Warm forest, cold nights above 3,000 metres, and a summit that can be twenty below with wind. The weather on the mountain, zone by zone and month by month.
Kilimanjaro makes its own weather. It stands alone on a plain near the equator, so the sun is strong all year, but it rises nearly six kilometres, so the summit is arctic. In one week you walk from tropical heat to freezing wind, and the weather can change in an hour.
This page explains what to expect in each zone, how the seasons change it, and what that means for what you wear and when you go.
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…
The gates sit at about 1,800 metres in farmland. It is warm, around 25°C in the day, and you start in a T-shirt.
The rainforest, up to about 2,800 metres, is mild and damp. Cloud gathers on it most afternoons and rain is possible in any month, even the dry ones. The first camp is often misty and cool by evening.
The moorland, from 2,800 to about 4,000 metres, is where the weather turns. Days are sunny and warm enough for a shirt. Nights drop to freezing or below, and the change happens fast once the sun goes behind the mountain. You need a warm layer ready by mid-afternoon.
The alpine desert, from 4,000 to 5,000 metres, is a place of extremes. Strong sun and hot rock at midday, then bitter cold within an hour of sunset. High camp nights are regularly minus five to minus ten.
The summit zone, above 5,000 metres, is arctic. On summit night, before dawn, minus ten to minus twenty is normal, and wind makes it feel far colder.
Most people climb in one of two windows.
January to early March is warm and mostly clear, with the best chance of snow on the summit, which many climbers like for the photographs. It is a little quieter than the other window.
June to October is the main season. It is dry and clear, and it is the coldest time on the mountain, with the sharpest nights at high camp. July, August and September are the busiest months on every route.
Both windows are good. The difference is warmth against crowds. If you want fewer people, January and February. If you want the driest ground, August and September.
The long rains run from mid-March to the end of May. The forest is genuinely wet, the trails are muddy, the Barranco Wall is slippery, and the summit is often in cloud. Prices drop and the mountain is nearly empty. It is not a good choice for a first climb.
The short rains come in November and sometimes into early December. They are usually afternoon showers, not all-day rain, and many people climb through them perfectly happily. The mountain is quiet and green. Rongai, on the drier northern side, is the sensible route in this month.
December is variable: the first weeks can be wet, the holidays are busy and mostly fine.
Rain low down makes the forest days unpleasant but not dangerous. Good waterproofs and a pack cover deal with it.
Cold high up is the real issue. It is the cold on summit night that people underestimate, and it is why the kit list is so insistent about layers, gloves and a warm sleeping bag. Being cold at 5,500 metres is not just miserable. It makes altitude symptoms worse and slows you down.
Wind on the summit slope can turn a cold night into a dangerous one. Guides watch for it and will delay or shorten a summit attempt if conditions are bad.
Sun is the risk people forget. At altitude, with thin air and often snow to reflect it, you burn in minutes. Sun cream, a hat and proper sunglasses are safety equipment, not comfort.
January and February. Warm, clear, quieter, with summit snow likely. One of the best times.
March. Good early in the month, wetter as it goes on.
April and May. The long rains. Wet, muddy and empty. Not recommended for a first climb.
June. The dry season begins. Improving through the month, not yet crowded.
July to September. Dry, clear, cold nights, busy trails. The most popular months.
October. Still good, with the short rains arriving late in the month.
November. Short rains, mostly afternoon showers. Quiet. Rongai is the drier choice.
December. Variable early, busy and usually fine over the holidays.
The answer to five climates in one week is layers you can add and remove as the day changes.
A base layer that wicks sweat. A fleece. A warm insulated jacket, down or synthetic. A waterproof and windproof shell. Walking trousers, plus warm trousers for high camp and the summit. Liner gloves and warm outer gloves. A sun hat and a warm hat. A buff for your neck and face.
You wear the T-shirt on the first morning and every single layer on summit night. In between, you are adding and removing all day, and the daypack is where the layers live.
The packing list covers all of this in detail. The short version is: bring more warmth than seems reasonable for a mountain in Africa. Everyone who has done it says the same.
Kilimanjaro
Six routes go up Kilimanjaro. They differ in days, scenery, crowds and how well they help you get used to the altitude. This page…
Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro is a walk, not a climb. The altitude, the cold on summit night, and the length of the days make it hard. This page…
Kilimanjaro
Altitude sickness is why people turn back on Kilimanjaro. This page explains what it is, what it feels like, how to lower your…
Kilimanjaro
Wake-up tea at six, breakfast, walk, lunch, walk, camp by mid-afternoon. Here is how a day on the mountain runs, from the first…
Kilimanjaro
Three cooked meals a day, snacks on the trail, and more of it than you expect. This page covers what the crew cooks, how, and why…
Kilimanjaro
A Kilimanjaro climb is carried by a crew that outnumbers the climbers. Here is who they are, what they do, how they are…
Kilimanjaro
You do not need to have climbed a mountain before. Most people on Kilimanjaro have not. This page covers what a first-timer needs…
Kilimanjaro
Three months of regular walking, some hills, a loaded daypack, and two long days back to back. Here is a training plan that…
Kilimanjaro
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…
Kilimanjaro
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…
Kilimanjaro
Daily health checks, trained guides, emergency oxygen, and a park rescue system. Here is how safety works on the mountain, and…
Kilimanjaro
Every month on the mountain, in one place: weather, crowds, summit snow and which route works best. Pick your dates from this.
Kilimanjaro
The porters carry your main bag. Each day you carry a small pack with water, layers, snacks and a few essentials. Here is exactly…
Kilimanjaro
Your insurance must cover trekking to 6,000 metres, and many ordinary policies stop far lower without saying so. The warning…
Kilimanjaro
Fly into Kilimanjaro International, stay in Moshi or Arusha, and drive to the gate on the first morning. Here is how the arrival…
Kilimanjaro
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…
Kilimanjaro
Two landmarks on the southern routes that every climber asks about. One is a scramble with your hands. The other is the day that…
Kilimanjaro
Nobody climbs Kilimanjaro unaccompanied, but plenty of people arrive alone. Private climb or join a group, what each costs you…
Kilimanjaro
There is ice on the equator, and it is disappearing. What the glaciers are, why they exist, how much has gone, and what you…
Kilimanjaro
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…
Kilimanjaro
The questions people ask before they book a climb, in one place, with short honest answers and links to the pages that go deeper.
Kilimanjaro
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…
Kilimanjaro
Meru is 4,566 metres, four days, and an hour from Arusha. Climbing it first is the best acclimatisation there is. This page…
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…
Planning
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…
