Articles

Lemosho Glades - Trip Report

Written by Mathew Parkes, January 2008

Following a successful New Year's ascent of Kilimanjaro via the Rongai Route I was looking forward to the prospect of seeing Kilimanjaro from a different side. On 7 January 2008 I left the luxury of the Keys Hotel in Moshi to begin a recce of Jagged Globe�s new route, the Lemosho Glades.

The route starts near the Londrossi Gate following an interesting drive taking in some of Tanzania�s rural landscapes on the way. Before your journey on foot commences, there is a short section of exciting 4 x 4 driving through forestry commission land on narrow tracks. At the end of the road you find yourself in a lush rainforest environment that�s buzzing with life. Form here the route follows a narrow single track and the only passage through the forest to our first camp Mti Mikubwa. The ground through the forest is extremely undulating giving a real sense of dense plant life on all sides. Mti Mikubwa Camp is situated on high ground in the rainforest giving some great views during the evening sunset. Mikubwa means �Big Tree� as this is the main feature of the camp. One of the most striking things you notice on this day is the sheer scale of the forest. There is also the chance of seeing Colobus Monkeys, Buffalo and if you are lucky, even Elephants.

I was awoken early on my second morning to the calls of Colobus Monkeys reverberating around the valleys in the forest. I had agreed to eat African food on this trip with my team of guides and porters, so breakfast consisted of �stiff porridge� which is maize flavoured with lemon. Morning is definitely the best time of day in the forest, the light is crisp and beams shine through the canopy above. Today I headed for Shira One Camp. I continued my fascinating walk slowly gaining height until finally emerging out of the forest and standing on the edge of the Shira Crater, with views over the past few days walk and far beyond onto the plains of Africa. Up to this point you still have no views of Kilimanjaro, so my anticipation started to build. I left the forest behind and crossed the crater, which is covered in scrub-type vegetation, a complete change from the previous environment. After a quick stop for lunch in what seems to be the base of the Shira Crater, it was back to going uphill as I walked up a large rib taking me onto the crater wall with better and better views of the plains below. After contouring around the crater rim I rounded a corner and was instantly presented with a great view of Kibo in the distance and in between us the plains, which I was soon to cross. A quick descent into some grassland and I arrived at the camp, which is in a huge open space.

Day 3 and I continued my passage across the plain, which becomes rockier as the day goes by and Kibo gets larger and more dominant on the skyline. I headed for the camp known as Shira Two, which is situated on the right-hand side of the plain at a slightly higher altitude of 3,895m. Today�s walk was pleasant and I took my time to acclimatise and enjoy the day. After a short climb to the camp, I arrived and a whole new vista opened up. The plateau dropped sharply away into the clouds and there was a fantastic view of Mount Meru in the distance. Arrival at Shira Two meant it was lunch time and a chance for me to try a new Tanzanian dish, Banana and Beef Stew. I must say despite my initial thoughts, the stew was extremely tasty! From Shira Two you get an incredible view of the plains below, so I made sure not to miss the photo opportunity during sunset that evening.

The first three days of this trek are fairly short distances, but the fourth day is the longest and it covers some interesting terrain. As I left the plains behind I felt like I was getting really close to Kibo. The ground turns into a large boulder field as I continued onwards up to Lava Tower rocks. Crags started to emerge on ether side consisting of interesting rock formations. From here Lava Tower is clearly seen and beyond that the glaciers on the slopes of Kibo. I now found myself in a lunar landscape with any evidence of plant life far below on the plains. A well-deserved lunch stop below the towering Lava Rocks (4,640m) and it was time to set off again towards Baranco Camp. This section is actually a descent into camp, which provides a good change from the past few days of uphill. On the way down, plant life returns and on either side of the trail there are huge Giant Groundsels. This is definitely plant life quite different to anything seen in the UK! Finally I arrived at Baranco (3,986m) and had a glimpse of the following day's walk up the mighty Baranco Wall.

Another early start and a clear view of my main obstacle, the Baranco Wall, greeted me as I left the mess tent. It looked like quite a challenge from camp but as I arrived at the base I quickly realised it was like a huge rock staircase that�s never too demanding. Half way up and you are blessed with a great view of the previous camp and some picturesque waterfalls that remain hidden until now. With the wall climbed, I pressed onto Karanga camp taking in big scenery reaching down to the rainforest below. From here on and it was back into a lunar landscape and another new perspective of Kibo. I reached Karanga Camp and it was here I felt my climb up the mountain was really underway. A night's resting in the clouds and it was onto the final camp at Barafu.

Today�s walk was short and uncomplicated, giving me the opportunity to rest and mentally prepare for summit day. The walk started up a boulder field until I emerged on the edge of a small crater. Here you get a glimpse of Barafu and after a short climb you are now high on the edge of Kibo. As I arrived at camp, I was greeted with an amazing view of Mawenzi Peak, surrounded in clouds. Time for food, rest and preparation for the big day!

It was an early start for the exciting journey to the summit. The main obstacle is a large scree slope to Stella Point that is tackled under a night sky full of millions of stars. It is important on this day not to underestimate the freezing temperatures on the upper slopes of Kibo. Down jackets are essential and high quality gloves and hats to protect the extremities! Finally at Stella Point and the terrain eases off with a steady incline to the summit - Uhuru Peak (5,895m). The sun was just rising above the clouds below, providing an amazing 360 degree view across East Africa. From the summit, I made a quick descent to Barafu for breakfast and a short rest before heading down to Millennium Camp. This is a short section and Millennium is the perfect place to rest after such a long day.

The final day had arrived and all that lay ahead of me was a relaxing walk back through the forest to Mkewa Gate and eventually a hot shower at the hotel!

What I enjoyed the most from this route on Kilimanjaro was the constantly changing environment, which provided such interesting trekking each day. On some days the setting changes dramatically two or three times, leaving you wondering what the next camp will be like. The Lemosho Glades is undoubtedly one of the quietest routes on Kilmanjaro, with superb views of the southerly aspects of the volcano. It's effectively a rising traverse and so offers a really steady gain in altitude. I loved it!

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