Your page description goes in here. So, you’ve decided to have a crack at Africa’s highest?
This page has been created as a result of the fact that we’re often asked for advice on climbing Kilimanjaro. Please be aware that this advice comes as a result of just one climb and, therefore, can’t be all-encompassing – we simply don’t know if the Machame Route is ‘better’ than the Team Kilimanjaro Rongai – but is backed up by many years of researching the mountain before actually climbing it. So, for what it’s worth, here is the advice of someone who's done it. Once.

Before you book:
Do your homework.
Find out as much as you can about the experience of climbing Kilimanjaro long before you go. That way you’ll be prepared. The fact that you’re reading the information contained on this obscure website shows that, at the very least, you’ve made a start. Buy, and read, the Trailblazer “Kilimanjaro – A Trekking Guide to Africa’s Highest Mountain”. Having read many other Kilimanjaro guidebooks, we’d argue that it’s the best there is by a considerable margin.

Realise that it’s going to cost you.
Climbing Kilimanjaro is almost certainly something you’ll do only once, so why jeopardise your chances of success by cutting corners? Spend what you have to in order to ensure you enjoy your climb. This advice applies to your choice of route, your choice of climb operator and your choice of equipment – it can be bloody cold and windy at 4am halfway into space – so make sure you have the right clothing.

Choose the right route.
Your choice of route will be a major factor in determining whether you reach the summit or not. Each route has its pros and cons, so find out about them all and choose the one that will be right for you. We wouldn’t recommend the Marangu or the standard Rongai, as they’re short, giving you little chance to acclimatise. That’s not to say that people don’t make it to the summit, and enjoy the experience, on these routes, just that they lessen your chance of summitting whilst increasing your chances of vomiting. The fact that we went on Team Kilimanjaro’s 7-day Rongai route naturally biases us towards it, but our decision to go with this route came at the end of a lot of research. A good place to start your research would be on Team Kilimanjaro’s ROUTES page. (If it seems like we have a bias toward Team Kilimanjaro, well, yes, we have, simply because their ethos seems to have more to do with getting you safely on and off the mountain than with pure profit. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other climb operators who’ll offer the same level of service, just that Team Kilimanjaro are very good at what they do. We’d book with them again).

Choose a good climb operator.
There are lots of companies that will offer to take you up Kilimanjaro, many of whom will offer the experience at a comparatively low price. Remember though, climbing with an operator that has well-trained guides will make your experience not only more enjoyable, but also safer. The Trailblazer Trekking Guide lists them all, so start your research there. A distinction must be made between the climb operators (such as Team Kilimanjaro, Zara, African Walking Company, Kiliwarriors) who actually run the climbs, and tour operators (such as Exodus, Explore Worldwide, KEA) who make the booking for you - taking their ‘cut’, of course - and pass you on to a climb operator of their choice when you reach Tanzania. Using a tour operator can be an easy way to book as they’ll generally give you an all-in price including flights, but has the downside that you’re paying a ‘middle-man’ to arrange something you can do yourself via the internet. Also, booking through a tour operator will almost certainly mean you will join a group travelling on a set date. If you’re happy to do that, fine, but if you’d prefer to have your own private trek, taking place on dates chosen by you, then consider approaching a climb operator directly. You’d imagine this option to be more expensive, but that isn’t necessarily the case.

Charity climbs
Many charities offer to get you to the top of Africa in return for raising a minimum amount of money – usually about £3000. Sounds great, but unless you have a significant amount of time on your hands or a heap of rich friends, raising that amount of money is going to be awfully hard work, and you may end up paying just as much yourself as if you’d booked the climb elsewhere. To ensure that they get a large slice of the money you’re raised, the charities tend to use the cheaper climb operators, on the shorter routes, lessening your chances of success. Instead, book the trek that’s best for you and independently raise money for your chosen charity. This way you can set your own – realistic - target for fundraising, happy in the knowledge that all the money you raise will go to the charity.

Before you go:
Stop worrying about the toilets. Yes, we know you’re doing it, and yes, okay, it may well be that it’s partly our fault for some of the comments on the other pages of this site, but really, once you overcome the initial shock they’re not that bad. Having to visit them at 4600m when it’s -10 degrees Celsius and the middle of the night is unpleasant, but hey, that’s camping for you. We’re often asked if it’s worth hiring a portable toilet. We’d say probably not, but it’s your choice.

Stop worrying about the food. It’s delicious. Lower down the mountain you’ll be hungry and eat too much, but this is a good thing as it’ll give you energy for the later stages of the climb when the altitude may destroy your appetite.

Do some training. Some say you needn’t, and it’s true that you don’t need to be super-fit to summit Kilimanjaro, but make sure you do at least a modicum of strenuous hillwalking to get yourself in shape.

Find out about mountain sickness; how to cope with it, what to do if you’re affected. “Altitude Illness: Prevention and Treatment” by Steven Bezruchka is a cheap pocket book that is useful to carry with you on the mountain. Also, find out about the various drugs that are claimed to help alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness, and consider whether you wish to take them. If you do, test them out for side-effects before you go.

Get used to spending several nights in a tent.

Get hold of all the equipment you’re asked to bring on the equipment list provided by your climb operator. A Camelbak or similar is incredibly useful for taking in the minimum of 3 to 5 litres of water you’ll have to drink every day on the mountain.

Realise that it’s customary to tip your team of guides and porters. Again, get advice from your trek operator.

On the mountain:
Follow your guide’s advice. He’s seen and done it all before. Be honest with him about how you’re feeling at all stages of the climb. If he’s a decent guide he’ll be constantly assessing your chances of making the summit and doing all he can to make your climb enjoyable. Trust him.

Take it slowly; your guide will tell you this but it’s worth repeating. On the first day of our climb we were overtaken by a German gentleman travelling so quickly that his concerned-looking guide was almost running to keep up with him. On our descent at Kibo huts we overheard some trekkers talking about a German man who’d been carted down the mountain unconscious in a wheelchair the previous day. He’d been affected by AMS. The same man? We'll never know for sure, but it might well have been. Why tire yourself out when you can take it slowly? There are no prizes for getting to the top first – someone’s done that already.

Be kind and polite to your team of porters. They’ll all be helping YOU to get the most out of YOUR trek. Give something back not just with a tip at the end of your trek, but by showing you appreciate their efforts.

When things get tough, realise that what you’re doing is simply a remarkable thing.





All the very best of luck on the mountain.