Climb Kilimanjaro
Route choice matters more than fitness. The longer profiles below acclimatise you properly, and we would rather talk you into one than sell you a short climb that fails.
9 journeys
Every itinerary here is a draft. Tell us what to change and we will rebuild it around you.
The route we recommend most often. Eight days on Lemosho gives the best acclimatisation profile on the mountain and, with it, the highest chance of standing on Uhuru Peak.
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The same scenic western approach as our eight-day Lemosho, compressed by one day. Still one of the strongest routes on the mountain if your dates are tight.
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The Whiskey Route: steeper than Lemosho, busier, and widely considered the most scenic way up the mountain. Seven days gives it the acclimatisation it needs.
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Machame without the Karanga rest day. It works, but it asks more of you, and we will say so if we think you should take the seven-day version instead.
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The longest route on Kilimanjaro, circling the quiet northern slopes. More days on the mountain, more acclimatisation, and the highest summit success rate of any route.
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The only route with huts rather than tents, and the only one you ascend and descend by the same path. Six days — with the acclimatisation day at Horombo — not five.
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The only approach from the north, close to the Kenyan border. Drier than the southern routes, much quieter, and the best choice if you are climbing in the rainy months.
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The steepest and most direct way up Kilimanjaro. Spectacular, very quiet, and unforgiving on acclimatisation. We only run it for trekkers with real high-altitude experience.
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Almost the same mountain as Lemosho, approached from the west, but newer, shorter and with a much harder start: you are driven to 3,600 m and sleep your first night at 3,500 m.
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Compare the routes
The routes differ in length, gradient and how well they let you acclimatise. Ask us if you are unsure - we would rather talk you onto the right one than sell you the wrong one.
The Coca-Cola route, and the only one with huts rather than tents. Small paths through rainforest and moorland, with the steep sections bypassed and the same path used up and down. Comfortable in bad weather and cold nights, but there is no good opportunity to acclimatise. Easiest does not mean easy: this is still the highest mountain in Africa, and most people struggle with the altitude.
The Whiskey route: steeper and harder than Marangu, and the one most people call the most scenic. Rainforest, moorland and stone desert in quick succession, and a profile that has you climb high and sleep low, which is what makes the acclimatisation work.
The only route starting on the northern, Kenya-facing side. The approach drive is longer and the trail much quieter, and the first section has real biodiversity — buffalo and antelope are both possible. The gradient is regular and gentle, so acclimatisation is good. It rains less on this side; the country is drier and less dramatic, but untouched.
Starts far down the western side, which is what makes it demanding and also what makes the acclimatisation excellent. Beautiful moorland walking, usually eight days, and the highest chance of the summit of anything we run at this length.
Almost the same as Lemosho, but newer, shorter and with a much harder start: you are driven high and your first night is already at 3,500 m. Varied country — rainforest, moorland, alpine desert — and excellent acclimatisation, as long as starting high does not catch you out.
The hardest way up the mountain. Shorter than the rest and at times extremely steep, with very poor acclimatisation — pre-acclimatisation is strongly recommended, and you should already have good fitness and experience of altitude. The compensation is that you will have it almost to yourself.
The longest route, over the quiet northern slopes, with almost 360 degrees of view and the best altitude profile on Kilimanjaro. Chosen by climbers who want more time on the mountain and fewer people on the path.
Every route crosses all of the earth's climate zones within a few days, which can mean a swing from +35 °C to -25 °C. Mweka is a descent route only — Machame, Lemosho, Shira and Umbwe all come down it, and nobody goes up it. If you want a route or a mountain that is not listed here, ask: we organise ascents individually.
Plan it with us
Send us your dates and rough plans and we will come back with a route built for you.
