Kilimanjaro summiting on or soon after a full moon is very beautiful and helps illuminate the landscape without using the headlamps. However, it is also very bright for sleeping and stars are not visible. When the peak of Kilimanjaro and magnificent glaciers are lit up by the full moon the view is absolutely incredible. For this reason alone, some of the climbers schedule their trek to coincide with the celestial event, occurring once a month. However, a practical reason for climbing at these times is that a bright moon along with a clear sky will improve your visibility throughout your climb, and most importantly, during the summit ascend.

To summiting on a full moon, you will want to start a 6-day or 4 days trek before the full moon (3 days before doing a 5-day trek).

Month 2021 2022
January 28th January 17th January
February 27th March 16th February
March 28th March 18th March
April 27th April 16th April
May 26th May 15th May
June 24th June 14th June
July 24th July (Lunar Eclipse) 13th July (Lunar Eclipse)
August 22nd August 11th August
September 21st September 10th September
October 20th October 9th October
November 19th November 8th November
December 19th December 7th December