Lemosho Route on Kilimanjaro
The Lemosho Route is a very beautiful and unspoilt route that still enjoys sighting
of wild game along the forest section. For those seeking a quiet route away from
the crowds it clearly a superior option for the first two days of movement. Thereafter
however, the route is precisely the same as the Machame Route.
The start point of the Lemosho Route is particularly inaccessible during the wet
season and climbers should be prepared to walk the final 2-5 kilometres of the road
following heavy rains.
The journey time to reach the start point is quite long and joined to the possibility
of not reaching the end of the road by vehicle head torches may well be needed to
reach Forest Camp on day 1.
On day two the route ascends towards the eastern side of the Shira Ridge, the third
summit of Kilimanjaro, before bending left to round the north side of the Shira Ridge
and attain the Shira Plateau, pictured at the bottom of this page.
Having crossed the Shira Plateau and reaching Shira 2 or Shira Cave Camp, the conventional
Lemosho Route is precisely the same as Machame, however, Team Kilimanjaro has pioneered
its own Lemosho Route that moves north round Kilimanjaro’s summit cone, avoiding
all the crowds and enjoying a very quiet assault from School Hut.
The descent is along the Mweka Route, a descent-only route.
If Machame is crowded the conventional Lemosho Route loses its advantage by day 3
so it’s necessary to decide whether the additional costs involved with the Lemosho
Route are worthwhile, or whether the TK 7 day Rongai Route or 8 day TK Lemosho Route
might instead be better options.
Another method of avoiding crowding is to combine Lemosho with the Western Breach
assault, which we are very happy to arrange, providing the climber making the booking
makes it clear to us in writing that he or she is aware, as is the rest of the group
being represented, that it is understood that there is an ongoing potentially fatal
risk of rockfall on the Western Breach and that the group is willing to expose itself
to such risks on the basis of informed consent.
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The Shira Route >>>
