Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with Tailormade Africa
February 23, 2022
Altitude Sickness on Mount Kilimanjaro
February 23, 2022Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with Tailormade Africa
February 23, 2022Altitude Sickness on Mount Kilimanjaro
February 23, 2022
The weather on Kilimanjaro can be extreme at times, so we close our climbs during these periods, so rest assured you will only climb the mountain in the most manageable conditions.
Safety on Mount Kilimanjaro is obviously the priority for ourselves and our climb partners, the African Walking Company. Climbing Kilimanjaro in extremely adverse weather conditions is not a good idea and full respect should be given to the difficulty of climbing Kilimanjaro. The majority of the deaths on the mountain occur during periods of adverse weather, with people getting lost in freezing fog or dying of exposure and fatigue induced by extreme conditions.
For this reason, we close our group climbs during the periods of 01 April - 15 June and 01 November - 15 December. We do occasionally operate private treks during these periods, but only for very experienced mountain climbers and for military groups. Trekkers hitting the mountain in good weather conditions are up to 25% more likely to reach the summit. Treks in bad weather can suffer from deep mud on the lower forested sections, rain, drizzle and fog at medium altitude, snow and ice at higher altitudes. It would probably be fair to say that a trek during poor weather is roughly twice as difficult as during fine conditions.
Visitor traffic can become a real issue during peak season. The amount of people on the mountain varies enormously both throughout the year and through each week. Selecting the right route and changing your start date by just a single day can reduce the traffic you encounter.
It is important to realise that weather conditions vary considerably on different sides of the mountain. The northeast side experiences considerably clearer weather and lower rainfall than the southeast and particularly the southwest, making it possible for the Rongai Route to remain open during shoulder seasons when other routes are more seriously affected.
The Best Time of Year to Climb Kilimanjaro FAQs
Temperatures are reasonable, rainfall medium and sunny skies with not too much cloud cover. The visitor traffic is in medium numbers and all routes are open to choose from. It is a great time of year to climb Kilimanjaro.
MARCH - APRILTemperatures remain reasonable with an increasing chance of rain and snow and heavy cloud at lower altitudes. The visitor traffic during this period is pretty low as it really isn’t a great time to climb. Kili is hard enough without the added drama of rain and snow. Route wise, Rongai steps up as the shining pght as it is on the rain shadow side of the mountain. It can literally be raining on the opposite side and not on Rongai.
APRIL - JUNETemperatures are still good but now with high levels of rainfall, strong chances of snow and heavy cloud at lower altitudes. Virtually no-one climbs during this period so there is very low visitor traffic. We consider this time of year to be very difficult to climb and actually quite dangerous and would strongly advise against climbing.
JUNE-JULYIt starts to get very cold with good snow and ice on the summit, decreasing rainfall and the skies start to clear improving visibility. This is the start of climb season so it’s not empty and it’s not busy on the mountain for the most part. All routes offer good climb chances but again Rongai just about gives an edge.
JULY - END AUGUSTIt is not too much different to the previous month in that it remains very cold with snow and ice on the summit. As you move into the end of July and early August there is a lower rainfall and often clear skies. For these reasons, it gets quite busy on the mountain. It is a pretty good time of year to climb and all routes become great options.
SEPTEMBER - AUGUSTSeptember to August is the golden period of reasonable temperatures, low rainfall and more often than not, clear skies and good visibility. This period from around the middle of August through to the end of October is just fantastic. We should just add though that the mountain can throw any kind of weather at any time of the year!
END OCTOBER - MIDDLE DECEMBERTemperatures start decreasing on a speeding scale as you move to the end of this period with increased chances of rainfall and low visibility. You can imagine now that the climber numbers reduce as you move into the latter part of November and to an inevitable trickle by mid-December.
It has to be said that historically as you get to the back end of November the temperatures do fall off a cliff, rainfall increases and snowfall on the upper slopes is much more regular. Thunderstorms also come into play from time to time. This is the other period in which we consider Kili to be very difficult and dangerous to climb and we would again strongly advise against doing so.
Temperatures emains cool to cold, rainfall reduces but is still around along with snowfall and heavy clouds. People do still come through as a festive season challenge or to see in the new year with a real achievement and so it can be busy.
Mount Kilimanjaro has five major climate zones and the activity within each of these is controlled by the five factors of altitude, rainfall, temperature, flora and fauna. Each zone occupies a range of approximately 1000m of altitude and is subject to a corresponding decreases in rainfall, temperature, range and diversity of life forms as we move up the mountain.
LOWER SLOPES
Altitude: 800m to 1800m
Rainfall: 500mm to 1800mm
The southern lower slopes of Kilimanjaro contain ample evidence of human activity. The original scrub and lowland forest have been replaced by grazing land, cultivation and densely populated settlements fed by water permeating from the forest zone. The slopes were originally earmarked by the British and Germans as potential settlement areas due to the 'European' weather. These lush and fertile lands are in stark contrast to the northern slopes where low rainfall coupled with the porosity of the lava soils prohibits cultivation. There are none of the larger mammals in this zone but some of the smaller tree-dwelling mammals are numerous such as bushbabies, tree hyrax and genet.
FOREST
Altitude: 1800 to 2800m
Rainfall: 2000mm to the south and west and under 1000mm to north and east
The forest belt completely encircles Kilimanjaro and provides the best conditions for plant life. It serves as the water provider for all the lower slopes with up to 96% of all the water on the mountain originating from this zone and then percolating down through the porous lava rock to emerge as springs. The forest supports a variety of wildlife including several large mammals such as elephant and buffalo and in certain areas, it is compulsory to have an armed guide. Occasionally eland inhabits the upper fringes of the forest. Colobus and blue monkeys are common, along with bushbuck, duikers, leopard and bush-pig. The forest is often cloaked with a band of cloud, particularly between 2500m and 3000m. This cloud promotes high humidity and dampness year round. Whilst clear nights can get pretty cold, during the day temperatures rarely leave the range 15C to 20C.
HEATH & MOORLAND
Altitude: 2800m to 4000m
Rainfall: 1300mm at the edge of forest and 530mm the upper limit.
This semi-alpine zone is characterized by a heathland type of vegetation and abundant wildflowers. Lobelia deckenii, a species of flowering plant, and Senecio kilimanjarin, a giant groundsel, are endemic to the area and particularly striking. This zone does not support abundant wildlife due to its altitude but there have been sightings of hunting dog, buffalo, elephant and most commonly eland. The Shira plateau is even occasionally visited by lions. Smaller mammals are more common and support a few predators such as civets, servals and leopards.
HIGHLAND DESERT
Altitude: 4000m to 5000m
Rainfall: 250mm
The temperature of the Kilimanjaro semi-desert zone ranges from sub-zero at night to 30C during the day. Water is scarce and there is little soil to retain any moisture. There are only 55 recorded plant species that survive at this altitude. Lichens and tussock grasses are present in reasonable numbers, as are some mosses. But as the soil is subject to movement overnight as the ground water freezes, most root plants find life extremely hard. There are no resident larger animals in the desert, although eland, leopard, serval and hunting dog all pass through on occasion. Only a few birds can survive in this rarefied air and once again none are resident. Ravens and some large birds of prey will hunt during the day but head downhill with the sunset.
THE SUMMIT OF KILIMANJAROAltitude: 5000m - 5985m
Rainfall: under 100mm
An arctic zone characterized by freezing cold nights and a burning daytime sun. Oxygen levels are half that of sea level. There is minimal liquid surface water because of a combination of low rainfall and porous rock, and the bleak terrain supports minimal life forms. A few lichens grow, but only at a rate of about 1mm per year, so even the most unimpressive-looking spread is probably of venerable age. The highest recorded flowering plant was a Helichrysum newii at 5670m within the Kibo Crater but these are few and far between, as are sightings of mammals at this altitude.
