best time to climb mountain Kilimanjaro

One of the key planning decisions you will need to make is when to climb Kilimanjaro. There are three main things to consider when deciding when is the best time to climb Kilimanjaro. The weather, of course, is always the most important consideration. Being near the equator, Kilimanjaro has no hot and cold season but it does have two rainy seasons: the long rainy season in April and May and the short rainy season in November to mid December. You can still climb in the rainy season but there is likely to be some rain every day, often in short sharp downpours. The period with the greatest weather stability when it is mostly warm clear weather is June to October.

Kilimanjaro is a very popular destination and the mountain can tend to be rather crowded, particularly at certain times of the year. The second consideration then is how busy the mountain will be. Inevitably June to October is busier than at other times in the year. To minimise this problem during these months we generally start our treks away from the weekend and ensure that we get started early every day to get ahead of the crowds.

Finally you should look at the cost of your flights. Flight prices can tend to vary quite a lot, both at different times of the year but also depending on the day of the week. The main summer holiday period in Europe always tends to be particularly expensive.

And of course climbing Kilimanjaro in the full moon is magical any time of year so check out the dates with us for the best time to climb mountain kilimanjar0