Kilimanjaro routes compared: Machame and Lemosho

In short

Seven routes lead up Kilimanjaro: Marangu, Machame, Lemosho, Shira, Rongai, Northern Circuit and Umbwe. All finish at Uhuru Peak at 5,895 m, the summit of the Kibo crater. Permanent huts exist only on the Marangu route; on the other 6 routes you sleep in tents. The most important difference is time: the more days you allow, the more room remains for acclimatisation, how your body adjusts to the altitude.

The seven routes at a glance

The park authority TANAPA lists eight gates for Kilimanjaro National Park and seven mountain routes to the summit. According to the authority, the ascent takes 5 to 9 days depending on the route; there is no fixed standard duration per route.

According to TANAPA, Mweka Gate is the descent gate for all routes except Marangu. Marangu is the only route where you come down the same way you went up.

• Marangu: the only route with permanent park huts.
• Machame: tent route from Machame Gate.
• Lemosho: tent route starting at Lemosho Gate.
• Shira: according to KINAPA, shares the western access with Lemosho via Londorosi.
• Rongai: tent route from Rongai Gate.
• Northern Circuit: leads via the north side of the mountain.
• Umbwe: tent route from Umbwe Gate.

A 2022 study of 1,237 hikers on several routes shows how long guests actually take: the median duration was 6 days on Marangu, 7 days on Machame, 8 days on Lemosho and 9 days via Londorosi. These are median values for this one study group, not requirements of the park authority.

Machame and Lemosho compared

Wildfinder offers both routes, and both are tent routes. They start at different gates: Machame at Machame Gate, Lemosho in the west via Londorosi. They meet at Barranco Camp at the latest and from there follow the same path to the summit; the descent on both is via Mweka Gate. The difference lies in the first few days.

Here you can see at which camps you spend each night with Wildfinder. The Machame Route takes 7 days with 6 nights, the Lemosho Route 8 days with 7 nights; the summit night starts at Barafu Camp on both routes.

Two studies show as examples how different the first days can be. On a 7-day trek via Machame (Pirenne and colleagues 2004), the group climbed from Machame Gate at 1,800 m to 3,840 m for the second night, then on the third day up to 4,630 m during the day and back down to 3,950 m to sleep, the altitude of Barranco Camp. The authors call this “walking high, sleeping low”. In the second study, also a 7-day trek via Lemosho (Limmer and Platen 2018), the group slept first at Mti Mkubwa Camp at 2,750 m and Shira 1 Camp at 3,510 m, then reached Barranco Camp. Such a sleep-low day can delay altitude sickness, but according to a small study (Meyer 2012) it does not protect against it. The WMS rule on sleeping altitude can be found further down.

According to the KINAPA anniversary publication (2023), Machame is the most used route, accounting for 40% of climbers, while Lemosho, Shira and Londorosi together account for 18%. Based on these shares, you can expect less traffic on Lemosho in the first days; from Barranco Camp at the latest you share the trail with the Machame groups. Both routes start in the mountain forest that surrounds Kilimanjaro between about 1,800 and 2,800 m. Lemosho passes Shira in the west, the oldest peak of the massif, which collapsed to form the Shira Plateau.

For both routes you need stamina for several long hiking days in a row and for the summit night; you do not need climbing skills. Good fitness does not protect you from altitude sickness: according to the CDC, training and fitness do not change the risk; what matters at altitude is the number of days and your sleeping altitude. Wildfinder rates Machame as demanding and Lemosho as moderate to demanding.

• Machame: suits you if you plan 7 days and the lower price matters; in return there is more traffic on the trail, and you gain more height in fewer days.
• Lemosho: suits you if you can plan one more day: 8 days, around 300 m less height gain from start to summit and less traffic in the first days, based on the KINAPA shares, but more expensive. The 2014 study does not prove that the extra day makes altitude sickness less frequent on these two routes, see the studies further down.

Hut or tent

Only on the Marangu route are there permanent park huts: Mandara Hut, Horombo Hut and Kibo Hut. On all other routes, according to TANAPA, you camp at established campsites with toilet facilities.

For porters, a park authority rule applies: a maximum of 25 kg per porter, including the porter’s own luggage. What belongs in your rucksack is in the packing list for Tanzania.

Why the number of days matters

Acclimatisation is how your body adapts to the lower oxygen levels at altitude. What matters is the sleeping altitude, the altitude at which you spend the night, not the highest point of the day.

The Wilderness Medical Society (WMS), a professional body for wilderness medicine, sets out the core rule as follows: above 3,000 m, your sleeping altitude should rise by no more than 500 m per day, with a rest day about every 3 to 4 days. The Yellow Book of the US health authority CDC names the same limit and adds: for every further 1,000 m of sleeping altitude gain, allow an additional acclimatisation day.

More days therefore mean gentler daily stages and room for rest days. KINAPA recommends allowing no fewer than 5 days for ascent and descent, expressly for the purpose of acclimatisation. The WMS classifies climbs under 7 days as high risk for altitude sickness.

Recognising altitude sickness

According to the WMS, acute mountain sickness (AMS) is marked by a headache plus at least one further symptom: nausea or vomiting, fatigue or dizziness. Two forms are dangerous. High-altitude cerebral oedema (HACE) is signalled by worsening AMS symptoms, along with unsteady gait, severe lethargy and confusion. For high-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE), the CDC names as early signs chest tightness, coughing, disproportionate shortness of breath on exertion and declining performance; later, shortness of breath at rest, possibly with bloody sputum.

Report any symptoms to your guide immediately, even if they seem harmless. According to the WMS, the most effective countermeasure is descent; with signs of HACE or HAPE, you go down immediately.

A medicine can help prevent AMS: acetazolamide. The WMS recommends it for moderate to high risk. Whether it is an option for you is something to check with your doctor before you travel.

Drink enough, but do not force fluids. According to the WMS, excessive fluid intake does not prevent altitude sickness and can dangerously lower the sodium level in the blood. Dehydration can also produce symptoms that resemble AMS. More on this is in the chapter on altitude sickness in the CDC Yellow Book.

What studies say about summit success

First a caveat: the studies cannot be directly compared with each other. Diagnostic criteria, the use of acetazolamide and the composition of the groups differ, as the authors themselves point out.

• 2009, Marangu, 181 participants, Davies and colleagues: summit success was 61.3%. On summit day, 90% of hikers in the 4-day profile developed AMS symptoms, in the 5-day profile 71%.
• 2014, Machame compared with Lemosho, data from 917 guests of a single operator, Eigenberger and colleagues: AMS in 69% and 72% respectively. No robust difference was found. Summit success in this group was only 29.4%. 2 additional ascent days did not measurably reduce the AMS rate.
• 2016, Rongai, 6 days, 175 participants, Lawrence and Reid: AMS in 52.6%, summit success 88%.
• 2022, several routes, 1,237 hikers, Croughs and colleagues: 8.6% showed severe altitude sickness symptoms, 1.1% had to go to hospital, 87.9% reached the summit.

The figures vary widely and say more about the group studied than about your tour. One thing is clear: symptoms of altitude sickness are common on Kilimanjaro; severe cases were rare in the large 2022 cohort.

Which route suits you

Simple conclusions can be drawn from these facts.

• You have little time: bear in mind the WMS risk classification for short tours mentioned above. Every additional day lowers the daily altitude gain.
• You want a permanent hut instead of a tent: then Marangu is your only option.
• You want plenty of time to acclimatise: the longest study durations in the overview above were on Lemosho and the route via Londorosi.
• You are undecided between Machame and Lemosho: the comparison of the two routes shows duration, price, altitude profile and the difference your fitness makes.
• You are travelling with a child under 10: the park rule only allows the ascent up to 3,700 m. The summit is therefore ruled out, but a visit to the park is not.

Talk to the team in Arusha about which variant suits the number of days you have and your fitness. Your guide will pick you up at Kilimanjaro Airport and take you to the start of the route. Durations and prices of Wildfinder’s tours are on the Kilimanjaro Climb page. For advice on when to go, read the guide best time to visit Tanzania.

Park authority fees

The following figures come from the official TANAPA tariff document. The cover page states the period 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024; TANAPA has not published a newer version so far, and the tariff remains valid according to Wildfinder.

• Conservation Fee, the park fee: 70 USD per person per day for adults aged 16 and over, 20 USD for children aged 5 to 15. Children under 5 pay nothing.
• Hut fee on the Marangu route: 60 USD per night, children 20 USD.
• Camping fee on the other routes: 50 USD per night, children 10 USD.
• Rescue Fee, the contribution for rescue operations: 20 USD per person per climb, non-refundable. It applies to Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru.

All the fees mentioned exclude 18% VAT.

As of: October 2026. Park authority tariffs and fees may change.

Frequently asked questions about the Kilimanjaro routes