Fastest ascent and descent

That’s not the end of the story, however. For Karl then trotted back down to the gate in a total time of 6 hours 42 minutes and 24 seconds. You can watch Karl’s record-breaking run by clicking on this link to Karl Egloff’s world-record climb.

Fastest ascent and descent (unaided)

The previous holder of the record for the fastest ascent and descent, Simon Mtuy (Tanzania), still holds one record. On the 22 February 2006 he climbed from Umbwe Gate to the summit and back in 9 hours 19 minutes. In doing so, he achieved the fastest ever unaided ascent and descent. (By unaided, we mean that he carried all his own food, water and clothing.)

This despite suffering from a nasty bout of diarrhoea. He also took a three-minute break at the top to video himself, plus two further breaks to vomit!

I should also mention that Simon, who runs the Summit Expeditions and Nomadic Experience trekking agency, is a gentleman as well as an extraordinary athlete. For he was there to greet Kilian in 2010 as he finished his record-breaking feat. Even though Kilian had taken the record from Simon!

Fastest ascent (female) – and descent

Danish athlete Kristina Schou Madsen reached the summit of Kilimanjaro via the Mweka Route in a speedy 6 hours, 52 minutes and 54 seconds. (Mweka is normally a descent-only route, but has the advantage of being a very direct path to the top. Which is why, we guess, Kristina took that path.) Kristina set the time on February 23rd, 2018. Follow this link to read more about Kristina Schou Madsen’s record Kilimanjaro climb >>

Youngest person to reach the summit

Though other websites have chosen to recognise Ognen Živković’s as the youngest person to climb Kilimanjaro, due to significant doubts about his expedition, we have chosen not to do so.

On 6 August 2023  five-year-old Ognjen Živković from Serbia took seven days to complete his trek, taking the Machame Route to the summit. He thus appeared to have become the youngest person to climb to the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Unfortunately, several eyewitnesses got in touch with us, independently, and before I’d even written about his climb, to tell me of the disturbing sight they’d seen near the summit of Kili of a young child being carried down the slopes, semi-conscious, on the back of a porter.

As any mountaineer will tell you, to successfully climb a mountain you need to a) do it under your own steam; and b) climb both up and down.

As a result, Coaltan Tanner, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, remains the record holder for the youngest person to climb Kilimanjaro.

Coaltan reached the summit of Kilimanjaro on 22 October 2018, aged just 6 years, 1 month and 4 days. In doing so, he broke one of the most enduring (and disputed) records on the mountain by becoming the youngest person ever to reach the summit unaided.

(By unaided, we mean that Coaltan was not carried at any time during the trek and walked the entire way from gate to summit.)

You can read more about Coaltan Tanner’s Kilimanjaro climb here.

Youngest girl to climb to the top of Kilimanjaro

The following year, Ashleen Mandrik, from near Brighton, climbed to the summit aged just six. That climb has yet to be ratified by the Guinness Book of World Records, however. Showing a refreshing lack of interest in having a record-breaking child, her mum, Victoria, did not contact them until after they had completed the climb. Thus it is currently uncertain whether Ashleen will be officially recognised as the youngest female ever to climb to the summit.

If she isn’t, and her claims that she got to the top unaided can’t be verified by the authorities, then the record will remain with Montannah Kenney, of Austin, Texas. Montannah was aged just 7 years old – 2865 days to be precise –  when she made it all the way to Uhuru Peak. You can read more about Montannah Kenney’s record-breaking Kilimanjaro climb here >>

The youngest person – or, rather – people to climb Kilimanjaro and who were above the minimum age were the Loynd twins, Alex and Alan, who achieved the summit on the 24 June 2019 on their tenth birthday.

Oldest person to reach the summit

Perhaps surprisingly, this is the record that has changed hands most frequently over the past few years. In July 2019 Anne Lorimor, from Phoenix, Arizona, reached the summit aged 89. This was not Anne’s first successful climb to Uhuru Peak. Four years earlier, in August 2015, aged 85, she had climbed with her niece and nephew to the summit. You can read more about Anne Lorimor’s record-breaking Kili climb here >>

Back then, Anne’s climb had earned her the record for the oldest woman to reach the top. But on October 29th of that year, Russian octagenarian Angela Vorobeva took the popular Machame Route to the top aged 86 years, 267 days. (Impressive, but it’s fair to say that it’s not the toughest challenge that Ms Vorobeva has faced. She survived the Siege of Leningrad in 1944!). 

Ms Vorobeva held the title of the oldest person to climb to the top until July 20th 2017. In that year Dr Fred Distelhorst, a retired orthodontist from Vail, Colorado, reached the summit at the age of 88. Fred held the record for two years until Anne launched her latest record-breaking expedition.

Previous holders

If you are of fairly advanced years yourself and fancy trying to emulate the achievements of Anne Lorimor, please see our tips and advice for older Kilimanjaro climbers.