Set at 3.0674° S, 37.3556° E in Northern Tanzania region, Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa and the world highest free-standing mountain soaring at 5895 m a.s.l. The dormant volcano is believed to have first erupted 750,000 years ago. Though not an easy ascent, Kilimanjaro is a favorite for most hikers as it doesn’t require advanced mountaineering skills to summit. When compared to nearby mt Kenya whose crater has been completely disfigured, Kilimanjaro is still a perfect stratovolcano with its caldera relatively collapsed. Here hikers can trek to point Uhuru (5895 m) , the highest peak without any challenges save on when you are having altitude complication.
Hiking routes
Mt. Kilimanjaro has 7 established hiking routes, each having its own unique terrains, sceneries and difficulty. The most widely used routes are the southern routes- Marangu, Machame, and Umbwe route. On the western side there are shira, northern circuit, and Lemosho. On the northern side is the desolated Rongai route.
1. Marangu route
This route starts at the south eastern Marangu gate ( 1830 m a.s.l) just 37km drive from moshi. The route, also known as ‘coca cola route’ is the oldest route in Kilimanjaro and is the only place where you will be staying in communal huts instead of campsites. Climbers seeking a quicker ascent prefer the route as it would only take 5 days to climb and descend via this route. The quick ascent, however, reduces the acclimatization time, which in turns leads to a low success rate for summiting. Only 50% of climbers are able to summit to Uhuru peak through Marangu route.
Another limitation is that since you follow the same route for ascent and descent, Marangu is less scenic route than other southern routes. You will, however, come across dense indigenous forest on the lower reaches, moorland, high altitude desert and arctic summit. During your hike, you will spend the night in three distinct camps including:
- Mandara hut
- Horombo hut
- Kibo hut
Importantly, to increase the success rate, we recommend that you spend an extra day for acclimatization. It is also important to note that Marangu is one of the popular routes and you are likely to encounter a large number of climbers along the way.
2. Machame route
Machame route starts at Machame gate ( 1647 m a.s.l) and 70 km drive from Moshi. The route is the most widely used for its scenic beauty and its quite a commendable summiting success rate of 85%. Machame is, however, a difficult ascent; especially at Barranco valley where the climbers have to climb the 257 m high Barranco wall. However, the route features incredibly alluring sceneries like mountain stream, indigenous forest, alpine desert and moorlands. Machame is one of the three routes in Kilimanjaro that take you to the lava tower, a picture perfect rocky plug on the western slope of kibo. You will require at least 7 days to successfully summit Kilimanjaro via Machame route. During your hiking trail, you will spend the nights in campsites:
- Machame camp ( 3000 m a.s.l)
- Shira 2 camp ( 3847 m a.s.l)
- Barranco camp ( 3950 m a.s.l)
- Karanga valley camp ( 3995 m a.s.l)
- Barafu camp( 4550 m a.s.l )
3. Umbwe route
The trail starting at Umbwe gate 1 hrs drive from Moshi is the least followed southern route. The route offers a quicker ascent, taking just 5 days to summit in uhuru peak. However, this route is the most challenging, with the first two days being a consistent steep climb. However, the routes have more spectacular places than other southern route. The jiwe Kamba a rocky scramble is the most awing feature in this route. You will also come across fascinating varieties of alpine flora, including zones of evergreen indigenous forest, lichen-laden heather, moorlands, and alpine desert. The umbwe trail reconnects to the Machame route at the Barranco wall. During your Umbwe route trek, you will spend the nights at 4 campsite:
- Umbwe cave camp( 2800 m a.s.l)
- Barranco camp (3950 m a.s.l)
- Karanga valley camp (3995 m a.s.l)
- Barafu camp ( 4550 m a.s.l )
Importantly, despite having some outstanding features Umbwe route is only ideal to experienced hikers due to its continuous uphill landscape. The 70% success rate along this route is also quite low as the quick ascent reduces the time spent in the highly essential acclimatization.
4. Shira route
The shira trail starting at shira ridges (3600 m a.s.l) is the oldest trail on the western side of Kilimanjaro. The fact that you can drive past the rainforest, hikers following this route, can drive to the highest altitude of all the Kilimanjaro routes. This makes the trail short and, therefore, a quicker ascent. However, this reduces the amount of time taken in acclimatization, which may lead to complications due to altitude. In addition, the forest zone has some exciting sceneries you would have enjoyed while on-foot. It takes 6 days to summit to Uhuru peak via shira route. The shira plateau, which is the world’s highest plateau, will be the first outstanding feature you encounter along this route. This route then reconnects with the Machame route at the lava tower approaching from the southeastern side. During your Shira trail, you will spend the nights in campsites which include:
- Shira 2 camp( 3847 m a.s.l)
- Barranco camp (3950 m a.s.l)
- Karanga valley camp( 3995 m a.s.l)
- Barafu camp ( 4550 m a.s.l)
5. Lemosho route
The trail on the western side of Kilimanjaro was started as an alternative to shira route. Starting at low altitude (2360 m a.s.l), hikers following this route have enough time to acclimatize. The trail beginning at Londorossi gate offers one of the best view of the scenic beauty of Kilimanjaro, starting from the alluring rainforest in the lower reaches which boast alluring varieties exotic flowers and the best route for encountering black and white colobus monkeys. The route also reconnects with the Marangu and Machame route at the barranco wall, giving climbers an opportunity to enjoy the sights of features found in the southern routes. The lava tower and Barranco wall are the most important features you will come across. Hikers prefer lemosho route for its low traffic and its high success rate of about 90%. It takes 5-8 days to summit to Uhuru peak via this route. During your trek you will spend the nights in:
- Mti mkubwa camp (2895 m a.s.l)
- Shira 1 camp ( 3550 m a.s.l)
- Shira 2 camp (3847 m a.s.l)
- Moir hut ( 4200 m a.s.l)
- Barranco camp ( 3950 m a.s.l)
- Karanga valley camp( 3995 m a.s.l)
- Barafu camp ( 4550 m a.s.l)
6. Northern circuit
This is the newest route in Kilimanjaro. The trail start at Londrossi park gate( 2360 m a.s.l) just like lemosho route and follows the route to Moir camp where the routes turn towards the northern slopes and then summiting on the North eastern side. This makes it the longest route for climbing Kilimanjaro and would require 8- 10 days to summit to the uhuru peak. The route has the least traffic as the more time spent on ascent raises the cost for the trip. However, you can almost guarantee success for summiting via the northern circuit route with a 98% success rate. This is because of the time taken in acclimatization on the moorland and alpine desert zones. The route also gives hikers the best opportunity to encounter most of the major features in Kilimanjaro. The only limitation with the northern circuit route is that the hikers tend to get excessively exhausted for spending more days trekking.
During your hike, you will spend the nights in camps like:
- Mti mkubwa camp (2895 m a.s.l)
- Shira 1 camp ( 3550 m a.s.l)
- Moir hut ( 4200 m a.s.l)
- Buffalo camp( 4020 m a.s.l)
- Rongai third cave ( 3800 m a.s.l)
- School hut ( 4800 m a.s.l)
7. Rongai Route
Rongai route is the only route that starts from the northern slopes along Tanzania border with Kenya. This trail starts at the Rongai gate. It is important to note that permits for hiking on this route are processed at other gates, so prior arrangements need to be made by your guide. The northern region is the leeward side of Kilimanjaro and is the best for hikers trekking over the wet season. Even though the route is not frequently used, the success rate for summiting is impressive at 95%. Hikers following this route enjoys the view of some of the desolated features in Kilimanjaro; amongst them a series of ridges and the mawenzi tarns. It takes 6-7 days to successfully summit through this route in which 1 to 2 days are spent in acclimatization at the Mawenzi peak in the alpine desert region. During your hike you will spend your nights in 3 camps:
- Simba camp( 2671 m a.s.l)
- Kikelewa camp (3600 m a.s.l)
- Kibo hut(4720 m a.s.l)
Shorter trails in Kilimanjaro
- Marangu waterfalls hike
Marangu waterfall hike is on the southern slopes of Kilimanjaro, just 40 km from Moshi town. This is the most popular day hike in Kilimanjaro. The trek can be taken by hikers preparing to ascent Kilimanjaro or when on descending Kilimanjaro via the Marangu route. The trail covers a 5.5 km total distance for an elevation gain of 212 m. Throughout the trail, you will pass through evergreen rainforest leading to two waterfalls- Ndoro and monjo. Besides hikers, following this visit has the option to add a visit to the chagga cave.
- Maundi crater trail
The 8 km trail follows the marangu route through the lush forest to Mandara hut. The Maundi crater is just a 15 minutes walking distance from the hut. Here you will enjoy a sweeping view of the western slopes of Kilimanjaro and features extending to Kenya across the border.
When is the best time to go hiking in Kilimanjaro?
You can climb Mount Kilimanjaro in the dry season between December to Mid-march and June to October. During this period, the routes are not slippery and the visibility is good. However, the dry periods are characterized by immense crowds which might not be in your interest. To avoid the crowds, we recommend that you pick the shoulder period towards the rainy season preferably the first two weeks of March and the month October.
