Kilimanjaro Route Map - Topi Adventure

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Kilimanjaro Route Map and highlights

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is the best and affordable tour, this page is trying to give you some useful guidelines on route selection before attempting Kilimanjaro Mountain. Please go through the guidelines and choose the best route to climb Kilimanjaro then, tell us when you would like to do the Kilimanjaro climbing.

Climb Kilimanjaro Marangu (Coca Cola route)

  • Kilimanjaro climb – Marangu route 6 Days Itinerary & Prices
  • Kilimanjaro climb – Marangu route 5 Days Itinerary & Prices

Named Coca-Cola route” Marangu route is considered to be the easiest route” just like to drink a Coca-Cola but the route has experience high failure rate due to pure preparation & untimely climb in regard of being easy. It is a common and oldest trekking route well established with huts like dormitory style accommodation. The route has gradual slope and it is always crowded in comparison with other routes.

The route can at least take 5 days to climb, but the chance of reaching to the top with that time frame is not very high, hence recommend one additional day for acclimatization at Horombo.

Apart from its enormous popularity, Marangu route is not much recommended because it has a least and un diversified scenery in regard to others, furthermore it is the same path in ascent and descent and much crowded all the time. We do recommend Marangu during the rainy season as climbers can stay in huts accommodation and avoid camping in a wet ground. All in all Marangu route takes you to the summit of Kilimanjaro Mountain. Please see 5 days & 6 days’ itinerary.

Climb Kilimanjaro Machame (“Whiskey”) Route

  • Kilimanjaro climb – Machame Route 7 Days Itinerary & Prices
  • Kilimanjaro climb – Machame route 6 Days Itinerary & prices

Called “Whiskey” route, Machame route has become a number one (crowed) route among trekkers in comparison with Marangu, the route is steeper and days of climbing are longer. This route is thought to be tough and it is appropriate for those who seek more adventurous and experience. Hiking experience and physical fitness does matter when taking this route. The route is endowed with beautiful scenery varied as you go up, however, its splendor is somehow losing when there is heavy crowd.

This route takes a minimum number of 6 days but we may recommend 7 days.

 

Climb Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route

  • Kilimanjaro climb – Lemosho Route 7 Days Itinerary & Prices
  • Kilimanjaro climb – Lemosho Route 8 Days Itinerary & Prices

This is a new route on this mountain starts in the west side of the Mountain basically, the route interconnecting Shira plateau just like Machame route, from shira plateau the route crosses Shira ridge and then goes to Shira camp. Climbers meet fewer people until the route reaching its junction with Machame route. Then Lemosho tracks in the same trial up to Laver Tower, Barranco and Barafu called Southern circuit

Climbing on this route for 6 days, 7 days or 8 days can be perfect.

Among the routes of Kilimanjaro Lemosho has revealed to be the best and beautiful route of all (but a bit harder), furnished with great views of different sides of Kilimanjaro Mountain. The route has medium traffic, great view and the rate of attain the summit is high hence being the favorite to many. We highly recommend this route and we have a good number of our clients who using Lemosho.

Climb Kilimanjaro Rongai Route

  • Kilimanjaro climb – Rongai Route 6 Days Itinerary & Prices
  • Kilimanjaro climb – Rongai Route 6 Days Itinerary & Prices

Rongai route is emanating from the Northern side of Kilimanjaro near the Kenyan border, it is the only route on the north and it is an alternative route for climbers who want to avoid the crowding Marangu route and who prefer hiking along the remote areas, the route has less crowd and it is becoming popular. This is an ideal route for climbers who climb Kilimanjaro during the rainy season as it reserves less precipitation throughout the year.

Rongai route require a minimum number of 6 days but one addition day is recommended

The route does not offer varieties of scenery as the western routes but its remoteness and wild in- between before union Marangu route and Kibo Camp is compensating that. Rongai route is reasonably tough but recommended greatly particularly by the less back packing experience.

Climb Kilimanjaro Umbwe Route

Umbwe route is the most inspiring and difficult route of all when it comes to Kilimanjaro climb, the route is more direct, steep and short. The route does not offer basic steps for altitude adaptation due to its fast ascending. You can experience a very low traffic in this route and the chance of reaching to the top is also low.

Minimal climbing days via this route is six, yet the seventh day is recommended for those who opt to use this route

The Western Breach route and Crater Camp

Uhuru peak can as well be climbed from the west side, named Western Breach.

Ascent 2,800 ft (850 m)  in a vigorous Western Breach about 1.25 miles (2 km) this a scrambling as one needs to us both hands and feet in some points. The path is gorgeous but challenging as one has to pass through the rocky in a steep slope. The route was popular among climbers climbing by Machame, Shira, Lemosho and Umbwe routes until an incident of rock fall happened in January 2006 killed three climbers. The response of KINAPA on this was to close the Western Breach reute. However, Western Breach was re-opening in 2007, but the route is unpopular among Kilimanjaro operators and is thought to be unsafe.

Kibo’s Crater is close to Uhuru peak and it is known as Reutsch Crater 19,140 ft (5800 m) is the only left glaciers at Mount Kilimanjaro. The crater is superb and nearly circular with the ash pit measures a depth of 400 ft (120 m) and a width of 1,300 ft (400 m). Crater camp or rather a campsite is located here at 18,800 feet (5,750 m) some climbers spend a night here before attempting the summit. Sleeping in such high altitude is a risk especially when altitude acclimatization is not full experienced, severe AMS can develop. We don’t recommend an overnight at Crater camp for the safety of our clients and staff.

Kilimanjaro Climbing Shira Route

Apart from Lemosho route Shira also is on the west side of the mountain, these two routes are almost identical due to the fact that Lemosho is the correction of Shira route.  Shira was the original route dodges the walk to Shira camp and instead drives climbers to Shira gate whilst Lemosho route begins at Londorossi gate and walk along the rain forest to shira 1 camp. Trekkers starts their first day on Kilimanjaro Mountain by hiking up to 11,800 feet (3,600 m) and the first night usually spent at the same altitude at Simba Camp. From there the route joins Lemosho route and tracking by the southern circuit route.

Despite of its diversified landscape and beauty Shira’s starting point is at a high altitude hence Lemosho been recommended most. The first day of climbing, climbers can possibly acknowledge symptoms associated with altitude brought by failed acclimatization. self-assured of ability to easy acclimatize has to be experienced by climbers using Shira route.

Emmanuel Kimaro

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