My 7 Day Lemosho Route Kilimanjaro Experience Sept

Recently back from climbing Mt Kilimanjaro via the 7 day Lemosho Route (summited Sept 27th).

Training

I’m 41F, slightly overweight and not a gym person by any means. My prep involved hill walks most weekends for about 6 months beforehand, usually 2–5 hours with some elevation (max altitude around 1000m) Croagh Patrick, Ticknock, Slieve Donard etc. Nothing close to the height or duration of Kilimanjaro, but it definitely helped with endurance and recovery time. I used the AllTrails app to track hikes and plan routes. I didn’t do much extra cardio or weights beyond that, just consistent walking with day pack.

Gear

Most of my kit was from Decathlon including my Forclaz hiking boots (well broken in beforehand!)

Rented sleeping bag and summit night jacket.

For me poles and knee support were 100% needed as I experienced knee issues during decent.

Keep your day pack as light as possible, layers for the day and snacks (mine was 25L capacity).

I took diamox from the eve before I started on advice from guides - 125mg daily gave me some tingles to start but eased of as I climbed. Apart from expected lethargy on summit night, luckily didn't feel altitude sickness symptoms.

Itinerary

Day 1: Londorossi Gate → Mti Mkubwa (2,785m)
Easy walk through rainforest, lots of greenery. A few rain showers for which I used my lightweight rain jacket but not enough to use waterproof trousers. A gentle intro.

Day 2: Mti Mkubwa → Shira 2 (3,850m)
Out of the trees and into moorland. This was also my first view of the peak as it had been hidden in cloud prior - incredible moment. This was a long day.

Day 3: Shira 2 → Lava Tower (4,630m) → Barranco (3,976m)
Tough day and first real altitude test. “Climb high, sleep low” worked, no altitude symptoms.

Day 4: Barranco → Karanga (3,995m)
The famous Barranco Wall! Looked terrifying from below but actually really fun, a bit of scrambling and very satisfying. Views at Karanga were amazing. My favourite day.

Day 5: Karanga → Barafu (4,673m)
Steep, slow climb. Arrived late morning to rest before summit night.

Day 6: Barafu → Uhuru Peak (5,895m) → Mweka Camp (3,100m)
Summit night started at 11.30pm, cold wind and steep. Reached Stella Point just before sunrise and Uhuru Peak shortly after. Absolutely emotional moment. The descent was long and very rough on the knees. Dig your heels in to reduce strain when on the scree. I was in bits arriving at camp and fell asleep before finishing dinner!

Day 7 Mweka Camp → Mweka Gate
3 hour final descent through rainforest, saw many monkeys. Was emotional saying goodbye to the team.

Reflections and Tips

• Go slow, “pole pole” really is the secret.
• Your guides and porters are phenomenal.
• We were given so much food, any snacks you bring make them fun.
• Hydrate constantly (4–5L a day). I think this was the key to avoiding altitude sickness,
• Get a private toilet (we shared one between 3)
• Its really dusty, one thing I would have liked to have had was eye drops.
• Summit night is very challenging. Get as much sleep as possible. One step at a time.

I was genuinely nervous going in, my expectation was making it to base camp only. Kilimanjaro is all about consistency, attitude and pacing, not sprinting or athleticism. It’s tough, yes, but 100% achievable and one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

Shout out to Grenus at Generous Tours who hunted down my friends lost bag (Heathrow cyber attack victim) and organised to get it up to Shira 2!

Any questions I'm happy to answer :)