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There are 7 main Mount Kilimanjaro routes which lead to the summit, Uhuru Peak, one of which starts on the Northern side of the mountain and the rest on the Southern side. After making the decision to climb Kilimanjaro, you’ll need to choose your route.
OUR ROUTES
Which Kilimanjaro Route is Best for Me?
When you are planning your Kilimanjaro climb, there are six factors that you need to take into consideration in deciding which is the best route for you:
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Acclimatization
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The difficulty of the summit night
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How busy the route is
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What are the accommodation options
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Safety
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What is the success rate
Acclimatization on Kilimanjaro
The golden rule is to walk high and sleep low when climbing to altitude. This rule minimizes the risk of altitude sickness and improves your chance of summiting. The best routes to climb Kilimanjaro for acclimatization are the Machame, and Lemosho routes, as these naturally allow you to walk high and sleep low.
The difficulty of the summit night
The most challenging summit nights are on the Rongai route and the Marangu route: they reach the crater rim of Kilimanjaro on the North, opposite Uhuru Peak, and more than 2 hours from the summit itself. The best routes to climb Kilimanjaro to avoid this are the Machame and Lemosho routes as they reach the crater at Stella point, less than an hour’s walk from the summit.
How busy the route is
The number of mountain climbers varies a lot depending on the season and day of the week. Taking this into account, if you want to have the mountain more to yourself, the best route to climb Kilimanjaro is the Rongai route. This route starts in the North and is used by fewer climbers than the prevalent southern routes.
Accommodation on the climb
The only route you do not have to camp on is the Marangu route. If you hate tents, this is the best route to climb Kilimanjaro. Be warned, though, that the huts are very basic and noisy.
Kilimanjaro Route Safety
We consider all routes except the Arrow Point route to be relatively safe if walking sensibly. We do not offer climbs on the Arrow Point route as the risk of falling rock is unmanageable.
Highest Summit Success rate
As a result of the better acclimatization offered and the more leisurely summit night, the best route to climb Kilimanjaro in terms of summit success rate is the 9-Day Northern Circuit route, the Lemosho route over 8 days, followed by the Machame route over 7 days.
We operate group climbs throughout the year with different routes each week. If you are looking for a particular route, you can see when we are running that route below.