Kilimanjaro Climbs
Keen on conquering the snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro - Africa's highest mountain during your safari holiday? We arrange private and group ascents and only work with climb operators who agree to our own porter policy. Best times are January and February, and July to October.
When to climb?
The mountain is climbed throughout the year, but the best times are January and February, and from July to October. The mountain has the same weather as the rest of northern Tanzania - which means short rains in November and long rains in April, May and early June.
Which route?
There are a number of different routes to the summit. Below is some information about each of them. We then suggest you telephone one of our consultants for more information or a guidebook.
Marangu Route
This is the most popular route - and is sometimes called the 'tourist route'. It is also the cheapest and depending on how many days you take to do the climb, generally regarded as the easiest. However, the final night walk to the summit is about an hour longer on this route. This route is usually climbed over six days, but can be done in one day less. The climb is a total of 34 kilometres in each direction and hut accommodation is available at all the stops. Bottled water and soft drinks are available at each of the overnight stops. The main drawback of this route is the heavy volume of other climbers.
Machame Route
Rated by many as the most beautiful and scenic route to the top, the Machame route usually takes six days on the mountain, though many people choose to take a day longer to allow time to acclimatize. The majority of our private and group climbs are on this route. Sections of this route are steeper and more physically challenging than the Marangu route, but this is compensated by longer periods for acclimatization. Nights are usually spent in tent accommodation at set camping areas along the route. The downside of this route, and all other routes, is that it is more expensive when compared to the Marangu route.
Mweka Route
This route is the steepest and fastest route to the summit. We do not recommend the Mweka route for ascending the mountain, and apart from the demanding nature of the climb, the camps en route are very basic. It is however, often used as a descent by climbers using the Shira and Machame routes
Shira Route
The Shira route is a popular longer climb, and scenically is superb. Although technically speaking it could be climbed in five nights, almost all trips are run with either six or seven nights on the mountain. The route requires access to the national park via the Londorossi Glades Park Gate on the western side of the mountain, and once you reach the Shira hut, the route taken is the same as the Machame route. The descent is usually by the Mweka route.
Umbwe Route
This is a much less utilized route. Those who know it argue this is the most beautiful route to ascend the mountain, however it is much shorter than the other routes, it is also much steeper meaning there can be less time to acclimatize. A variation of Umbwe route can be taken to replicate the route taken by the IMAX team filming the mountain. This route is worth considering, but only with an itinerary that allows good acclimatization time.
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