When to climb Kili

Kilimanjaro can be climbed pretty much any day of the year, but most people choose to go during the dry seasons. During the rainy seasons, the paths at lower elevations can get very muddy and slippery, and the upper part of the mountain is snow covered.

The climate in northern Tanzania has two rainy seasons: the short rains in November, and the long rains from early March to mid-June. The peak seasons for climbing Kilimanjaro are the dry seasons from December to early March, and from mid-June to October.

The weather on Kili can be quite variable: my trip in early February should have been the dry season, but it rained a little almost every day, and the summit was covered in snow. From what I heard, it's normally so dry at that time of year that people wear bandanas over their mouths to avoid breathing dust on the trail!