Lemosho vs Northern Circuit – a comparison of two great Kilimanjaro routes

Here are some quick facts about the Lemosho route.

As you can see in the map above, which shows both routes, the Lemosho and Northern Circuit have a lot in common. They do, in fact, start off as the same route, and only diverge near the 4,000 m above sea level (asl) mark.

The two routes meet up again near Uhuru Peak (the flag), and after that follow the same descent route (the white dotted line). So for a few days on the climb, both at the start and at the end, Lemosho and Northern Circuit climbers share the same trail.

The difference between the two routes comes in the middle of each, when the Lemosho veers right to travel along the southern slope of the mountain, while the Northern Circuit veers left to travel, as the name suggests, along the northern slope of the mountain.

Both the Lemosho and Northern Circuit routes start at Lemosho Gate (2,100 m)

The Lemosho route can be climbed over seven or eight days. The seven-day route is roughly 70 km (43 miles), while the eight-day route is a little longer as we do slight a detour to Moir Hut for a night, which isn't included in the shorter itinerary.

The Northern Circuit is a nine-day route. At 98 km (61 miles), it's markedly longer than the Lemosho. It's actually the longest ascent route on Kilimanjaro, which helps to explain why it has the highest summit success rate. But more on that in a bit.

The initial rainforest climb is the same on both routes

The Lemosho is a little steeper than the Northern Circuit in certain places. That said, neither is problematically steep. Remember, Kilimanjaro is a non-technical mountain, meaning you don't need climbing equipment to get up it.

The only place where steepness could be an issue for some is Barranco Wall ...

The Barranco Wall on the southern slope of Kilimanjaro is the steepest section up the mountain, requiring you to sometimes use your hands and knees. You climb Barranco Wall on the Lemosho, but not on the Northern Circuit.

This is a major distinction that could be a deciding factor for anyone who is anxious about heights. As you can see in the video below, Barranco Wall is perfectly manageable. But if you're nervous of heights, the Northern Circuit could well be your answer – you can rest assured that there will be no steep sections on your Kilimanjaro climb.

The Lemosho is the second busiest of the seven Kilimanjaro routes, after the Machame. The Northern Circuit, on the other hand, is one of the quietest routes – often the quietest route. This could well be a deciding factor for some: do you want a really quiet climb, or one where you have the chance to meet lots of people?

The campsites along the two routes only differ in the middle section of each climb where the paths diverge. The seven-day Lemosho has you stay at Shira 2 Camp, which is known as being one of the most picturesque campsites on the mountain. On the eight-day Lemosho, on the other hand, you stay at Moir Hut, which is the same for climbers of the Northern Circuit.

Northern Circuit climbers stay at POFU Camp, Third Cave and Kibo Hut. POFU Camp is, in fact, used solely by Northern Circuit climbers, making it one of the quietest campsites on the whole mountain.

All Lemosho climbers, on the other hand, stay at the more well-known Barranco, Karanga and Barafu Camps.

Group snap of one of our groups at Barafu Camp

Barafu Camp and Kibo Hut are both base camps, and after this the two routes once again share the same (and final) campsite on the descent, namely Mweka Camp.

The campsites on the northern slope of Kilimanjaro are small and quiet, and this means you have a greater chance of spotting some wildlife. The campsites on the Lemosho, on the other hand, can be relatively large and busy. Some make well like the vibe of a busy camp, and the chance to meet more people from other groups.

First of all, let us just say that you will enjoy amazing scenery on both the Lemosho and Northern Circuit. In fact, both have arguably the best scenery of all the trails. While the Lemosho is known as being the most beautiful of all Kilimanjaro's routes, the Northern Circuit shares much of the same DNA as the Lemosho, and the scenery along the quiet northern slope is also gorgeous.

On both routes you pass through the four upper ecosystems on the mountain, namely rainforest, moorland, alpine desert and the arctic summit. If you'd like to know more, and see more pictures, please read Mount Kilimanjaro climate.

The moorland section of the mountain is, for many, the prettiest section of the whole climb

Acclimatisation refers to the process by which your body grows accustomed to the thinner air experienced at a higher altitude. If you ask your body to adjust too quickly, it will develop altitude sickness. Common symptoms of altitude sickness are headaches, nausea, sleeplessness and vertigo. At its worst, altitude sickness can be fatal.

We see time and again that folks underestimate Kilimanjaro, and try to charge up the mountain too quickly. We recommend you allow yourself seven or eight days for the ascent – some can manage six days, but not everyone. Kilimanjaro isn't a race – it's a journey. And one that should be savoured. Allow your body the time it needs to acclimatise – the climb itself is enough of a challenge!

Giving yourself enough days to climb Kilimanjaro is the number one way to avoid altitude sickness. But there are also some other strategies that can help with good acclimatisation ...

It's very helpful to the body on a high-altitude trek when you climb to an all-new high during the day and then drop back down a bit in altitude for a night. Doing this increases your chances of avoiding the dreaded altitude sickness.

On the Lemosho route, you do this once: you climb to Lava Tower (4,630 m) for lunch on Day 3 or 4 (depending on your itinerary), and the drop down to Barranco Camp (3,976 m) for the night. This significant decrease in elevation for the night works wonders for your body's acclimatisation process.

Lava Tower is a great lunch stop spot on the Lemosho route

On the eight-day Lemosho, Barranco Camp is actually lower in elevation than Moir Hut, where you would have spent the previous night. Having you sleep lower than you did on a previous night during the ascent is another acclimatisation strategy.

The Northern Circuit is unique among Kilimanjaro routes in that it actually has you descend in elevation on two consecutive nights during the ascent. To be specific, after spending the night of Day 4 at Moir Hut (4,206 m), you then overnight on day 5 at POFU Camp (4,033 m), and on Day 6 at Third Cave (3,870 m). While it might seem slightly counterintuitive, these slight decreases in altitude are really doing a great favour to your body, and really help it to prepare for the big jump in altitude to come on Day 7, when you stay at Kibo Hut (4,750 m).

POFU Camp is actually lower in elevation than Moir Hut, where you stay the previous night

The Northern Circuit has the highest summit success rate of all Kilimanjaro routes: around 90%. This means more folks who trek this route actually manage to reach the summit.

The reason for the Northern Circuit's stellar summit success rate is that it offers the most gradual ascent, and therefore helps to reduce your chances of developing altitude sickness. If you've never done a high-altitude trek, this is definitely your very best option for ensuring you make it to the top!

The eight-day Lemosho also has a high summit success rate, somewhere around 80%. (There are no official stats.) The seven-day Lemosho has a decent summit success rate, but of course it's lower than that of its eight-day counterpart. This is why we promote the eight-day Lemosho over the seven-day option. If you're going to put in all the time, effort and money to climb Kilimanjaro, rather do that extra day to increase your chances of a successful summit.

The Lemosho and the Northern Circuit are our two favourite Kilimanjaro routes. We say this because both are very beautiful, and they also have the highest summit success rates. Everyone who climbs Kilimanjaro wants to make it to the summit, after all!

When it comes to choosing between the two, we suggest that anyone who is relatively new to high-altitude trekking opt for the Northern Circuit if they can afford it (the extra day on the mountain means the route costs a little more). There's no way as a newbie to know for sure how the altitude will affect you, as altitude sickness is no respecter of age, fitness or health.

If, on the other hand, you have some experience with altitude, your budget is a little tighter, you're really keen to climb Barranco Wall, or you just fancy the Lemosho more for whatever reason, then we recommend choosing the eight-day Lemosho route. As discussed above, we prefer the eight-day Lemosho to the seven-day Lemosho, as the latter doesn't always allow enough time for proper acclimatisation.

Whichever route you choose, we hope you'll consider climbing with Follow Alice – we'd love to share the experience of our favourite mountain with you! Check out our Kilimanjaro trekking tours.

Group pic by our client Oscar after a successful climb!