Kilimanjaro Climb 9 Days Shira Route

Mt. Kilimanjaro

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Duration

7 Days Trek

Tour Type

Specific Tour

Group Size

Unlimited

Languages

English

Overview

Initiating from the west, the Shira route is one of the older and tougher among the Kilimanjaro routes to try, and is nearly identical to the Lemosho route. The uniqueness of this route is that the first section of the trail is not hiked, but rather starting from a higher altitude. In fact, the Lemosho route is the ‘new-and-improved’ version of the Shira route.

The Shira route approaches the summit of Kilimanjaro from the west and the descent is down though Mweka, in the southeast. It starts relatively high above sea level and is therefore a less frequented route as it offers a poorer acclimatization profile. The route takes six days minimum to complete, though seven or eight days of trekking is acclaimed, giving you an experience on your way to the summit.

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HIGHLIGHTS

Kilimanjaro International Airport to Moshi
Moshi to Londorossi Gate to Shira One Campsite
Shira One campsite to Shira Two campsite
Shira Two campsite to Barranco campsite
Barranco Campsite to Karanga Campsite
Karanga Campsite to Barafu Campsite
Barafu Hut Campsite to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Hut Campsite
Mweka Hut campsite to Mweka Gate
Hotel to Kilimanjaro International Airport

Itinerary

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No need to arrange transport! Our transfer driver will drive you from Kilimanjaro Airport and take you to the hotel in Moshi. Relax after your flight, take a dip in the pool or explore Moshi. Later you will meet one or more of Exposed Africa operations staff. They will tell you more about the trip, share tips and safety information and thoroughly check your gear to see if you have everything you need.

Drive from Moshi to the trailhead to Londorosi gate for registration. Following this you will board a vehicle again and drive further up to Moramu gate. You trek through the moorland and heather vegetation heading to the east crossing ridges and the valley as well as a long flat distance to Shira One campsite.

Elevation: 1200m to 1830m to 3500m,
Distance: 18km,
Hiking Time: 3 hours,
Habitat: Montane forest to moorland and heath vegetation

This day you will trek east across Shira plateau visiting Cathedral Peak (3850m) for acclimatization. At this peak you will have great views of both Mt. Meru and Kibo Peak you will also encounter many spectacular special features before continuing to walk to Shira Two camp where meals and overnight will take place.

Elevation: 3500m to 3800m,
Distance: 7km,
Hiking time: 5-6 hours,
Habitat: Moorland and rock.

This is a long but important acclimatization day. You will have an early breakfast then continue trekking east to a junction leading to Lava tower rock (4600m) for acclimatization you will after continue to Barranco hut camp for supper and overnight.

Elevation: 3800m to 3950m,
Distance: 13km,
Hiking time: 7-8 hours,
Habitat: Moorland

Today is a short day walk. In the morning you will start climbing Barranco wall and reach 4200m for acclimatization and continue crossing ridges and valleys to Karanga campsite for a hot lunch. Rest for a while and get prepared for another acclimatization of trekking up the scree slopes towards the Southern ice field. Explore till the night falls and then come back to the camp for dinner and overnight.

Elevation: 3950m to 3900m,
Distance: 6 km,
Hiking time: 4-5 hours,
Habitat: Moorland

Today you would have to trek to the Barafu ridge campsite. It is undoubtedly a tougher task. It is a short distance and the walk would take a few hours, yet you are required to walk slowly to avoid tiredness. You will completely walk across the alpine desert with strong and cold winds blowing from the ever closer Kibo peak and its ice. You will have an early dinner at 1700hours then rest until midnight when you commence your push for the summit.

Elevation: 3900m to 4620m,
Distance: 8 km,
Hiking time: 3-4 hours,
Habitat: Alpine Desert.

Wake at midnight to a light breakfast and then prepare for your summit ascent. This is the most difficult and the important ascend of the trek. Leave for the peak at 12 am. Keep in mind that you have to reach Stella Point-the crater rim at 5,861m-between 4 and 5 am. At this point you can have the best view of the crater and its ice-cap. Another 1 hour trek would take you to the Kibo crater rim and after that you would slowly hike up to the true Kilimanjaro summit “Uhuru”. It will be too cold here, So finish your photo session as soon as possible and start descending back to Barafu huts campsite, for lunch and rest. Now, it is the time to collect your belongings and walk down through moorland and heath zone to Mweka huts campsite where you will have your dinner and overnight.

Elevation: 4620m to 5895m to 3100m,
Distance: 15km,
Hiking time: 10 to 12 hours,
Habitat: Desert and ice.

After breakfast, today is your last day on the mountain so you will descend down to Mweka park gate, walking across Montane forest this descent will take 3-4 hours. Then, at the gate you will sign out and get ready to board the vehicle ready for the transfer back to the hotel in Moshi for your certificate presentation celebration.

Elevation: 3100m to 1700m,
Distance: 9km,
Descending time: 3-4 hours,
Habitat: Montane forest.

After breakfast, you continue with your travel plans or take a transfer to the Kilimanjaro Airport.

Included/Excluded

2 Nights’ accommodation in Moshi is or Arusha included
All transfers to the mountain and back to your Moshi hotel
Professional, experienced, mountain guides
Guides, Porters, cook salaries and park fees
Quality, waterproof, four seasons private mountain sleeping tents
Sleeping Mattress
All meals while on the mountain
Quality mess tents with table and chairs
Large portions of fresh, healthy, nutritious food
Clean purified drinking water
Airport pick up and drop off
Kilimanjaro National Park Entrance fees
All Government taxes and levies including 18% VAT.
Community Development Fund
Conservation Fund

Flights
Tips to mountain crew
Items of a personal nature
Laundry Services
Entry visa for Tanzania
Personal trekking equipment such as sleeping bags, hiking boots, clothes etc. (available for renting)

Tour's Location

Mt. Kilimanjaro

FAQs

You are expected to carry your own day pack, with only things which should be able to sustain you until you reach the next camp at the end of the day. You do not need to carry your personal backpack/ duffel pack - It will be carried by our porters.

No worries about that - this is a common concern. It is much better for your body if you proceed slowly and guides will permanently remind you about this (“pole-pole” - which means “slowly slowly”). By walking slowly, your body will much better acclimatize to high altitude.

There is plenty of time allocated each day for the treks, even for those who like to go very slowly.

Some climbers may fall short of reaching the summit, but not at the expense of their overall experience. Even for those who never reached the top, the experience of the wonders of Kilimanjaro is very rewarding.

If one or more members of the group decide they cannot continue, or if a guide deems it unsafe for an individual (or a group) to continue, they are escorted to the most convenient campsite or Hut.

Our guides intimately know the network of shortcuts to escort climbers to safety, and they are trained to act quickly and calmly under any circumstance.

On the Marangu Route, there are simple basic Huts. The first 2 Huts sleep four people each and the last Hut is a dome-style with bunk beds.

On all the other routes, you will sleep in 3 dome-style Tents, two people each. The Tents are modern and have an outer flysheet and large vestibules keep equipment from the elements. They are set up, broken down and carried- along with everything else- by our porters.

There are public toilets set up at every campsite, but portable toilets are available upon request at the cost of $ 100 per group for the whole tour. Hot water is provided for each person every morning but No showers during trek

There will be dining tents with chairs and tables where all meals will be served. Before any meal, we will provide soap and hot water for washing your hands

For each trek on the Mount a dedicated cook will be part of the logistical team. They are professional chefs and have the ability to prepare different kinds of dishes. Please see a sample page for Dietary Menu.

You shouldn't worry- You are in safe hands. Our guides are professionally trained to handle all sorts of distress and respond quickly and accordingly. They all have Wilderness First Aid Responder qualification and they will all time bring you to safety. They will directly call for an emergency evacuation if the situation worsens.

The tours are scheduled to start in Moshi, departing on Daily basis. However, circumstances like clients’ arrival time, activities to be done and client’s preference could affect the program. Our company is flexible for such arrangements and adjustments. Normally the program starts around 7:30 AM

The tours are scheduled to End in Moshi. You may also wish to be dropped outside Moshi at an extra cost depending on the place of drop off. However, our travel specialists will need to know your specific drop-off point prior to the hike to get aligned with the program

from $1.850,00