Why summit Kilimanjaro at night?

It takes days of climbing to reach the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. Unsurprisingly, we hike up the mountain in the daylight. But then (and here’s the part that does surprise many), the ascent up the final begins at midnight.

Why?

Why summit Kilimanjaro at night, when it’s icy cold, you can’t see beyond the beam of your torch, and every instinct tells you to run to your tent and dive back into your sleeping bag?

There are reasons to the madness, we assure you, so please read on …

At Follow Alice we begin our summit climb at midnight!

Summit night is the part of the climb where we set out for the highest point of Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak. It’s called summit night by some and summit day by others, and both are valid as the climb starts during the night and ends in the daytime. Specifically, the climb starts at midnight and ends late in the afternoon. During this time you trek up to the summit and then hike about half of the way back down the mountain. It’s one mammoth day of hiking that will test your mettle in every way! 

Summit night (or summit day) is by far the most challenging part of the entire Kilimanjaro trek. There are a few reasons for this: 

Unless you climb during a full moon, your head torch provides the light by which you climb

This is a really good question. It may seem strange that we wake up in the middle of the night to make our way to the summit. Are we looking to make things even more difficult than they already are?! Don’t worry, there are a handful valid reasons behind the early start ...

The higher the altitude, the harder it is to sleep at night. This is because the reduced oxygen can make breathing laboured. Instead of everyone lying awake in bed fretting over the mega hike ahead of them, we bite the bullet and set out early for the summit. 

You might like to learn more about sleeping on Kilimanjaro.

Another of the key reasons for the nighttime start is that there’s so much ground to cover today. Regardless of which camp is base camp for your summit attempt, you have a long climb ahead of you, followed by a long descent to that night’s rest camp. Given there are trekkers a day behind you who’ll be camping where you are, you cannot just drop down to your base camp after reaching the summit. Instead, climbers must descend to a lower camp, and this means plenty of downhill hiking. 

Look at the map below, for instance, which shows the path trekked by those hiking the Lemosho route. On the Lemosho route, as is the case on many of the other Kilimanjaro routes, your base camp for summit night is Barafu Camp. Look at just how far one must climb from Barafu Camp to reach the summit! This is a BIG day of hiking. 

Map showing the Lemosho route up Mt Kilimanjaro – like many of the routes, you make for the summit from Barafu Camp

The longer trekkers stay at very high altitude on Kilimanjaro, the more water porters must carry up to camp. Water is obtained from streams, but these are only found lower down on the mountain. The summit’s base camps are in the alpine desert zone, where it’s hard to find water. So we don’t dilly-dally at such high elevation. This is another reason we drop down substantially in elevation after summiting the mountain. 

If you look again at the map above, you’ll see we’ve pinpointed Stella Point. This is the viewpoint we aim to reach by sunrise. To stand on Stella Point, almost at the top of Kilimanjaro, while the sun rises is a special moment indeed.  

This is what Reto, Follow Alice CEO, has to say about reaching Stella Point on one of his Kilimanjaro climbs:

The last bit of the climb is done in the welcome light of the rising sun

In her Climb Kilimanjaro video journal, Follow Alice's own Tash King chronicled her Lemosho-route trek. Beginning at the 20.58 mark, you can watch her summit night story. Or watch the whole video for a glimpse into the entire Kilimanjaro climb!

Chris, owner of Follow Alice Tanzania, offers some cool advice about summit night in this Kilimanjaro preparation video. He also discusses how to prepare for it.

This great pic by our client Frederik Mann shows a line of climbers striking for the summit from Barafu Camp

Below is the schedule we at Follow Alice follow for summit night. We’re not alone in doing things this way – you’ll be joined by trekkers climbing with other operators who were at base camp with you.

This is a very popular question, and most people are surprised to hear that you spend about 15 minutes or so at the summit. “But why?! We go all this way to spend just 15 minutes at the top?” 

Again, there’s a reason for the way things are done. First and foremost, we don’t hang around at the summit for long because it’s cold and you are at very high altitude. We generally find that after 15 minutes of high fives, photographs and soaking in the view, people want to start moving again to warm up and avoid feeling sick.

Remember too that there’s a long way to still descend, and so we get on with that after taking in the scenery.

The summit is a place of high-fives and celebratory group photos!

The temperature at Uhuru Peak (the summit of Kilimanjaro) sits at around -5 or -6° C (or 23 to 21° F). There’s chances of more snow at the summit in winter, as discussed in Best time to climb Kilimanjaro. 

Watching the sunrise as you near the summit reinvigorates you for the remainder of the climb!

Summit night is really tough, mentally and physically.

Follow Alice team member Joel has this to say about summit night:

To summit Mt Kilimanjaro you need determination. Build up your resolve and self-belief long before you even step onto a plane bound for Tanzania. Understand the challenges ahead and determine to push through the pain and discomfort. Also do whatever works for you – journal your goal, make a vision board, speak to those who have made the climb for insights and inspiration, whatever. This is your dream, so work on it mentally.

As we discuss in Kilimanjaro preparation, your physical preparation for climbing Kilimanjaro is of the utmost importance. And at no point does that preparation show up more than on summit night. This is by far the longest day's hike of all. On the Lemosho or Machame route, for instance, your summit hike requires you to climb over one vertical kilometre from Barafu Camp to Uhuru Peak. This takes about six to eight hours. Once that's done, you still need to hike another four to six hours to reach your camp for that night. That's a total of 10 to 14 hours!

Also remember that high altitude makes all exercise harder than usual. This is because the oxygen level of the air is reduced. If you're able to train at altitude in the lead up to Kilimanjaro, that's a great plus.

You might also like to read our Trekking tips for beginners if Kilimanjaro is one of your first major (high-altitude) treks.

Summit night is made so much more doable because you have your team with you. And at the heart of the team is the mountain crew, who cheer you on and keep you going even when you're ready to give up.

Tash has this to say about the value of the team to her on summit night:

She adds:

Not everyone has a clear view at the summit – here the team's summit victory is veiled in mist

Here our our top tips for a successful summit night:

1. Eat well the night before. Eat a good dinner the night before the summit climb. High altitude can make many feel nauseous or lose their appetite. (You might like to read about the symptoms of altitude sickness.) Nonetheless, try to still eat a decent meal. There's a gruelling climb ahead, and your body needs the fuel.

2. Rest as much as possible. Most climbers head to their tents around 7 pm the evening before the summit attempt. This is because, as you now know, you'll be roused at 11 pm by the mountain crew to get ready for the summit climb. Don't stress if you can't sleep during these four hours. But we recommend lying down and resting as best you can, like Tash did before her summit climb.

3. Wear a balaclava. We recommend including a balaclava for summit night. It can be incredibly windy near the summit, and a balaclava is essential for protecting your face.

4. Use your water bottle, not your hose. On summit night, the hose and mouthpiece for your hydration pack (water bladder) will freeze over. In the early hours of the trek, drink from your bottle, which should carry at least one litre of water. As we discuss in our Kilimanjaro packing list, you should place your water bottle in a thermal sock and keep it close to your body. Water freezes from top to bottom, so you should also carry your bottle upside down, so even if the top part freezes, you can still access some liquid.

5. Put your spare batteries in your head torch. The extreme cold drains the charge of batteries. We suggest that you sleep with your spare batteries in the hours leading up to summit night, and then place those in your head torch just before setting out.

6. Wear sunscreen, sunglasses and a brimmed hat. As soon as the sun starts to rise, ensure you protect you face and eyes from the UV rays. You burn much easier this high up. Also, don’t forget sun protection for your lips.

Follow Alice CTO Marco says:

There's always time for a quick selfie!

At Follow Alice we also offer full moon summit climbs. As the name suggests, these climbs are timed so that summit night takes place under a full moon. This is a truly special way to climb Kilimanjaro, as the moonshine illuminates your entire path up to the summit.