The Rongai route

Rongai is the only route that climbs Kilimanjaro from the north, on the side that faces Kenya, and it has a different feel from all the others. Because the northern slopes sit in the mountain’s rain shadow they are noticeably drier, which makes Rongai a good choice in the wet seasons and gives it a quieter, more remote, wilderness character. The gradients are gentle and the crowds thin, and the approach across the northern moorland is genuinely wild country.

A trekker's own footage of the Rongai route, including the walk into Mawenzi Tarn's rocky cirque beneath the jagged Mawenzi peak.

It is a camping route, and it does not finish where it starts: Rongai climbs the north side to Kibo Hut, joins the eastern trail there, summits via Gilman’s Point, and then descends the Marangu side to the south-east. So it is really a traverse of the mountain (up one side and down another) which many people like, as you see more of the mountain and never retrace your steps until the very top. This section describes Rongai’s own northern stages; the summit day and descent are shared with Marangu and are linked from the last stage.

We present Rongai as a seven-day climb, with an acclimatization day at the beautiful Mawenzi Tarn beneath the spires of Mawenzi, a spectacular place to spend an extra day and a real boost to your acclimatization. The six-day version drops that day and is the minimum. As always on this mountain, the extra day is worth it; the planning chapter explains why.