Lemosho Shira Route Mweka

8 Days

ZRLS - Tanzania

The Lemosho-Shira-Mweka Combination Route offers a mix of the wildness and remoteness of the Rongai Route and the scenic splendour and toughness of Machame route, this is an extremely physically and mentally demanding option. Some mountaineering skills and experience are definitely going to be needed so this option is definitely not recommended for the average climber. Your ascent to Uhuru Peak summit will be via the challenging Western Breach/Arrow Glacier route with an overnight option of either the Lava Tower Hut or the Arrow Glacier camp. Wildlife will probably be encountered on your first day (as is the case with the Rongai Route ), so you will be accompanied by an armed ranger. Both the Shira and Lemosho routes approach from the west, merging together on the Shira plateau, but the Lemosho variation is used mostly..

Available dates:

Sept 3 - Sep 10, 2005 Sept 17 - Sept 24, 2005 Oct 1 - Oct 8, 2005 Oct 9 - Oct 16, 2005 Oct 22 - Oct 29, 2005 Nov 12 - Nov 19, 2005 Nov 27 - Dec 4, 2005 Dec 10 - Dec 17, 2005 Dec 24 - Dec 31, 2005 Jan 1 - Jan 8, 2006 Jan 14 - Jan 21, 2006 Jan 19 - Feb 5, 2006 Feb 11 - Feb 18, 2006 Feb 25 - Mar 4, 2006 Mar 12 - Mar 19, 2006 Apr 8 - Apr 15, 2006 Apr 16 - Apr 23, 2006 June 17 - June 24, 2006 June 25 - Jul 2, 2006

Costs

$699.00 USD / $859.00 CAD
$20 Single supplement

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Itinerary

Day 1 Tonight you will spend the evening in the Springlands Hotel. You will be briefed on your climb either before dinner tonight, or before breakfast in the morning. Clients will get briefing at 4:00pm in the evening at Springlands Hotel.

Day 2 Early in the morning you will be transferred from Moshi to Londorossi Park Gate (2250m) where you will need to register. You will then proceed by 4WD vehicle along a forest track leading to Lemosho Glades (2000m). From here you will begin your ascent by walking along beautiful forest trails to Mti Mkubwa (big tree) campsite (2750m) By the time you arrive at Mti Mkubwa Camp later in the afternoon your porters will already have arrived and will have started preparing everything for your arrival, your tents will be pitched and water will be on the boil. You will be given a supply of water to wash with and later on your cook will prepare dinner for you. You can expect temperatures to range between 5 degrees and freezing point during the night.

Today’s Route: Londorossi Park Gate – Mti Mkubwa camp Altitude range: 1500 metres – 2750 metres Hiking time: 5 -6 hours, Distance: 16 – 19 km's
Habitat: Rain forest

Day 3 After an early start you will be served breakfast, after which you will begin your ascent along a trail which steepens gradually as you proceed. The gradient eases off a bit as you hike through moorlands until it’s time for lunch. The moorland zone crosses the Shira Ridge (3600m) which is one of the most scenic and most fascinating areas on Kilimanjaro. You then descend gently down to Shira 1 camp, situated next to a stream on the Shira Plateau (3500m). Here you will be spending the night. Again, the porters will have your tents pitched before you arrive and will boil drinking and washing water, before your cook prepares your dinner. At 3850 metres, your night at this camp will see temperatures dropping to more than just a few degrees below freezing!

Today’s Route: Mti Mkubwa camp - Shira 1 camp Altitude range: 2750 metres – 3600 metres
Hiking time: 5 hours approx Distance: 6 - 10 km’s
Habitat: Rain forest and Moorland. 

Day 4 After breakfast you will continue west with a gentle hike across the Shira Plateau towards Shira 2 camp (3850m). This is an excellent acclimatisation day and we recommend you partake in at least one of the variety of walks which are available on the Plateau. Make sure you carry your water in a thermal flask otherwise it will freeze later. At 3850 metres, your night at this camp will see temperatures dropping to more than just a few degrees below freezing.

Today’s Route: Shira 1 camp - Shira 2 camp Altitude range: 3600 metres - 3850 metres
Hiking time: 1.5 – 4 hours approx Distance: 6 - 10 km’s
Habitat: Moorland

Day 5 From Shira camp the route continues eastwards towards Kibo and you will find yourself hiking through semi desert conditions and fairly rocky conditions on your way up to Lava Tower – to get here you will have hiked for 4 - 5 hours and you will have attained an altitude of over 4500 metres. You will have lunch before beginning your ascent towards Lava Tower at 4600 metres. The campsites here are good so this is a recommended overnight camp. A strong group may want to proceed up a steep scree path to Arrow Glacier Camp (4980m) – the campsite here is not as good as at Lava Tower. Enjoy the magnificent sunset later while you wait for your cook to finish preparing dinner, and the porters get your tents ready for a night of rest in sub zero temperatures. Make sure you are in bed by 19h00 - your wake up call will be around midnight so it’s important to get as much sleep as possible.

Today’s Route: Shira 2 camp – Arrow Glacier Camp Altitude range: 3850 metres - 4800 metres
Hiking time: 6 hours approx Distance: 10 km’s
Habitat: Semi desert and rocky terrain

Day 6 Today is an ultra long day so you will leave your camp in the very early hours of the morning. Your final ascent via the Western Breach will be the most mentally and physically challenging part of the entire route. The Western Breach presents very conditions with steep scree. After snowfalls the route can become icy and in these conditions an ice axe, or a ski stick, and maybe even crampons may be required. It can be very cold at night at these elevations, but it will be quite warm by the end of the hiking day. Take care to pack clothing for both extremes in your daypack. You will be hiking about 6 hours before you get to Kibo crater - here you will stop for a rest. (You also have an option to spend an additional night here – this will cost around $120 per person) Departing from here, you will more than likely be walking through snow for the next 2 hours, when you will finally reach the summit of Uhuru Peak at 5895 metres. If the weather is kind, you will see a truly magnificent African sunrise.

Don’t get too relaxed and spend too much time on the summit, even if the weather is good. Cold and fatigue will set in quickly and you may find it very difficult to get started again. So spend a little time to enjoy the fact that you have conquered Kilimanjaro, get the camera out and take some pictures, then it will be best that you get moving again – it’s a long way down!

The first part of your descent to Barafu will take almost another 3 hours. Here you will stop for a short rest before heading down to Mweka hut – it takes an average of 5 hours to work your way down the rock and scree path to the moorland and eventually back into the rain forest. Mweka camp is situated in the upper forest and mist or rain can be expected in the late afternoon. As usual your tents, dinner, and washing water will be prepared for you.

Today’s Route: Arrow Glacier Camp - Uhuru Peak – Mweka Camp Altitude range: 3850 metres - 5895 metres – 3100 metres Hiking time: 15 – 16 hours Distance: 30 kilometres
Habitat: Stoney scree, Snow, Ice and Moorland

Day 7 After an early and well-deserved breakfast, it is a short 3-hour and scenic hike back to the Mweka Park gate, where you sign your name and enter your details in a register. To make your achievement official, you will receive a summit certificate. If you reached Lava Tower you will be presented with a green certificate, and if you made it all the way to Uhuru Peak you will have earned yourself a gold certificate. It’s not over yet though - you still have to walk from the Mweka Gate down into the Mweka village, normally a muddy 3 km hike that will take an hour or so. Here you will be served a delicious hot lunch before returning to Moshi where you will stay at the Springlands Hotel. Take some time out for a bit of celebrating before getting a decent night's rest in a comfortable bed.

Final Descent Today’s Route:Mweka camp - Mweka Gate Altitude range: 3100 metres – 1970 metres Hiking time: 3 hours Distance: About 15 km's
Habitat: Forest 

Day 8 Home Time. After breakfast you will be transferred back to Kilimanjaro International Airport to catch your flight.

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