Northern Circuit Route

The Northern Circuit route is one of the best routes on Kilimanjaro, offering nearly 360 degrees of beautiful scenery including the quiet, rarely visited northern slopes. As the longest route on Kilimanjaro, a nine-day trip initially ascending the Lemosho route on the western side of the mountain up onto the Shira Plateau before reaching the Lava Tower, then heading north and navigating the main summit massif in a clockwise direction and joining up with the Rongai route.

The Northern Circuit Route begins at Londorossi Gate (2,100 meters) in the West, the same start point as the Lemosho Route. The drive to Londorossi Gate takes approximately two hours from Moshi and considerably longer from Arusha. Registration with the Kilimanjaro National Park authorities occurs at the gate and then you will be driven further up the mountain to the trailhead starting point. Most tour operators serve lunch here before the short first day trek to MtiMkubwa Camp (2,785 meters) begins. The Northern Circuit route has one of the highest success rates of all Kilimanjaro routes. Success rates are high for this route because it allows for the longest period of acclimatization.

You may get lucky and spot large wildlife like elephants and buffalo that sometimes emerge from the rainforest onto the path as you trek towards your first camp. Dinner will be served when you reach MtiMkubwa Camp. The Northern Circuit also has the most acclimatization time and the highest summit success rate. Thus, the Northern Circuit route is highly recommended.

The route circles around the quieter northern slopes to the east side of the mountain.The northern circuit route is one of the less popular routes because of its length. It is longer than the other trails on Kilimanjaro, taking a minimum of eight days to complete, with many tour operators offering a nine-day trek.The only issue with hiking the Northern circuit route is that it requires a bit of extra time, something that few travelers have. While most of the other routes can be done in as few as six or seven days, the Northern Circuit route often requires as many as nine or more. That often limits the number of people who can work this trail into their schedule, although those that do will find that it is completely worth it.