Shira Route

Shira route is approaching Kilimanjaro from the western side and a little longer trail. The route is very remote and receives quite fewer trekkers. Shira Route starts from the west and meets Lemosho Route. Shira is practically the original route of Lemosho. Lemosho starts at Londorossi Gates whereas Shira proceeds towards north and higher up to Shira Gate. The starting point is a major negative point for the hikers as the body doesn’t get enough time to adjust with the high altitude. The first section of the trail is not hiked, rather driven. Therefore, hikers miss out on hiking up one of Kilimanjaro’s ecological zones, the rain forest. The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the west, beginning with a long drive from Moshi to Shira Ridge. The vehicle bypasses the rain forest zone and the hiking trail begins on Shira Ridge. The Shira route crosses the entire Shira Plateau from west to east in a pleasant, relatively flat hike. Then the route traverses underneath Kilimanjaro's Southern Ice Field on a path known as the Southern Circuit before summiting from Barafu. Descent is made via the Mweka route.