Climbing Down Kilimanjaro – All You need to Know

 So you are preparing for a Kilimanjaro climb and you are wondering about how long it will take to climb down Kilimanjaro once you have conquered the Uhuru Peak. I was curious too so I did some research.

Climbing down Kilimanjaro from the Uhuru peak takes 12 hours of walking. The total actual time you will take will be 2 days when you include the night you will spend on a lower camp on your way down Kilimanjaro. Let’s take a deeper look at the timelines on climbing down Kilimanjaro and what to expect on your way down the mountain. 

How Long does it take to climb down Kilimanjaro?

You will spend a total of 12 hours hiking down the mountain from Uhuru Peak to the gate. These hours are divided into 8 hours of hiking down to a lower elevation on the day you get to Uhuru Peak, then the other 4 hours are completed on the last day from the mid-way camp to the gate.

You will start the hike to the summit at midnight and this will be a 6-hour climb from your camp to Uhuru peak. This means that you expect to arrive at Uhuru Peak at around 6-8 am depending on how fit and adapted to the altitude you will be. 

After successfully summiting, you will then get a few minutes to take photos and celebrate then you start your 8-hour descent from the peak to the last camp you will stay in when on Kilimanjaro.

Its A quick descent

When going up the mountain, the guides will insist that you go as slow as possible to reduce the physical exertion that can precipitate  Acute Moutain Sickness (read more on this medical journal that explains more)

Risk factors for HAPE include rate of ascent, intensity of exercise and absolute altitude attained, although an individual predisposition to developing the condition is also well described and suggests an underlying genetic susceptibility.

Source: US National Library of Medicine National institutes of health

However, when going down the mountain, you will be going down at a faster pace than you have done during your entire climb. 

Based on what I read, most people feel that the pace they take on is quite fast and since you will be walking down very rocky terrain, you will need to be quick-footed and careful about where you step to avoid falling.

Rocky Terrain

Most of the terrain you will be going down will be very rocky and you will need to be really careful not to fall as you descent. It is easier to climb up these rocks since you are not walking as fast as when you will be coming down so you will have greater risk of falling if you don’t walk carefully.

Change out of the warm clothes

You will be dressed in very warm clothing when going up the mountain. 

As you see in the image below, you will be facing extremely low temperatures when doing the ascent on summit night. However, when going down the mountain, you will be losing elevation so fast that the weather will change dramatically and the temperatures will be much higher than what you experienced at the peak.

In addition to this, your body will be working out really hard and you will be feeling pretty hot so, at some point, you will need to shed some of the extra weight to make your descent more comfortable.  This will probably happen on a camp like the Barafu camp that is at an elevation of about 15,239 feet (4,645 m).  

You will also take your first break here for about 1 hour. This is the lunch break spot and  it will be a great place to replenish before continuing on your descent to the lower camp where you will spend your night.

You will need to get to the lowest camp as possible

The long 8-hour descent to the lower camp is done to ensure that your final day is not drawn out and that you spend your last night at a lower elevation where your body is more acclimatized to the more abundant air supply.

The descent will be exhausting 

Based on what I have read, most climbers are happy to get to this camp but it is usually a very grueling walk. 

By the time you get to the lower camp where you will spend your night, you will have been walking for a total of 14 hours straight. Most climbers, by this time, complain of blisters and sore knees and find the climb down as challenging if not more than the ascent.

Since you will be trying to walk down the same distance that took you 5 days to climb up in one day, your body will be really exhausted at the end of the first day of descent but if you will have completed to the summit, you will be really happy with yourself.

Your last day will be a short one.

The last day only has about 4 hours of walking, depending on the route you will have taken and will be the day you finally get off the mountain. Although the walk will not be very long, there will be a lot of celebration and issuing of certificates and signing of books of record to show that you completed the climb

You will get a certificate of completion

You will get a certificate from your guide company showing that you completed the climb. You will also get a certificate from the Mt Kilimanjaro National Park to certify that you got to the top of the mountain.

These are processed when you get back to the gate as you wait for the transport to take you to your hotel.

Can the descent down be completed in a day

Theoretically, you can successfully complete your climb down Kilimanjaro in a day. It’s a 12-hour descent so you might be able to make it to the gate by around 6 pm if you leave the summit at 6 am. 

However, for the average climber, you will have gone through so much already that, trying to do a 12-hour walk after having being on the mountain for 6 days is nearly impossible.

In addition to this, you will have started your day at midnight for the ascent and you will already be worn out by the summit push that doing 12 hours straight would seem too much to ask the body.

Will I need a trekking pole to assist in climbing down the mountain

I have read that hikers used these as support as they went down the mountain. Especially in some slippery spots where the ground is uneven or where there was fine gravel that was unstable. 

However, not all the routes will be tricky to come down and you will want to ask your guide company about whether you need to carry the trekking poles for this reason.

My opinion is that if you are fit and don’t have issues with your knees, you might not need the trekking poles. However, since most of them are really lightweight, I don’t see a reason why you should not get them. They might come in handy.

Will I still be accompanied by the guide when going down the mountain

Your guide will still be with you as you come down the mountain. The guides are still critical when coming down the mountain since some climbers may be dealing with mountain sickness and they need assistance coming down the mountain and some people might require assistance coming down some sections that are slippery and need a bit of support for someone who is not very sure-footed

Depending on the size of your tour group, you will have a guide near you though since people have different levels of fitness, the groups will be further apart as you descend.