How long does kilimanjaro take to climb

We give trekkers intent on a serious challenge a short option: the 6-day Umbwe route. However, our most popular option is by far the Western Approach , a 9-day trek along the Shira and Lemosho routes. Another operator might offer a similar route in as little as 6 days. The following items are necessary or highly desirable for a successful trek:. SafariBookings is the largest online marketplace for African safari tours.

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Functional cookies Always on. Analytical cookies anonymous On Off. Advertising and social media cookies On Off. Back to List. By Philip Briggs South Africa. Recommended Duration and Success Rate The longer you allocate to a Kilimanjaro expedition, the greater the odds of summiting. Kilimanjaro Route Choice How long it takes to climb Kilimanjaro depends largely on which route you use.

Marangu Route Minimum 5 days; Recommended 6 days Marangu is the most popular route up Kilimanjaro, and it attracts more climbers than the other five options combined.

Machame Route Minimum 6 days; Recommended 7 days The second most popular route up Kilimanjaro includes a few tough sections, but offers a gentler ascent than Marangu and is more scenic. Lemosho Route Minimum 6 days; Recommended 8—10 days One of the most beautiful routes up Kilimanjaro, Lemosho, like Shira, starts on the western slopes, but at a far lower altitude. Northern Circuit Minimum 9 days; Recommended 10—11 days The most remote route up Kilimanjaro starts at Lemosho, then loops north around the peaks before summiting from the east.

Rongai Route Minimum 6 days; Recommended 7 days Rongai is the only ascent route of Kilimanjaro from the northern side. Factors affecting how long it takes to climb Kilimanjaro The number of days allocated to virtually all Kilimanjaro climbs is fixed in advance. Altitude The biggest obstacle to summiting Kilimanjaro successfully is the rapid gain in altitude from base to the peak.

Seasons Weather conditions on Kilimanjaro vary considerably with the seasons. Fitness A reasonable level of fitness is required to climb Kilimanjaro successfully. Other preparations Kilimanjaro is cold at night, and it can be very wet too, with a fierce tropical sun by day at higher altitudes. Share Article:. About SafariBookings.

Best Places to Visit in Africa in Angela did it in 8! In an attempt to reduce the number of emergency evacuations from Kilimanjaro and safeguard irresponsible climbers against the jeopardies of ascending too fast, the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority has declared it mandatory to spend a certain number of days climbing, exact duration is dependent on the route.

Thus, the Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing regulations say that it is mandatory to spend at least six days on all routes. There are two exceptions to this rule - Rongai and Marangu routes, where the regulations require you to spend at least five days. Though we have our own assessment technique for calculating Kilimanjaro success rate see below , strong evidence suggests that deciding on a longer Kilimanjaro climbing expedition increases your chances of successfully reaching Uhuru Peak.

Since you are curious to know how long it takes to climb Kilimanjaro, you are probably most interested to know the amount of time required to reach Uhuru Peak. Before we advance to the recommended durations and routes, we find it necessary to discourse about the idea of success rate, which is the ratio between those who attempted climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, and those who made it to the top.

While this concept should have evolved into the primary mechanism for analyzing and developing effective practices for safe, sustainable and responsible Kilimanjaro climbing, unfortunately it eventually became nothing but a tool for travel marketers to entice more tourists. Not a single responsible trekking operator engages in these dubious marketing practices. First, it is misleading. Second, it is a huge violation of mountaineering ethics - deceiving the clients in an attempt to encourage them signing up for the climb is fiercely frowned upon in our community.

This information is long outdated the latest report was published in , and the achievement rate has probably somewhat increased since those days because of emergence of the longer trails, improved infrastructure and equipment, increased awareness of pitfalls of choosing short treks, etc.

The leading expert in Kilimanjaro climbing, Mr. Either those claiming to have attained these figures are very selective in their clients, admitting Iron-men only, or they are distributing blatant falsehood. The second being more plausible.

We at Altezza Travel have our own definition of Kilimanjaro climbing success rate. For us, each successful Kilimanjaro expedition has two important elements:.

Some of our clients, who had to finish their expedition earlier than expected because of fatigue or acclimatization problems, were upset upon return to our climbing base, but motivated to make another attempt with Altezza in the future. We strongly believe that our guides have made the right choice to have those people evacuated, and our clients shared this view. We are here to make this dream of yours a reality, and our climbing crews and office experts take all possible measures and precautions to maximize your chances.

We suggest taking longer climbing itineraries. We have extra oxygen supplies for all climbs irrespective of the tariff , a well-balanced and nutritional diet to boost your stamina, and our guides are skilled in detecting the slightest symptoms of high-altitude sickness. Our biggest achievement is that many of our clients have reached the summit, and those who have not enjoyed their climb only to return the next year and repeat their attempt.

We will not answer how many of those who signed up have eventually made it. Firstly, in doing so we will join the ranks of the companies with poor mountaineering ethics. We never prioritize your climbing triumph over your health.

Our Wilderness First Responder guides perform two medical check-ups per day, measuring your blood oxygen saturation level, temperature and blood pressure. We always take a minimum of 7 days to climb, that is ascend, summit and descend.

Due to this many people will drop a day or two from their itinerary and try to climb in 5 or 6 days to reduce cost, as when you add on good food, guides, porters, cooks, assistant cooks and all their costs, transport, hotels etc. There is no point in failing to summit or reach it and feel terrible - looking only at your feet as you vomit with a massive throbbing headache — that is pointless.