KILIMANJARO ROUTES
WHICH IS THE BEST ROUTE TO CLIMB KILIMANJARO?
Kilimanjaro National Park Authority has seven official routes used to trek the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro. They are the Lemosho route, Machame route, Marangu route, Rongai route, Northern Circuit route, Shira route, and Umbwe route.
There’s also a descent-only route called the Mweka route.
This guide outlines each one in detail to help climbers choose which best fits their interests and fitness level. Each of the seven Kilimanjaro routes has its own pros and cons, like cost, how varied the scenery is, and summit success rate. Every route differs in its specific draw, from scenic views to difficulty level and, most importantly, acclimatization profiles. It’s therefore a good idea to look at each to help you make a smart choice about which is the best route for you to climb.
Kilimanjaro Climb Routes
- Northern Circuit Route
- Lemosho Route
- Machame Route (“Whiskey” Route)
- Rongai Route
- Marangu Route (“Coca-Cola” Route)
- Umbwe Route
- Shira Route
In addition to these routes, trekkers can also take the Western Breach.
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:
The highest success rate and overall best route to Ascend Kilimanjaro
If you want the highest chance of summiting, the best route to climb Kilimanjaro is the Lemosho route, Machame route, and Northern Circuit route over 7 or 8–9 days. Excellent acclimatization and an easier summit night make these winners by a long way. As reaching the top is the most important thing for most of our hikers, we make this our overall winner as the best route to hike Kilimanjaro.
The most scenic route to Ascend Kilimanjaro
The Lemosho route approaching from the west wins’ hands down for the best views, with spectacular vistas in all directions.
The quietest route to Ascend 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.
The most challenging route to Conquer Kilimanjaro
If you are looking for an adventure and a 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.
Our summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each route is below
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 itinerary.
- The six-day option is not recommended for first-time trekkers
- It is a great Kilimanjaro route for acclimatization as it has a climb-high, sleep-low opportunity for trekkers on day 3. Here, trekkers climb from Shira Camp 2 to Lava Tower at 4,600 meters, where they have lunch and then hike back down to Barranco Camp (3,900 meters) to sleep
- Like all Kilimanjaro routes, the Machame is a challenging trek with stunning scenery through four diverse climatic zones
- There is a good opportunity to split the pre-summit day climb by adding an extra rest day at Karanga Camp (only available to seven-day trekkers) to leave hikers well-rested before summiting
- The route has, however, become very popular over the past few years, which means it can get busy, especially at Barranco, where climbers join up with trekkers from the Lemosho, Shira, and Umbwe routes (see details on Barranco Wall)
- The Machame route only offers fully catered 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 its 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 elephants, 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 the 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 Route
- 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 climbs high and 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 elephants.
- 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?
The easiest route up Kilimanjaro
There is no easy route up Mount Kilimanjaro, but the Marangu Route (i.e., the Coca-Cola Route) has a reputation for being the easiest Kilimanjaro route.
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 its reputation for being the “easiest” Kilimanjaro route, attributed to its 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 allow trekkers to climb high and sleep low; however, the elevation is moderate and not as effective as other climb-high and 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
Kilimanjaro Routes: I Don’t Recommend
Shira Route
- Same as Lemosho, except the Shira route offers higher start point and therefore poorer acclimatisation
- It is a route that we wouldn’t recommend because of it’s high start point
Umbwe Route
- The Umbwe Route has a short and steep beginning profile up to Barranco camp where trekkers join climbers from the Lemosho, Shira, and Machame route
- Some Umbwe route trekkers don’t join the southern circuit at Barranco but instead continue north, up to Lava Tower, and then onto the Western Breach
- The Umbwe has poor acclimatization opportunities due to its rapid ascent and therefore success rates can be low on this Kilimanjaro route
- Fully catered camping only
- Western Breach
- The Western Breach is the most technically difficult approach to Mount Kilimanjaro, but perhaps the most rewarding!
- The approach to the Western Breach usually starts on the Umbwe Route and then continues north and up from Lava Tower
- The Western Breach was closed due to a fatal rockfall in 2006 but reopened in 2007 with a new and safer route configuration. Nonetheless, many tour operators don’t offer the Western Breach on their route roster
- Only advised for experienced trekkers: it is recommended that all Western Breach climbers use helmets and it is not uncommon to need point crampons during the wet season and sub-surface ice can be an issue
- Success rates are typically moderate to high, as the route is usually only tackled by experienced high-altitude trekkers
Kilimanjaro Summit Routes (Passages)
As alluded to above, there are three summit passages on Kilimanjaro.
Stella Point
The first is via the southern slopes of Kibo, up to Stella Point, and then west around the crater rim to Uhuru Peak. This approach is used by trekkers on the Lemosho, Shira, Machame, and Umbwe routes. It is the easiest summit passage, as it only takes one hour from Stella Point to Uhuru Peak.
Gilman’s Point
The second passage approaches from the eastern side of Kibo, up to Gilman’s Point, and then west around the crater rim to Uhuru Peak. Trekkers on the Rongai and Marangu Route, and Northern Circuit use this passage to the summit. It takes around two hours from Gilman’s Point to the summit proper, making this a harder passage.
Crater Camp (Western Breach)
Thirdly, trekkers can use the more technically challenging approach to the summit via the Western Breach. Trekkers who use the Western Breach usually approach from the Umbwe Route up to Lava Tower before taking a steep ascent past Arrow’s Glacier and up the Western Breach to Crater Camp and Uhuru Peak. The Western Breach can also be approached using the Machame, Shira, and Lemosho Route.
6 IMPORTANT FACTORS TO CONSIDER BEFORE CHOOSE THE BEST KILIMANJARO ROUTES
When you are planning your Kilimanjaro trek, 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?
- 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?
The number of climbers on the mountain varies a lot depending on the season and 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.
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, that 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 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, the 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 see when we are running that route below.
