Best time to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
What makes Mount Kilimanjaro unique is despite its close to the equator, it is crowned with ice. The glaciers have existed here for more than 11,000 years. They used to be more than 300 feet (100 m) deep and extended 6,500 feet (2,000 m) from the mountain top.
Due global warming and long term climactic cycles, the ice has been vaporizing at an alarming rate. So if you are contemplating the climb, do it sooner rather than later. The glaciers are something you do not want to miss.
It is possible to climb Kilimanjaro all year round. January, February, and September are considered to be the best months in terms of weather, and correspondingly are the busiest months. From January through mid-March are the warmest months, with clear skies in the mornings and evenings. During the day, clouds may appear along with brief showers. From the end of March to early June is the long rainy season Visibility may be low due to heavy clouds, but the crowds are gone. June, July, and August are good months, but it is colder. Following September and October, the short rainy season lasts from November through the beginning of December, where afternoon rains are common, but skies are clear in mornings and evenings.
For those who favor a less crowded climb, avoid the full moon dates these attract many climbers. For more information on full moon dates, read below. Another method of dodging crowds is to choose an “off” day of departure. Most climbers will begin their climbs on Saturday, Sunday or Monday.
The table below lists the relative temperature, precipitation, cloudiness and crowds during the calendar months
Full moon summit trek:
When the peak of Kilimanjaro and magnificent glaciers are lit up by the full moon, the view is absolutely stunning. For this reason climbers schedule their trek on this event, taking place once a month. A practical reason for climbing at these times is that a bright moon along with a clear sky will improve your visibility throughout your climb, and most importantly, during the summit attempt.
To summit during a full moon, a 7-day climb should start 5 days prior to the full moon date. It is not necessary to summit on the exact full moon date to take advantage of moonlight. A summit on the day before or day after is also beneficial. We offer several group climbs with full moon summits every month during the dry season. These dates tend to be the first to book completely full well in advance.
Below we have provided a complete list of the Kilimanjaro full moon dates for 2018, 2019,2020 and 2021.
