This page gives the approach side, the gate, the camps and their altitudes, so you can picture the week before you pick it.

What the park authority itself publishes

The park authority states that six mountain trails lead to the summit, "each route offering different attractions and challenges". Its visitor guide names the gates: main gates at Marangu, Machame, Lemosho (via Londorossi) and Rongai in the north, with "Mweka Gate is used for descent". The authority's own count of six trails and its own list of four ascent gates plus Mweka for descent were both read on 2026-09-26 and they are recorded here as they stand. On sleeping arrangements it states that "Marangu Route uses alpine huts (Mandara, Horombo, Kibo)" and that other routes "are serviced by designated tented camps run by licensed operators". It also states the rule that removes one option entirely: "All climbs must be guided by a licensed operator; solo trekking is not permitted." The authority's own per-route activity page returned only "Loading activity details..." when it was fetched on 2026-09-26, so the route detail below is the operator's own description, read the same day.

The western approach

Lemosho comes in from the western slopes, crosses the Shira Plateau and joins the Southern Circuit for the summit. Its first day runs from Lemosho Gate at 2,100 m to Mti Mkubwa at 2,650 m over 6 km, then 8 km to Shira 1 at 3,500 m. The operator states the route was opened in the early 2000s to relieve foot traffic on the Machame side, and gives the seven-day trail distance as roughly 70 km against roughly 62 km for the seven-day Machame. The Northern Circuit, which the operator states opened in 2014, starts on the same side, breaks away at Lava Tower and traces a wide arc across the northern slopes, at roughly 90 km of trail, with camps at Moir Hut 4,200 m, Buffalo Camp, Third Cave Camp and School Hut 4,750 m.

The southern approaches

Machame climbs from Machame Gate at 1,800 m to Machame Camp at 3,000 m, then Shira Camp at 3,840 m. Its eight-day version adds an acclimatisation day at Moir Hut, 4,200 m, with an afternoon hike toward the Lent Hills; the seven-day version compresses two days into one long day from Shira to Barranco by way of Lava Tower. The operator calls Umbwe "the shortest and steepest route on Kilimanjaro"; it gains roughly 1,300 m on the first day alone, from Umbwe Gate at 1,640 m to Umbwe Cave Camp at 2,850 m. The operator restricts it to climbers who have summited a 4,000 m peak before.

The eastern and northern approaches

Marangu sleeps in huts, at Mandara 2,700 m, Horombo 3,720 m and Kibo 4,703 m, uses the same trail up and down, and summits by way of Gilman's Point. The operator describes Rongai as "Kilimanjaro's only northern approach", climbing from dry forest near the Kenya border up the leeward side: Simba Camp 2,650 m, Second Cave 3,450 m, Kikelewa 3,600 m, Mawenzi Tarn 4,330 m, then Kibo Hut at 4,703 m across the Saddle between the two peaks. It joins the Marangu route near Kibo Hut for the summit push and descends that way.

The shape that does the acclimatising

On the western and southern routes the acclimatisation work happens between Lava Tower and Barranco, where you walk high and sleep lower, a segment the operator gives as 6 to 8 hours with a net elevation loss of about 800 m. The Karanga to Barafu leg is 4 to 5 hours and roughly 640 m of gain, from Karanga at 4,035 m to Barafu at 4,673 m. Lemosho and Machame meet at the foot of Lava Tower and share the Southern Circuit to Barafu and Stella Point from there. The medical authorities set their acclimatisation rules in metres of sleeping-altitude gain per night rather than by route name.

Camp altitudes worth checking before you book

The operator's own pages give Barafu Camp as 4,673 m, 4,670 m, 4,600 m and about 4,650 m; Kibo Hut as 4,703 m, 4,700 m and 4,740 m; and Barranco Camp as both 3,950 m and 3,800 m. The stated net loss of about 800 m from Lava Tower at 4,600 m fits the 3,800 m figure and not the 3,950 m one. That matters because an itinerary is planned from camp altitudes.

Where to go next

For difficulty, crowding, price and the operator's recommendation per route, read the comparison page: https://gokilimanjarotreks.com/compare-routes

Sources