The Northern Circuit route on Kilimanjaro – a detailed day-by-day description

The Northern Circuit route is the longest and newest of the seven Kilimanjaro routes. It's one of the best Kilimanjaro routes because it lets you acclimatise well and so most of its hikers actually make it to the summit! It also offers stunning views and varied views, has a comparatively relaxed pace, and takes you away from the crowds even in peak seasons.

The Northern Circuit begins on the western slope of Kilimanjaro. You actually follow the same first couple of days as the Lemosho route, which involves trekking through beautiful rainforest before emerging into moorland.

From Shira Ridge, you cross the open terrain of Shira Plateau. You then head in an easterly direction towards Moir Camp, which is nestled behind a ridge near the famous Lava Tower.

Now you bid adieu to the trekkers of the southern-slope routes and head around the northern side of the mountain, which you have all to yourselves. After a couple of days you meet up with anyone trekking the Rongai route at the campsite at Third Cave.

Next, you ascend to Kibo Hut, which is your base camp. At midnight you set out for Uhuru Peak, the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Having hopefully made it the summit, you then spend two days descending the mountain via the Mweka route on the southeast side of the mountain.

Map showing the Northern Circuit route up Kilimanjaro

Today you drive to Londorossi Park Gate, where you're recorded in the Kilimanjaro National Park records. You then start the trek from Lemosho Gate, hiking through mountain rainforest for three to four hours to reach Mti Mkubwa Camp, where you stay the night.

Follow Alice group at Londorossi Gate

Today you trek through the last of the rainforest, before entering moorland terrain. The trail leads towards Shira Plateau and Shira Camp 1, where you stay the night. All in all today's hike takes about five to six hours.

Today you make your way across the Shira Plateau to Shira 2 Camp on a trek that lasts just four to six hours. Temperatures start to change rather dramatically at this point of the trek, with the nights sometimes plummeting below freezing.

Some of our excellent porters taking a load off!

On this day you can expect a trek of two to three hours through the high alpine desert. You climb to Lava Tower and the Shark's Tooth rock formation. You then head back down Moir Camp. This is an important acclimatisation day.

Today you hike for five to six hours. The trek begins with a steep incline as you journey around Kibo's north face. You then walk through the alpine desert to reach Pofu Camp, where you spend the night. Tonight's campsite is lower than that of the previous night, which the body actually finds really helpful in terms of acclimatising well.

Night-time at Pofu Camp

Much like the past couple of days, the journey today is lengthy but can be very rewarding. Buffaloes are sometimes spotted here. You cross valleys on this trek of four to five hours and end at Third Cave, where you stay the night. Once again, you sleep a little lower than the previous night, which is great for your acclimatisation.

Today you undertake a steady climb over the Saddle, a stretch of barren land connecting the two peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi. The terrain is pretty inhospitable, being high-altitude desert. You climb for four to five hours to arrive at School Hut, where you get some rest before the big day!

Today is summit day! It's all been leading to this, so it's time to dig deep and use all of your determination to reach the top. Picture yourself standing on the roof of Africa and enjoying those unparalleled views!

At certain times of the year the summit of Kilimanjaro is blanketed in thick snow

Your guide wakes you up around midnight to begin your trek to the summit! The route ascends northwest into the dark night. In about five to seven hours you reach Stella Point on the crater rim at 5,685 m (18,651 ft) above sea level. You then continue for an hour or so on a sometimes snow-covered trail to reach Uhuru Peak at 5,895 m (19,341 ft). You're now standing at the very top of Africa having achieved a truly remarkable feat!

You might like to read Why summit Kilimanjaro at night?

After reaching the summit, you descend to Mweka Camp at 3,110 m (10,204 ft) above sea level. Here you spend your final night on the mountain after having hiked for about 12 to 16 hours today!

Glacier near the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro

Today you do the last bit of hiking down to the foot of the mountain, where your driver meets you. Time for high-fives and a celebratory drink!

The Northern Circuit is definitely our favourite Kilimanjaro route along with the Lemosho route. If you have the extra time to spare, we believe that the Northern Circuit is the best route for experiencing Kilimanjaro.

For starters, it offers stunning scenery including the quiet, rarely visited northern slope. You also get to explore more of Kilimanjaro via this slightly longer route, thereby enjoying its various environments thoroughly. On no other route do you see as many sides of the mountain.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, this route offers you the very best chance of making it to the summit, as it lets you acclimatise better than any other route.

The Northern Circuit route is one of the most beautiful of all seven established Kilimanjaro routes. In fact, it might be the most beautiful route of all! It's certainly the most varied.

Along the route you trek through lush rainforest, gorgeous Afro-alpine moorland, alpine desert and the arctic summit. From Shira Plateau you can see Mt Meru floating above the clouds. And when you traverse the quiet northern flank of the mountain, you get to enjoy fabulous vistas across the vast, game-filled lowlands of southern Kenya's Amboseli National Park.

You also stay in some of the campsites offering the very best views and best sunrises and sunsets on Kilimanjaro.

Finally, you descend the mountain on the exact opposite side to that which you ascended, so there's no retracing your steps on the Northern Circuit and the views are wholly fresh!

The graph below shows the elevation profile of the Northern Circuit route.

No Kilimanjaro climb is easy, but the Northern Circuit route is arguably the easiest of the routes simply because it offers you the best acclimatisation. That said, it's actually the longest route by far – 25 km longer than any other route. And it requires you to spend the most number of days on the mountain. We discuss this matter fully in Which is the easiest Kilimanjaro route?

You might also like to read Trekking tips for beginners and How should I train for Kilimanjaro?

In our experience, most people who have undergone the right Kilimanjaro physical training complete the Northern Circuit route with no real problems.

Northern Circuit itinerary

The Northern Circuit route can be completed in a minimum of eight days, but we recommend the nine-day itinerary, as shown above. This extra day gives you more time to acclimatise.

Further, climbing Kilimanjaro isn't a race. Especially with this route, the whole idea is to take your time and soak in everything the mountain has to offer!

The Northern Circuit route is the least frequented of the Kilimanjaro routes. The route circles around the quieter northern slope to the east side of the mountain. You get to enjoy remote slopes and seldom-used camps. It's the perfect option if you're looking for a quieter, more relaxed Kilimanjaro climb.

Hiking through the rainforest on the Northern Circuit route

As of June 2024, Follow Alice offers the nine-day Northern Circuit route for US$3,450 per person sharing a tent. This fee includes one night on either side of the trek at our beautiful partner lodge in Moshi, private transport to and from the trailhead, and much more. For a full list of inclusions, please check out our Northern Circuit package.

Relaxing at the Follow Alice camp

If you want to add a little adventure onto the end of your Kilimanjaro climb, we recommend going on a Tanzania safari – you won’t find a better African safari! Or relax on a beach holiday in Zanzibar. Or hop over the border into Uganda to trek with mountain gorillas. We can organise all of this and more for you if you're keen!

Flamboyances of flamingoes can be seen in Ngorongoro Crater