Shira Route

Climbing Kilimanjaro on the Shira Route means to invest some time and money.

The Shira trail is one of the two longer Kilimanjaro climb routes that start on the western side. (The other route starting here is the Lemosho Route.)

Those routes both cross the Shira Plateau before joining the Machame Route near the "Lava Tower".

Shira is not the cheapest option...

Starting your climb on the western side means paying for extra transport.

Using a longer trail means paying for an extra day on the mountain.

And climbing a less trafficked route means higher prices due to less competition from budget tour operators.

On the plus side a longer route means a better chance to acclimatize to the altitude and better summit chances. The fact that you are likely to climb this route with a quality Kilimanjaro tour operator also means your success chances are much better than average.

And if your operator has developed your itinerary in a way that avoids the big traffic surges on the Machame trail (some operators do) you should have a great climb all the way, on one of the most scenic routes, without the crowds that plague the popular trails.

Starting Point: Londorossi Gate (2100 m/6900 ft)

Duration: 6-7 days

Day 1 - Londorossi Gate/Shira trail head - River Camp (~3050 m/~10000 ft)
Walking distance: 7 km/4.4 miles
Walking time: 4 hours
Altitude gain: ~950 m/~3100 ft

Day 2 - River Camp - Shira Huts (3850 m/12630 ft) via Shira Cathedral
Walking distance: 12 km/7.5 miles
Walking time: 6-8 hours
Altitude gain: 800 m/2630 ft

Day 3 - Shira Huts - via Lava Tower (4640 m/15220 ft) - Barranco Huts (3985 m/13070 ft)
Walking distance: 9 km/5.6 miles
Walking time: 6-8 hours
Altitude gain: 135 m/440 ft (790 m/2590 ft to Lava Tower)

Day 4 - Barranco Huts - Karanga Camp (4040 m/13255 ft)
Walking distance: 5.5 km/3.5 miles
Walking time: 4-5 hours
Altitude gain: 55 m/185 ft

Day 5 - Karanga Camp - Barafu Huts (4680 m/15360 ft)
Walking distance: 3.5 km/ 2.2 miles
Walking time: 4-5 hours
Altitude gain: 640 m/2105 ft

Day 6 - Summit attempt via Stella Point (5752 m/18871 ft) to Uhuru Peak (5895 m/19340 ft) and descent to Millenium Camp (3820 m/12530 ft) (or to Mweka Hut)
Walking distance: 5 km/3 miles ascent + 10 km/6.2 miles descent
Walking time: 5-6 hrs + 1-2 hours up, 5-6 hours down (the overall walking time may vary from 10 - 16 hours)
Altitude gain: 1072 m/ 3511 ft (Stella Point) or 1215 m/3980 ft (Uhuru Peak)
Descent: 2075 m/6810 ft

Day 7 - Millenium Camp - Shira Gate
Walking distance: 20 km/12.5 miles
Walking time: 5 hours
Descent: 1990 m/6530 ft