The Shira route is an alternative to the first few days of the Machame and Lemosho routes. Trekkers on the Shira route can be driven on a 4WD road to an elevation of about 3600 m on the Shira plateau, thus cutting out most of the elevation gain of the first two days of the Machame or Lemosho routes.
This high start may sound attractive, but driving to that elevation in a few hours as opposed to climbing over a couple of days means that climbers will not have time to acclimatize, and will probably feel some effects of altitude sickness. It also means missing the experience of hiking up through the scenic forest trails of the Lemosho or Machame routes.
Climbers on the Shira route typically join up with the Machame route at Shira 2 or Barranco camps.