9 day Northern Circuit Route is ample time to familiarise yourself with Mount Kilimanjaro’s conditions, which will aid in acclimatisation. Your adventure begins the moment you land in Tanzania, where we will be waiting for you at the airport. We will drive you to your point of accommodation in Moshi or Arusha, but most probably Moshi. We love our climbers staying in Moshi as it is easier to plan for your hike, accordingly, because Moshi is the nearest major town to the mountain. Once you reach your hotel, we will give you a briefing about your forthcoming trek, then agree on the appropriate time to cross-check your mountain gear. The following morning at around 8:00 am, we will start our journey to Londorossi Gate, where hiking begins. The 9 days Northern Circuit Route is one of the easiest routes on Mount Kilimanjaro. It is a recently introduced route that gives climbers enough time to acclimatise as well as enjoy the beautiful scenery that it offers. If you have enough time on your hands and are not on a tight budget, this route will take you to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro with ease. This nine-day package is perfect for newbies, families with kids, large groups, senior citizens, luxury hikers and avid climbers who want to soak in the scenery of the mountain. Why is the 9-day Northern Circuit Route easier? Well, the hiking distance is split up in manageable hiking times and kilometres. Also, it has a fairly gentler slope profile while at the same time avoiding that dreaded scramble over the Barranco Wall. It avoids the wall by going around to the northern slopes instead of heading straight along the path that originates from the western side of Kilimanjaro. The most important reason for this long route is that the longer you spend on the mountain, the easier it is to combat altitude sickness symptoms as you acclimatise better. The best time to climb Kilimanjaro using this route is during the warm and dry months of December-March and the cool and dry months of June-October.
Boasting a high summit success rate, the rarely-visited northern slopes of Kilimanjaro will reward you with beautiful 360-degree panoramic views. The 9 Days Northern Circuit route is one of the longest routes, hence it takes longer to climb Kilimanjaro using this route. This route can be done as an 8-day itinerary or a 9-day itinerary, which we strongly recommend.
- Location: Just like the Lemosho route, the starting point at the Londorosi Gate is located on the western side of the mountain.
- Difficulty: Challenging but easier compared to the other routes
- Height: The 9 Days Northern Circuit route trails to Uhuru Peak at an altitude of 5,895 meters (19,341 feet).
- Duration: The Northern Circuit route has two options, the 8-day itinerary and the 9-day itinerary. We do recommend the 9-day itinerary, though, as it guarantees a high summit success rate and enough time to acclimatise.
- Trail conditions: This is a newer route, meaning it experiences less traffic as it is not really popular. Another plus side of this route is that it offers beautiful scenery.
