Traditionally, the Rongai Route’s premier advantage has been that it is the quietest route on the mountain. But one of the reasons it's so quiet is that the likelihood of summiting on this route on the conventional six and seven day schedules is the second worst of all the six official routes. This is because there are no topographical features that allow the ‘climb high / steep low’ principle to be exploited, even if one incorporates a rest day that features a modest acclimatization excursion. Typically, operators that use this route report a failure rate of around half the climbing group.
The Rongai Route ascends Kilimanjaro from the north-eastern side of the mountain, along the border between Tanzania and Kenya. This route retains a sense of unspoilt wilderness and offers a different perspective on Kili by approaching it from the north.
