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Kilimanjaro and Everest Base Camp are two of the most well-known and difficult high-altitude hikes in the world. They are, however, considered distinct from one another. Every destination is distinct in terms of its specialties.
The Everest Base Camp trek gets you to the foothills of the world's highest peak, but the Kilimanjaro climb takes you to the summit of Africa. If you enjoy peak-bragging destinations, Kilimanjaro appears to be a good choice, but standing on Mount Everest isn't any less impressive. There is no clear winner when it comes to which of these two trekking paths is easier because they both take you to great heights. One stands in the midst of endless Himalayan landscapes with a tinge of cultural indulgence. The other, however, has numerous pathways through shifting biological zones.
Many tourists like to experience these two legendary treks, and in an ideal world, they would have enough money to accomplish both. But what if you had to pick between climbing Kilimanjaro and traveling to Everest Base Camp? This blog will analyze the major differences between the two experiences, and hopefully, by the end, you will have decided which adventure to pursue, Mount Kilimanjaro vs Everest Base Camp.
Mount Everest and Kilimanjaro
There is no need to introduce Mount Everest. The world's tallest peak has drawn a lot of adventurers and daredevils. But climbing Everest is exceedingly challenging, expensive, and time-consuming. The trip to Everest Base Camp fills this need. It guarantees that you can approach this famous peak as closely as possible without having to endure the hardships that the Hillarys and Norgay's of the world must. For those who lack the time and dedication to reach the summit of the world's tallest mountain, the Base Camp provides a lovely deal and unquestionably the best perspective of this famous peak.
Kilimanjaro is the tallest peak in Africa and one of the world's tallest summits. For good reason, it is commonly referred to be the "roof of Africa." After all, this towering giant is the world's largest free-standing mountain. A climb up Kilimanjaro will take you right into the heart of Tanzania and provide you with a spiritual experience.
What Factors Should You Consider When Deciding Between Kilimanjaro and EBC Trekking?
Which is more difficult?
The obvious factors to take into consideration while planning any long-distance journey are distances, altitude gain, and weather. The EBC is located at 5,380 meters, while the base camp of Tanzania's highest mountain is at 5,895 meters. They both require adequate acclimatization time because their elevations are not dramatically different. The trek to Everest Base Camp takes 11-12 days to complete. However, ascending Tanzania's highest free-standing peak, which is surely not the simplest, would take more than five days.
The climate of Kilimanjaro is tropical rainforest at the base and the treeless Arctic at the top. Although Nepal's temperature is more consistently mild, the most important factor in comparing Kilimanjaro to Everest Base Camp is how much time your route gives you to adjust to the high altitude.
Only 40% of the roughly 40,000 people who attempt to climb Mount Kilimanjaro succeed since most of them attempt a shorter ascent and experience high altitude sickness. Due to the economics of climbing Kilimanjaro, many smaller organizations must provide hurried, less expensive five-day tours on the Marangu Route, but that is not enough time for you to become used to the thin air.
Compared to the Kilimanjaro journey, the Everest Base Camp expedition involves larger walking distances, more daily elevation gain and loss, and more difficult terrain. On the EBC journey, you will also spend more nights at high altitudes, which can present its own difficulties for individuals.
In reality, one can reach the top of Kilimanjaro and leave before arriving at Everest Base Camp, but neither trek is simple if you aren't determined to go there.
What are the different routes?
You can choose from a number of different routes for the Everest Base Camp Trek. The traditional EBC Trek route starts in Lukla and passes through Sherpa residential regions. There are numerous old monasteries that have colorful prayer flags and Tibetan Buddhist murals on their mani walls. Typically, Everest Base Camp Trekkers take the traditional route to arrive at the mountain's base camp (8,848.86m). They next make their way down to the Gokyo Valley, which is well-known for its series of five high-altitude lakes. You can choose from a few possibilities, though, depending on your preferences and areas of interest.
There are several well-known trekking routes to the Everest Base Camp Trek, including the classic route, Jiri to Everest Base Camp Trek Route, Tumlingtar Everest Base Camp Trek Route, and Gokyo Cho La Pass Trek Route. You can walk in Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's footsteps by undertaking the Jiri Everest Base Camp Trek. Hillary and Tenzing had traveled the Rolwaling Valley on the 1953 Everest expedition. Since the Tenzing Hillary Airport was built, the trek is less used.
Specifically, there are six different ways that you can take to reach the top of Kilimanjaro, according to our discussion of the mountain. The Marangu route is the only one of these with hut accommodations, and the Machame route is the one that most climbers prefer. Along with the Umbwe path, both of these routes start from the southern side. While the Rongai route approaches from the north, the Lemosho Route and the Northern Circuit both start the trek from the west.
Another route, the Shira route, is comparable to the Lemosho route with the first day being the main difference as this route makes its first stop at Simba camp. Despite the variety of paths, climbing Kilimanjaro allows hikers to experience a variety of biological habitats, from grassland to tropical rainforest, to the polar region with its permanent ice and snow.
Which has the best Scenery?
The largest mountains in the Khumbu region are visible from Everest Base Camp, and the surrounding area is ornamented with a variety of landscapes. While climbing Kilimanjaro, you can take in vistas of the clouds, tropical forests, and greater altitudes as you pass the cloud line. Deep rivers can be crossed while trekking in Nepal by using suspension bridges that are elegantly decorated with Khadas, or colorful sacred prayer flags.
You will be walking next to Himalayan yaks that are wearing bells around their necks and are carrying supplies for the locals living in the Himalayas. While doing so, you will be in awe of the gorgeous Himalayas, which are mighty and standing tall. Your excitement and tenacity to reach the foothills of the tallest mountain in the world, Everest, will be put to the test by the trail's continuous uphill and downhill hikes.
You will travel through several natural zones as you go to Kilimanjaro's summit. Within a few days on this walk, you will travel from the equator to the arctic area. The walk starts amid the equator's bushlands and coffee and banana farms. As the days go by, you will eventually arrive in a tropical forest with huge trees and waterfalls.
At the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, you will finally reach the arctic region after ascending through the heather zone, moorland zone, highland desert zone, and other zones as you gain altitude. You can experience diverse climate regions and stand on the roof of Africa thanks to these many natural zones.
Which trek is budget-friendly?
The price difference between Kilimanjaro and Everest base camp is huge. Despite taking less time, hiking Kilimanjaro costs at least twice as much as trekking to Everest Base Camp. The tallest mountain in Africa may be reached in less time than it takes to travel the EBC, which takes more than two weeks. While the trek to EBC includes tea house accommodations along the way, the hike to Kilimanjaro requires camping to the summit.
A native will run the tea house at each rest stop on the Everest Base Camp and offer you services while you're there. On the other hand, except for the Marangu path, your porters will provide the food and sleeping gear for every stop on the Mount Kilimanjaro climb.
Finally, in Everest Base Camp, about 90% of attempts are successful. Kilimanjaro's average elevation is only around 45%! However, these are only statistics, and it's your own willpower that counts!
What type of accommodation is provided?
The number of places to stay on Mount Kilimanjaro is extremely few. All other Kilimanjaro routes use campsites, with the exception of the Marangu route, which uses hut accommodations. All Kilimanjaro operators include camping gear as part of their service, so you don't need to bring your own tent, but you will need a high-quality, four-season sleeping bag and mat.
The accommodations on Everest expeditions could not be more dissimilar. The majority of EBC trekkers utilize teahouses. Guesthouses may be found in every community in the Everest region. Teahouses offer dorm-style rooms (typically with two single beds, but single rooms are available), a communal space to relax and warm up around a yak-fired stove, and restroom facilities. The latter's quality varies greatly as you progress up the trail. Some teahouses in the lower parts feature flushing toilets and hot showers; as you climb higher, you lose flushing toilets, showers, and other conveniences.
What is the best time for the trek?
The ideal months to climb Kilimanjaro for beginner climbers are generally June through October. Rain or snow are significantly less likely, and the weather is much more reliable. But since this is peak season, January to March is the best time to visit if you want to avoid crowds. There may be some snow and more cloud in the mountain's upper reaches throughout the months of January through March. It will be colder, therefore we'd recommend that more experienced climbers should avoid it.
September to November is the ideal season to hike to Everest Base Camp. In comparison to December to January, it is significantly warmer and more tolerable. Again, climbing in the autumn is advantageous for those who are somewhat inexperienced. Tanzania and Mount Kilimanjaro might be calling if your vacation time is limited to the summer months. It's simpler in that regard, and it's also advantageous if you go on a safari there However, if you have the option to leave the country at any time, EBC might be the better option right now for you; just make sure the weather is comfortable.
Which needs more fitness?
It is challenging to determine which trek is more challenging because Mount Kilimanjaro and Everest base camp each offer unique experiences. Different travelers will judge hardship differently. In both cases, you have to endure long journeys.
Although the EBC treks are longer, they have softer gradients. Simply following the marked trails is required for each journey. No actual climbing is required. Both of these hikes are therefore open to hikers between the ages of 10 and 70. For both treks, the hikers should start preparing a few months in advance, and they should be in good physical shape.
You should consider visiting Everest Base Camp if you want to complete a challenging and well-known task. Everyone is familiar with it! The trek from 2,800 meters to 5,300 meters won't be easy. It won't be simple, but it won't be impossible either.
Spend a lot of time getting ready for both of these hikes. Physical preparation will make the cerebral component much simpler, even though you don't need to behave any exceptional climbing skills.
Summit day
In the past, summit day distinguished the Kilimanjaro climb from the Everest Base Camp journey the most. To reach the top before daylight, most groups began their summit ascent during the night. Eddie altered the plan of attack for this 4,000-foot trek in the minus 40-degree weather. All future Tusker summit days on Kilimanjaro will be completed in the daytime, and the descent will be completed over two days, with the final night spent camping at a height of 15,000 feet. However, the difficult summit night start was the hardest portion of the Kilimanjaro climb for those who followed the traditional route.
It has always been far easier and, to some extent, less satisfying to reach Everest Base Camp on the final trip. It takes seven hours to hike in the daylight to reach Everest Base Camp, including a break for lunch and rest in Gorak Shep.
You will have a spectacular panorama of Mount Everest (almost 29,000 feet) and its slightly lower peaks above you, but chances are you won’t experience the same joy of summiting one of the world’s seven summits as you do on Kilimanjaro. The repeated steep uphill and downhill stretches that make up the 12-day Everest Base Camp journey are the most difficult.
Which to choose Everest or Kilimanjaro?
EBC offers stunning mountain views among these two. Although Kilimanjaro does not offer the same mountain splendor, traveling through the many ecological zones is nevertheless an exciting experience. Do your best to visit both of the world's natural wonders if you can. If you must decide, after reading the comparisons between climbing Kilimanjaro vs. EBC, choose the one that excites you the most. Please let us know your choice!
