One of Kilimanjaro's most scenic routes — two days of rainforest walking lead to the wide-open Shira Plateau, giving better acclimatization than its cousin Shira.
Lemosho starts on the mountain’s west side at Londorossi Gate and is widely considered one of the most scenic routes on Kilimanjaro — two days of rainforest walking (rather than a vehicle drive) lead up to the wide-open Shira Plateau, before joining the same Southern Circuit used by Machame. That gradual, walked-in start is exactly what gives Lemosho better acclimatization than Shira, its close cousin that drives climbers to the same plateau instead.
Camp by camp
Day ~22°C · Night ~12°C
Tents only · pit-latrine toilets · water collected and treated by the crew, not guaranteed on-site
First night on the mountain, deep in rainforest — a good chance of spotting black-and-white colobus monkeys.
Day ~15°C · Night near freezing
Tents in small wooden enclosures · no running water — carried from sources passed earlier in the day
The plateau opens up here — the first wide views back toward Mount Meru and forward to Kibo's summit massif.
Day ~15°C down to ~5°C · Night ~0°C down to -5 to -10°C
Tents · pit latrines · no on-site water — carried and treated by the crew
Regarded by several operators as the best point on the route for sunset/sunrise views of Mount Meru.
Day up to ~15°C · Night 4°C down to about -12°C
Tents · pit-latrine toilets
Sits directly beneath the ~250 m Barranco Wall, scrambled the next morning.
Day ~5–15°C · Night ~-5°C to 0°C
Tents · pit-latrine/dry-toilet structures · water from the Karanga Valley stream — the last reliable point before the summit push
Known as the "balance point" of the southern circuit, breaking up the Barranco-to-Barafu stretch.
Day ~4°C · Night -10°C to -20°C
Tents on exposed rocky ground · public long-drop toilets · no water at camp — carried up by porters from Karanga
"Barafu" means ice in Swahili — the final base camp before the midnight summit push.
Cooler than the rainforest camps below — night temperatures still well below freezing
Tents · pit-latrine toilets · water carried in, not sourced on-site
Last stop before exiting the park — sits noticeably higher than the older Mweka Camp descent point, in forest that thins out faster on this side of the mountain.
Notes
Sources