Kilimanjaro - Lemosho Trek

Our Kilimanjaro adventure starts today in the town of Moshi, the capital of the Kilimanjaro region.

We'll meet our trek leader in the reception of our hotel - the Weru Weru Lodge - at 5pm for a welcome meeting, including full trekking details. We'll also spend time checking our kit and making sure we're fully prepared for the challenge ahead - this can take several hours but it's essential to make sure we're all safe and happy as we set off on our trek. Afterwards, we'll sit down for a group dinner (included) at the lodge.

There are no other activities planned for today but it's important that you arrive in time for the welcome meeting. If you do miss it, our trek leader will catch you up as soon as possible.

If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), which is around a 45-minute drive from our hotel.

If you arrive earlier today, the Weru Weru Lodge has a swimming pool and garden where you can relax with views of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Today, we begin our trek. After a drive through farmland and plantations, we'll reach the Londorossi National Park Gate on the western side of Kilimanjaro. From here, we continue to the Lemosho roadhead at 2,100 metres/6,890 feet - this is the starting point of our trek.

We'll climb steadily through the lush forest of the Lemosho Glades - starting with a gradual ascent before making a slight descent to Big Tree Camp (2,780 metres/9,121 feet). As we find our walking feet, enjoy the sounds of the surrounding rainforest and keep your eyes peeled to spot black and white colobus monkeys amongst the trees.

Porters will assist us throughout our trek and will carry your trek kitbag, so you only need to carry what you need for the day - waterproofs, camera, water bottle, extra fleece, sunhat, packed lunch and three litres of drinking water.

Please note, drones are not permitted in Kilimanjaro National Park without a permit. Refer to the equipment section of the trip notes for more information.

Today's 7-kilometres/4.4-mile trek is expected to take approximately three to four hours with an ascent of 680 metres/2,231 feet.

Today, we'll head out of the rainforest zone and into the moorland zone, trekking a plateau of grass and heather scattered with volcanic rock formations. We'll hike over the Shira Ridge where - weather permitting - we'll catch our first glimpse of Kibo Peak rising in the distance, giving us a clear view of the exciting challenge ahead. Our destination today is the camp at Shira One (3,500 metres/11,484 feet).

We gain a reasonable amount of altitude today and some sections of our trek are quite steep.

Today's 8.5-kilometres/5.3-mile trek is expected to take approximately four to five hours with an ascent of 720 metres/2362 feet.

Ahead of us today, we have the chance to view the Northern Ice Fields from the western side of the mountain, opening us up to some unusual views of Kibo. Traversing yet another unique climactic zone, we'll steadily trek across the green grassy landscapes of the Shira Plateau to more arid planes. This steady climb will help with acclimatisation as we reach the Shirt Two Camp at 3,900 metres/12,796 feet.

This afternoon, we have free time with the option to take an acclimatisation walk to the junction of the trail to the Moir Hut.

The 8-kilometres/5-mile trek between the camps at Shira 1 and 2 is expected to take approximately five hours with an ascent of 400 metres/1,312 feet. The afternoon acclimatisation trek is for an additional one to two hours.

Today's longer walk helps us acclimatise more as we ascend to a high point of 4,640 metres/15,223 feet before descending to a lower altitude for the night.

Our trek starts with an ascent into the climatic zone of the upland desert, where we'll be rewarded with panoramic views. We'll progress slowly via the lava ridges beneath the glaciers of the Western Breach before reaching the pinnacle of the Lava Tower (4,640 metres/15,223 feet), our high point for the day and a great place to stop for lunch.

This afternoon, we'll make a steep descent to our camp for the night, located at the base of the Great Barranco Valley (3,960 metres/12,992 feet), sheltered by towering cliffs but with extensive views of the plains below.

Today's 10-kilometre/6.2-mile trek is expected to take approximately seven to eight hours with an ascent of 740 metres/2,428 feet and descent of 680 metres/2,231 feet.

We have a challenging start ahead of us today as we traverse the steep ascent of the Barranco Wall. This rocky cliff (standing 260 metres/853 feet high) is thought to have been created by a huge landslide around 100,000 years ago. Our trail zig-zags up the wall and there are sections where you'll need your hands free to pull yourself over some of the rocks. You don't need technical ability and we'll take this section slowly.

The climb leads to an undulating trail on the southeastern side of Kibo and (weather permitting) we'll get views of the Southern Ice Fields. Again, the terrain here is unique with volcanic scree pocketed with lush vegetation. Eventually, we'll make our descent into the Karanga Valley followed by an ascent to our campsite at 4,035 metres/13,239 feet. The Karanga Valley is the last water point on the approach to Barafu.

Today's 6-kilometre/3.7-mile trek from the Barranco Valley to Karanga is expected to take approximately four to five hours with an ascent of 360 metres/1,181 feet and descent of 185 metres/607 feet.

This morning, we'll climb out of the Karanga Valley following an easy path of compacted scree. The trek will be steep, constantly gaining altitude, until we reach our camp at Barafu (4640 metres/15224 feet).

This afternoon, we'll prepare for our midnight ascent - prepare your pack, load up on carbs and water and settle down for a very early night.

Today's 6-kilometres/3.7-mile trek is expected to take approximately four to five hours with an ascent of 605 metres/1,985 feet.

Leaving camp at around midnight, while the scree and potential snow are still frozen, we'll make our final ascent. We plan to trek to the summit at 5,895 metres/19,341 feet before descending over 2,000 metres/6,562 feet to our last campsite. It'll be a long and strenuous day with high altitude and extreme cold. Remember to take it steady up here - at times you might only manage ten paces before you need to rest.

We climb steadily on a zig-zagging scree path. After passing the Rebmann Glacier, we'll reach Stella Point and continue around the crater rim to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa at 5,895 metres/19,341 feet. After time to enjoy our achievement and take our victory photographs at the famous summit sign, we'll descend back down the scree to Barafu Camp for a rest and something to eat.

Continuing back down, we have a continuous descent to the Millennium Camp at 3,790 metres/12,435 feet, where you'll feel the difference in the air immediately.

Today's walking totals 19.5 kilometres/12 miles and is expected to take up to 14 hours. The trek from Barafu Camp to Stella Point is an ascent of 1,045 metres/3,429 feet and will take around five to six hours, with the hike from here around the crater rim to Uhuru Peak (an additional 210 metres/689 feet of ascent) taking another one to two hours. The trek down from the summit to Millennium Camp, (a total descent of 2,105 metres/6,907 feet), is expected to take approximately five to six hours (excluding the time spent resting at Barafu).

After a well-deserved night's sleep and rest, our final day on the trek takes us down through the lush beauty of the rainforest, enjoying the increasing warmth and richness of the mountain air. Our trail ends at the Mweka Gate (1,630 metres/5,348 feet) from where we'll travel by road to Moshi and back to the comforts of our lodge. We'll have a well-earned lunch on arrival back in Moshi.

Today's 12-kilometres/7.5-mile trek is expected to take between approximately four to six hours and is a total descent of 2,160 metres/7,087 feet.

This morning there is the option to head out on a game drive around the Momella Lakes area in the nearby Arusha National Park. The park is well known for its giraffe population, as well as elephants, hippos and buffalos. The game drive will run from approximately 6.30am to 1pm and requires a minimum of two participants to run (this optional costs between $122-328 depending on numbers).

If you don't want to take part in the game drive, you're free to depart from the hotel in Moshi at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at the lodge. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), which is around a 45-minute drive from our hotel.

Customers who are joining our Zanzibar Extension (trip code: ZI) will be transferred to Arusha Airport (around a two-hour drive away) for the flight to Zanzibar. Our tour leader will advise you of your departure time.