Climbing mount Kilimanjaro is among of the most people’s dream although you might sometimes think how you will achieve your successful climb especially here in Africa, below basic questions have been designed to give you a general idea of how your trek is going to be.
1. When is the best time to do the trek?
The best times to trek Kilimanjaro is from mid-December, January, February, mid-June, July, August, and September. We consider these months as the best times as we do not expect rains however, we would always recommend preparing for all eventualities as weather is sometimes difficult to predict on a mountain.
2. Can you accommodate people with special diet requirements?
We can accommodate trekkers with many different special diet requirements, such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, etc. Kindly advise your dietary requirements during the booking process. A kitchen and dining tent are shared between all members of your group so you need to let us know beforehand if your allergy is severe enough to require an extra kitchen tent / cook / utensil which will cost extra.
3. Can an emergency oxygen cylinder be used between multiple people?
One oxygen cylinder cannot be used between multiple people as the person who will need to use the emergency oxygen system will be required to ascend no further. As the person starts to use the emergency oxygen system, he /she will be required to descend. Most do not ever need to use this sort of oxygen however we always include 1 emergency oxygen cylinder in your package just in case. Those who do not have experience at high altitudes or known altitude related issues should consider their own emergency cylinder or alternatively a supplemental cylinder to help ascend. We have a full guide on the cylinders available on request.
4. Do I need to bring my own sleeping pad or the one that will be provided by the company is enough?
We provide a basic non inflatable sleeping mattress which is mostly enough to most of climbers however if you would like to be more comfortable you might consider bringing your own self inflatable mattress. Remember this will be part of your personal luggage allowance of 15kgs. .
Are you able to arrange the airport transfers from JRO during midnights?
Pick up and drop off transfers to JRO during midnight is not a problem for us, you can let us know at what time you would like us to pick you up / drop you off to the airport and we will be happy to do so. We do not recommend local transfers at this time however local taxis are usually available if preferred.
6. When is the best time to summit, daytime or nighttime summit?
We would recommend a daytime summit simply because it’s not freezing during the day however you usually will start your summit attempt at midnight with the aim of reaching the peak at around the early morning / morning. This is because: i. The sunrise: Watching the sunrise up over the horizon and turning the midnight sky into the most breathtaking shade of red sky. ii. Summit under the midnight, there is a very good chance of crystal-clear skies by the time you reach the Uhuru peak. iii. From Kibo, the road to Uhuru peak is made up of volcanic sand or scree. During the early morning hours, this freezes slightly make it easier to walk down on during the day, it’s like walking on hot beach. iv. Also, from the summit do not forget you have to walk back down, and it is a long way, so it makes sense to get up and down by early afternoon
7. Which airport should I fly into and how do I get to Moshi?
We recommend flying into Kilimanjaro International airport (JRO) which is the closest International airport in Moshi. It takes approximately 1-hour drive from Kilimanjaro International airport to Moshi. We could arrange for your pickup and drop off transfer from JRO to Moshi. There are also local taxis available at the airport which transfer you to Moshi.
8. What would happen if one of the climbers is sick and need to descend?
Depending on the number of climbers in your group, there will be extra assistant guides accompanying the group. In case one of the climbers is sick and required to descend, one of the guides from the group will accompany the climber descending. The rest of the group will proceed with the trek with the remained guide/s. We do recommend those with no previous altitude experience to opt for extra guides (before they start) as if many people come down early, there may not be enough guides left for those who can continue to the summit.
9. How would I know if I have high altitude sickness symptoms?
Anything abnormal inside your body when on high altitude treks is considered a high- altitude sickness symptoms. These usually occur as your body is struggling to adjust to the decreasing oxygen and causes certain functions to behave abnormally or come out as sickness. We would suggest communicating to your guides in case you feel anything abnormal inside your body while on high altitude treks. Almost everyone (even our guides who have tons of experience) will get some form of altitude sickness or another and you usually can continue to the peak with most mild symptoms. Where your symptoms worsen, you may not be able to continue or our guides will suggest descent. There are a few major altitude sickness symptoms (High altitude pulmonary edema / High altitude cerebral edema) which are extremely dangerous and require immediate descent. These are not common however if you have mild and moderate symptoms early on during the trek, these are to be watched for. We have a special guide to altitude sickness which is available on request.
10. Would we shower while on trek, how are the toilet facilities on the mountain?
We recommend against showering while on the mountain because of weather (too cold). Showering on the mountain may lead your body to develop sickness (or hypothermia) and will contribute to you descending early and ending your climb. Most operators do not have showers on Kilimanjaro and those that do, usually only offer a shower towards the end of the trek / on the way back down. You will be provided a bowl of warm water when you arrive at the camp/hut to freshen up and every morning to wash your face and brush your teeth. Wet wipes are the best recommendation we can give for your ‘showering’ on Kilimanjaro and you can wipe yourself down inside of the sleeping tent to ensure you don’t have wind on your body. On the Marangu route, there are some huts with sharing western toilets with running water and some are long drops toilets with hole on the ground. On camping routes, there are long drop toilets at the campsites which are shared by all climbers. For camping routes, we would always recommend private portable toilet facilities as these routes are now preferred by most climbers hence the population is high and toilets busy.
11. Do I need travel insurance when climbing Kilimanjaro?
Yes, travel insurance is highly recommended especially when engaging on high altitude treks to cover for unforeseen circumstances. We recommend insurance covering up to 6000metres on a non- reimbursement basis. You should purchase your insurance from your home country to make it easy in the event of claim. There is a special guide to insurance available on requires if needed.
12. How many days do trekkers need to come before so they can acclimatize to the weather?
We do recommend at least 2 days before the start of the trek for your body to acclimatize well and arrange for any last-minute changes of your tour. Arriving 2 days before would help you to organize for the alternative items in case your luggage is delayed by your flight and even give you the chance to follow up with your flight.
13. How many people usually are in these scheduled group climbs? Do you have a maximum limit?
Normally the maximum number of people in a group climb is 12 pax and the minimum number is 1 pax.
14. And as you also offer individual tours, do you organize them for 1 or 2 persons as well?
For the private tours, we can organize the trek for a solo climber. We do not have group number restrictions on the private tours.
15. What are the sleeping arrangements on Kilimanjaro?
There are no hotels on Mount Kilimanjaro, there are hut-based routes and camping routes. Marangu route is the only hut-based route on Kilimanjaro. Climbers on Marangu route are staying in huts. These huts are allocated by Kilimanjaro National park on sharing basis. For the camping-based routes such as Machame, Lemosho, Shira, Rongai and Umbwe, climbers are staying in tents. Sleeping bag and sleeping mattresses are must on Kilimanjaro however on Marangu route the sleeping mattresses are provided by Kilimanjaro National park inside the huts.
16. Is it possible to get visa at the airport upon arrival?
Yes, it is possible to get a visa at the airport however there might be a queue at the airport as there might be a lot of people securing visa at the same time. The process could take in excess of 2 hours to complete! We highly recommend clients to obtain a visa before arrival at their nearest embassy or via the e-visa portal (link here) to avoid the long delay on arrival. The immigration services have advised that most visas are issued within 2 to 3 weeks of the application via the e-visa system. Passport holders of certain countries may still require referral visas which cannot be obtained on arrival. A full set of guidelines can be found here: Tanzania visa guidelines.
17. Do we need yellow fever vaccination?
A yellow fever certificate is required from all travelers arriving from Yellow fever endemic countries and from all travelers subject to a long flight connection (transit) in a Yellow fever endemic country for twelve hours (12 hours) or more. Proof of yellow fever vaccination may be required at the port of entry to Tanzania
18. Does climbing Kilimanjaro involve technicalities?
Not at all, any person with good physical condition can climb Kilimanjaro and reach the summit. To ensure that you are physically and mentally fit and capable of attempting Kilimanjaro trek, we would highly advise you to train for your climb 3-4 months before your tour date.
19. How long does it take to climb Kilimanjaro?
Kilimanjaro treks ranges from 5 to 9 days depending on the route you would like to climb through. We would recommend longer itineraries for the best acclimatization and experience.
20. How do we keep the drinking water in liquid state on the last day because we will be starting the last day from 15000+ feet, which means it will be extremely cold? The water in our hydration pack will get frozen.
Warm / hot water is provided at your last camp for you to fill in your camelbacks / bladders and you should have one that is fully insulated including the tubing to ensure the water does not freeze. You should also remember to blow back the water into the camel back as the tube is more exposed to the freezing conditions. We would usually recommend clients to have water bottles instead of the camel backs on their summit attempt and bottles should not be totally full (leave some space to add warm water in case it is frozen solid).
You may still have thousands of questions that are not answered by this document. Please feel free to ask as much or as little as you need to prepare for your trek.