Eight days to the summit of Kilimanjaro on the Lemosho Route

8 hiking days
Tents & hotels
Guided
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The Kilimanjaro Trail

Climb Kilimanjaro on this eight-day trek along the Lemosho Route.

  • From €2489

  • First edition 15-24 Feb. 2027
Highlights
  • Stand on Uhuru Peak, at 5,895m the highest point in Africa
  • Walk through 5 climate zones, from rainforest to glacier
  • Take the Lemosho Route, the quietest way to the summit
  • Sleep seven nights on the mountainside
  • Take the time to acclimatise, with an extra day at altitude
Climb with local guides and your own Travelbase tour leader
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Dates and availability Preregistrer for 2027
Dates and availability Preregistrer for 2027
  • The Kilimanjaro Trail - Barranco Camp
The Kilimanjaro Trail - Barranco Camp
The Kilimanjaro Trail - Barranco Camp

Climbing Kilimanjaro on the Lemosho Route

Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, yet one of the very few that size you can simply walk up, no rope, no ice axe. We take the Lemosho Route, which starts at Londorossi Gate on the quiet western side and takes the long way round, so your body has time to adjust to the altitude. We give it eight days, with an extra night on the Shira Plateau.

Over about 70 kilometres you climb from 2,360m through five climate zones: cultivated farmland around the gate, rainforest, the open moorland of the Shira Plateau, alpine desert of scree and lava rock, and finally ice and glacier on the crater rim. You walk pole pole (slowly, slowly), while a crew of guides, porters and cooks moves ahead, so camp is standing by the time you arrive.

Summit night begins around 01:00, by head torch. The sun comes up while you are still climbing, and a last stretch along the rim brings you to Uhuru Peak: 5,895m, the highest point in Africa. And you will have walked every metre of it.

Preregister for 2027

Your climb, day by day

Climbing Kilimanjaro on your own takes a lot of arranging: park permits, campsites and a licensed local crew all have to be booked and paid for well in advance. We take care of all of it, so you can focus on the mountain.

Your local guides keep an eye on the weather and will change the day’s plan when it asks for it. Here is how your climb looks, day by day: ten days from arrival to departure, eight of them on the Lemosho Route.

The Lemosho Route

The Kilimanjaro Trail - Lemosho Route
Day 2
Londorossi Gate Mti Mkubwa
6km 535m 3–4 hrs
Day 3
Mti Mkubwa Shira One
8.5km 810m 90m 6–7 hrs
Day 4
Shira One Shira Two
8km 300m ~5 hrs
Day 5
Shira Two Barranco
10.5km 700m 650m 6–7 hrs
Day 6
Barranco Karanga
5.5km 380m 320m ~4 hrs
Day 7
Karanga Barafu Hut
5km 550m ~3 hrs
Day 8
Barafu Hut Uhuru Peak → Mweka Camp
17km 1,295m 2,795m 12–15 hrs
Day 9
Mweka Camp Mweka Gate
9km 1,430m 3–4 hrs

Practical info

When?

The very first Kilimanjaro Trail pilot edition runs from 15 to 24 February 2027, with only a very limited number of places. Your outbound flight is on 14/02 in the evening and your trek runs from 16 to 23 February.

Price

The base price for this climb starts at € 2,489 per person early bird price. That covers the full organisation of the trip.

Included in the base price

  • 8-day Lemosho climb with Local Moshi Adventures: guides (1 per 2 climbers), porters, cook, all meals on the mountain, tents, park fees*
  • Travelbase tour leader
  • 1 hotel night in Moshi before the trek
  • Transfers from the airport to Moshi and back (if flights are booked via us)
  • Transfers from Moshi to the trek gates and back
  • Private toilet tents (1 per 4 climbers), emergency oxygen, daily health checks
  • AMREF Flying Doctors helicopter rescue (life-threatening emergencies only)
  • Travelbase welcome goodies

 

* It also covers your park fees, around $ 1,122 per climber. Tanzania charges a conservation fee, a camping fee and a rescue fee for every day you spend inside Kilimanjaro National Park, and on an eight-day route those add up to roughly a third of what you pay. Some operators quote a price with the park fees left out. Ours are in.

You can add options to your booking — you will find them here.

What’s not included
  • Tanzania visa (about $50, paid in cash on arrival or online)
  • Mandatory Tanzania entry insurance ($44 per person, bought online or on arrival)
  • Tipping the mountain crew is a strong tradition on Kilimanjaro and an important part of their income. Plan around $250–300 per person, handed over in cash at the end of the trek. Your tour leader organises this fairly with the group, following KPAP guidelines.
  • Meals at the hotel (lunch and dinner) before and after the climb
  • Travel/medical insurance covering high-altitude trekking (mandatory and on top of the Tanzania entry insurance)
Transfers
  • Day 1, 11:20: we meet you at Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) and drive you to Moshi.
  • Day 2: we drive from Moshi to Londorossi Gate in the morning.
  • Day 9: after the descent, a short drive past coffee plantations and banana farms brings you back to Moshi.
  • Day 10, 15:00: Transfer to the airport (included when you book your flights with us)
Getting to Tanzania

Fly with us — Ethiopian Airlines, return from Brussels: €915 (checked bag 23kg: +€65).

  • Outbound — Sun 14 Feb: Brussels 21:20 → Kilimanjaro (JRO) 10:40 on 15 Feb · 1 stop in Addis Ababa (1h50)
  • Return — Wed 24 Feb: Kilimanjaro (JRO) 19:10 → Brussels 06:20 on 25 Feb · 1 stop in Addis Ababa (3h20)

Booking your own flight? Land at Kilimanjaro Airport on 15 February — Google Flights is the quickest way to compare.
You can join the group shuttle to Moshi as an option.

Your guides and crew
  • A group of 15, and a guide for every two climbers. Departures take a maximum of 15 participants. You climb with local guides and assistant guides at a ratio of 1:2, so somebody is always close enough to see how you are doing. All of them are trained in first aid.
  • A Travelbase tour leader travels with you. Alongside the local crew, one of our own tour leaders comes along for the whole climb, your point of contact before departure and on the mountain.
  • A crew that carries the mountain for you. Porters and cooks carry the tents, the food and your main bag, set up camp before you arrive and cook three meals a day.
    • Porters who are treated properly. Our partner on the mountain is a KPAP partner company. Every climb is monitored by an independent KPAP porter, loads are capped at 20kg, wages are guaranteed and paid within two days, and the crew get three meals a day and proper kit.
Insurance — required

Medical travel insurance that covers high-altitude trekking is mandatory on this climb. You cannot join without it. Standard policies routinely exclude trekking above 4,000m and this route reaches 5,895m, so check the altitude limit in your own policy rather than assuming you are covered.

You can add a policy through us as an option, or arrange your own.

FAQ

Got questions? Have a look at our FAQ.

Optional extras

Is this climb for you?

This is a genuinely hard trip, and that is most of the appeal. How hard a climb feels depends on a lot of factors, the four below should let you judge honestly whether this one suits you.

If you have never done a multi-day trek at altitude, start the preparation early and consider doing one of our other trails before. If you are unsure, email us before you book, we would far rather have that conversation now than halfway up.

The Kilimanjaro Trail - Look up
Distance and elevation
  • About 70 km and 4,570 m of ascent in eight days, with daily stages from 5km to 17km.
  • Summit night is a day of its own: nearly 1,300m up to Uhuru Peak, then almost 2,800m down to Mweka Camp, twelve to fifteen hours on your feet.
  • No climbing experience and no technical gear. Only the Barranco Wall asks for your hands, and that is a scramble rather than a climb.

Some tips:

  • Build up to long walking days on hilly ground, back to back, in the months before you go.
  • Train with a loaded daypack, not an empty one.
  • Use the training plan you receive after booking.
Read moreRead less
The Kilimanjaro Trail - Look up

Distance and elevation

  • About 70 km and 4,570 m of ascent in eight days, with daily stages from 5km to 17km.
  • Summit night is a day of its own: nearly 1,300m up to Uhuru Peak, then almost 2,800m down to Mweka Camp, twelve to fifteen hours on your feet.
  • No climbing experience and no technical gear. Only the Barranco Wall asks for your hands, and that is a scramble rather than a climb.

Some tips:

  • Build up to long walking days on hilly ground, back to back, in the months before you go.
  • Train with a loaded daypack, not an empty one.
  • Use the training plan you receive after booking.
Altitude and acclimatisation
  • At 5,895m there is roughly half the oxygen there is at sea level. Headaches, breathlessness, no appetite and broken sleep are all normal above 3,500m.
  • Your oxygen saturation and a Lake Louise score are recorded every day. If those numbers say it is not safe to carry on, you go down,  with an assistant guide and a porter walking with you.
  • Altitude has nothing to do with fitness or willpower. It affects people regardless of how well they trained.
  • One guide or assistant guide for every two climbers, emergency oxygen on every climb, and AMREF Flying Doctors cover for every climber.

Some tips:

  • Drink far more than feels necessary, and eat even when you have no appetite.
  • Walk slower than you want to, especially on the days that feel easy.
  • Talk to your doctor before booking if you take medication or have a heart or lung condition.
Read moreRead less

Altitude and acclimatisation

  • At 5,895m there is roughly half the oxygen there is at sea level. Headaches, breathlessness, no appetite and broken sleep are all normal above 3,500m.
  • Your oxygen saturation and a Lake Louise score are recorded every day. If those numbers say it is not safe to carry on, you go down,  with an assistant guide and a porter walking with you.
  • Altitude has nothing to do with fitness or willpower. It affects people regardless of how well they trained.
  • One guide or assistant guide for every two climbers, emergency oxygen on every climb, and AMREF Flying Doctors cover for every climber.

Some tips:

  • Drink far more than feels necessary, and eat even when you have no appetite.
  • Walk slower than you want to, especially on the days that feel easy.
  • Talk to your doctor before booking if you take medication or have a heart or lung condition.
Weather
  • You pass through five climate zones in eight days, from warm, humid rainforest to frost at the summit.
  • At Barafu and on summit night it is well below freezing, with wind on top of that.
  • Lower down it can rain hard, even in the dry season. Your guides adjust the day’s plan when the weather asks for it.

Some tips:

  • Dress in layers and bring genuinely waterproof outer gear.
  • Bring a warm down jacket for the camps and for summit night.
  • Hat and gloves are essential, even this close to the equator.
Read moreRead less

Weather

  • You pass through five climate zones in eight days, from warm, humid rainforest to frost at the summit.
  • At Barafu and on summit night it is well below freezing, with wind on top of that.
  • Lower down it can rain hard, even in the dry season. Your guides adjust the day’s plan when the weather asks for it.

Some tips:

  • Dress in layers and bring genuinely waterproof outer gear.
  • Bring a warm down jacket for the camps and for summit night.
  • Hat and gloves are essential, even this close to the equator.
Terrain
  • The paths are clear and walkable throughout: forest trails low down, scree and lava rock higher up.
  • The descents are harder on you than the climbs. Day 8 drops nearly 2,800m over loose scree, day 9 another 1,400m on a path that turns slippery after rain.
  • The Barranco Wall is the only section where you use your hands.

Some tips:

  • Trekking poles take the load off your knees on the long descents.
  • Break your boots in properly before you travel.
  • Bring gaiters to keep the scree out of them.
Read moreRead less

Terrain

  • The paths are clear and walkable throughout: forest trails low down, scree and lava rock higher up.
  • The descents are harder on you than the climbs. Day 8 drops nearly 2,800m over loose scree, day 9 another 1,400m on a path that turns slippery after rain.
  • The Barranco Wall is the only section where you use your hands.

Some tips:

  • Trekking poles take the load off your knees on the long descents.
  • Break your boots in properly before you travel.
  • Bring gaiters to keep the scree out of them.

Join us!

Ready for the peak of Africa?
15 – 24 February 2027

For this first edition we offer only a few places, so preregister now and get:

  • Booking access 24 hours before everyone else
  • The Early Bird price
  • Free superflex conditions

Not available on these dates? Preregister anyway and we’ll let you know as soon as we open new dates.

Thanks to your preregistration you’ll get an exclusive registration link on 14/10 at 16h00 (CEST).
Others will be able to book 24 hours later.

Preregister now!
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Frequently asked questions about climbing Kilimanjaro

You can always email us for more on this trip. Below are the questions we get most.

What’s included in the price?
  • Detailed itinerary and full trip organisation
  • Transfer from and to Kilimanjaro Airport (included when you book your flights with us)
  • 1 night in Moshi with breakfast (second night optional)
  • 7 nights in tents on the mountain
  • Three meals a day and purified water on the mountain
  • All park, camping and rescue fees — $1,122 per climber
  • Local guides and assistant guides at a ratio of 1:2, plus cooks and porters
  • Travelbase tour leader travelling with the group
  • Emergency oxygen, a pulse oximeter and a daily health check
  • AMREF Flying Doctors helicopter rescue membership
  • Climb briefing and equipment check before departure
  • Certificate on a successful summit
  • Training plan and full kit list
  • The Kilimanjaro Trail app
How much does it cost to climb Kilimanjaro?

On top of the base price, budget for tips for the crew, your visa, your flight and your travel insurance. The amounts are under What’s not included. We put them together in one place deliberately, so nothing catches you out in Moshi.

Who is this climb for?
  • Adventurous types, 18 to 65. This is a serious physical challenge and it is within reach of anyone in good condition who genuinely wants it. Over 65? Contact us first
  • First multi-day trek? Test yourself:
    • Have you been active over the past three months?
    • Can you walk easily 20km over hilly ground?
    • Do you have any injuries that might get in the way?
    • Can you commit to some training before you go?
  • We help you get ready. A week after booking you receive a training plan built around the altitude and the long days.
Do I need climbing experience?

No. You need no climbing experience and no technical gear, this is eight days of walking at altitude. What does help is experience of multi-day walking and a solid base of fitness.

Where do we sleep?
  • Seven nights in a tent on the mountain. Your tent is pitched before you arrive, on a sleeping mat. There is a dining tent with a table, and a toilet tent for every four climbers.
  • One night in a hotel in Moshi before the climb, and a second night after it as an option.
  • Travelling alone? You will share your tent and the hotel rooms with another participant (private tent and room available in option). We always try to put people of the same sex together.
What about washing and toilets?
  • This is camping at altitude. There is no shower and no running water at the camps on the mountain.
  • A toilet tent for every four climbers, at every camp.
  • Back to comfort in Moshi on day 1 and day 9. Bring wet wipes for in between, and take them back down with you.
What do we eat and drink?

Three meals a day, cooked by our cook and eaten in the dining tent. Warm, and more than you think you can manage, at altitude your appetite disappears exactly when your body needs more. Eating and drinking are part of acclimatising.

  • Purified drinking water is provided throughout the climb.
  • Bring your own snacks. There are no shops on the mountain.
Do I carry my own bag?
  • No. Porters carry your main bag, the tents, the food and the camping equipment. You walk with a daypack (water, snacks, a warm layer, first aid and a waterproof jacket and pants).
  • A soft bag, up to 15kg. Porter loads are capped at 20kg under KPAP rules, and your bag counts towards that.
  • A 30L daypack is about right for what you carry yourself.
What should I bring?
  • Layers. Thermal base layers (merino), a warm fleece, and an outer layer that is genuinely waterproof and windproof. Hat and gloves are essential, even this close to the equator.
  • A proper down jacket for the camps and summit night.
  • A full kit list follows. You receive a detailed list after booking, and your Travelbase tour leader runs an equipment check in Moshi the day before the climb.
Do I need a visa for Tanzania?
  • Yes, an e-visa. You arrange it online; a tourist visa costs $50. Apply at least three weeks before you travel. (for Americans $100)
  • A passport is required, valid for at least six months beyond your visa.
  • Check before you go. Rules change, always confirm on the official site.
Do I need insurance?

Yes, and it is mandatory. You need medical travel insurance that explicitly covers high-altitude trekking. You cannot join the climb without it.

Standard policies routinely exclude trekking above 4,000m, and this route reaches 5,895m. Check the altitude limit in the policy itself. Your national health insurance will not cover medical evacuation abroad.

What vaccinations do I need?

No vaccination is compulsory if you fly directly from Belgium with a short connection in Addis Ababa. A yellow fever certificate is required if you transit more than 12 hours in a risk country such as Ethiopia.

If your layover in a risk country is shorter than 12 hours, keep your boarding passes (paper or digital) as proof of your transit time, in case you’re asked for a yellow fever certificate on arrival.

Malaria is present at low altitude (Moshi), so ask your doctor or a travel clinic about prevention at least 6 weeks before departure. Hepatitis A, tetanus and typhoid are recommended. A medical check-up before a high-altitude climb is strongly advised.

How is safety handled on the mountain?
  • One guide for every two climbers, all trained in first aid.
  • A health check every day: oxygen saturation measured with a pulse oximeter, plus the Lake Louise questionnaire for altitude sickness.
  • Emergency oxygen is carried on every climb.
  • Helicopter rescue included. Every climber has an AMREF Flying Doctors membership; air evacuation for a life-threatening emergency is free. Non-medical evacuation (exhaustion, or being unable to continue) is handled by the national park as a ground rescue, and a helicopter at your request is at your own cost.
What if I don’t make the summit?

It happens, and it is not a failure. Your guides decide with you whether it is safe to keep going, based on your oxygen saturation and your Lake Louise score. Anyone descending is accompanied by an assistant guide and a porter, you are never left to go down alone. The mountain will still be there the next time.

Traveling solo?
  • Absolutely. A large share of our travellers book solo. You spend eight days with the same people; that tends to do the rest.
  • You share a tent and room with another participant of the same sex, or book the single supplement.
Will I have phone signal?
  • Patchy to none. There is surprising signal on parts of the route and none higher up. There is no electricity at the camps.
  • Bring power banks, fully charged. Cold and altitude drain batteries fast, keep your phone in your sleeping bag overnight.
How long does it take to climb Kilimanjaro?

Our climb takes eight days on the mountain, inside a ten-day trip: a day to arrive in Moshi, eight days walking, and a day to fly home. Routes up Kilimanjaro run from five to nine days.

We take eight rather than the more common seven because the extra day is spent acclimatising rather than covering ground, and time at altitude is the thing that decides most summit attempts.

Why the Lemosho Route?
  • Excellent summit success rate
     Lemosho starts at Londorossi Gate on the western side and approaches Kibo from the west, which means more days on the mountain for acclimatisation.
  • It is quieter. For the first two days you barely meet another group, where the southern routes are busy from the gate.
  • It builds in the climb-high-sleep-low day. Day 5 goes over Lava Tower at 4,600m and drops back to 3,950m to sleep, the most effective way to acclimatise.
How hard is it to climb Kilimanjaro?

Physically it is long rather than technical: seven walking days of three to seven hours, then a summit night of twelve to fifteen. There is no climbing and no technical gear, if you can walk easily 20km over hilly ground and you train beforehand, the walking itself is within reach.

The altitude is the real difficulty, and it does not care how fit you are. That is why the route is built around acclimatising and why your guides check your oxygen saturation every day.

When is the best time to climb Kilimanjaro?

Kilimanjaro has two dry seasons: January to early March, and June to October. Both give the clearest skies and the most settled weather, and both are used for summit attempts. The long rains in April and May and the short rains in November are best avoided.

Our departure dates are below under Dates and availability.

Still got a question?

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