There are four different routes to climb the mountain. These are Marangu route, machame route, Umbwe route and Shira route. Of these four routes, the easiest is the Marangu route and also the most popular. It takes five days to climb Kilimanjaro when the Marangu route is chosen.

The Machame route is the second most popular and the total time it takes to conquer the mountain through this route is six days with longer hiking distances than the Marangu route. This route is also as beautiful and scenic as the Marangu route, however, it offers more challenges than the Marangu route.

The Umbwe route is a fairly steep route and is a lot more challenging than the others. It is generally for experienced climbers as a fair amount of rock climbing is required.

The Shira route is a route that should be attempted by experienced trekkers. It is most suitable for those that are already acclimatised to high altitudes as trekking starts at approximately 3500m above  sea level.