Every month on the mountain, in one place: weather, crowds, summit snow and which route works best. Pick your dates from this.
You can climb Kilimanjaro in any month. Some months are far better than others, and the difference is mostly rain and crowds. The two dry windows, January to early March and June to October, are when most people go. The long rains from mid-March to May are the time to avoid. November is quieter than its reputation.
This page takes each month in turn. For the reasons behind the pattern, see weather and temperature.
Places Kilimanjaro
Known as the “Coca-Cola” route, the Marangu route is a classic trek on Mount Kilimanjaro. It is the…
Places Kilimanjaro
The Marangu route is one of the most popular routes to the summit of Kilimanjaro.
Places Kilimanjaro
Six days on the Machame route, camping throughout. The shortest Machame itinerary, with a steeper daily…
Places Kilimanjaro
Seven days on Machame, with the Barranco to Barafu leg split over two days, so the day before the summit…
Places Kilimanjaro
The Rongai route is the only route that approaches Kilimanjaro from the north, close to the Kenyan…
Places Kilimanjaro
Eight days on the Lemosho route, starting in rainforest on the mountain's western side, with the longest…
Dry Shoulder Green Long rains
One of the two best months. Warmer than the mid-year window, quieter on the trail, and more likely to have snow on the summit, which makes the top morning better for most people.
The other pick of the year. Clear, relatively warm and quiet. Many guides prefer January to early March over the busier June to October window for exactly these reasons.
Good in the first half. It gets wetter through the second half as the long rains build. Book the early part of the month, not the end.
The long rains. The forest is genuinely miserable, the Barranco rock is slippery, and the summit is usually in cloud. Prices fall sharply. Not a sensible first climb.
Still the long rains and still not recommended for a first attempt. Experienced trekkers who do not mind a wet forest will have the mountain almost to themselves.
The dry season opens. Conditions improve through the month, the trail is not yet crowded, and the nights start to get properly cold.
Dry, clear and busy. Machame and Marangu carry a lot of people. If you want space in this window, take Rongai or Lemosho.
The busiest month on the mountain. Excellent conditions and the coldest nights of the year. Book several months ahead, and further ahead for dates near a full moon.
Dry, clear and a little quieter than August. One of the strongest months overall.
The last of the main season. Good early on, with the short rains arriving toward the end of the month.
The short rains, usually afternoon showers, not all-day rain. Often perfectly climbable and much quieter. Rongai, on the mountain's dry northern side, is the sensible route this month.
Variable early and busy late. The first three weeks are quiet and often fine. The holidays fill the trail and the rates rise.
Most people cannot choose freely, and the mountain works in every month with the right route.
In the long rains, April and May, take Rongai for the drier north side or Marangu for the huts, add a day, and pack for wet. Expect cloud on the summit.
In November, take Rongai. The showers are mostly in the afternoon and the mornings are often clear.
Over Christmas and New Year, book early, expect full camps, and consider the Northern Circuit or Lemosho for more space.
In August and September, book several months ahead and accept company on the trail. The conditions are the best of the year, which is exactly why everyone is there.
A full moon changes summit night. The scree slope is lit well enough to walk without a head torch for much of the way, the glaciers glow, and the crater rim at dawn is something else again.
Schedule your summit night for the night of the full moon, or the night either side of it, and the effect is much the same. Because the summit night is the penultimate night of the climb, that means starting your route about five to seven days before the full moon date, depending on the route length.
Full moon dates are the busiest on the mountain, especially in August and September. If the moon matters to you, book early. If space matters more, avoid those nights.
Park fees are the same all year and they are the largest part of the cost of any climb. So prices do not swing the way safari lodge rates do.
Operator pricing and demand do change. The rainy months are cheaper, sometimes noticeably. The peak months are not more expensive so much as fully booked, and a late booking may mean no space, not a higher price.
The cheapest climb is a rainy-season climb. Only you can judge whether that saving justifies a wet forest and a clouded summit. For most first-timers the answer is no.
If you can pick freely, go in January or February for warmth and quiet, or September for the driest ground with slightly fewer people than August. If you must go in the rains, take Rongai and add a day. If you want the full moon, count back from the date and book early. And whatever the month, take the longest version of your route. The season affects how pleasant the climb is. The days affect whether you reach the top.
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You do not need to have climbed a mountain before. Most people on Kilimanjaro have not. This page covers what a first-timer needs…
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Three months of regular walking, some hills, a loaded daypack, and two long days back to back. Here is a training plan that…
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You leave camp at midnight, climb for six hours in the cold and dark, reach the roof of Africa at sunrise, and then descend for…
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Tents on every route but one, huts on Marangu, and a high camp on bare rock the night before the summit. A tour of the camps…
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Daily health checks, trained guides, emergency oxygen, and a park rescue system. Here is how safety works on the mountain, and…
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Three points on the crater rim count as the summit of Kilimanjaro. Here is where each one is, what it takes to reach it, and why…
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Two landmarks on the southern routes that every climber asks about. One is a scramble with your hands. The other is the day that…
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Nobody climbs Kilimanjaro unaccompanied, but plenty of people arrive alone. Private climb or join a group, what each costs you…
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There is ice on the equator, and it is disappearing. What the glaciers are, why they exist, how much has gone, and what you…
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The numbers people ask for: how high, how wide, how old, how many climb it, and why it stands alone. Clear answers, one fact at a…
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The questions people ask before they book a climb, in one place, with short honest answers and links to the pages that go deeper.
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Most climbers add a safari, and the order, the rest day and the route between mountain and parks decide how well the two fit. A…
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Wildlife
Where the wildebeest herds are through the year, and what that means for when to travel.
Planning
What to bring on safari and up Kilimanjaro, and what you can leave behind.
Planning
Most visitors need a visa, and most can get one on arrival or online in advance. What the visa covers, what to bring to the desk…
Planning
Park fees are the largest fixed cost of any safari or climb, and they are the same for every operator. Who sets them, how they…
Planning
Fly into Kilimanjaro International for the northern circuit, Dar es Salaam for the south, Zanzibar for the beach. Airports…
Planning
A permanent lodge, a tented camp, a mobile camp that follows the migration, or a tent you camp in yourself. Each level described…
Planning
Tipping is customary in Tanzania and it is a real part of what your guide and camp staff earn. Who to tip, how it is usually…
Planning
Malaria, yellow fever, the routine jabs, and the small things that spoil a trip. What to discuss with your doctor or travel…
Planning
Tanzanian shillings for small things, US dollars for the big ones, and cash for almost everything outside the cities. How money…
Planning
An enquiry, a conversation, a draft itinerary, a quote, a deposit, and then the details. What happens between your first message…
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Early mornings, long quiet stretches, a vehicle that becomes home, and hours that pass in a way nothing else does. What the days…
Planning
Medical cover with a high limit, evacuation from the bush, cancellation, and the activity clauses. What a safari policy has to…
Places
A national park on the doorstep, a crater lake, coffee farms, the markets and Mount Meru. The best ways to spend a day or a half…
Places
Materuni waterfall, Kikuletwa hot springs, Marangu, Lake Chala and the coffee cafés. What to do with a day or two in Moshi before…
