The only route from the north, on the drier side of the mountain. Quieter than the southern routes, and a good choice in the rainy months.
Private climb1 / 4
Overview
The northern side of Kilimanjaro gets less rain than the south, so Rongai is the route we suggest if your dates fall in the wetter months, from March to May or in November. It's also quieter than Machame, with a gentle gradient for most of the way up.
You go up from the north and come down the Marangu path on the south-east, so you see two sides of the mountain.
The trade: the first days are less varied than on the western and southern routes, there are fewer chances to climb high and sleep low than on Lemosho or Machame, and the drive to the start is longer. Summit night from Kibo Hut is a steep, loose scree climb.
Highlights
The drier sideLess rain than the southern routes, which matters most in the rainy months.
Fewer climbersQuieter than Machame, especially in the first days.
A night at Mawenzi TarnA camp beneath the mountain's second peak.
Two sides of the mountainUp from the north, down the Marangu path on the south-east.
Itinerary
Altitudes are approximate, and walking times depend on the weather and the group's pace.
These are examples, and every journey can use any of them. Final choice depends on availability on your dates.
Met at Kilimanjaro International Airport and driven to your hotel in Arusha. In the evening your lead guide checks your kit, briefs you on the climb and answers any last questions.
Meal plan: B&BB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
At 5,895 m Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain, and every route to the top is a long walk with no technical climbing. The trails pass through rainforest, heath and moorland, and alpine desert before the summit zone.
Today
A drive round to the northern side, near the Kenyan border. Register at Rongai Gate, about 1,950 m, then a gentle walk through farmland and forest.
Day 2 | Accommodation
Overnight: Simba Camp, 2,625 m
Meal plan: Full boardB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
Simba Camp, 2,625 m
About Kilimanjaro
At 5,895 m Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain, and every route to the top is a long walk with no technical climbing. The trails pass through rainforest, heath and moorland, and alpine desert before the summit zone.
Today
Steady climbing onto open moorland, with Kibo ahead of you.
Day 3 | Accommodation
Overnight: Second Cave, 3,450 m
Meal plan: Full boardB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
Second Cave, 3,450 m
About Kilimanjaro
At 5,895 m Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain, and every route to the top is a long walk with no technical climbing. The trails pass through rainforest, heath and moorland, and alpine desert before the summit zone.
Today
Off the main trail and across quiet heath towards Mawenzi.
Day 4 | Accommodation
Overnight: Kikelewa Camp, 3,600 m
Meal plan: Full boardB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
Kikelewa Camp, 3,600 m
About Kilimanjaro
At 5,895 m Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain, and every route to the top is a long walk with no technical climbing. The trails pass through rainforest, heath and moorland, and alpine desert before the summit zone.
Today
A short, steep climb to a camp beneath Mawenzi's peaks. An afternoon walk higher up, then back down to sleep, helps you adjust.
Day 5 | Accommodation
Overnight: Mawenzi Tarn, 4,330 m
Meal plan: Full boardB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
Mawenzi Tarn, 4,330 m
About Kilimanjaro
At 5,895 m Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain, and every route to the top is a long walk with no technical climbing. The trails pass through rainforest, heath and moorland, and alpine desert before the summit zone.
Today
Across the bare saddle between Mawenzi and Kibo to base camp. Early dinner and an early night before summit night.
Day 6 | Accommodation
Overnight: Kibo Hut, 4,703 m
Meal plan: Full boardB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
Kibo Hut, 4,703 m
About Kilimanjaro
At 5,895 m Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain, and every route to the top is a long walk with no technical climbing. The trails pass through rainforest, heath and moorland, and alpine desert before the summit zone.
Today
Leave around midnight up steep scree to Gilman's Point on the crater rim, about 5,685 m, then on round the rim to Uhuru Peak. Down the Marangu side to Horombo: a very long day.
Day 7 | Accommodation
Overnight: Horombo Hut, 3,720 m
Meal plan: Full boardB&B: breakfast only. Half board: breakfast and dinner. Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner (on safari, lunch is often a picnic in the park).
Horombo Hut, 3,720 m
About Kilimanjaro
At 5,895 m Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain, and every route to the top is a long walk with no technical climbing. The trails pass through rainforest, heath and moorland, and alpine desert before the summit zone.
Today
Down through the forest to the gate, where you collect your certificate. Then the transfer to Kilimanjaro airport for an evening flight, or to a hotel if you have added a night.
Price
One guide price per person, confirmed for your dates.
Guide price
$2,442
per person
Based on 2 people sharing in low season. Your exact price depends on dates, group size and lodges, and is confirmed in writing before you book.
What your price covers, and what to budget for separately.
Included
Every Kilimanjaro park, camping and rescue fee, paid by us in advance. They are the largest single part of what a climb costs.
Tents and sleeping mats, and every meal on the mountain, cooked by your crew.
Licensed mountain guides, assistant guides, porters and a cook, from the gate to the summit and back.
Taken from your hotel to the start gate, and collected from the finishing gate at the end.
Treated drinking water every day on the mountain, so you never carry more than a day's worth.
Not included
International flights. Flights to and from Tanzania are booked by you. We will suggest arrival and departure times that fit the trip.
Visa. Paid by you, usually online before you travel. Visa information
Travel insurance. A condition of climbing with us. It must cover trekking to 6,000 m, medical treatment and emergency evacuation.
Tips. Tips for the crew, with recommended amounts for each role given in writing before you climb. How tipping works
Personal spending. Personal kit such as a sleeping bag, boots and poles (most of it can be hired in Arusha or Moshi), drinks off the mountain and souvenirs.
Packing
Warm layers for nights below freezing, a good sleeping bag, and boots you have already walked in. Most kit can be hired in Arusha or Moshi; boots are the exception.
Most nationalities need a visa: $50 for a single entry. US citizens pay $100 for a multiple-entry visa. Apply online before you travel to avoid the queue on arrival. Fees and rules change, so check with the Tanzanian embassy in your country.
No. Every route is a trek: long, steep walking at altitude, with no ropes or technical climbing. What you do need is the fitness to walk for several hours on consecutive days.
You come down with a guide, and anyone else in your group carries on with the others. Turning back is safety, not failure: the mountain will still be there, and nobody is ever pushed on against their guide's judgement.
Yes, in Arusha or Moshi. Sleeping bags, down jackets, trekking poles and more can all be hired, so you don't have to fly them in. Boots are the exception: bring your own, already broken in.
Tips are a real part of the crew's income on Kilimanjaro. We give you recommended amounts for each role in writing before you climb, so there is no guessing on the last day, and the tips go directly to each crew member.
Yes. Climb first, then go on safari or to the coast: your legs get a rest in the vehicle or on the beach, and you're not carrying safari fatigue up the mountain.
Quick enquiry
Ask about this journey
Send us a few details and a person on the team will reply personally, not a template.
Where to go next
The other routes, and what to add once you're down.
Private climb1 / 4
