Northern Circuit Route – The Quietest Route to the Summit of Kilimanjaro
This page provides a comprehensive and impartial guide to climbing Kilimanjaro via the Northern Circuit.
Please note: We are not a tour operator, but we can put you in touch with our recommended partner, see details below.
As this is a very long and detailed article on the Northern Circuit, we recommend using the quicklinks below to navigate to the sections that interest you most. Alternatively, bookmark this page for future reference.
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Northern Circuit Kilimanjaro
Route Overview
The Northern Circuit, as the newest and longest route up Kilimanjaro, links together portions of several other routes. It is operated as an eight- or nine-day trek by most tour operators. Success rates are relatively high for this route because trekkers have plenty of time to acclimatise.
Beginning in the West, the Northern Circuit follows the same route as the Lemosho Route for the first two days before veering north towards Lava Tower and around to the eastern side of the mountain. Trekkers reach the crater rim at Gilman's Point and traverse around to Uhuru Peak before descending via either the Mweka or Marangu Route.
Northern Circuit Pros and Cons
Northern Circuit Route Map
The map illustrates the Northern Circuit Route, which begins on the remote Western side of Mount Kilimanjaro before heading to the North and East.
You can see how the route follow the Northern Circuit around Kilimanjaro and summits via the apporach at Gilman's Point.
Descent is via the Mweka route.
Northern Circuit Altitude Profile
The schematic diagram shows the altitude profile for the Northern Circuit.
You can see how the route initially ascends to Lava Tower, but then gradually descends to Rongai Cave. This provides good time to acclimatise for the summit push.
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Northern Circuit Itinerary
The Northern Circuit Route is operated as an eight-day or a nine-day trek. Below is a detailed itinerary for the nine-day route. For details on the eight-day variation, see the Route Variations section below.
Click each day to read more...
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Northern Circuit Route Variations
The Northern Circuit Route can be hiked in eight days, rather than the more-typical nine days. Eight-day trekkers skip the additional acclimatisation day at Shira Camp 2, heading straight to Moir Camp via Lava Tower. Otherwise, the two routes are identical.
Video Overview
See a detailed, animated tour of the Northern Circuit Route for a taste of what can be expected on this long and beautiful trek.
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We do not sell tours, we simply provide impartial advice. If you would like an exact quote from our recommended partner click Get a Quote.
Recommended Guidebook
Mount Kilimanjaro: Trekkers Guide to the Summit
Mount Kilimanjaro: Trekkers Guide to the Summit is a practical and super insightful guidebook that has been used by 1000s of climbers as an authoritative resource to prepare for Mount Kilimanjaro.
The book is available on Amazon Kindle or an eBook version can be downloaded here.
