Kilimanjaro Day 8 Lemosho Route. Today is the last day trekking on your eight day Lemosho Route trek up and down Mount Kilimanjaro. You have completed your toughest and longest day on the mountain after hopefully reaching the summit of Africa’s highest peak! Most people have their best nights sleep in the Mweka Camp. This is because you are finally getting a night at lower altitude. Likewise, you are also so exhausted from the previous days that it is common for people to get a full 10 hours sleep! Below is some footage of the celebration as you complete your journey.
Kilimanjaro Day 8 Lemosho Route – The Final Day
Generally, you will wake at 6am for an 8am departure this morning. From the Mweka Camp at 3,100m/ 10,170 feet to get to the Mweka Gate at 1,700m/ 5,577 feet will take approximately 3 hours to complete. That is a jump from 5,895m/ 19,341feet to 1,900m/ 6,234 feet over the previous 24 hours. This is a lot of down hill trekking. Therefore, if you want to comfortably complete this trek, you must come prepared for this level of exertion.
What to Wear
As the temperatures rise, you will be able to pack away your heavy down jackets and cold weather gear. Today you can wear only shorts and a t-shirt and your sun hat! You will still want to have your rain gear in your backpack. You never know if you will have rain to deal with as you are back into the rain forest. There is no need to have gloves or warm hats for this final day either.
Re-Hydration
Make sure that you have 3 more liters of water for the final journey down the mountain. It is critical to make sure that you are replenishing the fluids you would have lost the day prior when going to the summit. Therefore, making sure to continue drinking water is very important. Some people like to treat themselves with a cold beer once we are at the lunch spot today, and if your body is not re-hydrated properly, you will want to be careful!
Saying Goodbye to our Team
After a farewell song and dance, you will have to say goodbye to most of the porters and crew. They will make their way down the trail with your duffel bags, load them on the bus, and head back home! The cooks and kitchen staff will be heading down to cook your final lunch and the guides will remain with you all the way back to Arusha.
The Route Down
The route makes it’s way back down through the rain forest and it gets warmer as you drop lower in altitude. Porters will be moving past you sometimes at a racing pace. The trail can be quite slippery on this section of the trail if there has been much rain, so you will have to take your time with each step. Likewise, it is advisable to carry your trekking poles to help you on this section of the trail as parts can be steep and tricky. After about two and a half or three hours of walking through the forest on the trail, the trail will open up to a road for emergency vehicles. The final thirty minutes will be following the road back to the Mweka Gate. This day will normally be three to four hours of walking and covers 5.8miles/ 9.3km of distance.
Back to Arusha
Once you arrive at the gate, you will have time to get your final pictures on the mountain. Then, you will head into the newly built registration office to sign out of the park. Our guides will collect the certificates to hand out during the final meal. Once the team and guides have all signed out and the bus is packed, the team will jump in the vehicle for a short five minute drive to the lunch spot. The lunch is served in a nice spot by our team. You will also have time to do a bit of souvenir shopping while you are here. The shop sells Tanzanite, t-shirts and other souvenirs for you to bring home with you. After lunch, you will jump in the vehicle for the two and a half hour journey back to Arusha.
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