The 3 best months for making the ascent up Kilimanjaro are February, July and August, followed by September, January, June and October.
Below we explore climbing Kilimanjaro month by month. If you are bored of reading just pick up the phone and call us.
January
Climbing Kilimanjaro in January is traditionally a great month to climb. It is warmer with less rain and cloud, however, there are more people on the mountain.
We highly recommend picking January as your month to head to Tanzania. Remember bad weather can hit at any time on the mountain and storms can roll in from the Indian ocean.
February
By far one of the best months to climb Kilimanjaro. You can climb right up until the end of the month. February on Kilimanjaro is warmer with less clouds and better weather conditions than most other months. With warm weather comes dusty dry camps and trails, and being prepared for this dry dust is important. If the winds pick up you will have clothes full of dust and possibly a lung full too.
We recommend bringing a regular buff that you can wear during the day in warmer conditions. We have had groups caught in the tail end of a cyclone in February and high wind on the summit night, so always be prepared for variable weather.
March
If you are thinking of climbing Kilimanjaro after mid March, think again. It can rain and snow every day on the mountain. Cloud covers Kilimanjaro in March and the mountain might not even be seen from the valley the whole month.
Climbing Kilimanjaro in March will definitely be more challenging with slippy rocks and wet clothing that is hard to dry out if the sun does not come out. Mountain views will be limited and snow higher up above Barafu, high camp 4,650m/ 15,255 feet, is a real possibility. There will be less people on the mountain.
April
Climb Kilimanjaro in April only if you are willing to brave wet conditions on the mountain. However you can get some amazing views if the clouds clear. With rain on the cards each and every day, not only do you risk thunder and lightning, but you risk getting wet and not drying out for the whole trip.
April is right in the middle of the rainy season of Kilimanjaro (mid March through May) and even though it can rain on any given day of the year on Kilimanjaro, April might test your limits of comfort. April will have less people climbing the mountain, with poor views, wet rock and not very interesting scenery on and off the mountain.
May
Over the past few years May has been a little dryer than normal, but traditionally May is one of the wetter months for climbing Kilimanjaro. We have had a mixed bag climbing Kilimanjaro in May and over the past number of years have decided against sending groups to climb Kilimanjaro in early May. We do run Kilimanjaro tours at the end of May. If you don’t mind the rain and want less people around on your climb this could be a month for you.
June
Rainy season can drift over into early June from time to time. June can be a little colder higher on the mountain, above 5,000m/16,400 feet. If you are considering climbing Kilimanjaro in June you will traditionally have dryer conditions, more people but not as much as other months like February, August and September.
It can be freezing or below freezing from your second night on the mountain, depending on what route you climb up Kilimanjaro.
If you are considering climbing in June you should have great views of the mountain and get to see some amazing sunrises and sunsets. Shira Camp 2, Barranco Camp and Karanga Camp can have stunning sunsets. We like climbing Kilimanjaro in June, you will have less people than in July and August.
July
You will find more people climbing Kilimanjaro in July for a wide range of reasons. Schools are off and people climb during this period as it suits their vacation plans. July is a great month to climb Kilimanjaro.
Yes, you will find more people on the mountain due to the better conditions you will find. The weather can be colder higher up, however the colder temps usually have great mountain views, less rain in the rain forest and all around good mountain climbing conditions.
August
Another one of our favourite months to climb Kilimanjaro. August can be dry and dusty on the trails so if the wind picks up you would need to use a light buff to keep dust from your face. Love this month to climb Kilimanjaro, great weather and usually less clouds impeding the mountain views.
August is traditionally one of the warmer months on the mountain. It can be a little colder on the western side of the mountain, but not enough to stop you from experiencing the Shira Plateau and Volcano.
September
Another of our favourite months to climb Kilimanjaro. You should see great weather warmer higher up above 5,000m/ 17,000 feet. There can be less or more people on the mountain in September but pick more days on your acclimatisation program (8 days) and you will let others race ahead and probably not make it to the summit.
The summit success rate is very low for climbing Kilimanjaro as only 50-60% of people make it to the summit each year. September is one of the busier times to climb Kilimanjaro, but great weather, dryer conditions and excellent mountain views make this a great month to climb.
October
October is also a good month to climb Kilimanjaro. It is warmer higher up. October can have more cloud cover towards the end of the month, keeping the sun off you, but impeding mountain views. It is more likely to have clear skies in the morning, the clouds can roll in early in the day and views of the mountain can be none existent.
The early part of October is a better time to climb. Traditionally October is one of the better months to climb Kilimanjaro and weather is usually quite stable.
November
Climbing Kilimanjaro in November can be challenging with more rain. November can be a mini rainy season and we do avoid climbing Kilimanjaro in November. Less stable weather patterns can hit the mountain in November. Therefore, you can experience rain every day for a short period of the day.
Poor mountain views, less visibility and more snow higher up can all impact your trip. Pictures higher up if it is clear and snowy will rival any mountain scene. However, remember that snow can happen in any month higher on the mountain above 5,000m/ 16,400 feet.
December
There is potential for climbing Kilimanjaro in December. More and more people are climbing Kilimanjaro at the beginning of December and over the Christmas period into early January.
We do conduct climbs each December to suit Christmas vacations climbing Kilimanjaro. We also think this is a good period of weather on the mountain. It can vary from year to year and is less stable than the good old reliable months which we have listed above.
