Summit night is the part of the climb where we set out for the highest point of Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak. It’s called summit night by some and summit day by others, and both are valid as the climb starts during the night and ends in the daytime. Specifically, the climb starts at midnight and ends late in the afternoon. During this time you trek up to the summit and then hike about half of the way back down the mountain. It’s one mammoth day of hiking that will test your mettle in every way!
Below is the schedule for summit night.
How long do we spend at the summit?
Most people are surprised to hear that you spend about 15 minutes or so at the summit. “But why?! We go all this way to spend just 15 minutes at the top?”
Summit night (or summit day) is by far the most challenging part of the entire Kilimanjaro trek. There are a few reasons for this:
We wake up in the middle of the night to make our way to the summit. Are we looking to make things even more difficult than they already are?! Don’t worry, there are a handful valid reasons behind the early start …
The higher the altitude, the harder it is to sleep at night. This is because the reduced oxygen can make breathing labored. Instead of everyone lying awake in bed fretting over the mega hike ahead of them, we bite the bullet and set out early for the summit.
Learn more about sleeping on Kilimanjaro
Another of the key reasons for the nighttime start is that there’s so much ground to cover today. Regardless of which camp is base camp for your summit attempt, you have a long climb ahead of you, followed by a long descent to that night’s rest camp. Given there are trekkers a day behind you who’ll be camping where you are, you cannot just drop down to your base camp after reaching the summit. Instead, climbers must descend to a lower camp, and this means plenty of downhill hiking.
Look at the map below, for instance, which shows the path trekked by those hiking the Lemosho route. On the Lemosho route, as is the case on many of the other Kilimanjaro routes, your base camp for summit night is Barafu Camp. Look at just how far one must climb from Barafu Camp to reach the summit! This is a BIG day of hiking.
Map showing the Lemosho route up Mt Kilimanjaro – like many of the routes, you make for the summit from Barafu Camp
The longer trekkers stay at very high altitude on Kilimanjaro, the more water porters must carry up to camp. Water is obtained from streams, but these are only found lower down on the mountain. The summit’s base camps are in the alpine desert zone, where it’s hard to find water. So we don’t dilly-dally at such high elevation. This is another reason we drop down substantially in elevation after summiting the mountain.
If you look again at the map above, you’ll see we’ve pinpointed Stella Point. This is the viewpoint we aim to reach by sunrise. To stand on Stella Point, almost at the top of Kilimanjaro, while the sun rises is a special moment indeed.
It is all about congratulating, taking summit pictures on Kilimanjaro summit with joyful at Kilimanjaro summit at 19,340 feet to cerebrate the great achievement. To get there is really challenge that will challenge on different ways on both mentally and physical
Summit night is a big deal. You leave the warmth of your tent to venture out into the biting cold – and often wind – of the exposed summit of Kilimanjaro. It’s the nigh of climb far higher, and for much longer, than on any other day of your Kilimanjaro climb. You need extra layers and equipment to ensure you can hike comfortably and safely.
Kilimanjaro summit night packing list
Here’s what you need:
Head
Balaclava
Beanie
Head torch
Sunglasses (or ski goggles)
Lip balm
Sunscreen
A balaclava is a fantastic piece of clothing for keeping your face, head and neck warm, especially during the night-time portion of summit day. No other item protects your head so well.
While you could wear a neck gaiter or scarf in place of a balaclava, these can shift as you move and don’t generally cover your mouth, nose, cheeks, temples and ears. That said, you know you, and if a balaclava feels like too much confinement, opt for a neck gaiter, but then we recommend choosing a beanie that has ear flaps.
On summit night you want to cover every inch of yourself, as the cold and wind can be pretty fierce!
A knit or synthetic beanie is key in keeping your head warm. Ensure it’s not too small that it’ll inch its way up your head. As mentioned above, if you’re not wearing a balaclava, we recommend wearing a beanie or similar hat with ear flaps.
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Except for those doing a Kilimanjaro full moon climb, the first hours of your night-time summit are done in the dark. Your head torch is your hands-free light to guide you along the trail. It’s therefore very important that you have one with a strong beam.
You also want one that is comfortable; a wider band is better than a narrow one in this regard. It should also come with an adjustable strap. This is because you need it to fit snugly when you’re at lower-elevation campsites and have perhaps nothing on your head, but also on summit night when you’ll be wearing a balaclava and beanie.
Finally, you might want to choose a head torch with a top band to help ensure it doesn’t slide down. You also then don’t need to make it quite so tight around the sides.
Eye protection is so important on summit night. When the sun starts to rise, the rays bounce off the snow and can cause snow blindness in those without glasses. Remember too that the higher the elevation, the stronger the sun’s rays, so protecting your eyes becomes even more important. You want to wear polarised sunglasses, as these block the glare.
It’s important to protect your lips against the sub-zero temperatures and intense winds of summit night. Even with a balaclava over your face, you’ll want to wear a quality lip balm. And be sure to choose one with a high SPF factor to protect your lips when the sun comes up.
It’s probable that you won’t wear your balaclava for the entirety of your summit night hike. This is because the hike only starts in the night, but goes on into late afternoon. You want to ensure your face doesn’t burn during your descent hike. Also, if you opt to not wear a balaclava, be sure to protect your skin as soon as the sun starts to rise. Again, sun rays are far more damaging at high elevation. Remember, you want both UVA and AVB protection.
summit night selfie
Beanies, hoods, head torches and more are needed for a successful summit-night climb – and a selfie stick doesn’t hurt either!
Upper body
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
A skin-tight, long-sleeved thermal compression top is a wonderful tool in helping to keep you warm on summit night. It also helps to keep you dry by wicking away sweat.
The key thing about this top is to have one you’ve tested before on hikes and so know for certain to be comfortable. Note too that you want to tuck this layer into your pants to prevent it riding up and to prevent any cold air sneaking in.
This layer should be a snug fit and should also have been tested beforehand for comfort. You might want to tuck your thermal top into your pants along with your compression top.
A softshell jacket is a jacket made from binding two fabric layers together. It has no lining, like waterproof jackets do. Pull-over fleece jackets are ideal softshell jackets for summit night on Kilimanjaro. You could wear two fleeces if you tend to feel the cold more than others.
Your waterproof jacket is a very important item in keeping you warm. It should also have a hood, as you’ll pull this over your hat for extra head and neck warmth. A drawstring hood is a great choice so you can pull it snugly around your face.
This is one of the most important garments you wear on summit night. Down is incredibly insulating, but synthetic fibres can also be used. This is also one of the most expensive items on your summit night packing list. For those who aren’t sure about buying an insulated jacket of their own, these can easily be rented. At Follow Alice we provide our climbers with a branded down jacket that can be rented for just $40.
Kilimanjaro hiking to the summit jackets with hoods
Well-insulated jackets are important on a Kilimanjaro summit as the cold and wind are brutal
Hands
Here’s what you need:
Inner gloves
Thermal gloves
Ski mittens
Inner gloves – or glove liners – are an excellent idea for summit night, as your hands are usually in front of you holding your trekking poles, and as such are really exposed to the full force of the wind and cold. Cashmere or merino are great insulating fabrics.
Some people choose fingerless glove liners to de-bulk their fingers just a little. You do then risk cold fingertips. Either way, you want these gloves to be a snug fit for the greatest warmth.
Your thermal gloves should get a lot of use on your Kilimanjaro climb, as you’ll almost certainly use them in the days leading up to summit night.
Waterproof ski mittens are a great addition to your hand gear since the summit of Kilimanjaro is covered in ice and snow. Mittens are preferable to gloves because, as you likely know, they keep your fingers together and this offers better warmth. Try to find mittens that are easy to put on and take off since you’ll probably want to remove them when you stop to pull out a snack, or whatever. But we think you’ll find the additional warmth is worth the hassle.
Freezing hands on summit night is one of the biggest complaints amongst Kilimanjaro trekkers – don’t be one of them!
summit night smiling woman
On summit night you need more than just one pair of gloves to keep your fingers from freezing
Legs
Here’s what you need:
Moisture-wicking leggings
Thermal leggings
Waterproof hiking pants
Fleece pants
Gaiters (optional)
Moisture wicking leggings like cycling pants are an excellent base layer as they’re snug and help to keep you dry. Ensure through testing that they’re very comfortable, as the fabric will be against your skin for around 16 hours! We recommend not wearing these leggings before summit night, or if you do, air them out very well to ensure they’re completely dry.
As you’re heading into the icy world of the Kilimanjaro summit, one base layer simply isn’t enough to keep you warm. We suggest you wear a pair of thermal leggings over your other leggings to up the insulation.
Next, you need a good pair of waterproof hiking pants. These are the hiking pants you’ll wear throughout your Kili trek. Normally they’d be your outer layer for your legs, but for summit night we suggest yet another layer …
A loose pair of fleece pants that you can pull on over your hiking pants is a great idea for helping to battle the cold on summit night. Depending on the fit of your hiking pants, you could wear the fleece pants under them, but that’s up to you. The key thing here is just about adding another layer of warmth. But by having the fleece pants as the outer layer, you can more easily remove these should you get too warm, while still keeping on your waterproof pants.
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Gaiters are often suggested as optional, but we think they’re pretty indispensable. The primary reason for this is that your descent on summit day sees you walking down scree, and little bits of gravel often work their annoying way into your boots if you’re not wearing gaiters. Gaiters are also helpful in keeping the wind from finding its way to your ankles.
Short gaiters are enough, though long gaiters are fine too if you prefer them. And they do of course provide a degree more warmth.
Kilimanjaro summit what to wear
You wear far more on summit night (also referred to as summit day) than you do on any other day of trekking on Kilimanjaro
Feet
Here’s what you need
Boots
Sock liners (or thin, moisture-wicking socks)
Thermal socks
Your boots are such an important part of your climb, that we’ve written all about them in The best hiking boots for Kilimanjaro. Basically, you want comfortable, water-resistant boots that you’ve broken in well.
Be sure to air your boots well when you arrive in camp the evening before the summit-night climb. You want them dry before you put them on.
Sock liners are important on a long day of hiking like summit day, which sees you on your feet for around 16 hours. They’re made of synthetic materials and help to wick away sweat. They’re also an extra layer between your feet and your main socks, helping to reduce friction and the chance of blisters.
You get standard sock liners, as well as toesock liners, which encase each toe in a separate compartment to avoid chafing. As with everything you bring to wear on summit, be sure to have done a couple of hikes in them beforehand to ensure they fit nicely and don’t have any issues (like a troublesome seam). (A note: don’t be tempted to try hidden sock liners, which are very short socks, as these ride down too easily.)
We also recommend, as discussed in our Kilimanjaro packing list, that you bring a pair of sock liners that you keep fresh just for summit night.
Thermal socks are absolutely vital on summit night to keep your feet from getting cold. A key thing here is to ensure your thermal socks (together with your liners) fit comfortably within your boots. This is something you need to consider when purchasing your hiking boots. Wool or synthetic fibres tend to make for the warmest socks. Companies often brand these socks as ‘summit socks’.
summit Kilimanjaro clothes
Waterproof pants are important when there’s snow at the summit
Wear nothing brand new
We really want to stress the point that you shouldn’t include any brand new items in your gear for summit night. Everything you put on should be something you’ve used or tested beforehand. This is to ensure nothing is defective, uncomfortable nor the wrong size.
What you pack for your Kilimanjaro climb is vitally important to your health and the success of your trek. We’ve put together a comprehensive list of what to pack, and why. Please use this as a checklist in planning and
Some group trek Kilimanjaro summit with full moon climb and most trek groups begin their summit attempt at around midnight. We explain why we tackle the summit climb at night, what to expect, what to wear and how to tackle this physical as well as mental challenge. We also be happy to speak with you offer other some useful summit night tips.
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Patrick Chauka
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