Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing, Trekking and Hiking Tours

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Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing Routes

Are you figuring out which Route on Kilimanjaro to take for your trek? Don't worry; this page will assist you in making the correct decision. Each Kilimanjaro route has its advantages and disadvantages. Some are excellent for enjoying the landscape but may not be as suitable for acclimatization, leading to altitude sickness on Kilimanjaro. Alternatively, there are routes with high success rates for reaching the summit, but they can be quite crowded during specific times of the year. Let's dive in and explore the different Kilimanjaro routes to the summit.

There are six main Kilimanjaro routes that one can use to trek the highest mountain in Africa. The seventh Kilimanjaro route, Mweka, is used for decent only.

Lemosho Route
Machame Route
Marangu Route
Mweka Route (descent only)
Rongai Route
Shira Route
Umbwe Route

In addition to these routes, trekkers can also take the Northern Circuit or the Western Breach.

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Kilimanjaro Route Summaries

Best Kilimanjaro Routes

The best Mt Kilimanjaro route on the southern circuit is the Machame or Lemosho route.

Machame Route

The Machame route is highly recommended for its scenic value and has a high success rate, especially if you choose the 7-day route.

Six-day options are not recommended for beginner hikers.

This is an excellent Kilimanjaro route for acclimatization as it offers hikers an opportunity for high climb and low sleep on day 3. Here, hikers ascend from Shira Camp 2 to the Lava Tower at 4,600 meters, where they have lunch, then go back down to Camp Barranco. (3,900 meters) to sleep
Like all Kilimanjaro routes, Machame is a challenging hike with stunning scenery across four diverse climate zones.

There is a good opportunity to split the pre-summit ascent day by adding an extra rest day at Karanga Camp (only available to seven-day trekkers) to leave trekkers well-rested before the summit.

The route has however become very popular in recent years, meaning it can be very busy, particularly at Barranco where climbers join hikers on the Lemosho, Shira and Umbwe routes (see details on Barranco Wall).

The Machame route only offers fully supported camping

Lemosho Route

The Lemosho is a beautiful route that departs from the West side of Mount Kilimanjaro

Due to its route profile the Lemosho can be completed on a seven or eight day itinerary and offers lots of opportunities to properly acclimatize. Because of it’s versatile route profile it is one of the best Kilimanjaro routes and has high summit success rates

It is also recommended as the starting point is relatively remote and hence provides trekkers with a rather untouched and wild start to their Kilimanjaro adventure. Spotting large wildlife, like antelope, buffalo and even elephant is unusual but not impossible

The route also provides unparalleled and spectacular views of the dramatic gorges that characterize the western side of Mount Kilimanjaro

The Lemosho offers trekkers the experience of hiking across the Shira Plateau – one of the largest high altitude plateaus in the world

Trekkers on the Lemosho typically converge with Machame route on day 3 at Barranco camp and use the Barafu camp route to the summit; however, it is now quite common for Lemosho trekkers to veer north before Lava Tower to join the Northern Circuit (see details below) which circles the north side of Mount Kilimanjaro and follows the summit passage via Gilman’s Point.

The Lemosho route can also be used by trekkers planning to climb the Western Breach to the summit

Like the Machame Route, the Lemosho is fully catered camping only

Northern Circuit

The Northern Circuit is the longest route on Mount Kilimanjaro and has one of the highest summit success rates as the route offers lots of climb high, sleep-low opportunities, and time to acclimatize.

The route departs from the same start point as Lemosho but then joins the Northern Circuit near Lava Tower, before traversing the north slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro

The summit passage is via Gilman’s Point

The route can be completed on an eight or nine-day itinerary

If you are looking for a quiet and wild Kilimanjaro experience, then this route is for you.

Rongai Route

The Rongai route is the only northern start point to Kilimanjaro, beginning on the North East side of Kilimanjaro National Park

The Rongai offers a true wilderness experience on the early stages of the climb, and like the Lemosho route it is possible to see large wildlife like buffalo, antelope and elephant

The Northern slopes tend to be dryer than the southern slopes which makes the Rongai a great Kilimanjaro Route for trekking during the wet season.

However, because the northern slopes are dryer they can also be considered less scenic. That being said, a northern approach is often characterized by clear views of Kilimanjaro – something that is not that common from the southern side

The Rongai is also a flatter route for the first few days which makes for easy trekking. The route is usually completed on a seven-day itinerary but has limited climb high, sleep-low opportunities which means that acclimatization opportunities are not as good as on other Kilimanjaro routes

Typically the Rongai route uses the passage from School Hut up past Hans Meyer Cave and Gilman’s Point to Uhuru Peak

The route descends via the Marangu route, hence the route has fully catered camping until the last night on the mountain – beers at Horombo Hut anyone?

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Marangu Route

The Marangu route was Nicknamed the ‘Coca-Cola’ route as Coke used to be bought along the way in tea huts

The route is often selected by unprepared, inexperienced climbers as a result of the reputation for being the “easiest” Kilimanjaro route, attributing to the lower success rate

It is also the shortest Kilimanjaro route with a relatively poor acclimatization profile, which is a major contributor to the low success rates on the Marangu.

The six-day itinerary does give trekkers an opportunity to climb high, and sleep low; however the elevation is moderate and not as effective as other climb-high, sleep-low opportunities that are present on other Kilimanjaro routes

Out of all the Kilimanjaro routes, the Marangu route is the only one with dormitory-style accommodation in huts for the whole duration of the climb. The huts come with mattresses and basic amenities, making them a popular choice for budget tour operators who don’t have the right equipment to tackle the other Kilimanjaro routes

The Marangu offers beautiful views from the Saddle but can be considered less scenic than other Kilimanjaro routes due to ascent and descent on same trail