Kilimanjaro Climbing Tours

The Seven Routes at a Glance

The seven routes compared on where each starts, where you sleep and how many days the tours on this page spend on it. Start gates and heights come from the listings and the route sources under this section. Marangu is the only route with huts, and every other route camps in tents.

Why the Days Matter

Acclimatisation is the main reason to buy extra days. The climb high, sleep low pattern is built into Machame and Lemosho: you walk up to Lava Tower at 4,630 m (15,190 ft) and then sleep at Barranco Camp at about 3,900 to 3,976 m. Wikipedia notes this may delay acute mountain sickness but does not prevent it. Sleeping altitude should not rise by more than 300 m (1,000 ft) per day at high altitude, which longer itineraries make easier.

Success rates are quoted numbers, not facts of this site. Wikipedia gives an average of 70 to 80 percent for the roughly 50,000 trekkers a year who attempt the summit. Follow Alice cites a 2006 park-authority dataset with a much lower 45 percent overall, rising from 27 percent on 5-day itineraries to 85 percent on 8-day ones, and says no reliable public dataset exists. Duma Explorer claims about 85 percent on 7-day Machame and above 90 percent on the Northern Circuit.

• Lava Tower at 4,630 m (15,190 ft) is the acclimatisation high point on Machame and Lemosho
• A 2006 dataset cited by Follow Alice gives 27 percent on 5-day climbs and 85 percent on 8-day climbs
• Wikipedia gives a 70 to 80 percent average success rate across all routes

Is It an Easy Climb, and Do You Need a Guide

No technical climbing or rope skills are required on the standard routes, according to Adventure Consultants. The real difficulty is the cold and the altitude. Summit temperatures run about minus 7 degrees Celsius (19 F) on average, and the arctic zone above 5,000 m brings night temperatures of minus 20 to minus 10 C, with winds of 40 to 50 km/h that can make it feel about 20 C colder.

A licensed guide is required: park rules say climbers enter through authorised gates with a licensed guide and book through licensed operators, per Footslopes Tours. Every tour on this site includes one. The advice is plain: drink over 4 litres of water daily, ask a doctor about acetazolamide before the trip, and descend immediately if serious altitude symptoms appear, because descent is the only reliable treatment for severe cases. A study of 917 Lemosho and Machame climbers cited by Wikipedia found acute mountain sickness in 70.4 percent of them.

The Long Camping Routes Compared

The camping climbs on the west and south sides compared on price per person, days, the hotel nights in the sourcesage and the reviews on the platform. Every figure comes from the listing.

Lemosho and the Northern Circuit

Lemosho starts on the west side at Londorossi Gate, put at about 2,100 to 2,360 m by operators, and crosses the Shira Plateau before joining the southern trail to the summit. The extra days are the point. Lemosho Route 7 Days runs 7 days on the mountain and includes 2 nights at Aishi Machame Hotel, airport transfers, North Face VE-25 tents shared by two hikers and unlimited oxygen for $3,959. Lemosho Route 8 Days adds a Shira II camp night for acclimatisation at $3,200. Northern Circuit Route 8 Days is the longest and least crowded route at $4,554, circling the quiet north slopes past Moir Hut, Buffalo Camp and School Hut over 8 days on the mountain. At the lower end, Lemosho Route 7 Days Budget costs $1,960 and still includes national park fees, rescue fees, 18% VAT, 2 Moshi hotel nights and an airport transfer.

All four sleep in tents with a full crew of porters and cooks.

Machame

Machame is the most reviewed climb on this site. Machame Route 6 Days carries 636 reviews at 4.9 and costs $2,350 with park fees, rescue fees, tents and 2 nights at Springlands Hotel in Moshi. The route climbs through the rainforest from Machame Gate, crosses Lava Tower at 4,630 m for acclimatisation and sleeps at Barranco Camp before the Barranco Wall, which Altezza Travel describes as an hour on a simple hiking trail rather than a climb. Machame Route 7 Days is a private version at $2,425 with a Wilderness First Responder guide and daily health checks, but its inclusion list names no park fees and no hotel nights, so ask the operator what the price covers before booking. Machame Route 9 Days Camping adds days with camping for $2,455, runs from Arusha, and includes entry fees, a certificate fee and a BBQ after the climb.

Huts, North Side and the Short Trek

The hut route, the two Rongai climbs from the north and a short hut trek that turns back before the summit, compared on price per person, days, where you sleep and whether the tour goes for the top. Every figure comes from the listing.

Marangu, the Hut Route

Marangu sleeps in huts at every camp, the only route on Kilimanjaro that does. The huts are Mandara at 2,743 m, Horombo at 3,760 m and Kibo at 4,730 m, and the TANAPA tariff charges US$60 per person per night for them. It uses the same trail up and down, with an acclimatisation day at Horombo on longer itineraries. Marangu Route 5 Days costs $2,402.60, includes national park fees, hut and camping fees, rescue fees and 2 nights at Springlands Hotel, and has 130 reviews at 4.9. Marangu Route 5 Days Budget is $1,350 with park fees, permits and rescue fees in the price, but it is a new listing with no reviews yet, hotel nights are not included, and its itinerary runs 6 days although the title says 5, so read the day plan before you book.

Rongai From the North and the 3-Day Trek

Rongai is the only route that comes up from the north, near the Kenyan border, and it comes down the Marangu side. Rongai Route 7 Days from Altezza Travel starts at Nalemuru Gate at 2,020 m, camps at Simba (2,625 m), Second Cave (3,480 m), Kikilewa (3,630 m) and Kibo Summit Camp (4,700 m), and costs $3,993 with park fees, airport transfers and 2 hotel nights. Rongai Route 7 Days Budget from Jaynevy Tours takes the same 7 days for $2,000 with park fees and permits, adds an acclimatisation night at Mawenzi Tarn and leaves the airport transfers and the Moshi hotel nights out. It is a new listing with no reviews yet. Altezza Travel recommends Rongai in May for its drier northern side.

Kilimanjaro 3-Day Trek to Horombo Hut is for travelers who want nights on the mountain without the summit. It walks 8 km to Mandara Hut, 12 km to Horombo Hut at 3,720 m and 20 km back to Marangu Gate, for $850 with park fees, hut nights and meals.

Umbwe, the Steepest Route

Umbwe is the shortest and steepest route on Kilimanjaro, about 37 to 48 km depending on the source, and it starts at Umbwe Gate at 1,614 m. Umbwe Route 6 Days costs $2,242 and climbs a steep ridge to Umbwe Cave Camp before joining Barranco, Karanga and Barafu for the summit push. Six days is less time to acclimatise than the 7 or 8 days of Lemosho or the Northern Circuit, and Climb Mount Kilimanjaro notes the first couple of days are steep, which makes acclimatisation harder. The listing includes all park fees, government tax and park rescue fees, and carries an oxygen bottle and first aid.

It is a new listing with no reviews yet, so ask the operator about crew size and daily health checks before booking.

The Western Breach Is Closed

The Western Breach climbs from Arrow Glacier Camp up a rock wall into the crater, where Crater Camp sits near the glaciers. Wikipedia records that the route was reopened in December 2007 and officially closed again as of 20 January 2024. Altezza Travel and Climb Mount Kilimanjaro also describe it as closed, the latter with no reopening date.

A listing that still sells it should be checked with the operator before you pay anything. The Lava Tower and Barranco days of Lemosho Route 7 Days and Machame Route 6 Days pass below it on the way to the summit from Barafu Camp.

Two One-Day Hikes

The two day hikes compared on the listing price per person, the park fee, where the walk turns around and how long the day runs. Every figure comes from the listing on the platform.

What a Day Hike Is

A Kilimanjaro day hike is a one-day walk on the lower slopes, through rainforest to Mandara Hut at 2,743 m and the Maundi Crater on the Marangu side, or a choice of the Marangu, Machame or Lemosho gates on Kilimanjaro Day Trek, with about 7 hours in the park. No summit attempt is involved, so you will not see Uhuru Peak at 5,895 m. The listed price covers guide, car, lunch and water only.

On Kilimanjaro Day Hike the park entry fee is listed as not included and the amount is not stated, and on the day trek the park fee of $85 per person is paid by card at the gate, with one reviewer reporting being asked to pay again for a stay in the park after 5:00 PM. These hikes suit travelers with no time, or no wish, for a 5 to 9 day climb, and people preparing for a summit trip.

The TANAPA Fees

The Kilimanjaro National Park fees in the TANAPA tariff for 2023/2026, compared on the amount and on what each is charged per. These are adult rates for visitors from outside East Africa, they exclude 18% VAT, and on a multi-day climb the operator pays them inside the package price.

How the Price Breaks Down

On these rates, a 7-day Lemosho climb for one adult is 7 conservation days at US$70, 6 camping nights at US$50 and the US$20 rescue fee, which is US$810 before VAT. That is why the cheapest multi-day listings still cost four figures, and why it matters that Lemosho Route 7 Days Budget at $1,960 states national park fees, rescue fees and 18% VAT as included, while the inclusion list of Machame Route 7 Days names no park fees at all. Every multi-day listing here names park fees as included except Machame Route 7 Days, whose list is silent, and the two day hikes charge the fee on top.

What the price leaves out varies: crew tips on all of them, the visa of US$50 or US$100 for US passports, insurance covering trekking up to 6,000 m, gear hire, and hotel nights in Moshi on Machame Route 7 Days, Marangu Route 5 Days Budget and Rongai Route 7 Days Budget.

Tipping the Mountain Crew

Tips are left out of every multi-day listing here. The table compares the attributed tip figures from an operator guide and one listing, per crew role. There is no official rate, and KPAP, the porter welfare group, publishes no figures.

Ask the Crew Size First

KPAP advises asking your company for the number of crew before the climb, so you know the expected tip total before anyone stands in front of you with envelopes. The tipping ceremony is held on the last evening at the final camp, and KPAP warns that extra people appearing at the ceremony may signal kirunje, where non-working porters turn up to collect tips. Bring cash in small US dollar bills in good condition, dated 2009 or later per Duma Explorer, and give labelled envelopes per crew member rather than one lump sum to the lead guide.

When to Go

The Kilimanjaro year in four blocks, compared on the season, what it means on the mountain and who it suits. The season pattern and crowd notes come from Altezza Travel, the rainfall ratings from Duma Explorer.

Summit Night

Summit night is the hardest part of every Kilimanjaro climbing tour. Climbs from Barafu Camp (4,640 m) start around midnight, and Altezza Travel states the summit day covers about 15 km in 8 to 12 hours before the descent to Millennium Camp (3,820 m). Nafika Tours quotes 4 to 5 hours to Stella Point at sunrise, then about one hour more to Uhuru Peak, and 12 to 15 hours of hiking on summit day including the descent. The Marangu climb leaves later, at 1 AM, and reaches the top by about 9 AM.

It is cold. Duma Explorer gives the arctic summit zone night temperatures of minus 20 to minus 10 C, and winds of 40 to 50 km/h can make it feel about 20 C colder than the air temperature. Altezza Travel assigns one guide for every two climbers on summit night. See the routes in the route guide.

Altitude and How to Handle It

Altitude affects fit people too. A study of 917 Lemosho or Machame climbers found 70.4 percent had acute mountain sickness, which starts with a headache plus nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite or fatigue. The only definite and reliable treatment for severe cases, including the fluid-in-the-lungs and brain-swelling forms, is immediate descent.

Your best protection is days on the mountain, which is why 7 and 8 day itineraries exist. Altezza Travel also schedules short afternoon acclimatisation hikes and tells climbers to drink over 4 litres of water daily, avoid alcohol and caffeine, and consult a doctor about Diamox before the trip. Diamox is a doctor's decision, not a packing item. Buy insurance that covers trekking to 6,000 m and helicopter evacuation, as the listings recommend. More booking advice sits in Before You Book a Kilimanjaro Climb.