Choose your route
The six main trails to Uhuru Peak, with the numbers that actually decide your summit odds. Shira and the rest are in the full routes guide.
An independent guide to Uhuru Peak, 5,895 m. Thirty in-depth articles on routes, timing, altitude, cost and kit, plus twelve worked itineraries you can take to any licensed operator.
Six trails climb the Kilimanjaro massif and converge high on Kibo for the final push to Uhuru Peak. Hover a route to see how it climbs.
Read the full routes guide ›The six main trails to Uhuru Peak, with the numbers that actually decide your summit odds. Shira and the rest are in the full routes guide.
Permits and park rules, how long you need on the mountain, what the climb costs and how the days actually run — in one place.
The routes are ranked on the things that decide a summit: acclimatisation profile, nights above 4,000 metres, traffic on the trail and cost. For most first-time climbers the answer is the eight-day Lemosho, but the comparison sets out when Machame, Rongai or the Northern Circuit is the better call.
Read the route comparison Or go straight to Machame vs LemoshoFive climate zones in one climb, from rainforest to arctic summit
Day-by-day itineraries for every route, from a five-day Marangu climb to a fourteen-day Kilimanjaro, safari and Zanzibar trip. Reference plans, not products — take them to any licensed operator.
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14 DAYS Everything you need to arrive ready for the mountain
The two-bag system: a 15 kg porter duffel and a 25 to 35 litre daypack, layer by layer, plus what is worth renting in Moshi.
Read the packing list
You do not need to be an athlete. You do need time on your feet: long walks on uneven ground, built up week by week.
See the training plan
Two dry seasons, January to early March and late June to October, and what the shoulder months really cost you in weather.
Check the seasonsRecently published research on climbing Kilimanjaro
We do not sell or book trips. Everything here is reference material, written to answer the questions travellers actually ask before they climb. Arrange the trip itself with a licensed Tanzanian operator.
Reference material for planning a climb, kept deliberately plain
Machame, Lemosho, Marangu, Rongai, Umbwe, Shira and the Northern Circuit, each with distances, camps and gates.
Why roughly one climber in three turns back, and how itinerary length changes your odds far more than fitness.
Park fees, crew wages, gear and tipping, broken down so you can tell a fair quote from a dangerous one.
We take no bookings and no commission, so the recommendations follow the evidence rather than a margin.
