Summit night on Mount Kilimanjaro
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of standing on the top of a mountain. And when you stand at the summit of Kilimanjaro, you’re not only standing at the highest point in Tanzania, but the highest point in all of Africa. The views, quite simply, are incredible. But how hard is the journey up there? How long does it take, and how tough is the trek? If you’re wondering what summit day is like on Kilimanjaro, we’ve got all the answers.
Summit night is the final part of the climb, when hikers reach Uhuru Peak. It’s sometimes called summit day, and that’s also right: the climb begins at night and ends when the sun is already long up. To be more accurate, it starts at midnight and finishes late in the afternoon. Over this time, groups of hikers trek up to the peak and then cover about half of the way back down the mountain.
Everything about Kilimanjaro Summit night
How it Feels?
Why climb Kilimanjaro at night?
Why is the summit night so tough?
How does everything go?
How it Feels?
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“Summit night on Kilimanjaro is tough. It’s a long haul up, a climb of over 1,400 metres to the summit. Walking through the night in the dark and the cold can be challenging but once the sun begins to rise over Mawenzi in the distance and you see your first objective, Stella Point, determination kicks in and the taste of success becomes tangible and real.” Summit day begins the night before. You start with an early dinner and go to sleep early. You will wake up around midnight to prepare for the summit attempt. After a light snack, your ascent will begin. The summit day is a tough, 11 to 16 hour day of hiking. This difficult feat is what makes climbing Kilimanjaro a monumental achievement. The guides—based on how the group has climbed so far—time their trekking party to reach Stella Point near sunrise. That means you will be hiking in the cold, and possibly windy, darkness for at least 6 hours. |
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Why climb Kilimanjaro at night?
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Scaling Kilimanjaro at night might seem strange from the first sight, however, there are some sound reasons to do so. Reason number one is elevation: the higher you get, the harder it is to sleep because low levels of oxygen make it difficult to breathe. So why waste time lying awake in bed? Secondly, it’s highly essential to spend the least possible amount of time at high altitudes. Next, as we have already mentioned, there’s a lot to cover on that day. No matter which camp functions as the base camp for your summit ascent, you need to do a long climb and then make a long descent. You might wonder why it’s important to make such a long descent, and we’ve got the answer. There are hikers a day behind you who’ll camp where you stay just before you reach the peak, so you won’t be able to come back to this place after scaling the peak. Instead, you’ll have to go down to a lower camp. Finally, setting off for the summit at midnight will reward you with the most incredible sunrise in your life. Seeing the sun come up from the tallest mountain of Africa is absolutely incredible, without any doubt. |
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Why is the summit night so tough?
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There are several factors that make the summit night the most grueling part of the whole Kilimanjaro adventure.
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How does everything go?
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To better understand how the summit night goes, here is the schedule the team at Follow Alice stick to.
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KILIMANJARO MOUNTA MAP
Tips for Summit Night
Dress warmly
It’s freezing cold up there, so make sure your outfit is appropriate for the arctic zone. To prevent your body from losing warmth, wear layers. Include thermal underwear, a fleece jacket, a waterproof, breathable jacket with hood, waterproof hiking pants, fleece pants, warm socks and an insulated down or synthetic jacket. It’s equally important to keep your hands warm, so it’s recommendable to put on inner gloves, thermal gloves and ski mittens. Finally, don’t forget about a warm hat to cover your head and a balaclava to protect your mouth, nose, cheeks against frostbite.
Substantial meal the night before
It goes without saying that you’ll need a lot of energy to cover the hardest piece of the track. Although high elevation is very likely to make you lose appetite and feel sick, try to have a nourishing dinner the night before your summit attempt.
Take a good rest
As you already know, hikers need to get up at 11 pm to start summiting, so they go to bed at around 7 pm. It may be hard to fall asleep at such an early hour, however, don’t worry if you can’t sleep — at least, relax and have quality rest.
Don’t hurry
Go slowly — it will reduce chances of experiencing symptoms of altitude sickness. Actually, guides know what the best pace is, and your task is to maintain the pace they set. The famous says on Kilimanjaro - Pole Pole Pole Pole - Walk Slow.
Use stops effectively
During the summit climb groups of hikers have the so-called maintenance stops. Keep in mind that these are not rest stops: you need to effectively utilize this time to make sure that you are ready for the next steps. It’s important to plan ahead what you need to do.
Protect your eyes and skin
Remember that UV rays are especially aggressive at high altitudes, so don’t forget to protect your eyes and skin against their harmful impact. Also, remember to apply some sunscreen lip balm on your lips — they are very sensitive and you may get a burn.
Spare batteries for your head torch
As the first hours of the summit climb are done in the dark, you’ll need a head torch to guide you along the trail. Remember that low temperatures are the number one enemy of batteries, so it’s crucial to keep your spare batteries warm.
Kilimanjaro Summit night FAQ
Our summit day is around 14 hours long. It actually starts just before midnight, when we rise, eat breakfast and set off at around 12.30am. By the time we reach Stella Point, the sun is rising and we break for tea. From there, it’s only around an hour to the summit.
After we stand on the Roof of Africa, we head to Barafu Camp for lunch, before beginning the descent to Millennium camp.
When we attempt summit, we do so from Kosovo Camp. There are five days of trekking before we reach Kosovo Camp. These days vary between five and seven hours of trekking each day. But for the last two days before summit, the days are around five hours long. We climb at a slow pace, to help you acclimatise to the increasing altitude.
We never leave anyone behind on an Trip Insight Tanzania Climb. If you or your leader feel like you cannot continue, we normally have an extra guide – Assistant, who will accompany you down to a lower level.
On Kilimanjaro, sunset is between 6 and 7 pm, and most trekkers are in bed long before 10! By leaving at midnight, we allow ourselves the time to go slowly. If you try to go quickly up Kilimanjaro, you will feel the effects of altitude sickness, and may not reach the summit.
Here’s what you need:
- Moisture-wicking compression top.
- Long-sleeved thermal top.
- Softshell jacket.
- Waterproof, breathable jacket with hood.
- Insulated down or synthetic jacket.
Summit night is by far the hardest part of the hike for various reasons: it’s freezing, it’s dark, due to the altitude you only walk very slowly, and you know this is the part where the people who did not make it to the top had to give up.
Between 20 and -20 degrees Fahrenheit. At the summit, Uhuru Point, the night time temperatures can range between 20 and -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 to -29 degrees Celsius). Due to Mount Kilimanjaro’s great height, the mountain creates it’s own weather.
How long does it take to hike Mount Kilimanjaro? It takes between five and tens days to hike Mount Kilimanjaro depending on the route and the pace of the itinerary. A few brave record breakers have occasionally done it in just one day! Treks vary in length as well as duration.
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