4 Reasons Why You Can’t Climb Mt Kilimanjaro in a Day

I have been thinking of going to Tanzania to Climb Kilimanjaro and one way that seems like a great idea is saving money by climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in just a day. So I did some research and what I found disappointed.

It is impossible for an average person to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in a day. With the shortest route covering 37 Kilometers (23Miles) with an altitude gain of 4295M (14200ft), climbing this distance would take a huge toll on the average person and would make it impossible to cover in one day. Let’s discuss why this is the case and under what scenarios someone would complete a Kilimanjaro Summit in one day.

Why It’s Impossible to climb Kilimanjaro in a Day

There are a number of barriers that prevent the average climber from completing Kilimanjaro in one day. These barriers have to do with how well adapted the person is to high altitudes 

Reason 1: Altitude Sickness

The first major barrier you will encounter when trying to climb a mountain like Kilimanjaro quickly is altitude sickness.  As you go up the air starts thinning and this takes a toll on the human body. This is referred to as Acute Mountain Sickness. The way that climbers get their bodies used to high altitudes is by climbing slowly up the mountain. This allows the body to adapt to the changing oxygen levels and therefore minimizing the effects of Mountian Sickness.

You may be thinking to yourself, if you are fit enough, you can make it up quicker than the rest of us. That’s where you’d be wrong.

According to The Harvard Health Publishing:

Acute mountain sickness … affects close to half of all people who begin near to sea level and climb to 14,000 feet of elevation without scheduling enough rest time.

Harvard Health Publishing

Reason 2 Long Distances: 

The other barrier to climbing Kilimanjaro in one day is the distance you will have to cover. 

The Shortest route to the summit of Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak) is the Umbwe Route and covers 37 Kilometers (23mi). Although it is the shortest route, it is the most physically taxing and requires the most amount of endurance. 

With the rest of the route lengths being around 55-65Kilometers (35-40mi), and with a sharp elevation gain, it would be too taxing on the body to cover that much ground in one day.

Reason 3: Unpredictable Weather

When going up Kilimanjaro, the weather keeps changing. 

1. Start: You will start with a lush rainforest  where you might find some rain,
2. As you continue climbing, you will find moorlands where the weather is colder and with less shade
3. After this, you enter the alpine desert where you have no tree cover but the fact that you are closer to the sun means that there are more UV rays coming in
4. At the peak, you expect freezing temperatures that require that you carried the right gear to keep warm

This variation means that you will need to carry enough gear to keep you warm when you are up there but the fact that it is hot at the bottom means that you cannot go without a day pack to carry your stuff. This extra weight would slow you down and increase the amount of time you need to climb.

Reason 4: The pace of the porters guides and other climbers

Tanzanian law prohibits climbing Kilimanjaro without sufficient porters and a guide. 

Also, Ordinarily, you would be accompanied by other climbers who have different levels of fitness and preparedness for the climb And your pace will be determined by the slowest member of the team. 

How long does the average climber take to climb Kilimanjaro?

The average route duration by most Kilimanjaro Climbing companies is 7 days. 

They take the climber on a slow pace up the mountain in what they refer to as pole pole. ( this is Swahili for very slowly) They don’t do this to make more money from you but to help you get used to high altitudes and increase your chances of actually making it up the top of the mountain on summit day.

In order to acclimatize to the high Kilimanjaro altitude,  you will require at least 6 days of slowly going up Kilimanjaro to allow the body to get used to the thinning air. Without this slow pace, you would develop serious Acute Mountain Sickness and would have to be sent back down the mountain.

To check how well your body is adapting to the climb, good guides check your blood oxygen level and your heart rate and based on these, you might get sent back down if you show signs of serious acute mountain sickness.

Shortest Route to Kilimanjaro Summit and back

The shortest route to Kilimanjaro’s summit is the Umbwe Route which covers just 37 Kilometer of hiking trail from Gate to summit. This route is short steep and a direct ascent that does not allow climbers enough time to acclimatize.

This makes it the most difficult since, even though these kinds of distances can be covered by a good hiker in a day, the change in elevation would wreak havoc to even the fittest individuals and reduce their chances of a successful ascent.

Why you don’t want to rush your Kilimanjaro Climb

Rushing a climb up Kilimanjaro reduces your chances of actually making it to the top. Your hardest day will be on the attempt to reach the summit (Uhuru Peak) and this is usually the longest day of hiking (about 8 hours up) 

This last hike will take its toll on you especially if your body has not yet adapted to the altitude and this is why you don’t want to rush your climb.

The Fastest Kilimanjaro Climb That Has Ever Been Done

The question I still had on my mind at this point in my research was, is a Kilimanjaro climb still possible in a day if I was superhuman? And the answer is Yes. 

A summit and descent have happened within one day. The two instances I found were well-coordinated mountain runs by Karl Egloff who made the complete run from camp to summit to camp in 6 Hours 42 Minutes and Kilian Jornet who did the same in 7 Hours 14 Minutes.

Their superhuman effort is an incredible testament to the strength of the human will

How to climb Kilimanjaro in a day

If you do fall in the small percentage of people who are able to climb Kilimanjaro in a day, you would need to have a number of factors working in your favor to ensure a successful climb.

1. Acclimatization with high altitudes: You would need to be very well acclimatized to high altitudes to ensure that you don’t present any of the symptoms of altitude sickness that would dampen your hopes of finishing Kilimanjaro in a day.
2. Great Physical Fitness: Making this kind of attempt would require that you be in top physical shape since you will need to be running for most of the way up and all of the way down. You must already be used to running for 8 hours or more without stopping.
3. Preorganized pit stops along the way: You would need to have a large crew waiting for you along the way to supply you with food and take care of any injuries and probably a clothing change as the weather gets colder. ( I think)
4. Pre-organized authorization: Since the Tanzanian Government does not allow climbers to go up Kilimanjaro without a guide accompanying them, you would need to get preauthorized to make the ascent on your own.
5. Having the budget to pan it all: Since this would be essentially a premium solo climb that requires a large crew to support, you will need to have the budget to support such a climb.

For the rest of us mortals, we will have to make due with the slow pole pole pace of climbing Kilimanjaro and acclimatizing to the weather there.