Forest / Mti Mkubwa Camp Elevation / Altitude: 2780 Above Sea level
Mti Mkubwa camp also known as the big tree camp or the Forest camp, which is the official name of this campsite situated along Mount Kilimanjaro’s Lemosho climbing trail. This campsite is an overnight camping site that got its name from a Swahili word meaning “big tree” because of the big trees of the rainforest surrounding this area.
Mti Mkubwa is the first campsite you come across immediately after you enter the park and is the first accommodation site you use on your first overnight of the Mount Kilimanjaro trek.
The Big Tree camp got its name because it is located under a big tree and it is always lively at this camp with birds singing and sounds of monkeys from morning till evening.
This campsite is common for climbers ascending to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho Route but it is not used for descent as another route is usually preferred.
It is also worth noting that Mti Mkubwa is a tent-only campsite, as there is no presence of any accommodation structures worth noting here, therefore hikers using this site are required to bring their own tents.
The only structures that exist here are the Ranger’s hut and pit latrine toilets.
Location of Mti Mkubwa campsite or Forest camp
Mti Mkubwa campsite is located near a valley, right at the center of the rain forest zone of Mount Kilimanjaro a few hours away from the Londorosi gate.
By using the Lemosho route, the trek from the gate to Mti Mkubwa campsite takes approximately 3 hours. On reaching this campsite, it is quite evident that the ground was cleared by felling the trees in this region to clear some space for the accommodation site as the place is surrounded by huge trees.
The exact direction of the Mti Mkubwa Campsite is on the North Western side of Kilimanjaro Mountain.
This camp is smaller in size as compared to the other campsites thus it does not host many climbers which serves it right because the Lemosho route which used this site for accommodation does not have many climbers using it. Lemosho receives very low traffic compared to the other routes.
This area receives plenty of rainfall and humidity and winds don’t blow here as the big trees act as windbreakers.
Additional information
| Routes | Lemosho routes |
|---|---|
| Amenities | Pit Latrines |
| Vegetation | Rain Forest |
