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how long does it take to climb kilimanjaro, If all the procedures and recommended precautions have to be followed, five days would be the minimum number of Days to reach the summit. The duration can go up to 10 days for no-experienced climbers or down to a single day if you want to break a record!
Mount Kilimanjaro is the World’s highest free-standing mountain. planning this mount is an adventure of a lifetime that you will never forget in your entire life.
Reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro has been a dream of most mountaineers and adventure lovers. Each year, thousands of tourists come from each part of the World to climb this iconic mountain. Mount Kilimanjaro peak is sometimes referred to as “The Roof of Africa”.
When planning for your lifetime adventure to the Roof of Africa, knowing how long does it takes to climb is very important in your planning process. In this article, You will learn about Mount Kilimanjaro routes and how long does it take to climb mount Kilimanjaro based on each route.
When planning for climbing mount Kilimanjaro, the term “Success Rate” will be introduced by most of the operators. When climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Success Rate means the possibilities for you to reach the summit measured in percentage. The higher rate means it is possible for you to reach the summit and vice versa means the possibilities are less.
There is a lot of factors that determine success rates on your hike to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Some of these factors include your health condition, Weather, your hiking experiences, and Kilimanjaro route selection.
Know your Success Rate is very important, especially in the planning process. Overall, All the factors mentioned above are frequently used to determine how long does it takes to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Mount Kilimanjaro Summit can be accessed through different routes. There are more than six known routes that can be used to reach the summit. So when asking about how long would it take to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, these routes should also be considered. This is because some of the routes can be used to reach the summit in fewer days than the other. Also, some of the routes need more technical climbing, and others need just an easy hike.
You can’t climb Mount Kilimanjaro using any unrecognized route. The routes are officially recognized by Mount Kilimanjaro National Park Authority (KINAPA). The advantage of having different routes is they provide alternative experiences on accending to the summit.
You will need a clear understanding of these routes in order to know the best route that might be perfect based on your preferences. Each route has its uniqueness. These routes differ in beauty, difficulty level, and the experience you might expect. More important, these routes differ in the number of days that you can use to reach the summit. This means if you don’t like to be a large population, then you need to who which route is for you. If you are a photographer and you want to get good photos of Kilimanjaro, again, you will need to know which route is for you.
Below are the most famous and popular Kilimanjaro routes.
Marangu Route
Marangu route is the most visited route compared to other routes. This is because it is the easiest route to ascend to the summit compared to other routes. For inexperienced climbers, the Marangu route would have a high Success Rate compared to other routes.
Also, the Marangu route is climbers’ favorite route for those who want to save their walled as it takes fewer days to reach the summit. This means fewer numbers of days implies reduced costs and fees.
This is the only route by which mountain climbers have a proper sleep on huts and it has the best rescue service.
The Marangu route is sometimes referred to as the “Coca Cola Route”!
How long does it take to climb mount Kilimanjaro through Marangu Route?
Well, the Marangu route can be used to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for 5 or 6 days depending on your preferences. The success rates to the summit are 45% in 5 Days and 55% for the 6 days option.
Machame Route
Machame route is located on the southern slope of Mount Kilimanjaro. It is the second popular route after the Marangu route. This route offers beautiful views, amazing landscapes as well as the best experience.
This is route is the best for mount climbers who need the taste of easy and some medium challenge hike as it offers some gentler ascent than Marangu Route.
How long does it Take to climb Kilimanjaro through Machame Route?
Machame route offers the highest success rates to reach the summit compared to that of the Marangu route. The minimum number of days that you can take to reach the summit is 6 Days with a success rate of 53%. This route also offers an option of 7 Days to climb mount Kilimanjaro with a success rate of 83%.
Umbwe Route
Umbwe route is the most challenging route on Kilimanjaro compared to other routes. It has fewer numbers of people and poor chances to reach the summit as there is no specific acclimatization schedule. This route is very short and very steep is mostly used by experienced climbers who are confident about their climbing ability.
6 Days and 7 Days are the known number of days that can be used to reach the summit. The later options have an additional day of acclimatization.
Success rates on this route are not well known due to its technical challenges. This route is not recommended to ordinary or beginner climbers.
Rongai Route
This is the only route that ascends to the summit from the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. This is a less crowded route compared to Marangu and Machame.
The Rongai Route can be used by climbers of all levels. In the rainy season, this route receives less rain compared to other routes making it the perfect choice.
How many days can you take to reach the summit?
Rongai route has two options, 6 days and 7 days. 6 Days has a success rate of 65% and 80% for a 7 Days duration.
Lemosho Route
Lemosho route approaches the Uhuru peak from the western part of Mount Kilimanjaro. This route has the highest success rate compared to other routes and It is highly recommended to climbers who are beginners.
How long does it take to climb Kilimanjaro through this route?
The minimum duration is 6 days with a success rate of 65%, but this route offers two more options with the highest success rate. Other alternatives are 7 days with 85% success rate and 8 days with a 95% success rate.
From the above list of mount Kilimanjaro routes, each route offers more than one option for climbing Kilimanjaro.
You will find that, in all Kilimanjaro routes, a second option with more number of days has the highest success rates compared it is corresponding a fewer days option. This is because mount Kilimanjaro climbing is not about fitness, it is all about acclimatization. Your body must be prepared to align with the weather of Mount Kilimanjaro. Without acclimatization, your chances of reaching the summit are highly limited, regardless of your fitness!
As a Tour Operator, we recommend our guests consider adding as many days as possible so as to increase their chances to reach the summit.
You should also have in mind that, this guide is a standard approach for mountain climbers of all levels, from beginners to experienced climbers. But it is absolutely possible to climbing mount Kilimanjaro within a single day, but this applies only to experienced climbers
