Machame vs Lemosho: choosing your route honestly
Machame or Lemosho — which should you choose?
Choose Lemosho (8 days) if summit probability and quiet early days are worth roughly $450 more — its extra acclimatization day pushes success rates past 90%. Choose Machame (7 days) if budget or holiday time is tight and you are reasonably fit — it shares Lemosho's best terrain and still summits ~85% with a serious operator. Both beat every shorter route.
What the two routes share
More than most comparisons admit. From the Shira Plateau upward — which means from day 3 (Machame) or day 4 (Lemosho) — they are the same route: Lava Tower, the Barranco Wall, Karanga, Barafu, and the same summit night to Stella Point. Both carry the climb-high-sleep-low profile that makes them the success-rate leaders. The choice is really about the first days and the pace of arrival at altitude.
Where they differ
| Machame · 7 days | Lemosho · 8 days | |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Machame Gate (south) — busy, efficient | Londorossi Gate (west) — remote, quiet forest with real wildlife chances |
| Days to Shira | 2 — a steeper introduction | 3 — gentler gradient, better sleep early |
| Acclimatization | Good — one built-in high-low day | Better — the same day plus a slower approach |
| Success rate* | ~85% | ~90%+ |
| Crowds | Fullest camps on the mountain | Quiet until Shira, then identical |
| Our from-price | $2,650 | $3,100 |
*Industry-consistent figures for well-run 7/8-day climbs; short 5-day routes drop to 60–70%. No operator's marketing survives contact with a pulse oximeter — what moves the number is days, pace and crew.
The questions that actually decide it
- Have you been above 3,500 m before and felt fine? Machame's pace will likely suit you. Never been at altitude? Lemosho's extra day is cheap insurance on a once-in-a-lifetime attempt.
- Is the total budget the constraint, or the summit? Say it out loud; it makes the choice for you.
- Do crowds genuinely bother you? Only Lemosho's first two days differ. From Shira on, everyone shares the sunsets.
What we refuse to sell
Five-day climbs on any route. The savings are real and so are the failure rates and the altitude-sickness evacuations. A summit you don't reach costs more than the extra day you didn't buy.
Bidan · Founder, Black WillowOur mountain crews run both routes weekly in season, at KPAP porter-welfare standards, with 1:2 guide ratios on summit night.