Northern Circuit Route
Everything you need to decide on the Northern Circuit: the 9-day itinerary, why the acclimatisation profile is the best on the mountain, how quiet it really is, and what the extra days cost.
- Guide
- Route Guide
- Reading time
- 15minutes
- In this guide
- 10sections
- 8–9 days recommended
- Longest itinerary
- Strongest acclimatisation profile
- Best for maximising time
- Route fit checker
Local Tanzania team · Licensed mountain crew · Real Safari Soles itineraries
The Northern Circuit starts like Lemosho on the western side, crosses the Shira Plateau, then swings north and circles almost the entire mountain on the remote northern slopes before approaching the summit from the east. It is normally climbed in nine days, and it has the most generous acclimatisation profile of any standard route.
- Longest standard route: nine days on the mountain, sometimes ten.
- Best acclimatisation profile available on Kilimanjaro.
- The quietest route above the forest. The northern slopes see very little traffic.
- Highest cost of the standard routes because every day adds fees and wages.
- Ideal for cautious first-timers, older climbers and anyone who has struggled at altitude before.
01 / 10
Understanding the Northern Circuit Route
The longest standard route on Kilimanjaro, with the strongest acclimatisation profile and the quietest trails above the forest.
Where this fits: this guide is part of the Kilimanjaro climbing guides hub, which supports our main Kilimanjaro climbing page and our published Kilimanjaro climb prices. Compare it against every other option in the Kilimanjaro route comparison and the closest alternative route, then read the altitude and safety guide and the cost breakdown; the park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and background on the mountain itself is on Wikipedia.
The Northern Circuit is the newest of the main Kilimanjaro routes and the most generous with time. It shares its first days with Lemosho (Londorossi Gate, rainforest, the Shira Plateau) and then does something no other route does: instead of turning towards the southern circuit, it heads north and traverses the quiet northern slopes almost all the way around the mountain.
Those northern days are the heart of the route. You walk at altitude for several consecutive days without gaining much height, which is exactly the pattern that produces good acclimatisation. Camps like Moir Hut, Buffalo Camp and Third Cave sit in open, remote terrain, and it is common to see only a handful of other climbers.
The route then joins the eastern side at School Hut for a summit approach that avoids the busiest camp on the mountain. From the summit you descend the southern side via Mweka, so you finish having effectively circled the whole massif.
The trade-off is simple and honest: this route costs more and needs more leave days. It is not a harder climb. Most climbers report the daily walking as easier than Machame, because you are rarely pushed and your body has time to adjust.
Trekkers walk through the Fig Tree Arch, formed by the roots of a giant strangler fig.
02 / 10
Quick facts and route profile
Use this as your planning snapshot. Exact distances and camp altitudes vary slightly between itineraries, so confirm the final version of your itinerary with Safari Soles before booking flights.
- Recommended duration
- 9 days on the mountain (10 available for extra margin)
- Distance
- Roughly 98km: the longest of the standard routes; confirm exact figures with our team
- Difficulty
- Moderate daily walking over many consecutive days
- Accommodation
- Mountain tents throughout with a dining tent
- Best for
- Cautious climbers, altitude-sensitive travellers, anyone wanting solitude
- Crowd level
- Lowest of all standard routes above the forest
- Acclimatisation profile
- Best available: many nights at altitude with gradual gain
- Starting gate
- Londorossi Gate on the western side
- Descent route
- Mweka Route
- Trade-off
- Cost and leave days rather than difficulty
Who this route suits: and who it does not
The Northern Circuit Route is a good fit if…
- Altitude is your main concern and you want the strongest possible profile.
- You have nine or ten days available on the mountain.
- You want genuine solitude on the trail rather than shared camps.
- You have struggled at altitude on a previous trek.
- You are an older climber or want the gentlest daily pace.
- You are happy to pay more for a bigger margin of safety and comfort.
Consider another route if…
- Your budget is tight: the extra days are the main cost driver.
- You have limited leave days and cannot commit nine days on the mountain.
- You want the shortest possible trip that still reaches the summit.
- You dislike long consecutive days of walking, even at a gentle pace.
- You want hut accommodation: this route is tents only.
Two lions lying close together in orange grass, heads touching.
03 / 10
Why nine days changes the climb
Acclimatisation is a time-based process. Your body needs days, not hours, to increase red blood cell production and adjust breathing and fluid balance. No amount of fitness shortens that process, which is why itinerary length is the strongest predictor of how you will feel on summit night.
The Northern Circuit gives you more nights above 3,500m than any other standard route, with several days where you walk a good distance but gain very little altitude. By the time you reach School Hut you have been living at altitude for the better part of a week.
For most climbers this shows up as a summit night that is still hard but much more manageable: less nausea, better appetite in the days before, and a stronger sense that you are walking rather than surviving.
A ten-day version exists and adds one more buffer night. We suggest it for climbers who have had altitude problems previously or who want the largest possible margin.
Duration options compared
| Option | Mountain days | Acclimatisation | Crowds | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Circuit | 9 | Best available | Lowest above the forest | Highest of the standard routes |
| Lemosho | 8 | Excellent | Quiet then moderate | High |
| Machame | 7 | Good | Busiest | Moderate |
| Marangu | 6 | Weakest | Busy huts | Usually lowest |
Northern Circuit
- Mountain days
- 9
- Acclimatisation
- Best available
- Crowds
- Lowest above the forest
- Cost
- Highest of the standard routes
Lemosho
- Mountain days
- 8
- Acclimatisation
- Excellent
- Crowds
- Quiet then moderate
- Cost
- High
Machame
- Mountain days
- 7
- Acclimatisation
- Good
- Crowds
- Busiest
- Cost
- Moderate
Marangu
- Mountain days
- 6
- Acclimatisation
- Weakest
- Crowds
- Busy huts
- Cost
- Usually lowest
04 / 10
Northern Circuit Route day-by-day and camp progression
This is the typical flow of the climb. Camp names stay consistent across operators, while walking hours change with weather, group pace and how your guide manages acclimatisation.
- Day 1
Londorossi Gate to Mti Mkubwa Camp
Drive to the western gate, complete formalities and walk gently through rainforest. Short, easy day designed to start slowly.
- Day 2
Mti Mkubwa to Shira 1 Camp
Out of the forest into heather and moorland, with the first proper views of the summit dome and a noticeable drop in temperature at camp.
- Day 3
Shira 1 to Moir Hut
Cross the Shira Plateau with an optional acclimatisation walk. Moir Hut sits in a quiet valley on the northern edge of the plateau.
- Day 4
Moir Hut to Buffalo Camp
Climb over Lent Hills for acclimatisation, then descend to Buffalo Camp on the northern slopes. The crowds effectively disappear from here.
- Day 5
Buffalo Camp to Rongai Third Cave
A long, beautiful traverse across the northern flank with views towards Kenya. Modest altitude gain, plenty of walking.
- Day 6
Third Cave to School Hut
Climb steadily to School Hut on the eastern side at around 4,700m. Arrive early, rest, and prepare summit kit.
- Day 7
Summit night to Uhuru Peak, then down to Millennium Camp
Midnight start towards Gilman's Point, then the crater rim to Uhuru Peak at 5,895m. Descend to Barafu for food and rest, then on to Millennium Camp.
- Day 8
Millennium Camp to Mweka Camp
A comfortable descent day through moorland into forest, with time to enjoy having summited the day before.
- Day 9
Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate
Final descent through rainforest to the gate, certificates, crew tipping and transfer to your hotel.
What camp progression feels like
The camps split into two moods. The western and plateau camps (Mti Mkubwa, Shira, Moir) are the shared part of the route with other Lemosho and Northern Circuit groups.
From Buffalo Camp onwards you are on your own. These northern camps are open, windswept and remote, with views out across the plains towards Kenya and virtually no other groups. Several climbers describe this stretch as the best part of the whole trip.
School Hut on the eastern side is a functional pre-summit camp rather than a scenic one, but it is far quieter than Barafu, which means better rest before a midnight start.
05 / 10
Altitude, acclimatisation and difficulty
This is the strongest acclimatisation profile on the mountain, and it comes from three things: many nights above 3,500m, several days of walking without significant height gain, and deliberate acclimatisation climbs such as Lent Hills.
The practical effect is that most climbers arrive at School Hut breathing more comfortably and eating better than they would at Barafu on a shorter route. That does not make summit night easy. It makes it realistic.
Guides monitor pulse and oxygen saturation twice daily and ask about symptoms throughout. On a nine-day itinerary there is also room to slow down or add a rest afternoon without wrecking the plan, which is a real advantage.
How hard the walking actually is
Daily walking is moderate: mostly rolling trails at altitude with a few climbs for acclimatisation. There is no scrambling equivalent to the Barranco Wall, and no technical terrain anywhere.
The challenge is endurance rather than intensity. Nine days of walking, camping and sleeping at altitude tests patience and general robustness more than leg strength.
Summit night from School Hut is comparable in difficulty to the Kibo Hut approach: a long, steep climb in the dark to the crater rim before the traverse to Uhuru Peak.
Your summit matters, but your safety comes first. Every extra day on the mountain buys your body time to produce the red blood cells that make the summit push realistic, which is why we rarely recommend the shortest possible version of any route.
Ask us to walk you through the acclimatisation profile of your exact itinerary rather than comparing day counts alone.
06 / 10
Scenery, crowds and camp experience
Scenery highlights
You see more of Kilimanjaro on this route than on any other. Rainforest, the Shira Plateau, the northern flank looking out towards Kenya, the eastern approach and the southern descent: effectively a full circuit of the massif.
The northern slopes have a completely different character from the photogenic southern face: fewer glaciers overhead, far more space, and an emptiness that feels genuinely remote.
The descent via Millennium and Mweka gives you the lush southern forest at the end, so the trip finishes green after days in alpine desert.
Crowd levels
Above the Shira Plateau this is the quietest standard route on Kilimanjaro. Buffalo Camp and Third Cave often hold only one or two groups.
The first days are shared with Lemosho climbers, and the descent rejoins the busy southern trails, but the middle of the route is as close to solitude as Kilimanjaro offers.
School Hut is a meaningful advantage on summit night: leaving from a quiet camp rather than a crowded Barafu makes the start of the climb calmer.
Safety plan on this route
The long profile is itself a safety feature. Most altitude problems come from ascending too quickly, and this route is designed to prevent that.
The northern slopes are remote, so we run the route with senior guides, full emergency oxygen, a comprehensive first-aid kit and pulse oximeters, and we plan descent options for each camp before the climb starts.
Insurance covering trekking to 6,000m with emergency evacuation is required, and we ask for the policy details before departure.
Shafts of light through twisted forest trees in mist.
07 / 10
Route fit checker
A short planning tool, not a booking form. It tells you whether this route matches your days, fitness and comfort preferences, and which guide to read next.
Is the Northern Circuit Route right for you?
Answer six quick questions and we will tell you whether the Northern Circuit Route suits your days, fitness and comfort preferences, or which route to compare it against instead.
0 of 6 answered
Answer all 6 questions and your result appears here.
08 / 10
What drives the cost of this route
The Northern Circuit is the most expensive standard route, and the reason is arithmetic rather than exclusivity. Park fees are per person per day, camping fees per night, crew wages per working day and food per person per day. Nine days multiplies all of it.
There is also a longer drive to Londorossi Gate and more provisioning for a remote route where resupply is not practical.
If the price is beyond your budget, the honest alternative is 8-day Lemosho rather than a compressed Northern Circuit. Shortening this route removes the only reason to choose it.
Usually included and usually excluded
Inclusions vary between operators and between private and group departures. Safari Soles confirms every line in writing before you pay, so use this as a checklist rather than a price list.
Usually included
- Park entry, camping and rescue fees for all nine days
- Lead guide plus assistant guides at a safe ratio
- Cook, camp crew and porters for group equipment
- Tents, dining tent, table, chairs and mess equipment
- Three cooked meals a day and treated drinking water
- Transfers from your hotel to Londorossi and from Mweka Gate
- Emergency oxygen and pulse oximeter with the guide team
Usually excluded
- Flights and Tanzanian visa
- Trekking and evacuation insurance (required)
- Hotel nights before and after the climb unless quoted
- Personal clothing, boots and sleeping bag
- Gear rental if needed
- Crew tips
- Private toilet tent, drinks and personal extras
Go deeper on planning
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Kilimanjaro climb cost
What actually drives the price of a climb, and which parts of a quote should never be cut to save money.
View cost guide -
Kilimanjaro safety
Daily health checks, altitude monitoring, turnaround decisions and evacuation planning explained.
Read safety guide -
Packing list
Layer by layer gear list with an interactive checklist, plus what is worth renting in Moshi.
Open packing checklist
09 / 10
How the Northern Circuit Route compares
The Northern Circuit is the route we recommend when a climber says the summit really matters to them and budget is not the binding constraint. It buys the two things that most improve your odds: time at altitude and a calm pre-summit camp.
If cost or leave days are the limit, 8-day Lemosho gives you most of the benefit for less. If you want quiet on a normal budget, Rongai is the value option.
Northern Circuit vs Lemosho
Northern Circuit vs Rongai
| Factor | Northern Circuit | Rongai |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended days | 9 | 7 |
| Acclimatisation | Best available | Good with Mawenzi Tarn |
| Crowds | Quietest | Very quiet |
| Cost | Highest | Moderate |
| Best for | Altitude-sensitive climbers | Quiet climb on a normal budget |
Recommended days
- Northern Circuit
- 9
- Rongai
- 7
Acclimatisation
- Northern Circuit
- Best available
- Rongai
- Good with Mawenzi Tarn
Crowds
- Northern Circuit
- Quietest
- Rongai
- Very quiet
Cost
- Northern Circuit
- Highest
- Rongai
- Moderate
Best for
- Northern Circuit
- Altitude-sensitive climbers
- Rongai
- Quiet climb on a normal budget
10 / 10
How Safari Soles approaches this
We treat this route as the premium acclimatisation choice rather than a luxury upgrade. Nothing about the daily walking is elite; it is the schedule that does the work.
Tell us your dates and any previous altitude experience, and we will show you the nine-day plan with camp altitudes and where the acclimatisation climbs sit.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most unsuccessful climbs come from a handful of avoidable planning decisions, not from the mountain.
- Choosing a route only by price, then discovering the cheapest option also has the fewest days on the mountain.
- Booking too few days and giving your body almost no time to adjust to altitude.
- Ignoring altitude entirely because Kilimanjaro is a walking climb rather than a technical one.
- Assuming the most popular route is automatically the best route for you.
- Leaving gear checks until the final week, then renting whatever is left over.
- Underestimating summit night: the cold, the darkness and the very slow pace.
- Booking without understanding the camp style, meals and toilet arrangements you are paying for.
Get these right and the climb follows
Every one of these comes down to the same thing: matching the route and the day count to the climber before booking anything. Send us your dates and we will tell you honestly what is realistic.
Plan this climb with a local expertQuestions worth asking any operator
Ask these of any operator you are comparing, including us. The answers tell you more about a climb than the price does.
- How many days are on the mountain, and how many of those are genuine acclimatisation days?
- Who leads the climb, and how many assistant guides travel with our group size?
- What daily health monitoring happens, and what triggers a descent decision?
- What is included in the quoted price, and what is paid separately?
- What equipment is provided, what can be rented locally and what must I bring?
- How are crew tips collected and distributed at the end of the climb?
What Safari Soles puts in writing
Everything below is confirmed before you pay, so nothing about your climb is left to be discovered on the mountain.
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Your route, day count and acclimatisation profile
Confirmed in writing before you pay, with our honest view on whether the number of days suits you.
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How your health is monitored on the mountain
The daily check routine and who is responsible for it are explained at your pre-climb briefing.
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First-aid and emergency response for your itinerary
You are told what travels with the climb and what happens at each camp if someone needs to descend.
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Who is on your crew and what each person does
Lead guide, assistant guides, cook and porters are set out for your group size, not left vague.
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Porter load handling for your climb
Duffel limits and how loads are weighed are confirmed before departure, so there are no gate surprises.
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Tent, sleeping mat and dining arrangements
Camp comfort is described in the quote rather than discovered on the first night.
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Meals, drinking water and hot drinks
How your food is cooked and your water treated is explained, including dietary requirements.
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Gear rental list, sizes and prices
Shared before you shop, so you buy what matters at home and hire the rest on arrival.
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An itemised quote with fees shown separately
Park and camping fees, crew, equipment, transfers and hotels appear as their own lines.
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Tipping guidance for your group size
The customary range and how tips are collected are agreed before you fly, in writing.
Safety standards on a Safari Soles climb
What safety means in practice on the mountain, rather than as a promise on a page.
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Mountain safety preparation
Safety planning starts long before the gate. Your route, day count and acclimatisation profile are chosen for how you actually travel, and every climb is briefed as a plan rather than an ambition.
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Altitude monitoring
Your guides monitor how you are adjusting each day (how you are sleeping, eating, drinking and breathing) and record what they see so the pattern across the climb is visible, not guessed at.
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Guide-led pacing
Pace is set by your guide, deliberately slower than most climbers expect. Walking slowly is the single most effective acclimatisation tool on the mountain, and our guides hold that pace even when a group feels strong.
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First-aid readiness
A mountain first-aid kit travels with every climb and your guide team is briefed on how it is used and when a symptom stops being discomfort and becomes a reason to act.
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Emergency planning
Each itinerary has a worked-out response for illness or injury at every camp (who escorts you, which way you go down and who is contacted) agreed before day one rather than improvised.
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Summit-night support
Summit night is the hardest part of the climb, so it is guided most closely: assistant guides stay with slower climbers, layering and hydration are checked before departure, and turning back early is treated as a normal outcome, not a failure.
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Clear descent decisions
Your lead guide has final authority on descent. The reasoning is explained to you and to your group in advance, so nobody is negotiating a health decision at 5,000m in the dark.
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Client briefing before the climb
The day before you walk, we go through the itinerary, the daily routine, your gear, the health checks and the descent process, and answer every question while there is still time to act on the answers.
What your climb includes at camp
The parts of a climb you sleep in, eat from and depend on, described before you book rather than discovered on the first night.
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Tents and sleeping setup
You are told before booking what tent you sleep in, how many climbers share it and what sleeping mat is provided, including where a thicker mat is worth adding.
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Dining and camp meals
Climbs are planned around hot cooked meals prepared by your own mountain kitchen crew, eaten in a dining setup rather than hunched inside a sleeping tent.
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Water and hot drinks
Drinking water is collected and treated by your crew each day, and hot drinks come with meals and on arrival at camp. You never need to buy water on the mountain.
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Gear rental guidance
We tell you what can be rented in Moshi or Arusha, in which sizes, and share the current list and prices so you only buy at home what is genuinely worth owning.
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Private toilet option
A private portable toilet can be added to a climb where you want it. We confirm availability and the cost for your dates in writing before you book.
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What you bring yourself
Personal items (boots, layers, gloves, headlamp, sunglasses and a broken-in daypack) stay with you, and we check them with you at the pre-climb briefing.
How we work with our mountain crew
A climb runs on the people carrying it. This is how their loads, meals, pay and tips are handled.
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Porter load guidance
Loads are managed to the national park limit and your personal duffel is weighed before the climb, so no porter starts the day carrying more than they should.
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Responsible crew support
Crew wages, hot meals and sleeping arrangements are built into the price of a climb. A quote that undercuts everything else is usually taking it out of the people carrying your bag.
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Tipping guidance
We explain the customary tipping range for your group size and crew before you travel, and how tips are collected and shared at the end of the climb, so nothing is improvised on the last morning.
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Respect for guides, cooks and porters
Your crew are named colleagues, introduced to you at the start of the climb, not anonymous labour. That expectation is set with clients as well as crew.
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Clear explanation of crew roles
Before you book you know who travels with you and why: lead guide, assistant guides, mountain cook and the porters carrying camp, food, water and personal kit.
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Crew meals and sleeping arrangements
Guides, cooks and porters are supported with planned meals and sleeping arrangements on the mountain, because a safe climb depends on the whole crew being properly cared for, not only the climbers.
Local Kilimanjaro operators, licensed crew, honest guidance
Written and reviewed by the Safari Soles team in Arusha, who plan and run Kilimanjaro climbs from beside the mountain rather than brokering them from an overseas office.
- Reviewed by the Safari Soles Kilimanjaro planning team
- Updated for 2026 climbing seasons
- Route and day count matched to your fitness and altitude history
- Daily health monitoring and descent decisions agreed before you book
- Read Safari Soles reviews on TripAdvisor
- Read Safari Soles reviews on SafariBookings
- Read Safari Soles reviews on Google
Where these facts come from (4)
- UNESCO: Kilimanjaro National Park The World Heritage listing for Kilimanjaro National Park, which records Africa's highest point at 5,895m.
- TANAPA: Tanzania National Parks Official park authority information on regulations, park fees and permitted activities.
- Tanzania Tourist Board Government tourism information on travelling in Tanzania, seasons and destinations.
- Wikipedia: Mount Kilimanjaro Secondary background context on the mountain's geology, glaciers and climbing history.
Related Safari Soles guides
Continue with the guides travellers usually read next.
Lemosho Route A longer western approach with a gradual altitude profile and quiet early days through rainforest and moorland. Routes
Read the guide
Rongai Route Approaching from the drier northern side, with wide open views towards Kenya and fewer trekkers on the trail. Routes
Read the guide
Kilimanjaro Safety How pacing, guide checks, oxygen, evacuation planning and honest turnaround decisions keep a climb safe. Safety
Read the guide
Frequently Asked Questions
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It has the best acclimatisation profile and the quietest trails, so for climbers who can commit nine days it is arguably the strongest choice. Lemosho is the better balance of time, cost and scenery for most people.
Ready to plan your Northern Circuit Route climb?
Tell us your dates, fitness level and group size and we will build a Northern Circuit Route itinerary with the right number of acclimatisation days, or recommend a different route if it suits you better.