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Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and world’s tallest free-standing mountain. Thousands of climbers visit Tanzania every year with a sole aim of getting to the highest peak of the mountain.  Oltumure makes this happen. The climb is a personal challenge up through altitudes moving from the tropical to the arctic regions in about a week.

Because of its natural beauty, the mountain is recognized as one of the World Heritage Sites, listed in 1987 by UNESCO. It is adorned with varieties of vegetation, unique and beautiful landscapes and human-friendly climate all the way to the Stella Point.  Climbers enjoy awe-striking views of the beauty of nature, including, glaciers and snow-capped peaks as they trek up. Monkeys and birds cheer you up through the serene rainforest.

Viewing the African Savannah, the Great Rift Valley, the Kenyan Plains (just to mention some of them) from the Africa’s top-most position is the best feeling you can ever think of. It is more than thrilling!

Who Qualifies to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro?

Mountain climbing is a challenge to everything, whether a climber or an aspiring one, it will need you to approach it as a challenge; it is the easiest way to get to the top. You don’t need to be a mountaineer in order to conquer this mountain. If you are determined, then you can reach the highest peak. A requirement number one is a healthy you. If you are physically fit, start getting ready for your climb.

Our team of experts is committed to seeing you make it to the ‘roof-top of the African continent.’ Our aim is always to see a success rate of at least 90% and we have been able to do so for years now. In order to increase your chances of getting to the summit, you need to engage in physical exercises a few months to the real climb.  Simulation is one thing you can’t forego if you are serious with climbing Kilimanjaro. Try to practice hiking in conditions somehow similar to the ones you are likely to encounter on Kilimanjaro. Ensure you practice ascending and descending a mountain/hill to get your body adjusting with altitudes.  We advise you to purchase your climbing gear as early so as to use the same to practice.

Go through our Kilimanjaro itineraries to pick the route that suits you best.

Appreciating Mount Kilimanjaro porters

The role of porters in your climb is very crucial; they are the people that carry the food stuffs and other supplies along the journey. In their absence, the fact is that you would be short of enjoyment of the trek. Worse still, it might get too tough to get to the summit without the assistance and services offered by the porters.

Sadly, these great people are always exploited only receiving a little pay in very unfavourable conditions.  For such reasons, a project was started in solidarity with the porters, Kilimanjaro Porters Association Project (KPAP) to see them able to improve their lives as well. Book a climb with us and help us support this project for better working conditions for the porters. Oltumure also encourages you to tip them as they give you company up the mountain- a small token can go a long way in keeping a child well-fed and clothed.

Climbing Kilimanjaro routes

Pick the Best Climbing Route for You

There are a total of seven climbing routes to the Kilimanjaro Summit, Uhuru Peak.  Each of these has its advantages and disadvantages. The routes also vary in the experience they offer to climbers, for example, scenery, length, climate, difficulty, terrain, accommodation, traffic among other factors.

Having enough experience with all of the 7 routes, we advise you to study all the routes in order to make an informed decision on which one you should follow. The first 3, Marangu, Machame and Lemosho are our first recommendation even before you get to the other 4 below:

Marangu Route

• This is one of the easiest routes up Kilimanjaro. Although it gives you limited acclimatization time, it is the shortest. One of the reasons as to why some climbers prefer Marangu Route is the availability of a ‘dormitory,’ hut accommodation. This saves you from spending night in tents. On the other hand, it could be a turn off for those who would like some more privacy. The success rate to the summit on this route is lower as compared to the following two.
• Dubbed ‘Coca Cola Route,’ Marangu happens to be the only route where climbers use the same trail up and down. It could therefore be the cheapest but the traffic gets quite high especially, during the peak seasons. It also offers you limited adventure in terms of scenery as all you see is a section of the mountain.

Machame Route

• From the Coca Cola Route, we take you to the ‘Whiskey Route’ – the popular Machame Route. The trail is a gradual ascent which offers your body enough time to acclimatize. This increases the climber’s success rate making it the highest among the three.
• On this route, the climber enjoys breathtaking views of the beauty of nature as the trail takes you around the mountain all the way to the top. The climb can take either 6 or 7 days; however, taking the 7-day trail increases your chances of getting to the summit more.
• Here you enjoy a green walk through rain forest and a great moment on Shira Plateau. Like Marangu, this route also gets busy in Peak season due to its ease of access. The route is also cheaper than most others since the trail follows a shorter route.

Lemosho Route

• This is where the beauty of nature is not only seen, but also felt. Unlike other routes, a climb on Lemosho Route starts on the western side of the mountain. The route is somehow secluded, a factor that makes the traffic quite low. It’s basically a very beautiful route also offering you a chance to have an experience on the Shira Plateau. It joins Machame Route at some point of the journey and you get an opportunity to go up the Lava Tower.
• This route is longer than the above two – it gives climbers some good time to acclimatize. It is however the most expensive of the three routes detailed here but it’s wholly worth it. Chances of success on this trail are quite high. You need 7 or 8 days to get to the summit on Lemosho Route.

Shira Route

Though it’s very scenic, Shira Route is very tough- this makes it also expensive. Except for experienced mountaineers, we would not recommend the route. Actually, every first timer should keep off the route. One, it starts quite high hence giving your body no time to acclimatize which can get dangerous and risky health wise.

Rongai Route

Like Shira, this route is also recommended for experienced climbers. The route gives you best views of the mountain having the ascent and descent on opposite sides. The separate ascent and descent route consequently make Rongai Route very expensive. Since it’s not suitable to many, the route is quiet. It is also less scenic as it’s quite dry.

Umbwe Route

This is the steepest route of them all. The success rate therefore is very low hence not advisable for a new climber. Mountaineers who are experienced in high altitudes would go for the route as a way of challenging their ‘tough’ bodies even more.

Northern Circuit route

This is the longest of all Kilimanjaro routes. It is also the most enjoyable due to the beautiful sceneries all along the trail. It goes round the mountain giving a climber an opportunity to have all-sided views as they go up the mountain. Due to the adequate acclimatization time, the success rate is very high. It is expensive, but if you have the money and time, it could be your best route.

Facts about Mount Kilimanjaro

Climbing Kilimanjaro takes you through 5 zones (from the tropics to the Arctic). These are:

• Farmland
• Tropical rainforest (800 to 3000 meters)
• Savannah Grassland  (3000 to 4200 meters)
• Alpine dessert (4200 to 5000 meters)
• Glacial zone with snow and ice cap summit (5000 meters and above) 

From Our Experts

From an adequate experience climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to the summit, our experts vouch for Lemosho as the best route especially if you are a beginner. With some more fitness and readiness, you can also manage Machame, Marangu and the Nothern Circuit Routes. However, we advise you to leave Umbwe, Shira and Rongai for the experts.

As you prepare to come for the climb, add two more days to your route plan for relaxation on arrival and before departure.

We have a couple of hotels we can get you to and we have no doubt you will enjoy their hospitality and meals. An example is the Weru Weru River Lodge in Moshi. It is one of a kind!

Drive Time from Kilimanjaro to the National Parks and Islands

• Arusha to Kilimanjaro (start climb): 2 ½ hours
• Kilimanjaro International Airport to Moshi: 1 ½ hours
• Kilimanjaro to Tarangire National Park or to Lake Manyara National park: 4 hours
• Kilimanjaro to Ngorongoro: 4 ½ hours
• Kilimanjaro to Serengeti: 6 ½ hours
• Arusha Airstrip to Zanzibar or to Pemba or Mafia Island: 2 ½ hours

Best time to climb Kilimanjaro

Though there are certain periods that are more favourable than others, Mountain climbing can be done any time of the year. We however recommend the season between June and March, excluding November more. February is the best month to do your climb with the high temperatures and low rainfalls.  Some people still prefer climbing between the April and November; these are people who don’t like traffic on the trails.