Mt. Kilimanjaro Trekking

The Kilimanjaro trekking is probably the most popular high altitude trek in the whole world. You can simply walk up. You do not need any ropes, no special climbing gear or equipment, no previous trek experience.

There are seven main Kilimanjaro trekking routes – Machame Route, Marangu Route, Rongai Route, Lemosho route, Shira Route, The Northern Circuit and Umbwe route. There is also the Western Breach, an advanced and technically challenging route meant for experienced trekkers only.

Not all companies offer this route to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. The eighth Kilimanjaro route, Mweka, is used for decent only. There are two key things to consider when selecting a route on Kilimanjaro:

1. Make sure that the route duration is long enough for adequate acclimatization. Five-day routes are too rapid. Seven or eight day climbs increase the success rate of summiting Kilimanjaro and six-day treks are an affordable alternative if you are fit and have some experience of high altitude trekking.
2. Make sure the route provides a climb high, sleep low option. Again, this is a major factor in many climbers’ success on Kilimanjaro.

Which is the best route to climb Kilimanjaro?

There are seven established 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. They are:

1. Northern Circuit Route
2. Lemosho Route
3. Shira Route
4. Machame Route (“Whiskey” Route)
5. Rongai Route
6. Marangu Route (“Coca-Cola” Route)
7. Umbwe Route

The one question we are asked more often than any other is “which is the best route to climb Kilimanjaro”. And the answer depends on what you want. Here are our winners

Highest success rate and overall best route to climb Kilimanjaro

If you want the highest chance of summiting the best route to climb Kilimanjaro is the Lemosho route and Machame route over 7 or 8 days – excellent acclimatization and an easier summit night make these winners by a long way. And as reaching the top is the most important thing for most of our climbers we make this our overall winners as best route to climb Kilimanjaro.

Most scenic route to climb Kilimanjaro

The Lemosho route approaching from the West wins hands down for the best views with spectacular vistas in all directions.

Quietest route to climb Kilimanjaro

If keeping away from the crowds is your top priority the Rongai route has to be your choice as the best route for your Kilimanjaro climb. But be warned the success rate is lower.

Most challenging route to climb Kilimanjaro

If you are looking for an adventure and a really unique wilderness experience the crater camp option is the best route to climb Kilimanjaro for you- less than 1 % of climbers get to do this and all our climbers who do it rave about it.

Which route is best to climb Kilimanjaro?

When you are planning your Kilimanjaro climb there are 6 factors that you need to take into consideration in deciding which is the best route to climb Kilimanjaro for you.

• Acclimatization
• Difficulty of the summit night
• How busy the route is
• What are the accommodation options
• Safety
• What is the success rate

Acclimatization on Kilimanjaro

When climbing to altitude the golden rule is walk high and sleep low. Following this rule minimizes the risk of altitude sickness and improves you 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.

Difficulty of the summit night

The toughest 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 Stellar point less than an hour’s walk from the summit. An extra hour on what is already a very long day is often the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

How busy the route is

The amount of climbers on the mountain varies a lot depending on the season and on the day of the week but even 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 a lot less climbers than the very popular southern routes.

Accommodation on the climb

The only route that you do not have to camp on is the Marangu route so if you hate tents this is the best route to climb Kilimanjaro for you. Be warned though the huts are very basic and noisy.

Kilimanjaro Routes Safety

We consider all of the routes except the Arrow Point route to be relatively safe if walked sensibly. We do not offer climbs on the Arrow Point route as the risk of falling rock is unmanageable . This is definitely not the best route to climb Kilimanjaro.

Which route has the highest Summit Success rate

As a result of the better acclimatization offered and the easier summit night the best route to climb Kilimanjaro in terms of summit success rate is the 9 Day Northern Circuit route ,Lemosho route over 8 days followed by the Machame route over 7 days.

We operate group climbs starting every week through the year with different routes each week.