One of the most asked questions when people are researching climbing Kilimanjaro is “What is the elevation again of the mountain?” It’s normal to be worried about altitude changes and altitude sickness.

Preparing yourself for the elevation gain and knowing what to expect are key to successfully summiting.

What is the Height of Kilimanjaro?

Kilimanjaro is the second-highest mountain in the world with a height of 5,985 meters or 19,431 feet. Uhuru Peak is the summit of Kilimanjaro and stands at 5,985 meters above sea level.

Kilimanjaro is also the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Freestanding means it’s not part of a mountain, like Mt. Everest for example.

Kilimanjaro is a volcanic mountain and has three volcanic cones each with a different height. Kibo is the cone at the summit and is 5,985 meters (16,893 feet).

The two other cones are the Mawenzi (5,149 meters) and the Shira cone 4,005 meters (13,140 feet).

Kilimanjaro also has another volcanic mountain called Mt. Meru. Many people climb Mt. Meru to prepare for Kilimanjaro as it allows them to adjust to the altitude.

Mt. Meru is 4,566 meters or 14,980 feet.

More Information on Kilimanjaro’s Cones

The highest cone of the mountain is Kibo which is adjacent to Uhuru Peak. Kibo also has a stunning crater area where you can see the famous glaciers that call Kilimanjaro home.

The second-highest cone on the mountain is Mawenzi. It’s located on the eastern side of the mountain and the only route that gets a good view of the Mawenzi peak is the Rongai route.

Climbers do not ordinarily summit Mawenzi Peak because it’s extremely steep. The rocks and terrain make it very hard to climb. True mountain climbing skills are required and you will also need to go with a guide that has alpine climbing experience.

You also need a special permit to climb the Mawenzi Peak and pay extra fees to the Kilimanjaro National Park authorities.

The Shira cone is not really a cone anymore because an early volcanic eruption made the rim of the volcano more of a plateau.

The plateau is now known as Lemosho Glades. If you climb the Lemosho or the Northern Circuit route, you will climb across the plateau.

Height and Altitude on Kilimanjaro

Since the base of Kilimanjaro is about 1000 feet above sea level, this means you really only experience an elevation gain of 4,900 feet during the climb.

This is also why some people fly to Tanzania a few days before the climb so they can adjust to the altitude of 1000 feet. This is important if you currently live at or very close to sea level.

Since Tanzania borders the Indian Ocean, many people are surprised when they learn the base of Kilimanjaro is so high above sea level. However, the mountain is very inland from the coast.

Since you are not beginning your climb at sea level, you don’t actually experience an elevation gain of 5,985 meters.

Each trailhead also has a higher elevation than 1000 feet. There are many different routes up Kilimanjaro and each has its own trailhead. The elevation you start at will depend on the route you choose.

Here are the elevations at each trailhead:

• Lemosho Gate: 2,100 meters (6,890 feet) for the Lemosho and Northern Circuit route
• Machame Gate: 1,640 meters (5,380 feet) for the Machame route
• Morum Barrier: 3,414 meters (11,200 feet) for the Shira route
• Nalemeru Gate: 1,950 meters (6,398 feet) for the Rongai route
• Marangu Gate: 1,843 meters (6,047 feet) for the Marangu route
• Umbwe Gate: 1,800 meters (5,906 feet) for the Umbwe route

As you can see the Shira route has a significantly higher elevation at the trailhead than some of the other routes. This doesn’t mean it’s the easier route though.

The starting elevation is actually less important than how the elevation is spread out during the climb. For example, the Lemosho, Northern Circuit, and Machame routes all have gradual elevation gains.

They also allow you to sleep at lower elevations at each camp which allows you to adjust to the changes better.

The Rongai, Umbwe, and Marangu routes experience faster elevation gains which can make it harder to summit, especially if you experience altitude sickness.

You don’t want to experience too much elevation gain too fast or your chance of summiting will be much lower.

Elevation Changes of Each Route

Many people wonder what the elevation gain is of each route.

Here are the elevation changes you can expect depending on the route you choose to climb:

• Northern Circuit and Lemosho Route: 3,795 meters (12,541 feet)
• Machame Route: 4,255 meters (14,051 feet)
• Shira Route: 2,481 meters (8,231 feet)
• Marangu Route: 4,052 meters (13,384 feet)
• Umbwe Route: 4,095 meters (13,435 feet)
• Rongai Route: 3,945 meters (13,033 feet)

Is Ascent the Same as Elevation?

Many people think that elevation and ascent are the same, but they are not. Elevation is the measure of how tall something is above sea level. So, when we talk about elevation gain, we are talking about how high you are climbing above the sea level.

Ascent is the vertical distance of how high you climb. Since each trail is spread out over the mountain and has many high and low points, your ascent will always be higher than the elevation gain.

Kilimanjaro- The Tallest Free Standing Mountain in the World

Many people are surprised to hear that Kilimanjaro is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, but not the tallest mountain overall.

The tallest mountain in the world is Everest located in the Himalayan Mountain Range. The Everest base camps are only a little higher than Kilimanjaro. The southern base camp is 5,364 meters and the northern base camp is 5,150 meters.

Climbing Everest is a much more complicated endeavor compared to Kilimanjaro. Summiting Everest can take two months or more. It also requires serious training and intense mountaineering skills.

For Kilimanjaro, you can prepare with a simple training program making it much easier to summit even for those with limited climbing and hiking experience.

Ready to Experience Kilimanjaro?

If you have any questions about the Kilimanjaro elevation gain or want to know more information, feel free to contact us. We are happy to help and we are ready to help you prepare for your Kilimanjaro summit.