safari with Aardwolf in Masai Mara 29 September - 2 October. When I was choosing among different companies for safari I noticed that Aardwolf has less reviews than some other companies, so I was hesitant about booking with Aardwolf. But when I firstly came into contact with Verah it was excellent communication. All questions answered professional and she was the only manager among those whom I've contacted, who wasn't trying to fit me in template schedule but was eager to help us choose the best options for us. Also what I like about her - she remembers everything you say: I've asked for binoculars, and she offered to give me one for free and didn't forget that. I've ordered food "no spicy" and didn't had to mention it any more - everyone along my route was notified about my food preferences. Excellent work for a manager! Now about our guide. Julius is fantastic guide! I had a lot of trips in my life - Amazon, Galapagoss, Indonesia, and he is surely one of the best. In 3 days we have seen everything: leopard - twice! Cheetah - twice! Lions - three times. Hunting lion - also done! Of course a lot of giraffes, antelopes, zebras. More important - he loves his job and cares about environment and people around. I will remember when he just suddenly stopped our car in the savanna where many cars passed before just to pick up a can thrown by somebody. It makes difference! Also he has a lot to tell about wildlife. Very good man, excellent guide and experienced driver. We definitely recommend Aardwolf, Verah and Julius for everybody doing safari! Alex & Natalia from Russia168inna2018-09-23Incredible trip to Kenya and Tanzania Excellent. Ordered a tour from Aardwolf on Kenya and Tanzania. Everything was organized well, on point and was very interesting. The safari turned very saturated, the hotels were good, the food was well cooked but the breakfasts were a bit poor. Kenya fascinated us with a lot of fabulous animals, we were in Ambosseli national park, Masai Mara and lake Bogoria. For those who want to see thousands of flamingos then they need to visit lake bogoria. A huge thank you to the company for our tour guide Julius, he is a very good guide and driver, he helped us a lot, he told us about a lot of things in Kenya. Overall he is a 5 star guide. If going to a safari in Kenya I would suggest going only with Julius because he is the best. The second part of our thrips was Tanzania, but there we had Aarwolfs suppliers organize our tour. The tour in Tanzania was also marvelous, definitely need to visit the volcano crater Ngorongoro. The lodges and hotels in Tanzania were a level higher than in Kenya which was very pleasing. The only bad thing is that the Tanzanian guide who turned out to be just a driver who wouldnĆ¢ĀĀt tell you anything unless you asked had weakens our impressions a bit because he didnĆ¢ĀĀt really tell us anything and just turned out to be driver. The prices that the company provided us was cheaper compared to other companies, but they were incredibly amazing.Thank you very much to Aarwolf for providing us with an amazing tour in Kenya and Tanzania and a seperate thank you to Julius for being an amazing tour guide.DLC2018-08-29Perfect! We booked our safaris to Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, AMboseli and Tsavo East with Aardwolf Africa and everything was perfect. We went in august 2018 during 10 days and even during the pick season we had good rates. Thanks to Verah and our great guides Julius and Jackson we had an amazing trip. Logistics were perfecly organized, the lodges were very nice (clean, good food, very nice people), the cars were in perfect conditions to go everywhere in the reserves. We totally recommend Aardwolf Africa for your trips to Kenya! Thank you again! DMahtab I2018-07-29Ensured we were comfortable We booked our honeymoon to Kenya in July 2018 through Aardwolf Africa, and I have no complaints ! Thank you to Verah and our great guide Julius.