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Bruno Brunod, Italy

Fastest ascent of Kilimanjaro
Ascent: Marangu (Tourist) Route: 5 hours 38 mins 40 secs
Descent: Marangu (Tourist) Route: 2 hours 56 mins 12 secs
Summit Rest: included with descent time

Total Ascent and Descent Time: 8 hours 34 minutes 52 secs
Start: Thursday 22nd November 2001
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In 2001 Bruno Brunod of Italy managed to reach Uhuru Peak from Marangu Gate in just 5 hours 38 minutes and 40 seconds. This remains the fastest verified ascent of Kilimanjaro. There are a couple of unverified claims, however, with Sean Burch of Virginia claiming to have made it to the top on 7 June 2005 in 5 hours 28 minutes, and Christian Stangl of Austria claiming to have achieved the summit in 5 hours 36 minutes in October 2004.Incidentally, Bruno then ran back down the same way, reaching Marangu Gate just 2 hours 56 minutes and 12 seconds after summiting. Adding these up, his total time on the mountain was just over 8 hours 30 minutes.

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Fastest ascent and descent of Kilimanjaro
Simon P Mtuy, Tanzania

Ascent: Umbwe Route: 6 hours 00
Descent: Mweka Route: 2 hours 20
Summit Rest: 0 hours 7

Total Ascent and Descent Time: 8 hours 27 minutes
Start: Sunday 26th December 2004 at 0600.
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This belongs to Simon Mtuy (Tanzania), who runs the Summit Expeditions and Nomadic Experience trekking agency in Moshi. On December 26, 2004, Simon acheived the incredible time of 8 hours 27 minutes. Apparently, it took Simon 6 hours exactly to reach the summit via the Umbwe Route, and after seven minutes to catch his breath, just two hours 20 minutes to complete the descent to Mweka Gate.

In fact, it’s likely that Simon will be the holder for a while. His ultrarunning background combined with the fact that he climbs the mountain regularly mean that even if his rivals do beat his time, their reign is likely to be shortlived.Nor is that the end of Simon’s record-breaking exploits, for on the 22 February 2006 Simon climbed from Umbwe Gate to the summit and back again in a time of 9 hours and 19 minutes and, in doing so, achieved the fastest ever unaided ascent and descent (by unaided, they mean that Simon carried his own food, water and clothing). This despite suffering from a nasty bout of diarrhoea, as well as a three-minute break at the top to video himself, plus two further breaks to vomit!

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Fastest ascent of Kilimanjaro (female)
Rebecca Rees-Evans, United Kingdom

Ascent-only time on Marangu (Tourist) Route, 21st May 2005
13 hours 16 mins 37 secs
unacclimatised, accompanied, supported
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Rebecca Rees-Evans (UK), part of the Team Kilimanjaro organization that organizes most of these record attempts, achieved the time of 13 hours 16 minutes and 37 seconds in reaching Uhuru Peak via the Marangu Route.

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Youngest person to climb Kilimanjaro

On 21 January 2008 Keats Boyd from Los Angeles successfully hauled his seven-year-old body to the very summit of Africa's Highest Mountain - and in doing so, has become the youngest person ever to reach the top of Kilimanjaro.

An impressive feat, not least because in breaking the record Keats must also have broken all sorts of rules, including the one that says you have to be at least ten to climb Kili! The youngest person to climb Kilimanjaro who was above the minimum age was Jordan Romero of Big Bear Lake, California, who, as reported in our Kilimanjaro News section, achieved the summit on the 23rd July 2006 at the tender age of ten years and 11 days old.

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Youngest person to (legally) climb Kilimanjaro!

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Congratulations are due to Jordan Romero, from the wonderfully named Big Bear Lake in California, who has, I believe, become the youngest person to climb Kilimanjaro legally. I say legally, as the park authorities insist that climbers must be ten years old before attempting to climb Kilimanjaro. And at just ten years and 11 days old, Jordan Romero has become the new record holder, beating the South African Antoine van Heerden who was a venerable 10 years and 11 months when he completed his climb. (For the record, as we say in the book there have been rumours of a seven-year-old who has climbed to the summit, and Joshua Schumacher, another South African, made it to the top in 2002 aged just 9! But like we say, these are technically ‘illegal’ climbs).

Jordan achieved his record on the 23rd July 2006, climbing via the Umbwe Route – which has a reputation for being the hardest (and is certainly the steepest) on the route.

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Oldest person to climb Kilimanjaro

Curiously, according to the Guinness Book of World Records American Carl Haupt holds the record for the oldest man to summit Kilimanjaro, being 79 when he reached the top in 2004. This must have come as something of a surprise to Frenchman Valtée Daniel, who has long been regarded as the oldest man ever to reach Africa’s highest point – and considering he was 87 when he made it to the top, we can see no reason why he’s not still the record holder. One can assume only that Monsieur Daniel’s expedition could not be verified according to the regulations governing Guinness records – though it seems a bit rough on the old fella to have his record snatched away by such a whippersnapper.