Kilimanjaro Climb - Lemosho Route

Most Inspirational Moment

One of our guides on summit night Lucy dragging me to the top when I was exhausted. “Get on your feet!” She would shout to me. I would never have submitted without her. Everyone at Exodus was inspiring. Fred, William, Angela, Anna and of course our leader David and Mama Lucy (my sister from a different Mister) were inspirational. Milton and his team in the cooking tent were magicians. Thank you to you all.

Thoughts on Group Leader

David was a solid leader who was impeccable, faultless. He made you believe in him and respect him. When he spoke you listened. He didn’t mess he wanted to get everyone to summit and he cared about his group and his staff.

Advice for Potential Travellers

No books (you wont have time) Wear the same clothes apart from summit night. Go easy on your snacks as Exodus supply plenty themselves. Take hand sanitiser You only need one hat. Wet wipe washes are fine and wear merino wool undies. Small packet of Rennie (heartburn) You wont need any hair products as you will be wearing a hat for most of the time. No one ‘dresses up’

Most Inspirational Moment

For me this is not a personal thing but it is watching the porters. They carry all the camp gear and our kit bags and soon zip past us after we leave camp in the morning for our day of hiking. Often they were wearing clothing and footwear that is questionable for the environment yet they complete their job with incredible stoicism.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lucia was excellent in every way. Three of our main guide team were women. Lucia, Anna and Happiness, we also had Angela for a couple of days at the start too. Brown was the fourth and only male guide we had from start to finish. Freddie, one of the helping porters who we got to know serving our food in the mess tent, stepped up and worked as an assistant guide on the final summit stage. He did a great job too. Lucia clearly earned and commanded so much respect from everyone both us as clients and the rest of her team. She and Anna were very strong, standing our ground on the Barranco wall where it is easy for climbers to be pushed aside by the army of porters also ascending the same narrow route. All our guides set a really good walking pace that made it all that much easier. Lucia told us that she sends a member of her team ahead to the next camp to try and get us good spots at the camp sites before everyone else. This often worked and was a good tactic for us all.

Advice for Potential Travellers

This was my second summit of Kilimanjaro. The first time was by the Rongai route, this time the Lemosho. I naturally compared the two. Lemosho definitely wins for altitude aclimatisiation over Rongai. The lay of the land and two more days of ascent help greatly with this. I will also say Lemosho is slightly more scenic along the trail than Rongai but not massively. Where Lemosho fails is crowds. Just about every adventure travel operator going, including Exodus generally plug Lemosho as the premier route up Kilimanjaro. Add to this the fact the also popular Machame route and Lemosho route merge on the third day, the crowds of porters and hikers can be significant. A few times, I saw a near unbroken line of people as far ahead on the trail as I could see and the same looking back where we'd come from. This also makes for very large and crowded camp sites. On summit night it took us about 20 minutes of "pole pole" walking just to clear the Barranco camp. A few years back on the Rongai there were four or five total groups , including us, moving up the mountain at the same time. I also found the final summit climb on Rongai to be easier under foot but one of our guides told me that it may no longer be as good as I remember it due to the fact with climate change, the ground does not as reliabley freeze hard at night as it once did. Sometimes making it heavy going on the loose small stoney trail. As for other things. Kilimanjaro is a dusty place, which ever way you go, and it gets everywhere. Be prepared to be mucky. British travellers don't need a plug adapter for Tanzania, it's the same plug. I travelled in July. I did not see or hear a single mosquito from start to finish. All your drinking water on the mountain is provided and is chlorinated by the crew so there is no need to bring your own water treatment. The barranco wall is no where near as bad as you may sometimes hear (apart from the numerous false summits) but it is a hands on job. Some light gloves like long finger mountain bike gloves would be handy for it. More so when Lucia told us the porters frequently spit on the rocks you're gripping on to.

Most Inspirational Moment

Summit night. To quote one of our fellow group members after summiting: " We looked deeply into ourselves, all through a very dark and stormy night on an unrelenting climb, faced real adversity and prevailed!" Sounds a bit melodramatic but all of the previous night's summit attempts were cancelled because of the weather.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Lucia Kivio and her assistant guides, Anna, Angela, Happiness and Joyce were superb. As stated above, I couldn't have summited without them.

Advice for Potential Travellers

1) Pole, pole, the slower the better. 2) Drink more than you think you will need. 3) Eat plenty, it's easy not to but you need as much energy as possible. 4) A positive attitude is essential, one step at a time, only think about one day at a time and enjoy. 5) Enjoy the company of your group and support each other.

Suggestions

A fantastic experience which I will never forget!

Most Inspirational Moment

I loved the Baranco wall and reaching the summit early on summit day. Getting there early, meant easy access to the Kilimanjaro sign and to be able to take photos. Those who got there later, had "arguments" with fellow trekkers to get a photo at the sign. The way that the guides and porters work is inspirational. They were such a happy bunch. We loved the singing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

The group leader was fantastic, very kind and caring. She had a great team around her. All the porters were just fantastic. Great attitude, positive, friendly, happy. Amazing people.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take a hot water bottle, have the right clothes,(lots of layers) consider taking your own sleeping bag (right size for you and with the right level of warmth). Maybe get some clothes in the charity shop that you are willing to donate or leave behind at the end of the trip. These are useful for the porters and guides in the future. My clothes got very dirty, I am still trying to get them clean! Think about leaving your trainers/hiking boots for the guides and porters. Their shoes and clothes are not the same quality that we are used to.

Suggestions

Be prepared for cold nights in the tent. Do some training beforehand. For me, its all about endurance! Its not for the faint hearted. If you are prepared and you are relatively fit, you will love every moment of it. Some travel companies gave their clients a medal, that would be a nice touch! Something to consider Exodus!

Most Inspirational Moment

The team who helped us throughout the week are so inspirational. They work so hard and yet always have a smile on their faces. There is no way we would have completed summit day without their expertise and support. We were a group of 6 with a team of 23!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our team leader was called Happiness and she was amazing in everyday. Supportive, professional, inspiring and so experienced. Happiness ran a great team, always made sure we were feeling OK, checked how much we were eating and drinking and made sure we dug deep to get to the top. Her assistant guides Lucy, Simon, Pendaely and Floriam (for summit day) were equally amazing. They all work so well together. Nothing can prepare you for how difficult the summit walk is and without good guides it would be impossible to make it.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The tents are small so if travelling alone I think the single supplement is money vety well spent! I also think arriving a couple of days early really helps prepare for the climb. The whole trip is extremely dusty so bring plenty of spare clothes! One of the members of our trip hired a sleeping bag and it wasn't warm enough, every camp is cold so do research and bring a good sleeping bag and roll mat.

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro with a group of people who had become as close as family and enjoying the success together - knowing that we had conquered our collective struggles and achieved something that had challenged us.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Happiness was simply the best. She was organised, informative, supportive and motivational. She got the measure of each member of the group very quickly and identified any weaknesses so she, along with the assistant guides, could lend a hand immediately it was required. She gave us confidence and instilled a belief that we could do it. She was also funny, fun and great company.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go for it!!! Find yourself a really comprehensive kit list. I used Mark Whitman's https://www.climbkilimanjaroguide.com/kilimanjaro-kit-list/ Technical kit can be expensive but there are loads of deals on line and I found some excellent bits and pieces in charity shops. When you read the suggested tip amount on the trip notes it might seem a bit high - it is not. The work the team do is phenomenal and they absolutely deserve it. Battery power banks worked better than solar chargers

Suggestions

Thank you!

Most Inspirational Moment

Reaching the summit along with other team members and the 'crew' who were particularly helpful and attentive. The efforts of the entire support staff were truly marvelous and they appeared to work well with their guides and trip leader David.

Thoughts on Group Leader

David was an excellent leader and demonstrated his skills and capability throughout the entire climb

Advice for Potential Travellers

Prepare well, only take what you need and embrace the spirit of teamwork.

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting back to base camp ⛺️ after making time the summit in horrendous weather conditions

Thoughts on Group Leader

David was very talented leader in how he supported and advised us as a group and his leadership of the team of 43 porters /assistant guides who supported us. His approach was authoritative but very kind.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Go for it, it’s tough but the feeling of satisfaction is amazing m. I’m no athlete and suffer from asthma but the guides let me walk at my own pace and I made it!!

Most Inspirational Moment

Everyday was different the rain forest , Shira Plateau, Lava Tower etc. The most fun day was the great Barranco wall which looks steep but completely doable. On summit night I was excited, apprehensive and just wanted to get to the top however I knew it would be a very long day reaching Uhuru Peak .As soon as day break comes you get this burst of extra energy! Reaching Uhuru Peak was just the best moment!

Thoughts on Group Leader

I can not praise our guides enough . Head guide - Julian (J.T.) was so professional, so kind and patient setting a sensible pace to allow us to acclimatise. Absolutely first class chap. Assistant guides- David and Hance equally as professional . I felt safe at all times on our journey. They all gave quiet and kind words of encouragement all the way. They never stop smiling and making things seem easy! I shall never forget them . Not forgetting our superb cook Trophin providing the food which would give us the energy we needed each day . Excellent porridge ! The wonderful porters and assistant guides Rikado Trophin and Arnold Thomas. Julius I thank you for also always being there! All the way to the top!

Advice for Potential Travellers

The most important thing is to follow the pace the guides set they are so experienced and everyone will tell you poly poly and that’s exactly what to do to give yourself more of a chance of acclimatising and reaching the summit . Don’t forget your nail brush ! I did ! Keep your head down especially on summit day this was the advice I was given ‘don’t look up’!! Just keep plodding . Have fun , you will love it and carry those memories forever.

Suggestions

Thank you Exodus and the African Walking Company

Most Inspirational Moment

Getting to the crater rim and seeing the clouds below us.

Thoughts on Group Leader

JT was a great leader always friendly and approachable, David and Hans the assistant guides were very knowledgeable and all three of them were positive and kept us going up to the top.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Try to pack as light as you can, and make sure you will be warm enough on summit night, its very cold until the sun comes up!

Suggestions

Thanks again for a fantastic trip, with memories that will last a lifetime.