Climbing the Kilimanjaro Mountain

The Mount Kilimanjaro with its immaculate snow-covered summits, rising from the famous savannah of the East Africa to the astounding height of 5895m, has long been the dream of enthusiastic trekkers as well as experienced mountaineers for decades.

It is located inside the Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania; it is the tallest mountain in the continent of Africa and the tallest self-supporting mountain on Earth.

Kilimanjaro sits on the northern border of Tanzania, overlooking Kenya, and just over 210 miles south of the Equator. This area is not particularly hilly, and the adjacent mountain to Kilimanjaro is Mount Meru, which is situated over 60km away to the south-west.

Kilimanjaro Mountain

Tallest mountain in Africa

Kilimanjaro is not only the tallest mountain in Africa, it's also one of the largest volcanoes on Earth, layering an area of around 388,500 hectares.

All the major trails up to the mountain are really just trekking routes so you don't need to be a climber: since 1991 climbers no longer show up at the foot of this mountain with a backpack of food and clothes and hope to do it all by themselves. In fact, there are plenty of signed up mountaneering agencies there to take care of everything nowadays.

Kilimanjaro can be climbed all year long, but there are a couple of rainy seasons that start from April to May and November to mid-December. These seasons are best to be avoided. The best months are October, January, and February: the sky is clear, it's not too hot, and the mountain remains quieter than in other month.

This is a matter of individual taste; that we prefer to keep away from the crowds, so we usually advise our clients to avoid routes known as Machame and Marangu, at least in peak seasons when they are way too busy.

The other 3 routes are the favorites, but they each have their drawbacks: Rongai has a little forest on its way up as it starts from the drier north side of the mountain, and Umbwe is known as the toughest route and is quite vertical in some places.

At the same time, Lemosho and Shira are usually known to be a little more expensive as transport is a little difficult to avail at the start. If the agency provides an 'alternative' path, these are often considered to be the best routes as they give one the chance to get away from the crowds, help to improve your chances of acclimatizing, and eventually, reaching the top safely, too.

Mount Kilimanjaro has some unique features. Its lower slopes are dark with green forest, yet the mountain is bordered by enormous expanses of dry savannah; its caldera is covered with ice, yet this latent volcano is positioned near the Equator. There is no doubt that the views from its top are the most rewarding of all: from Kilimanjaro's summit it is likely to watch the curvature of the Earth, and on a clear day the views feel bigger as far as the plains of the Masai Mara.

Wonderful views

Kilimanjaro has much more to present than just its wonderful views: getting on to an expedition to the top of Africa is the same as of travelling on a voyage from the Equator to the Arctic as the backdrop varies from bushland to tropical woods, from moorland to heath and alpine desert.

Hardest trekking challenges in the world

The Kilimanjaro ascent might be one of the hardest trekking challenges in the world, but we believe you can triumph over it! We have several expert treks to its peak, using the two most stunning and quiet trekking trails, Lemosho and Rongai.