The most successful route on Mt. Kilimanjaro and one of the most beautiful, the Northern circuit route ascends the mountain from the West taking the same trail as the Lemosho route until it makes a turn at the Lava tower to the rarely trekked Northern slopes.
It is the longest route (98km long) with the best acclimatization possibilities leading to the highest summit success rates on Kilimanjaro.
It is one of the newer routes, so it is less crowded and a less popular route because it is the costliest to climb. Nevertheless, it is highly recommended to the less experienced mountain climbers even those with zero experience as it is considered one of the “easier” routes because it gives travelers plenty of time to acclimatize and adapt to the high altitude.
Keep in mind that there’s no easy route on Kilimanjaro. They have different difficulty levels/challenges. So metal toughness and physical fitness is important for one to be able to make it to the summit.
The distance of the Northern circuit route is 98km and it takes you through beautiful Northern slopes summiting the peak from the East. The ascent starts from Londorossi gate in the West and descends to Mweka gate in the South.
Your 9 days on the Northern Circuit Route:
- Day 1: Londorossi gate to Mti Mkubwa (2,360 – 2,895m)
- Day 2: Mti Mkubwa to Shira 1 camp (2,895 – 3,505m)
- Day 3: Shira 1 camp to Shira 2 camp (3,505 – 3,810m)
- Day 4: Sira 2 camp to Lava tower (3,810 – 4,630m), Lava tower to Moir hut (4,630 – 4,200m)
- Day 5: Moir hut to Buffalo camp (4,200 – 4,020m)
- Day 6: Buffalo camp to Third cave (4,020 – 3,870m)
- Day 7: Third cave to School hut (3,870 – 4,750m)
- Day 8: School hut to Uhuru peak-summit (4,750 – 5,895m), Uhuru peak to Mweka camp (5,895 – 3,068m)
- Day 9: Mweka camp to Mweka gate (3,068 – 1,640m)
If you have enough time on your hands and you are looking for a healthy mountain climbing challenge, them the Northern circuit route on Mt. Kilimanjaro awaits you to take on the challenge and conquer the tallest mountain on the African continent and reach the 3rd highest point in the world, Uhuru peak (5,895 meters above seas level).
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