9-Day Lemosho Western-Breach
9-Day Lemosho Western Breach
Our 9-Day Lemosho Western-Breach Route can include both our Standard and All-Inclusive Packages. Any climber (even if part of a group) can choose their own package if they prefer one over the other. All our Kilimanjaro climbs include:
- 2 nights accommodation at a high-end hotel before the climb
- 1-night accommodation at a high-end hotel after the climb
This exciting journey via our 9-Day Lemosho Western-Breach Route including the hotel nights takes 12 days (excluding flights).
Day 1/9:Start of the expendition in the tropical rainforest. Overnight at forest camp.
Drive Time: ~3 hours
Trek Time: ~2–3 hours
Distance: ~3 miles / 4.8 kilometers
Starting Elevation: 7,700 ft / 2,100 m (Lemosho Gate)
Ending Elevation: 9,255 ft / 2,821 m (Forest Camp)
Elevation Gain: ~1,555 ft / 475 m
We’ll pick you up from your hotel in the morning and depart Arusha at 9:00 AM. The scenic drive to Lemosho Gate takes about three hours, winding through local towns and farmland toward the western side of Kilimanjaro. We’ll make a brief stop midway to grab water, snacks, or stretch out.
Upon arrival at the gate (7,700 ft / 2,100 m), you’ll enjoy a packed lunch while the team handles permits and gear check. This is also where we meet your full mountain crew, porters, guides, and chefs, and begin the official start of your climb.
The day’s trek takes you through the Rainforest Zone, one of the most vibrant ecosystems on the mountain. Expect a rich, green canopy overhead, earthy trails underfoot, and a chance to spot black-and-white Colobus monkeys and Blue monkeys in the trees.
After a 2–3 hour hike covering approximately 3 miles (4.8 km), we arrive at Forest Camp (a.k.a. Mti Mkubwa), located at 9,255 ft / 2,821 m. This marks your first night on the mountain, surrounded by the sounds of the forest and the warmth of your private dining tent. Welcome to your Kilimanjaro expedition
Day 2/9: Enter the moorland heather zone. overnight at shira 1 camp.
Trek Time: ~5–7 hours (including lunch break)
Distance: ~5 miles / 8 kilometers
Starting Elevation: 9,255 ft / 2,821 m (Forest Camp)
Ending Elevation: 11,300 ft / 3,444 m (Shira 1 Camp)
Elevation Gain: ~2,045 ft / 623 m
After breakfast at Forest Camp, we begin the steady ascent toward Shira 1 Camp, leaving the lush Rainforest Zone behind and entering the dramatic Heather and Moorland Zones. As the vegetation begins to change, you’ll notice the landscape open up, offering your first sweeping views of the Shira Plateau.
We’ll stop for a lunch break about halfway through the day. Your mountain chef team will set up a scenic outdoor lunch, giving you time to refuel and enjoy the scenery.
This stretch is approximately 5 miles (8 km) and takes 5–7 hours to complete, depending on pace and weather. The trail is a mix of gradual uphill and steeper sections as we gain 2,045 ft (623 m) of elevation. The terrain shifts into hardy shrubs, wildflowers, and strange alien-like flora unique to Kilimanjaro’s mid-mountain zones.
By late afternoon, we reach Shira 1 Camp at 11,300 ft (3,444 m), your home for the night, perched on the edge of the Shira Plateau with epic views of Kibo Peak looming in the distance.
Day 3/9: Cross the shira plateau. Overnight at moir camp.
Trek Time: ~5–7 hours (including lunch break)
Distance: ~6.8 miles / 11 kilometers
Starting Elevation: 11,300 ft / 3,444 m (Shira 1 Camp)
Ending Elevation: 13,779 ft / 4,200 m (Moir Camp)
Elevation Gain: ~2,479 ft / 756 m
We continue our journey from Shira 1 Camp deeper into Kilimanjaro’s wild terrain, pushing higher into the Heather and Moorland Zone, and gradually entering the stark beauty of the High Alpine Desert.
This day’s trek covers roughly 6.8 miles (11 km) and takes 5 to 7 hours, depending on pace and breaks. Expect a steady ascent with some rocky and open terrain as the vegetation gets sparser and more rugged. You’ll start noticing dramatic changes in the landscape, low shrubs, volcanic rock formations, and sweeping panoramic views of the mountain.
We’ll stop for lunch mid-hike, with your chef team preparing a hot meal in one of the most unique dining locations you’ve probably ever experienced.
We finish the day at Moir Camp, a remote, scenic spot tucked into a high valley at 13,779 ft (4,200 m). The views here are unreal, and the solitude gives you a real sense of being deep in the mountain, far from the typical tourist routes.
This is one of the most unique and rarely visited camps on the mountain, giving you that off-the-beaten-path feel that’s core to the Kiliwarrior experience.
Day 4/9: Hike through the alpine desert zone overnight at lava tower camp.
Trek Time: ~3 hours (including lunch break)
Distance: ~3 miles / 4.8 kilometers
Starting Elevation: 13,779 ft / 4,200 m (Moir Camp)
Ending Elevation: 15,091 ft / 4,600 m (Lava Tower Camp)
Elevation Gain: ~1,312 ft / 400 m
Today is short in distance, but big in elevation and acclimatization. We hike from Moir Camp to the towering monolith of Lava Tower Camp at 15,091 ft (4,600 m), fully immersed in the Alpine Desert Zone.
The trek is around 3 miles (4.8 km) and takes roughly 3 hours, including a break for lunch. The landscape here is barren, dramatic, and windswept, a surreal, moon-like environment that marks your entry into the higher altitudes of Kilimanjaro.
After lunch at Lava Tower Camp, the rest of the day is reserved for rest and acclimatization. This is a key part of the climb, giving your body time to adapt to the thinner air, which sets you up for success in the days ahead.
Optional Bonus Ascent:
If you’re feeling strong and the weather’s on our side, you’ll have the chance to climb Lava Tower itself. It’s a short but steep scramble that rewards you with epic 360° views. Just chat with our guides, they’ll assess the conditions and your energy to see if it’s a good move for you.
Lava Tower Camp is one of the most unique on the route and marks the beginning of your push toward the summit. You’re now above 15,000 feet, and you earned every step.
Day 5/9: Short acclimization hike. Overnight at lava tower camp (x2).
Trek Time: ~2–3 hours (round-trip)
Distance: ~1.5 miles / 2.4 kilometers
Starting Elevation: 15,091 ft / 4,600 m (Lava Tower Camp)
Highest Elevation Reached: 16,076 ft / 4,900 m (Arrow Glacier Camp)
Elevation Gain: ~985 ft / 300 m
Today is all about prepping your body for what’s coming next.
We’ll hike from Lava Tower Camp to Arrow Glacier Camp, a short but powerful acclimatization hike that takes around 2-3 hours round-trip. It’s roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) total, but climbs nearly 1,000 ft (300 m) in elevation, putting you at 16,076 ft (4,900 m), the highest point so far on the route.
This is where your body gets a real taste of the altitude ahead. The goal here is simple: go high, sleep low. This tactic gives your body the time and conditions it needs to adapt, boost red blood cell production, and make your summit push safer and more successful.
If you didn’t get a chance to climb Lava Tower yesterday, or just want more views, our guides are always ready to lead the way if conditions allow. No pressure, just options.
Day 6/9:Arrow Glacier Camp
Trek Time: ~1–1.5 hours
Distance: ~1.5 miles / 2.4 kilometers
Starting Elevation: 15,091 ft / 4,600 m
Ending Elevation: 16,076 ft / 4,900 m
Elevation Gain: ~985 ft / 300 m
Today we officially move from Lava Tower Camp to Arrow Glacier Camp, climbing roughly 1,000 ft (300 m) over a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) trek. It’s short but steep, the terrain’s rocky, and the altitude will make itself known.
For those who did the acclimatization hike here yesterday, the terrain will feel familiar, but this time, you’re moving your whole camp up. That shift hits different. You’re now positioned right at the base of the Western Breach. It’s game time.
Once at Arrow Glacier Camp (16,076 ft / 4,900 m), we spend the rest of the day resting, hydrating, and prepping gear for the biggest day of the climb. Early dinner, early bed, the Western Breach summit push begins before sunrise.
You’ve earned your place here. Now it’s about execution.
Day 7/9:Summit Day. Cross the western breach
Trek Time:
- Arrow Glacier to Crater Camp: ~5–7 hrs
- Crater Camp to Summit: ~1.5 hrs
- Summit to Barafu Camp: ~2–3 hrs
Total Distance: ~6.2 miles / 10 kilometers
Starting Elevation: 16,076 ft / 4,900 m
Highest Elevation (Uhuru Peak): 19,341 ft / 5,895 m
Ending Elevation (Barafu): 15,239 ft / 3,983 m
This is the big one.
We wake up early, between 2:00 and 3:00 AM, right before the sun starts creeping in. After a light breakfast and final gear check, we launch our summit bid through the Western Breach, the most direct, raw, and dramatic route to the top. We leave camp no later than 4:00 AM.
Over the next 5–7 hours, we’ll make our way through ancient volcanic rock, past glaciers frozen in time, and into the Crater Rim at 18,800 ft (5,730 m). The air’s razor-thin. The scenery? Out of this world. Literally. You’ll pass the Northern Ice Field in the distance and walk up to and touch the Furtwängler Glacier en route to Crater Camp, one of the rarest and highest-altitude campsites on Earth.
After lunch and rest at Crater Camp, we make a team decision. If you’re feeling strong, and many do, we continue to the summit of Uhuru Peak (19,341 ft / 5,895 m), the Roof of Africa. This leg takes about 1.5 hours. Not everyone gets to summit from Crater, this is for the bold.
The summit itself? Empty. Quiet. No crowd. No chaos. Unlike the sunrise summit route, we arrive mid-afternoon (2–3 PM) when the mountain is yours. You get your time, your photos, your moment. No rush. No pushing. Just peace.
After taking it all in, we begin the descent to Barafu Camp (15,239 ft / 3,983 m). This final descent leg takes about 2–3 hours, and we overnight here to rest and recover after a massive day.
You did it. You summited Kilimanjaro via the Western Breach, the most elite and scenic route on the mountain. Sleep well, you’ve earned it.
Day 8/9: Making our descent down to mweka camp.
Trek Time: ~4–5 hours
Distance: ~7 miles / 11.2 kilometers
Starting Elevation: 15,239 ft / 3,983 m
Ending Elevation: 10,204 ft / 3,110 m
Elevation Loss: ~5,000 ft / 873 m
After yesterday’s summit ,the highest point on the continent, today is all about the come down, literally.
We wake up at Barafu Camp (15,239 ft / 3,983 m), shake off the summit buzz, and begin our steady descent through the alpine terrain. Over the course of about 4–5 hours, we drop elevation fast, moving down through the moorland and eventually back into the rainforest zone.
By late afternoon, we reach Mweka Camp (10,204 ft / 3,110 m), our final night on the mountain. The air feels thick (in the best way). Your lungs will love you. Legs might be sore, but spirits are high.
We overnight here with a warm meal and well-earned rest before finishing the journey tomorrow.
Day 9/9: Complete our descent and head back to Arusha
Trek Time: ~3–4 hours
Distance: ~6 miles / 9.6 kilometers
Starting Elevation: 10,204 ft / 3,110 m
Ending Elevation: 5,423 ft / 1,653 m
Elevation Loss: ~4,781 ft / 1,457 m
Final push.
After breakfast at Mweka Camp, we begin our last descent through the lush rainforest toward Mweka Gate (5,423 ft / 1,653 m). It’s a 3–4 hour hike, and around 6 miles / 9.6 km. The trail can be slippery, you’ve dropped nearly 5,000 feet in the last 24 hours, but every step is downhill from greatness.
At the gate, we’ll:
- Sign the Official Kilimanjaro National Park Register
- Receive a cold drink (you earned it)
- Get presented with your Official Summit Certificate by your Head Guide
Then we load up the vehicle and begin the 3-hour drive back to our Premium Hotel in Arusha. Arrival is usually around 3 PM, depending on how early you left camp.
Showers. Real beds. Your Kilimanjaro story, complete.
