7 Days Full Moon Lemosho Route Kilimanjaro Climbing Expedition – Scenic Moonlit Summit Adventure to Uhuru Peak

Distance: 70–120 km drive, then 5.5–7 km trekking
Driving Time: 3–4 hours
Trekking Time: 3–4 hours
Starting Altitude: Moshi around 890 m / Lemosho Gate around 2,100–2,250 m
Sleeping Altitude: Big Tree Campsite around 2,780–2,895 m
Vegetation: Montane rainforest, tall trees, moss, ferns, wildflowers, birds, and possible colobus monkeys

Your Full Moon Lemosho Route Kilimanjaro climbing adventure starts with a scenic drive from Moshi to Lemosho Park Gate on the quiet western side of Mount Kilimanjaro. After registration, you will begin walking through a peaceful rainforest trail filled with fresh air, tall trees, moss, ferns, and natural mountain sounds. Our guides will introduce a steady pole pole pace, helping your body adjust gently as the journey begins. Along the way, you will enjoy lunch before continuing to Big Tree Campsite. When you arrive, the mountain crew will welcome you with warm drinks, fresh food, and a calm forest camp setting, giving you a comfortable first night before moving higher toward the full moon summit adventure.

Distance: 14–16 km trekking
Trekking Time: 7–9 hours
Starting Altitude: Around 2,780–2,895 m
Shira 1 Altitude: Around 3,500 m
Sleeping Altitude: Shira 2 Campsite around 3,850–3,900 m
Vegetation: Forest transition, heather zone, moorland, giant heather, wild grasses, and volcanic stones

After breakfast, you will leave the rainforest and climb toward the wide Shira Plateau. The landscape changes from thick green forest to heather, moorland, wild grasses, and volcanic rocks, showing the beautiful variety of Mount Kilimanjaro. You will pass Shira 1 Camp, rest, enjoy lunch, and continue toward Shira 2 Campsite with views of Kibo Peak when the sky is clear. This is a longer trekking day, so our guides will remind you to walk slowly, drink enough water, and save energy. At Shira 2, you will enjoy hot drinks, fresh dinner, and a peaceful evening under the open mountain sky as the full moon climb begins to feel closer.

Distance: 9–10 km trekking
Trekking Time: 6–8 hours
Starting Altitude: Around 3,850–3,900 m
Highest Point: Lava Tower around 4,600–4,640 m
Sleeping Altitude: Barranco Camp around 3,960–3,980 m
Vegetation: Moorland, alpine desert, volcanic ridges, giant groundsels, lobelia, and senecio plants

Today is an important acclimatization day as you trek from Shira 2 toward Lava Tower. The trail enters a drier alpine desert zone with volcanic rocks, open ridges, and dramatic high-altitude scenery. Reaching Lava Tower helps your body adapt because you climb high during the day and then descend lower to sleep at Barranco Camp. Our guides will monitor your condition carefully and keep the pace safe and steady. After lunch near Lava Tower, you will descend into Barranco Valley, where unique Kilimanjaro plants such as giant groundsels, lobelia, and senecio create a special mountain garden. At Barranco Camp, you will rest below the famous Barranco Wall, enjoy warm food, hot drinks, and a beautiful evening as the moon rises over the mountain landscape.

Distance: 5–6 km trekking
Trekking Time: 4–5 hours
Starting Altitude: Around 3,960–3,980 m
Sleeping Altitude: Karanga Camp around 3,995–4,050 m
Vegetation: Alpine desert, rocky ridges, short grasses, dry shrubs, and scattered giant groundsels

This day begins with the famous Barranco Wall, one of the most exciting sections of the Lemosho Route. It may look steep from camp, but it is not technical climbing, and our guides will show you the safest steps as you move carefully upward. After reaching the top, you will enjoy impressive views of valleys, glaciers, and the higher slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. The trail then crosses ridges and descends into Karanga Valley before reaching Karanga Camp. This shorter day is important because it gives you more time to rest and acclimatize before moving to Barafu. In the evening, you will enjoy warm drinks, fresh food, and a calm camp atmosphere while preparing your body for the coming full moon summit night.

Distance: 4–5 km trekking
Trekking Time: 3–4 hours
Starting Altitude: Around 3,995–4,050 m
Sleeping Altitude: Barafu Camp around 4,600–4,673 m
Vegetation: Dry alpine desert, volcanic stones, rocky slopes, short grasses, and open high-altitude terrain

After breakfast at Karanga Camp, you will continue slowly toward Barafu Campsite, the base camp for your summit attempt. The walk is not very long, but the altitude is high, so our guides will keep the pace gentle and controlled. The landscape becomes colder, drier, and more rugged, with volcanic stones and open views toward the summit area. When you arrive at Barafu, you will rest, eat well, drink warm tea, and prepare for the midnight climb. Our guides will give a detailed full moon summit briefing, explaining what to wear, how to use your headlamp, how much water to carry, and how the group will move safely under the moonlit sky toward Uhuru Peak.

Distance: 5 km ascent to Uhuru Peak, then 12 km descent to Mweka Camp
Trekking Time: 6–8 hours up, then 5–7 hours down
Starting Altitude: Barafu Camp around 4,600–4,673 m
Summit Altitude: Uhuru Peak 5,895 m
Sleeping Altitude: Mweka Camp around 3,068–3,100 m
Vegetation: Arctic summit zone, scree slopes, glaciers, ice fields, then heath and upper forest zone on descent

Around midnight, our guides will wake you with hot tea and light summit food before starting the final climb. This is the highlight of the Full Moon Lemosho Route Kilimanjaro climbing experience, as the bright moon may light the trail, glaciers, and upper slopes of the mountain. You will walk slowly through the cold arctic zone toward Stella Point, then continue to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa at 5,895 meters. Our guides will stay close, encourage you, check your condition, and help you maintain a safe rhythm in the thin air. Reaching Uhuru Peak after a moonlit ascent is a powerful and emotional moment, especially when sunrise begins to color the sky. After photos and celebration, you will descend to Barafu for a short rest and food before continuing down to Mweka Camp, where lower altitude and warmer air help you recover.

Distance: 10 km trekking, then 30–50 km drive to Moshi
Trekking Time: 3–4 hours
Driving Time: 1–2 hours
Starting Altitude: Mweka Camp around 3,068–3,100 m
Ending Altitude: Mweka Gate around 1,640 m, then Moshi around 890 m
Vegetation: Rainforest, wet forest trails, tall trees, moss, ferns, flowers, and rich green vegetation

After your final breakfast on Mount Kilimanjaro, you will descend through the fresh rainforest toward Mweka Gate. The trail is peaceful and green, surrounded by tall trees, moss, ferns, flowers, and wet forest paths. Our guides will walk with you at a relaxed pace as you remember the journey from Lemosho Gate, Shira Plateau, Lava Tower, Barranco, Karanga, Barafu, and the full moon summit at Uhuru Peak. At Mweka Gate, you will sign out and receive your summit certificate if you reached Stella Point or Uhuru Peak. After the celebration, we will drive you back to Moshi, where you can enjoy a hot shower, good food, and comfortable rest after completing your 7-Day Full Moon Lemosho Route Kilimanjaro Climbing Expedition.