Download Agreement, Release, and Acknowledgement of Risk:
You (the person requesting this file download) fully understand mountain climbing ("Activity") involves risks and dangers of serious bodily injury, including permanent disability, paralysis, and death ("Risks") and you fully accept and assume all such risks and all responsibility for losses, costs, and damages you incur as a result of your participation in this Activity.
You acknowledge that information in the file you have chosen to download may not be accurate and may contain errors. You agree to assume all risks when using this information and agree to release and discharge 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and the author(s) of such information (collectively, the "Released Parties").
You hereby discharge the Released Parties from all damages, actions, claims and liabilities of any nature, specifically including, but not limited to, damages, actions, claims and liabilities arising from or related to the negligence of the Released Parties. You further agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. and each of the other Released Parties from and against any loss, damage, liability and expense, including costs and attorney fees, incurred by 14ers.com, 14ers Inc. or any of the other Released Parties as a result of you using information provided on the 14ers.com or 14ers Inc. websites.
You have read this agreement, fully understand its terms and intend it to be a complete and unconditional release of all liability to the greatest extent allowed by law and agree that if any portion of this agreement is held to be invalid the balance, notwithstanding, shall continue in full force and effect.
By clicking "OK" you agree to these terms. If you DO NOT agree, click "Cancel"...
Tanzania Mt. Kilimanjaro - 8 Days From The Lemosho Gate
I decided to go to Tanzania Africa to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro. I chose the 8 Days From The Lemosho Gate since it appears to be the most scenic route. You can do it in 6 or 7 days but I wanted to have the best chance of success so went for the longer 8 days camping on the mountain. This is my guide Yusto with a company called Easy Travel. With over 200 summits under his belt he and his whole crew of 6 porters and a chef were awesome and I couldnt have done it without them! @yusto__mhina to see his instagram and contact him if interested.
Day 1 in the rain forest we were lucky to see some Colobus and Blue Monkeys. The Colobus have this long white tail and are lower at the beginning of the trail.
End of Day 1. Each day is pretty much just a small day hike usually lasting 4 - 6 hours until summit night which is a big day of over 10 hours.
Blue Monkeys in the camp are like raccoons they wait for opportunities to snatch camp food. They also make loud noises throughout the night chanting at each other so they will wake you up multiple times.
Mt Meru which my guide Yusto also guides travelers up from the rain forest of Kilimanjaro.
From here the trees start to thin out as we enter the Moorland climate zone.
End of day 2
Start of day 3 with Kilimanjaro now in sight.
Looking back down the trail from the camp at the end of day 3.
The time on the signs is accurate for most people. Some go slower of course and already we have seen some people need help off the mountain. Some by helicopter and some at this point can still get an ambulance ride since there are some roads that go up this high still in the area.
My 8 day home provided by Easy Travel. I highly suggest paying for the private bathroom as well it pays for itself in the first day lol. The porters carry and clean it all and the only thing I really have to carry is my rain gear, water, and snacks.
Entering the Alpine Desert climate zone and able to see the snow on Kilimanjaro.
Looking down at Mt. Meru again during sunset.
Looking down at the sunset from camp.
Morning time to hike. Plenty of food is cooked for you, in fact too much, I was so full the entire time from the 3 large meals everyday that was almost the hardest part for me was eating so much while camping and hiking. But its needed to help with the cold, the altitude, and of course the hiking.
Lots of cairns at this acclimatization point where once you get here you will walk back down to sleep at camp.
Hiking around Kilimanjaro to the Lava Tower in the middle left hand side of the photo.
Leaving the Shira Ridge our Lemosho route will soon join with the more popular Machame trail.
Lava Rocks
Closing in on Lava Tower which is around 15,500 feet in elevation. From here we will again descend and camp much lower around 12,500 feet at camp.
Kilimanjaro from Lava Tower
Lava Tower camp where you get another full course meal to enjoy before descending to the overnight camp much lower down the mountain.
Lava Tower
Leaving Lava Tower a few minutes later you can see how fast weather can change up here and rain gear may need to come out quickly. We were still lucky and had great weather the whole trip!
Going back down into the Alpine Desert from the Lava Tower. Stinks to lose all that elevation but its all part the acclimatization process. From here I still havent taken any altitude pills myself but just to be sure I have the best chance of success I will take a small 125 mg pill once a day from now until summit. Most people on the mountain are taking two a day. I never did feel any altitude sickness myself so not sure if I needed them or not but better safe than sorry. One thing I do regret is the malaria pills as those did make me sick. So once I got about tree line I stopped taking those.
Waterfall as we near the camp.
These trees are cool as the create a dense wrap from their dead leaves to insulate themselves to survive the cold climate.
End of Day 4
The Barranco Wall is the only technical part of the route. The porters do it with your gear balanced on their heads though so its nothing to worry about for any difficult Class 2 climbers.
With so many climbers and porters going up the wall its best to sleep in a little bit longer today and let them go first. Either way you will run into the bottleneck points and have to wait your turn to scramble.
A traffic jam.
At the top of the Barranco Wall.
End of Day 5
Short day for day 6 since we have to get to camp early so we can rest and once again EAT A TON OF FOOD, uggh Im so full!
We were waking up every morning at 6am for coffee and tea. Then breakfast at 7am and then we leave camp before 8am. Now for summit night we will wake up at 11pm for coffee and tea, 1130pm breakfast, and then off to the summit before Midnight.
11pm enjoying the Kilimanjaro Tea in the Arctic Zone. Its cold so Im sleeping in many layers and when we start hiking Im wearing 2 thermal layers, 2 fleece layers, my down jacket, and one other hard jacket layer. So 6 top layers and 4 bottom layers. Plus gloves and baklava and thick winter wool socks.
Pole Pole which means Slowly Slowly. You move very slow up here. Again I had no altitude sickness but moving up this high did take lots of energy. My guide took my pack off me after the first hour as well so Im not even carrying my own water at this point. But it was still very tiring to hike up this high. If I made a misstep like accidentally stumble on a rock I would lose my breathe for 5 minutes before I could catch it back.
Sunrise as we gain the summit
Relief hit you as you gain Stella Point. Hard part is over and you can see the true summit in the right hand side of the photo. When I gained Stella Point of course there were singing and celebrating guides singing the hakuna matata song. Remember hakuna matata and pole pole as they are the backbone of Tanzanian culture. Move slowly in life and have no worries. Why do you Americas get road rage was a common question asked of me cause it made no sense to them how Americans can be so self centered and impatient when we live in such a great country. So remember even in America you can live Pole Pole.
Not long from now we will be on the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro!
Sunrise
On top of Kilimanjaro true summit called Uhuru Peak. You can see my guide @yusto__mhina carrying my daypack for me. Making it as easy as possible for me to obtain the goal! Ive never had guides and porters like this it was a cool experience to have such a team help you and celebrate you at the end with a nice ceremony of cake and Champagne as well as a certificate showing proof you made the summit!
Summit Photos
Mt Meru and the Heim Glacier. My guide Yusto told me 10 years ago when he first started this glacier extended all the way to the trail we are walking on now. But global warming has pushed it back greatly and soon may be fully gone.
End of a long day 7 we camp here for the night back down at 10,000 feet. So on summit night we go from 15,000 feet to the 19,0000 summit and then back down to 10,000 all in one day. Once the guides saw I was a fast scree runner we blew past everyone on the way down and made quick time on the scree! So only took us 10 - 11 hours where it'll take most others 12 - 14 hours.
After camping here we simply wake up, HAVE MORE FOOD, do a tipping ceremony we were tip our guide $25 a day recommended, chef $15 a day recommended, and each porter $8 a day recommended. A very tipping culture you tip almost everyone you meet throughout including all safari drivers and camphotel staff. Then we walk down to the bus back to the city of Arusha. and on to a nice 4 day safari we can lean back and enjoy knowing we made our summit goal!
Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):
I absolutely love this report. WineGuy and I did Kili in Sept2024 and took the same route. I had considered doing a TR of "Geezers on Kili" but just didn't have all the right pictures. You nailed it for sure. And I totally agree about too much food. I would add that I never drank the 3 liters they recommended each day - I was lucky to get down 2 given all the juice and tea we were given. And, like you, I took the single 125 dose of diamox starting the 3rd day but quit on summit day (night) as I was having no problems.
Again - thanks for posting this report. Love your pictures and description. Brings back a lot of fond memories!
Cool to see the changes over the last 21 years since I was there. The glaciers are definitely way smaller!
Caution: The information contained in this report may not be accurate and should not be the only resource used in preparation for your climb. Failure to have the necessary experience, physical conditioning, supplies or equipment can result in injury or death. 14ers.com and the author(s) of this report provide no warranties, either express or implied, that the information provided is accurate or reliable. By using the information provided, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless 14ers.com and the report author(s) with respect to any claims and demands against them, including any attorney fees and expenses. Please read the 14ers.com Safety and Disclaimer pages for more information.
Please respect private property: 14ers.com supports the rights of private landowners to determine how and by whom their land will be used. In Colorado, it is your responsibility to determine if land is private and to obtain the appropriate permission before entering the property.
