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
  • The difficulty of the summit night
  • How busy the route is
  • What are the accommodation options
  • Safety
  • What is the success rate
  1. Acclimatization on Kilimanjaro

When climbing to altitude the golden rule is to 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.

2. The 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.

3. How busy is 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 fewer climbers than the very popular southern routes.

4. 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.

5.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.

6. 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. If you are looking for a particular route you can contact us today.