The best seasons for climbing:
There’s a long, dry winter and a green season with two rainy periods at each end.
- December, January, February and March are the warmest months, with clear mornings and evenings, and clouds building during the day that occlude the summit in the early afternoon hours. The predictable patterns of weather make it a good time to climb.
- The main rainy season lasts from the beginning of April to early June. At this time, dense cloud formations massed over the mountain reduce visibility, and you can expect frequent snowstorms on the summit and heavy rains on the lower slopes.
- The longest and driest season runs from mid June to mid-October. During this time it can be very cold at night. During Kilimanjaro’s “winter,” there is a persistent dripping belt of clouds girdling the whole mountain above the forests and the moorland contour, leaving the summit and a few other distant peaks poking through. Above the clouds it is usually clear and dry, and thus is one of the best times to plan the trek.
- In late October, the clouds finally give way to rain, and until the middle of December, the mountain is shrouded in heavy clouds, with persistent showers from base to summit.
The best months to ascend the mountain are January, February, August and September. Avoid climbing during the April-May heavy rain season, and November (the short rains) if you can.
*Why it is so important to take as many days as possible for climbing Kilimanjaro:
You’ll likely only climb Kilimanjaro once, so you may as well do it right. The best way to do it right (other than choosing an ethical and quality-based company) is choosing a climb which gives you enough acclimatization time to reach the summit safely. The park minimum is 5-days – that 3.5 days to the summit. Only about 50% of those on 5-day climbs reach the summit, and you can bet most of those 50% who make it have a terrible time. Of the roughly 1000 climbers we take up the mountain each year, the average number of days for our treks is 8. Our most popular climb is 9-days, giving lots of acclimatization time and the experience of camping next to the dwindling glaciers. Also we do 7 and 6 days treks, as many people simply don’t want to take so many days out of their busy schedules. The results are dramatic when comparing the summit success rates vs. the number of days on the mountain. For Nature Discovery, these are the average summit rates:
6 days: 75%
7 days: just over 80%
8 days: 90%
9 days: over 95%
It makes a huge difference to take extra days.
The choices for the route:
On Kilimanjaro, there are six park gates and approach routes, and three routes to the summit. There are ultimately about 30 different route combinations which are possible. Again, I recommend taking as long as possible to acclimatize. There are only three routes to the top - the least traveled (and most difficult, and beautiful) of which is the Western Breach, a 1,000 meter steep scramble from camp at 4,900 m (Arrow Glacier Camp) to the crater rim, then another hour onward to the summit. The other two routes to the top; Marangu and Mweka, lead up the more gently (relatively) sloping east face, trudging through scree on thousands of switchbacks. These latter two receive a high percentage of the foot traffic vs the Western Breach.
The normal way to climb Kilimanjaro is to have the last camp between 4600 to 4900 meters and do an overnight ascent to the summit on one of these three routes, leaving camp at about midnight, and making for a 12-17 hour trekking day….part of why Kilimanjaro has such a reputation! The option is to trek up the Western Breach to the summit during daylight hours and camp in the crater (at 18,750 ft (5,715 m). The overnight at crater camp does make the climb significantly more costly, but success rates for reaching the summit are significantly higher! You can use this if selling the Western Breach Wall…
The six approach routes are:
1. Umbwe Route- the most challenging route, both in terms of terrain and grade. Usually done via the Western Breach.
2. Machame Route- is the most popular camping route, and usually takes 6 days to the top, via the east facing Mweka route to the crater rim. It's also quite pretty and rugged. Better done in 7 days.
3. Lemosho Glades- starting from the west side, and begins very gently then ascends onto the great expanse of the Shira plateau, from 3,500m to 4,000 m. This route can ascend up either the Western Breach or the Mweka Route to the crater rim (which averages about 19,000 feet. The high point along the the crater rim is Uhuru Peak, at 19,340 feet (5895 Mt.). Treks from the Lemosho trailhead or Umbwe Gate must pay an extra fee to account for a forest department tax. Usually done in 8 or 9 days, with our without Crater Camp.
4. Rongai Route – An approach from the dry northeast (Kenya side), then into the Saddle, and up via the Marangu Route to the top. Best done in 7 or 8 days, to be able to experience the great saddle between Kibo and Mwenzi volcanoes.
5. Mweka Route – Used primarily as a descent route. Very direct (only 3 camps en route to the summit!). Not recommended for ascent.
6. Shira Route – This is in fact a road used for emergency rescue vehicles which can drive out on to the Shira Plateau. We prefer the Lemosho Glades route, as the acclimatization is more gradual.
Why it is worth spending a bit more money on your Kilimanjaro trek:
The motto "you get what you pay for", applies to all aspects of our Kilimanjaro climb service, beginning with the staff. Companies that pay their staff well not only attract the most experienced guides, but also demand higher standards of them. In taking care of our staff, we ensure that our climbers are being taken care of. We also ensure you that our porters have proper mountain footwear, clothing and sleeping gear. We also employ a permanent staff of core porters with certain duties they are trained meticulously on, including of course the cooks, waiters, campsite managers, first-aid carrier, and toilet crews.
Then, we simply have better camping equipment than other companies, and replace it more often. We retire our Mountain Hardwear Trango 3.1 mountain tents after two seasons of use...our new tents have zippers that work, are more weatherproof, etc... We use the best equipment available, from our own large customized dining tents, & toilet tents to backed chairs and dining tables, thick closed cell sleeping mats and customized ground sheets under the tents, then we offer high quality rental gear like oft-replaced synthetic sleeping bags, Gore-Tex outer wear, warm layers, trekking poles...everything.
Next, we provide safety equipment such as oxygen bottles, a hyperbaric chamber (on the treks which sleep in Crater Camp), and AED portable defibrillator (on the treks which sleep in Crater Camp), pulse oximeters, stretchers which convert into rigid litters, cell phones for all guides, VHF handheld radios and even satellite phones for emergency comms. Moreover, we have a team of guides who are trained in emergency medical response. Our head guides are all certified with the NOLS Wilderness First Responders training, an internationally recognized and accredited medical rescue training organization. These things you don't notice if everything goes well on the trek, but matter enormously if something goes wrong.
Lastly, our food, both in initial quality and preparation, is top notch. We have our own specially detailed menu for every trek, and annually we spend great energy training our cooks to prepare and provide safe, nutritious, tasty food to keep you going throughout your trek. Your expectations will be surpassed with what we can provide with only using gas cookers. |