Kilimanjaro Climb - Lemosho Route

• Accommodation: 2 Classic nights (hotels), 7 Simple nights (full-service camping)
• Eight days of walking
• Full porterage throughout
• Altitude maximum: 19,340ft (5,895m); average: 13,125ft (4,000m)
• Full moon, new moon and female crew departures available (see Dates & Prices)
• Zanzibar and safari extensions available

All meals during the climb are included. Please allow about US$30-US$50 for the two lunches (days 1 and 10) not included. On trek, the emphasis is on a varied and well-balanced diet with a greater amount of fresh fruit and soup to maximise the daily intake of fluids. Vegetarians are well catered for but please inform us before departure of any special dietary requests. The availability of certain specialised products for restricted diets, eg gluten-free or dairy-free, is minimal or non-existent in Tanzania and we strongly recommend you bring these specialised dietary items from home. The menu has a high liquid and carbohydrate content, the two important elements for successful climbing. At higher altitudes, stimulants (such as coffee) and less digestible foods (such as meat) are not recommended. Our evening meal at the highest camp on Kilimanjaro is a meatless stew as our experience shows this to be the ideal preparation for the summit day. At mealtimes, a selection of hot drinks is available. Soup is served twice daily. Daily meals Bed tea: Tea or coffee served in your tent. Breakfast: Seasonal fresh fruit (mango/banana/watermelon), porridge, cooked eggs, sausage, bacon and toast. Energy snacks, such as biscuits, bananas and chocolate bars, are provided for the daily walk Lunch: Either a packed lunch on longer days or, more usually, a hot lunch served in camp by a small team who have raced ahead of the clients. A hot lunch typically consists of soup, bread or pancakes, cheese, tuna, jam, peanut butter, pasta salad and cake. Afternoon tea: Served in late afternoon. It is an opportunity to drink lots of hot drinks and snack on peanuts or popcorn. Dinner: The main meal of the day and always consists of three courses: soup and bread, followed by the main dish, which could be rice, potatoes or pasta with fish, meat or vegetables, and is followed by a dessert often of fruit. Summit snacks: While we provide enough food for the climb, we recommend you bring some of your favourite snacks and keep them for the summit day. The summit day is a long, tough climb and having your favourite snacks can provide a very welcome boost. Water While the water we provide on Kilimanjaro is suitable for drinking you may wish to be extra safe and treat it with your own water-purification tablets.

Although Tanzania lies in the tropics, the temperature depends more on altitude than on season. Northern Tanzania has temperatures around 16C-23C (61F-73F) in August, rising to 18C-28C (64F-82F) in February. The long rains, during which we do not operate trips, occur from late March to May, and there are intermittent short rains in November and December, though the latter have no great effect on mountain climbs.

Kilimanjaro can be climbed at any time of the year, but it is usually very wet in the rainforest in April and May. January and February are the warmest months. Above the cloud line, the days are warm and pleasant, with temperatures in sunlight often above 20C (68F), but the nights can get very cold. It is possible for temperatures to get as low as -20C (-4F) at Barafu campsite, our highest overnight stop. The daily weather pattern on the mountain tends to be clear mornings with an afternoon cloud build-up that often clears before sunset. In the (European) summer, the weather is usually cloudy at lower altitudes and often sunny above 11,480ft (3,500m). Please note, mountain weather conditions are never totally predictable and we may meet wet and snowy conditions at any time.

The trip is rated Activity Level 6 (Challenging & Tough). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

The summit attempt is graded Activity Level 7 (Tough) because of the high altitude and the level of physical effort needed. The rest of the trek is graded Activity Level 5 (Challenging), more because of the high altitude and extended wilderness camping than the difficulty of walking; hence the overall grading of this trek as Activity Level 6 (Challenging/Tough).

Walking conditions: This is a challenging trek, reaching an altitude of 19,340ft (5,895m). Even if you consider yourself fit, you might still find the climb very hard, depending on how well your body acclimatises to high altitude. There is no scientific way to determine how easily you will acclimatise; the acclimatisation process can also differ from climb to climb. Most of the trails on the Kilimanjaro trek are well defined and good quality but some forest sections are slippery and moorland paths can be very wet in poor weather conditions. The final ascent to Uhuru Peak is almost exclusively on scree and loose rock without permanent footpaths but no technical skills are required. During the trip, we spend time at both high and low altitude, experiencing both extremely cold and quite hot conditions. You should be prepared for an early start every day on Kilimanjaro.

Under 18s: We believe this trek is manageable for a strong 16- or 17-year-old with previous experience of sustained trekking and possibly altitude. Under 18s should be accompanied by an adult on the trek and must pay an additional fee in advance (ask your sales representative for prices) for an accompanying guide. This guide provides support throughout and is available should they need to come off the mountain at any point in the trek.