Plan your safari
Trekker on the trail toward Kibo, the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro: Africa’s highest peak, a snow-capped volcano rising alone from the plains.

Plan your safari Highlights

At 5,895 meters (19,341 feet), Mount Kilimanjaro rises above northern Tanzania. In fact, it is Africa’s highest mountain and the tallest free-standing mountain on earth. A dormant volcano of three cones (Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira), it carries its famous glaciers just three degrees south of the equator.

Climbing to Uhuru Peak is a bucket-list trek that needs no technical skill, but the mountain rewards non-climbers too. Its snows float above the acacia plains of Amboseli and the coffee farms of the Chagga homeland, and Kilimanjaro National Park protects everything above the cultivated foothills: a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

Highlights of Mount Kilimanjaro

Five climate zones

In particular, one climb passes from rainforest through heather, moorland and alpine desert to arctic summit ice.

Uhuru Peak: 5,895m

The roof of Africa, reached at sunrise after a starlit summit night.

See Kilimanjaro trekking →

The Chagga foothills

Coffee farms, waterfalls and village life on the mountain’s fertile lower slopes, Evance’s home ground.

See people & culture →

The classic view

Elephants beneath the snows, photographed best from Amboseli, across the Kenyan border.

See Amboseli →

Best time to climb Kilimanjaro

Jan–Mar

Warm, clear and quieter on the routes, with a chance of fresh summit snow.

Jun–Oct

The long dry season: the most popular and reliable climbing window.

Planning & cost

Safari cost

Priced to your budget, and built around your camps, the season and how you like to travel. There are no fixed packages.

How we travel

Of course, we design every journey privately, with private guides and vehicles arranged where specified, the finest lodges, and a specialist on call throughout. At fly-in camps, game drives may be shared unless a private vehicle is reserved.

Climbing it, or simply seeing it

Most climbers choose a route of seven or eight days, because time to acclimatize is what gets people to the summit. Longer routes such as the Lemosho approach from the west allow a gradual ascent, and our Lemosho route itinerary shows how the days fall. Every climb is led by licensed mountain guides with a porter team, and summit night starts around midnight to reach Uhuru Peak near sunrise. Our Kilimanjaro trekking page covers the routes in detail.

However, you do not need to climb to enjoy the mountain. For example, on the lower slopes around Moshi, Chagga families grow coffee and bananas in shaded home gardens, and a day in the foothills can include a coffee farm, a waterfall walk and a village lunch. Evance is Chagga and grew up on these slopes, so this is the part of Tanzania we know most personally.

Kilimanjaro also pairs naturally with a safari. Kilimanjaro International Airport is the gateway to northern Tanzania, so a climb can finish in Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, or with a few days on Zanzibar.

Practical details,
in one place

Money, health, connectivity and packing work the same way on every safari we plan, so they live in one place rather than on every page.

Mount Kilimanjaro FAQs

5,895 meters / 19,341 feet at Uhuru Peak on the Kibo crater rim. It is the highest point in Africa and the top of the world’s tallest free-standing mountain.

Yes. The classic postcard view (elephants under the snows) is from Amboseli in Kenya, and clear mornings in Arusha and Moshi reveal the summit. Also, day hikes on the lower slopes visit waterfalls and Chagga coffee farms.

Yes. Glaciers and seasonal snow still crown the summit, though the ice has retreated significantly over the past century. Still, it remains one of the most remarkable sights in Africa.

It is a high-altitude trek, not a technical climb, so fitness and acclimatization matter most. Even so, on the right route with enough days (seven or more), success rates are excellent.

Getting to Tanzania: flights, visas and health

Correct when we wrote it. Before you travel, we check every requirement for your exact route and tell you what to apply for and when.

AirportsKilimanjaro International (JRO) for the northern circuit, Julius Nyerere, Dar es Salaam (DAR) for the south, and Zanzibar (ZNZ) for the islands. Bush flights to the camps leave from Arusha Airport (ARK) and the park airstrips.
Getting thereNo nonstop from the US: connect once through Amsterdam (KLM), Doha (Qatar), Istanbul (Turkish) or Addis Ababa (Ethiopian). Plan on 18–24 hours door to door.
Visa: US citizensUS citizens need the multiple-entry e-visa (about $100), applied for online before travel. Allow two to four weeks. Apply only at the official portal: visa.immigration.go.tz.
HealthYellow fever certificate required only if you arrive from a country where the disease is present; a layover over twelve hours in one can count. Malaria prophylaxis is advised for all safari areas. Country guidance: CDC Travelers’ Health.
PassportSix months’ validity beyond your return date, with at least two blank pages. Travel insurance including medical evacuation is required on every journey we plan. Tanzania also requires one applicable mandatory inbound insurance policy (USD 44), determined by your first point of entry; see our inbound insurance guide.
Full flight guidePlan your safari

Plan your Kilimanjaro climb.

Mount Kilimanjaro is best climbed with time to spare and a route chosen for acclimatization.

Tell us how you like to travel and start with a complimentary consultation.

Plan your safari

For official park rules, fees and opening hours, see Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA).