We began our run at 9:00 PM East Africa Time from the Lemosho Trailhead, completing the full circuit in 36 hours, 5 minutes, and 52 seconds, finishing back where we started.
The route began in the lush rainforest, ascending through Big Tree Camp, across the Shira Plateau via Shira 1, and onward to Moir Hut. We refilled water along the plateau at the Simba River. From there, we followed the Northern Circuit, passing through Pofu and Third Cave, eventually reaching School Hut. We had gear, food and water drops at Pofu and School Hut.
We began our summit push around noon under favorable conditions—clear skies and the usual summit winds. We reached Gilman’s Point, continued through Stella Point, and arrived at Uhuru Peak at 4:00 PM EAT, enjoying sunshine and a rare moment of solitude with no summit traffic. We were accompanied from School Hut to the summit by 2 porters carrying oxygen and a satellite phone for safety.
Our descent took us through Barafu Camp, then Karanga, before veering west to Barranco Camp. We reached the Barranco Wall around 9:00 PM and descended in the dark. Our last gear drop was at Barranco where we had additional food and water. From Barranco, we climbed to Lava Tower, returned to the Shira Plateau via Shira 2, then skirted the Shira Cathedral Trail. From there we looped back to Shira 1, descended past Big Tree Camp, and completed the circuit at the Lemosho Trailhead.
This route was absolutely stunning, offering 360° views of Kilimanjaro and the opportunity to pass through quieter camps and summit via a less congested trail.