9 Days Full Moon Lemosho Route Kilimanjaro Climbing Safari – Ultimate Moonlit Summit Expedition via Moir Huts

Welcome to Tanzania and welcome to the beginning of your Full Moon Lemosho Route Kilimanjaro Climbing Safari. On arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport or Arusha Airport, our team will meet you and transfer you to Moshi Town for rest before the trek begins. This day is important for relaxation, gear preparation, and mental readiness before entering Mount Kilimanjaro. Later, our guides will meet you for a full briefing, equipment check, route explanation, and safety discussion. We will explain the full moon summit plan, altitude care, daily walking pace, and what to expect during the night climb from Barafu to Uhuru Peak. You will enjoy a calm evening, good food, and a comfortable rest before starting the mountain adventure.

Destination:

Kilimanjaro Airport

Overnight:

Kilimanjaro White House Hotel

  budget 2 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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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: Mti Mkubwa Campsite around 2,780–2,895 m
Vegetation: Montane rainforest, tall trees, moss, ferns, wildflowers, birds, and possible black-and-white colobus monkeys

After breakfast in Moshi, we will drive to Lemosho Gate on the western side of Mount Kilimanjaro. After park registration, your trek begins through a quiet rainforest trail filled with fresh air, tall trees, moss, ferns, birds, and rich green vegetation. This first walking day gives you a gentle start and allows your body to begin adjusting to altitude. Our guides will set a relaxed pole pole pace and help you enjoy the natural beauty of the forest. You will stop for lunch along the trail before continuing to Mti Mkubwa Campsite, also known as Big Tree Camp. When you arrive, the mountain crew will welcome you with hot drinks, fresh food, and a peaceful camp atmosphere as your full moon Kilimanjaro climbing journey begins.

Destination:

Lemosho Gate To Big Tree (Mti Mkubwa) Camp

Overnight:

Big Tree (Mti Mkubwa) Campsite

  public camp site

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Distance: 7–9 km trekking
Trekking Time: 5–6 hours
Starting Altitude: Around 2,780–2,895 m
Sleeping Altitude: Shira 1 Campsite around 3,500 m
Vegetation: Rainforest transition, heather zone, giant heather, wild grasses, moorland, and open plateau views

Today you will leave the rainforest and climb gradually toward Shira 1 Campsite. The trail becomes more open as the thick forest changes into heather plants, wild grasses, volcanic soil, and wide views of Mount Kilimanjaro’s western slopes. This is your first major altitude gain, so our guides will encourage you to walk slowly, drink enough water, and stay relaxed. The beauty of this 9-day route is that you do not need to rush across the plateau; you will stop at Shira 1 and give your body more time to adapt. At camp, you will enjoy warm tea, fresh mountain food, and a peaceful evening under the open sky as the full moon atmosphere begins to build.

Destination:

Big Tree (Mti Mkubwa) Camp To Shira 1 Camp

Overnight:

Shira 1 Campsite

  public camp site

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Distance: 7–10 km trekking
Trekking Time: 3–5 hours
Starting Altitude: Around 3,500 m
Sleeping Altitude: Shira 2 Campsite around 3,850–3,900 m
Vegetation: Open moorland, short grasses, volcanic rocks, giant heather plants, and broad Shira Plateau scenery

After breakfast, you will walk across the scenic Shira Plateau from Shira 1 to Shira 2 Campsite. This day is not too long, giving you enough time to enjoy the wide mountain views, volcanic stones, open moorland, and possible views of Kibo Peak when the sky is clear. Our guides will explain the landscape and keep the pace smooth so your body continues to adjust gradually. This slower movement across Shira Plateau is one of the reasons the 9-day Lemosho Route is excellent for acclimatization. At Shira 2, the mountain crew will prepare hot drinks and fresh food while you rest in a beautiful high-altitude environment. At night, the wide sky and moonlight can make the camp feel peaceful and inspiring.

Destination:

Shira 1 Camp To Shira 2 Camp

Overnight:

Shira 2 Campsite

  public camp site

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Distance: 8–10 km trekking
Trekking Time: 4–6 hours
Starting Altitude: Around 3,850–3,900 m
Sleeping Altitude: Moir Huts Camp around 4,150–4,200 m
Vegetation: Moorland changing into alpine desert, volcanic rocks, dry ridges, short grasses, and high-altitude shrubs

Today you will trek from Shira 2 toward Moir Huts Camp, one of the quieter and more remote sections of the Lemosho Route. This part of Mount Kilimanjaro gives the climb a stronger wilderness feeling, with fewer crowds, open ridges, volcanic rocks, and dramatic high-altitude scenery. Moir Huts is an important stop because it helps with acclimatization before you move toward Lava Tower and the southern circuit. Our guides will keep the pace calm because the altitude is higher and the air becomes thinner. When you arrive at Moir Huts, you will rest, enjoy warm drinks, eat fresh food, and experience a peaceful mountain evening. During full moon timing, this camp can feel especially beautiful as the moonlight touches the dry ridges and open alpine landscape.

Destination:

Shira 2 Camp to Moir Hut (Camp)

Overnight:

Moir Hut Campsite

  public camp site

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Distance: 10–12 km trekking
Trekking Time: 6–8 hours
Starting Altitude: Around 4,150–4,200 m
Highest Point: Lava Tower around 4,600–4,640 m
Sleeping Altitude: Barranco Camp around 3,960–3,980 m
Vegetation: Alpine desert, volcanic stones, dry ridges, giant groundsels, lobelia, and senecio plants near Barranco Valley

After breakfast, you will leave Moir Huts and continue toward Lava Tower, a famous volcanic formation and one of the most important acclimatization points on Mount Kilimanjaro. The trail crosses a dry alpine desert landscape with volcanic rocks, open ridges, and wide mountain views. This day follows the important mountain principle of climbing high and sleeping lower, which helps your body prepare for the summit attempt. Our guides will monitor your condition carefully and keep the pace safe as you reach the Lava Tower area. After lunch and rest, you will descend toward Barranco Camp, where the scenery changes into a dramatic valley filled with giant groundsels, lobelia, and senecio plants. At Barranco Camp, you will enjoy warm food, hot drinks, and a beautiful evening below the famous Barranco Wall.

Destination:

Moir hut (Camp) to Lava tower to Barranco Camp

Overnight:

Barranco Campsite

  public camp site

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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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, dry shrubs, short grasses, and scattered giant groundsels

This day begins with the famous Barranco Wall, one of the most exciting sections of the Lemosho Route. It looks steep from camp, but it is not a technical climb, and our guides will show you the safest steps as you move carefully upward. After reaching the top, you will enjoy excellent views of valleys, glaciers, and the upper slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro. The trail then crosses ridges and descends into Karanga Valley before reaching Karanga Camp. This shorter trekking day is useful because it gives you time to rest, eat well, drink warm tea, and recover before moving to Barafu. As the full moon summit night gets closer, our guides will continue helping you prepare mentally and physically for the final climb.

Destination:

Barranco Camp To Karanga Camp

Overnight:

Karanga Campsite

  public camp site

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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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 Camp, the base camp for your full moon summit attempt. The trail is shorter, but the altitude is high, so our guides will keep the pace slow and controlled. The landscape becomes colder, drier, and more rugged, with volcanic stones and open views toward the summit area. At Barafu, you will rest, eat early, drink warm tea, and prepare your summit clothing, headlamp, water, snacks, gloves, and warm layers. Our guides will give a detailed briefing about the moonlit summit climb, including how to manage the cold, how to walk in the thin air, and how we will move safely toward Stella Point and Uhuru Peak. Hakuna Matata, the roof of Africa is now very close.

Destination:

Karanga Camp To Barafu Camp

Overnight:

Barafu Campsite

  public camp site

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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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 the final ascent begins. This is the highlight of your 9-Day Full Moon Lemosho Route Kilimanjaro Climbing Safari. When the sky is clear, the full moon can brighten the trail from Barafu toward Stella Point, creating a dramatic silver glow across the rocks, glaciers, and upper mountain slopes. You will walk slowly through the cold arctic zone while our guides stay close, encourage you, and check your condition throughout the climb. From Stella Point, you will continue to Uhuru Peak at 5,895 meters, the highest point in Africa. Reaching the summit after a moonlit ascent is a powerful moment, especially when sunrise begins to appear over Mount Kilimanjaro. 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 your body recover.

Destination:

Barafu Camp To Uhuru Peak To Mweka Camp

Overnight:

Mweka Campsite

  public camp site

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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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 green rainforest toward Mweka Gate. This final walk is peaceful and refreshing after the cold summit zone, with tall trees, ferns, moss, flowers, and wet forest paths along the trail. Our guides will walk with you at a relaxed pace as you reflect on the full journey from Lemosho Gate to Shira Plateau, Moir Huts, 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 a comfortable rest after completing your 9-Day Full Moon Lemosho Route Kilimanjaro Climbing Safari.

Destination:

Mweka Camp To Mweka Gate

Overnight:

Kilimanjaro White House Hotel

  budget 2 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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