7-Day Lemosho Route Kilimanjaro From Moshi

After a morning drive to Londorossi Gate on the west side and registration with the rangers, you drive on to the trailhead and walk through lush rainforest to Mti Mkubwa, the Big Tree camp, at about 2,650 m. This forest is one of the quietest parts of the mountain, and buffalo and elephant sometimes use it, which is why an armed ranger walks with you on the first section.

The walk is short and gentle. Mist is common and the temperature drops at night. Use the evening to settle into camp life: tents, meals, washing water and the crew's rhythm.

The forest thins and gives way to heath, and then you climb out onto the Shira plateau, an old collapsed volcano with views of Kibo ahead. The walk takes five to six hours. Shira 1 is at about 3,500 m, and you feel the height at night.

Few groups share this part of the mountain. Take your time; the pace you set now pays off later.

A shorter day across the plateau, with an optional walk to Shira Cathedral, a lava formation on the plateau's edge. The terrain is open, windy and sunny, and the ground is bare volcanic rock and tussock. Shira 2 stands at about 3,850 m.

The short distance is deliberate: it lets the body adjust before the Lava Tower day. Rest, drink and keep warm.

This is the day that does most of the work. You climb across the high moorland to the Lava Tower, a volcanic plug at about 4,600 m, stop for lunch, and then descend steeply to Barranco Camp at about 3,950 m. Going high and sleeping lower is the best natural help your body gets on the mountain.

Some people get a headache or feel nauseous at the tower. If that happens, tell your guide at once and do not push on; the descent usually helps. The valley at Barranco, with its giant senecio plants and the wall rising above camp, is one of the most memorable places on the route.

After the Barranco Wall scramble the route crosses the Karanga valley and climbs on to Barafu, the high camp at about 4,600 m, in a single long day. It is a hard walk through alpine desert with little shelter, and you arrive in the afternoon to rest before the summit push. There is no water at Barafu, so the crew carry it up.

Eat early, drink as much as you can and sleep for a few hours with your boots, gloves, head torch and layers laid out. Summit night starts around midnight.

You are woken around midnight, drink something hot and start in the dark by head torch. The path is steep and zigzags up loose scree; the pace is very slow, with frequent pauses. It is freezing, often well below zero, and the hours before dawn are the hardest. Stella Point on the crater rim, at about 5,685 m, is where the sun usually rises and where many people cry.

From Stella Point it is a further walk along the rim to Uhuru Peak at 5,895 m, with glaciers and the crater floor beside you. You stay only briefly, take the photograph and turn back, because the descent is long: down the scree to Barafu for a short rest and on to Mweka Camp or Horombo depending on the route. The whole day often takes ten to fourteen hours.

The last morning is a few hours through forest on a well-made path, sore in the knees but easy in the lungs. Trekking poles are most useful here. At Mweka Gate you sign out, receive your summit certificate if you reached Stella Point or Uhuru Peak, and the crew gather for a farewell.

A vehicle then takes you back to your hotel, where you will want a hot shower. Tipping is normally done at the final camp or gate; your operator should give you a written guideline in advance.