When to Climb

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 cloud 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.

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. There will be less people on the mountain.

Climb Kilimanjaro in April only if you are willing to brave wet conditions on the mountain. Climbing Kilimanjaro in April can give you 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 rainy season of Kilimanjaro and even though it can rain on any given day of the year on Kilimanjaro, April might test your limits of comfort.

May is one of the wetter months for climbing Kilimanjaro. If you don’t mind the rain and want less people around on your climb this could be a month for you.

Rainy season can drift over into early June from time to time. June can be a little colder higher on the mountain. 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.

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. 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.

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 cloud impeding the mountain views. August is traditionally one of the warmer months on the mountain. It can be a litter colder on the western side of the mountain, but not enough to stop you from experiencing the Shira Plateau and Volcano.

You should see great weather warmer higher up above 5,000m. There can be less or more people on the mountain in September but pick more days on your acclimatization program and you will let others race ahead and probably not make it to the summit. 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 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.

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.

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. It can vary from year to year and less stable than the good old reliable months which we have listed.