Day 1
The climb begins from the attractive rain forest of Lemosho on a small path that winds through a forest zone. This area has a variety of game, including buffalo. We camp at Lemosho Forest camp (2,650 m.). [2-3 hours walking]
Day 2
We soon leave the forest behind and enter the moorland zone of giant heather. The trail climbs steadily with wide views to reach the rim of the Shira Plateau. There is a tangible sense of wilderness, especially if afternoon mists come in! We camp in the centre of the plateau at Shira One (3,550 m.). [6-7 hours walking]
Day 3
A long day of gentle ascent and panoramic views walking on lava ridges beneath the glaciers of the Western Breach. After lunch near the Lava Tower junction (4,550 m.) we descend to the bottom of the Great Barranco Valley (3,900 m.), sheltered by towering cliffs and with extensive views of the plains far below. [6-8 hours walking]
Day 4
A steep climb up the Barranco Wall leads us to an undulating trail on the south-eastern flank of Kibo, with superb vistas of the southern ice fields. The terrain changes to scree, with pockets of lush vegetation in sheltered hollows, and there is only a short distance to our camp at Karanga (4,100 m.). [4-5 hours walking]
Day 5
A short but steep climb out of Karanga, on compacted scree with wide views. We then climb steadily to reach the Barafu campsite (4,600 m.). The remainder of the day is spent resting in preparation for the final ascent before an early night. [3-4 hours walking]
Day 6
We start our ascent by torchlight at about 12 a.m. to be up on the crater rim by sunrise. The steep climb over loose volcanic scree has some well-graded zigzags and a slow but steady pace will take us to Stella Point (5,735 m.) in about five or six hours.
We rest there for a short time to enjoy sunrise over Mawenzi. Those who are still feeling strong can make the two hour round trip from here along the crater rim to Uhuru Peak (5,896 m.).
The descent to Barafu is surprisingly fast and we continue to descend to reach our final campsite (3,100 m.) at the edge of Mweka Forest. [11-15 hours walking]
Day 7
A sustained descent through lovely forest with lush undergrowth takes us to the National Park gate at Mweka (1,650 m.) and on through coffee and banana farms to Mweka village. [4-6 hours walking]
