10 Days Shira Route
The Shira Route is a difficult route that begins in the west, at Shira Gate. What is unque about Shira is that the first section of the trail is not hiked, but rather driven. Therefore, climbers using Shira will miss out on hiking up one of Kilimanjaro’s ecological zones, the rain forest. An off road vehicle transports climbers to the Shira gate, located at 11,500 feet, where the hike begins to Simba Camp.
This is a sizable altitude gain for someone who slept at Moshi or Arusha on their previous night. Complications from altitude can occur due to failed acclimatization. The descent is down Mweka, in the south-east. Because the starting point is far from Arusha, it is more expensive to climb this route due to the added transportation cost of getting climbers to the gate.
Tour Highlights
Lemosho is an ideal route for climbers seeking a more private experience during climbing Kilimanjaro.
Although Lemosho route joins with another popular Machame route on day three, the first two days on the mountain are relatively quiet with few other trekking groups on the trail.
10 Days Lemosho via Shira Route the ideal route for mountain climbers seeking private experience during kilimanjaro adventure.
Shira is ideal for those who are confident in their ability to acclimatize to altitude, and to walk over steeper paths for extended periods.
Included
- Transport
- Trip Crew
- Meals and Mineral waters
- Accommodation
- Park Entrance Fee
- Camping Equipment
- All camping fees
- Rescue fees
- Government taxes
- Pickup and drop off to Airport
Excluded
- International Flight
- Airport Tax
- Items of Personal Nature
- Visas
Trekking Itinerary
Day 1
Arrival
Pick up at Kilimanjaro international airport, met with your guide and drive to your hotel in Arusha, where you overnight before the trek begins.
Day 2
Londorosi Gate- Mti Mkubwa Camp
On the first day, arrive at Londorosi gate the entrance point. After registration at the gate proceed the drive up to the starting point for climbing. Pass through the rain forests of Kilimanjaro viewing trees and birds along the way. Enjoy picnic along the way before reaching Mti Mkubwa Camp for dinner and overnight.
Day 3
Mti Mkubwa Camp - Shira 1 Camp
Leave forest zone on day two then meet Kilimanjaro moorland zone. When the trail flattens out you can able to views of Kibo peak. Climb Shira Plateau after lunch, the plateau created when Kibo lava flows filled up the Shira crater. Stop at Shira One Camp for dinner and overnight. Also for the faster and energetic climbers can able to proceed to Shira 2 Camp.
Day 4
Shira 1 Camp - Shira 2 Camp
This is an acclimatization day that allows you to take day hikes that explore the Shira Plateau. You can hike only a short and gain just over 1000 feet in elevation.
Day 5
Shira 2 Camp - Barranco Camp
Although this up and down day ends with an elevation gain of only 110 meters, by early afternoon you will have climbed 690 meters to a height of 4,530 meters before beginning your descent to Barranco Camp. This day is crucial for acclimatization.
After breakfast, continue east on the Shira Plateau for two hours before reaching the junction for Shira and Lemosho Routes. Continue on through the barren landscape for another thirty minutes before stopping for lunch. Shortly after lunch, reach the highest point of the day before descending quickly to Barranco Camp. From the campsite, enjoy magnificent views of Mount Meru, Heim Glacier and Kibo.
Day 6
Barranco Camp- Karanga Valley
Leave Barranco Camp after morning breakfast proceeding to Karanga Valley. The day begins with an hour and a half scramble up the Barranco Wall. This is the hardest part of the day and in some places you may have to use your hands to pull your body up. After reaching the top, make a short descent into the greener Karanga Valley. We generally camp on the ridge above the valley to allow for greater acclimatization.
Day 7
Karanga Valley - Barafu Camp
After breakfast, begin the hike to Barafu Camp. On the way to Barafu, view several of Kibo glaciers as well as junction that connect both Mweka and Machame. Although the trail to Barafu passes through alpine desert with little vegetation, there are stunning views of Kibo and Mawenzi peaks along the way. Upon arrive to the camp try to sleep as soon as possible as the next climbing to reach the peak begins at midnight.
Day 8
Barafu Camp - Uhuru Peak
Around midnight begins the final ascent to Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. For the next six hours, hike by the light of your head lamp. The ascent to the crater rim is most challenging part of the entire climbing tour. The trail is steep up to the crater rim the Stella Point.
The climb from Stella Point to Uhuru Peak is a gradual and not very difficult. The altitude, however, makes the climb long and difficult. Upon reaching the Uhuru point enjoy taking photos before beginning the descent to Barafu Camp for morning breakfast then later to Mweka Camp for dinner and overnight. On the way down from Uhuru enjoy a breath taking views of mountain, crater, clouds and glaciers.
At Barafu Camp enjoy morning breakfast with short break before descending down to Mweka Camp for dinner and overnight.
Day 9
Mweka Camp - Mweka Gate - Arusha
After morning breakfast descend to Mweka Gate. Enjoy your last beautiful day on Kilimanjaro passing through mountain green forest. Upon arrive at Mweka Gate meet your drive and then transfer back to Arusha.
Day 10
Departure
After an early breakfast, transfer to Kilimanjaro Airport and departure.
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Highly recommended! Joseph created a fantastic, customized tour for my family. He listened to our many criteria and put together a wonderful package. He was always available and very responsive. Since we were on a safari that utilized flights within Kenya, there was no opportunity to enjoy Joseph's company (as others have commented). However, he made it a point to come to the airport at the start of our adventure and make sure we were all set. This was a small gesture that epitomized his character (I don't think this would have happened with a large tour provider). March 2023
This was our first safari and such an unforgettable experience. Communication with Joseph, the tour operator, was quick and easy. The proposed itinerary he provided was informative and we were able to easily modify it before finalizing everything. We enjoyed all the places we stayed at and there was something unique about each one. The game drives were just wow (super sawa sawa!). The tour guides/drivers (John in Kenya and Rajam in Tanzania) put in a lot of effort in finding the animals at the top of our list (leopard, rhino, calves, as well as a cheetah hunt and the most awesome selfie with an elephant). Each game drive was unique. There were so many encounters that left us awestruck—we’re still ooh ahhh-ing over our pictures and processing everything we experienced. Joseph was with us for the whole trip; he was quite knowledgeable about birds, which was a bonus. He also assisted with logistics (providing documents quickly for visas needed prior to arrival, getting us through border crossings, and arranging dinner reservations at a restaurant we wanted to go to prior to taking us to the airport). This was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had and we have White Plains Safaris to thank for that. They are reliable, prompt, friendly, and well worth the money. February 2023
Our experience with White Plains Safaris and Joseph was amazing! The service was impeccable since the very beginning: during the reservation process, Joseph was extremely helpful, flexible and very honest. After booking, he supported us in any way he could, including paying for our Visas as we had some issues doing that online by ourselves! He was also very helpful in creating the itinerary, which proved to be amazing as it offered great game drives and diversity of landscape. Things kept being perfect throughout our trip; the accommodations he had reserved were very nice and always positioned perfectly, to avoid extra driving. During the game drives he was very accommodating and always asking for our feedback to make sure we had the best time. He brought us in amazing spots thanks to his unstoppable Land Cruiser and we got to see many animals including 3 leopards from very close! We also enjoyed his company very much and he was always able to answer our questions and providing interesting insights on the animals, the parks and Kenya in general. We always felt safe and well taken care of, so I would (and will) strongly recommend Joseph and White Plains to anyone looking for a good time in Kenya and Tanzania. January 2023
White Plains Safari provided me with an incredible experience, they were really easy people to get to know and it felt like I had made another friend at the end of my trip. Their service was excellent, they were really outgoing and did their ultimate best to show us everything they could, even if it meant going out of their way in order to do so, they were very reliable and I personally had no concerns regarding their reliability. In terms of the tour itself, I would one hundred percent recommend my trip to Kenya to anyone, especially with White Plains Safaris. White Plains Safaris helped make my trip an experience I will never forget. May 2022
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