KILIMANJARO IS CALL YOU AND YOU MUST GO
Welcome to ECO-AFRICA CLIMBING; we will provide you with all the information for successfully climbing Mountain Kilimanjaro the ethical.
We are doing ethical climbs and responsible Trekking; we believe the tourism industry has an obligation and an excellent opportunity to protect the world’s natural habitats, cultural heritage sites, and communities. We actively promote environmental sustainability and social responsibility. We are not doing cheap climbs; cheap climb means we are doing tourism while exploiting our Porters, who are the ones who make Kilimanjaro trek possible for the vast majority of climbers and who do all the heavy lifting. Fair and ethical treatment of our porters (crew) is one of the essential priorities of Eco-Africa Climbing when we do climb.
Kilimanjaro has been on your bucket list for years, and now you want to check it off; here, you find yourself researching the Kilimanjaro climb.
When climbing Mountain Kilimanjaro, you will make it to 5895 meters altitude above sea level. Kilimanjaro mountain has been making climbers’ lives extremely difficult but so worthwhile. With the proper preparations and having the right questions answered, you can make it to the highest summit on the African continent. Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the Seven Summits, and although it is considered one of the easier ones, climbing it is by no means a walk in the park. Are you ready to climb Mountain Kilimanjaro?
Height: 19,340 ft / 5,895 m
Type: Stratovolcano
Location: 330km South of the equator on the East African coast
Peaks: Kibo, Mawenzi, Shira
Climate zones: Rainforest, Heather, Moorland, Alpine, Arctic
Cities nearby: Moshi (Kilimanjaro region), Arusha (Arusha region)
Closest airport: Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO)
First climb: 1889, Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller
Fastest ascent: 6 hours and 42 minutes in 2014 by the Swiss Karl Egloff
Mount Kilimanjaro is standing tall in Tanzania, East Africa. The mountain is one of the seven summits (the highest peaks on each of the seven continents) and rises 5,895 meters or 19,340 feet above sea level. It is the tallest freestanding mountain (not part of a mountain range) in the world.
Throughout history, there have been different heights of Kilimanjaro. Officially, Kilimanjaro has a height of 5,895 meters. In feet, Kilimanjaro has a height of 19,340 ft.
While climbing Mountain Kilimanjaro, you will encounter a good landscape, which varies from the beginning of the trial until the summit. The mountain Kilimanjaro Mountain has five climatic zones. These are Summit zones, Alpine Desert zone, Forest zone, Heather-Moorland zone, and the Cultivation zone. As you climb Kilimanjaro, you will begin from the forest zone and pass through these five climate zones until you reach the Uhuru Peak found on the summit zone. You will start from the rainforest zone, leave the forest behind, and enter the moorland zone of the giant heather and alpine area, passing through the rocky hills of the Shira plateau. Then reach the high alpine zone before you get to the summit zone.
The weather on Mount Kilimanjaro can vary from very hot to extremely cold within the same day, although it does not experience profound temperature changes from season to season. Instead, the temperatures on Mount Kilimanjaro are determined more by the altitude and time of day.
At the mountain base, the average temperature is around 21 to 27 °C. At the summit, Uhuru Peak, the nighttime temperatures range between 20 and -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 to -29 degrees Celsius). Like all great mountains, Kilimanjaro creates its weather which can be highly variable and difficult to predict. Hikers need to prepare for warm, sunny conditions, rain, wind, cold, and even snow.
Even though the best time to climb Kilimanjaro coincides with the “dry” seasons, rain and snow are possible at any time of the year. As you get higher up, the temperatures can vary dramatically; one moment, you can be trekking in baking sunshine, and the next, you’ll be layering up against a bitter wind.
Standing at 19,341 feet above sea level, Kilimanjaro is big enough to create its own weather systems. Being on the equator means the trade winds (sometimes called ‘monsoons’) that move across the ocean, drawing moisture upwards, is interrupted by the mountain. This causes the wind to push up towards the summit, cooling as it goes, bringing rain and snow.
See the Best Time to Climb Kilimanjaro
Seven hiking Kilimanjaro routes lead you to the summit of Kilimanjaro Uhuru Peak. The route you choose will also affect how much your climb costs. With more days on the mountain, Longer routes increase your chances of summit success by having a better acclimatization protocol. Some people try to save on the cost by opting for the shortest route possible as 5 days Marangu route.
Below are our Recommended Routes, which we suggest our client take
For an ordinary person with an average fitness level, it takes seven to nine days to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Still, for the experienced climber, it may take from 5 days to 7 days as this depends on what route they have taken.
Kilimanjaro routes take about five to nine days on the longer routes to reach Mount Kilimanjaro Summit Uhuru peak and descend to the Finish point. The more days you spend on the mountain acclimatizing, the better your chances of getting to the top. The climbers who spend only 5 days have the lowest Summit success rate. Climbers who spend 8 or 9 days have a much better chance of summiting. Read more about the best routes to climb Kilimanjaro.
Eco-Africa Climbing, we encourage our customers to take 7-9 day routes for the best chance of success and the lowest risk of altitude sickness.
Due to Mount Kilimanjaro’s proximity to the equator, this region does not experience the extremes of winter and summer weather but rather dry and wet seasons. Therefore, the best time to climb Kilimanjaro tends to be the warmest and driest months. The primary issue is safety, as the risks associated with climbing increase significantly when the weather is foul. The effects of rain, mud, snow, ice, and cold can be very strenuous on the body. Correspondingly, your chances of a successful summit also increase significantly with nice weather. Of course, the mountain gets more foot traffic during these periods as well. It is possible to climb Kilimanjaro year-round; however, it is best to climb when there is a lower possibility of precipitation. The dry seasons are from the beginning of December through the beginning of March and then from late June through the end of October. These are considered to be the best times to climb in terms of weather and, correspondingly, are the busiest months (high season). Our group climbs are scheduled to correspond with the dry season.
From January through mid-March are the warmest months, with clear skies in the mornings and evenings. During the day, clouds may appear along with brief showers. The long rainy season spans from the end of March to early June. We do not recommend climbing during this time unless you are an experienced backpacker who has trekked in similar conditions. It can be very wet, and visibility may be low due to heavy clouds. The crowds are gone, however. From mid-June to the end of October, the mountain is generally a bit colder but also drier. The short rainy season spans from the beginning of November to the beginning of December. Afternoon rains are common, but skies are clear in the mornings and evenings.
There are seven established routes to climb Mount Kilimanjaro up to Summit the Uhuru Peak (5895m)
After deciding to climb Kilimanjaro, you’ll need to choose your route.
Marangu Route (“Coca-Cola” Route),Machame Route (“Whiskey” Route), Lemosho Route,Shira Route,Rongai Route,Northern Circuit Route and Umbwe Route
Selecting a Kilimanjaro Best Route is a tough choice for most.
When you are planning your Kilimanjaro climb, there are six factors that you need to consider in deciding which is the best route to climb Kilimanjaro for you.
Acclimatization, The difficulty of the summit night, How busy the route is,What are the accommodation options,Safety,What is the success rate
Acclimatization on Kilimanjaro
The golden rule is to walk high and sleep low when climbing to altitude, and following this rule minimizes the risk of altitude sickness and improves your chance of summiting. The best routes to climb Kilimanjaro for acclimatization are the Northern Circuit, Lemosho and Machame route, as these naturally allow you to walk high and sleep low.
The difficulty of the summit night
The most challenging summit nights are on the Rongai route and the Marangu route: they reach the crater rim of Kilimanjaro on the North, opposite Uhuru Peak and more than 2 hours from the summit itself. The best routes to climb Kilimanjaro to avoid this are the Machame and Lemosho routes as they reach the crater at Stellar point less than an hour’s walk from the summit. An extra hour on a very long day is often the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
How busy the route is
The amount of climbers on the mountain varies a lot depending on the season and the day of the week, but even taking this into account, if you want to have the mountain more to yourself, the best route to climb Kilimanjaro is the Rongai route. This route starts in the North and is used by fewer climbers than the prevalent southern routes.
Accommodation on the climb
The only route you do not have to camp on is the Marangu route, so if you hate tents, this is the best route to climb Kilimanjaro. Be warned, though, the huts are very basic and noisy.
Kilimanjaro Routes Safety
We consider all of the routes except the Arrow Point route relatively safe if walked sensibly. There is a higher risk of falling rock unmanageable at the Arrow Point route, and this is not the best route to climb Kilimanjaro.
Which route has the highest Summit Success rate
As a result of the better acclimatization offered and the easier summit night, the best route to climb Kilimanjaro in terms of summit success rate is the 9 Day Northern Circuit route, Lemosho route over 8 days, followed by the Machame route over 7 days.
We operate group climbs starting every month through the year with different routes each week.
Many people always ask the ultimate question regarding the Climbing Kilimanjaro Cost: How Much Does It Cost To Climb Mount Kilimanjaro?
If you have done some research, you have already discovered a wide range of prices for the Kilimanjaro climb offered by different companies.
The average Climbing Kilimanjaro costs start from $2650 to $5000.
The Kilimanjaro Climb Cost may differ on the group size, the route you will take, the number of days you will spend on the mountain, and the mountain services provided by your Kilimanjaro operator.
What is the Cheapest Way to Climb Mountain Kilimanjaro?
The cheapest way to organize a climb is to turn up at the Kilimanjaro airport, get a taxi to Moshi and find the company with a scheduled group company that you can join. Usually, the price range from $2000 – to $3000 as this depends on the routes, number of days, mountain services, and if the company is doing ethical climbs. See our Kilimanjaro Climb Cost.
Climbing Mountain Kilimanjaro, you will need a licensed Mountain guide and a Team of Mountain Crew to lead you to Mountain Kilimanjaro’s summit. According to Kilimanjaro National Park Authority (KINAPA), only the certified Tanzanian Mountain guides are allowed to lead the climbers on Mountain Kilimanjaro. Every year, the Mountain guide is supposed to have a valid license to enable them to guide climbers to Mountain Kilimanjaro. International Mountain guides are not allowed to guide their climbers on Mountain Kilimanjaro. Still, they will be termed as the climbers as they will pay the normal Kilimanjaro park fees like other climbers; therefore, during the climb, they will only act as the tour leader and cooperate with the Mountain Kilimanjaro Tanzanian guides. The mountain guide is the one who holds the Kilimanjaro permit for the whole climb and walks with the climber for the entire climb.
This is among the frequently asked questions many people ask while attempting the Mountain Kilimanjaro, and it is not a very easy question to answer.
Climb Kilimanjaro is one of the challenges that every person who has done it witnessed. The topography of Kilimanjaro varies from one day to another during the climb, and the days go in terms of hardness.
You will be ascending from 1900 m to 5895m and back down, passing through five different climate zone up to the summit.
Kilimanjaro is not a technical climb, and there are no steep drops along the way, no rock climbing or specialist equipment needed, but it is high! And the weather and temperature variance will make it tiring on your body. The real challenge with climbing Kilimanjaro is the altitude and the ascent rate.
Overall summit rates on Kilimanjaro (across all routes & climbers) are estimated to fall between 45% and 65%.
If Kilimanjaro isn’t ‘“all that” complex, why is the aggregate summit success rate so low? Two reasons:
Kilimanjaro often gets underestimated. ‘It’s just a walk-up, right?’ Yes, there are good trails to the summit, but you have to climb thousands of feet day after day for the better part of a week. What takes many first-timers by surprise is not how difficult each day is but how strong our bodies react to the accumulated physical effort after four or five long days on the move.
Altitude takes time. I have spoken about this topic at length in the past, and it bears repeating: it is impossible to rush acclimatization. No matter how fit or tough you are, acclimatization is a physiological adjustment process in our bodies, without which we cannot operate in environments of depressed adequate oxygen availability. And Kilimanjaro, even though it is not technically challenging, is almost 6000 meters tall – which means that the proper oxygen available at that elevation (due to lower partial pressure) is less than 50% of what it is at sea level.
First of all, you need to understand altitude and the effect of lack of oxygen on the body. This alone is the number one reason people are not successful on the mountain, and the success rate on Kilimanjaro ranges between 55% – 65% overall. Why would so few be making it to the top on a peak that is not technical? Answering this question is simple.
So many people do not make the summit because they are not allowed enough time to acclimatize when going to those heights, and it takes a long time to acclimatize to low oxygen environments. In our opinion, and from watching thousands of people on Kilimanjaro, we highly recommend a minimum of 7 days, and our Lemosho 8 days and Northern circuit 9 days packages offer 95% success.
Standing at 5,895 meters (19,341 feet), Kilimanjaro is an extreme altitude mountain trek. At high altitudes, the body is susceptible to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) or altitude sickness.
As many as 50% of people climb Kilimanjaro suffer from AMS symptoms, often mild and moderate variants. However, more severe complications such as High Altitude Cerebral Edema and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema are also possible on Kilimanjaro and can be fatal. The onset of AMS symptoms is not directly correlated to age, gender, fitness level, etc.
To climb Mountain Kilimanjaro, you will need to prepare yourself in different aspects like Mindset, Financial, training, Gear, and all other things which occur during your trip to Kilimanjaro. For Financial, we mean that you will have to book this Kilimanjaro climb package and buy tickets for your flight as you will need to travel to Tanzania to start your climb. You can buy the Climbing gears for your Kilimanjaro climb and all other gears and clothing required for this climb. You will also need to pay for food and drinks during your hotel stay as many tour operators will offer a climbing package that includes two nights of hotel on a bed and breakfast basis. It would be best if you tipped the Mountain crew as tipping is one of the Kilimanjaro climbing cultures whereby during the end of the climb, the climber provides this tip to their Mountain crew(guides, porters, and cook). You will also need money for emergencies as you will never know what will happen during your trip or buy your travel insurance, which will help you cover during your trip to Kilimanjaro. You will have to start training also to keep your body fit to climb. Therefore, as the person prepares to climb Mountain Kilimanjaro, you need to prepare yourself in all aspects, and your mindset is essential for the successful Kilimanjaro summit.
If you wonder how to train for your Kilimanjaro climb, you can use these five steps to become the best version of yourself. Fitness is not as important as the correct acclimatization, but it can make things easier and help you to Uhuru Peak. Check our Kilimanjaro training. See our 12 Weeks Kilimanjaro Fitness and Training Program, which can help you start your Kilimanjaro Training.
Anyone in good health (if your doctor agrees) can get fit enough to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. There’s no “magic bullet” or secret to training for Kilimanjaro, and it’s a matter of putting the work in and gradually building up your capacity. Try not to compare yourself to others. Many people in sub-optimal physical conditions have achieved the summit, and many athletes have failed. The effects of altitude are a great equalizer. Be your best self; train to be in your best physical shape. If in doubt, seek professional help from a qualified personal trainer or your physician.
When preparing for your Kilimanjaro climb, it is essential to have suitable bags, clothes, shoes or boots, gloves, headwear, the right sleeping bag, and extras. If you spend some extra time in Moshi, you can rent your Kilimanjaro gear there. See our Kilimanjaro Rental Gear in Moshi
Good preparation is half the work. If you land in Moshi without looking at our packing list for climbing Kilimanjaro, you either had climbed Kilimanjaro before or got it wrong. Don’t overpack, don’t bring jewelry, and don’t bring a classic towel, jeans, or cotton t-shirts. Do it right and check out our Packing List for Mount Kilimanjaro; if you are a woman, you can see our Kilimanjaro Guide List Recommended for Women
If you wish to do the ethical climbs, you can book your Climb with Eco-Africa Climbing.
Why Climb Kilimanjaro with Eco-Africa Climbing?
Get in touch with our Kilimanjaro Expert regards your Kilimanjaro Climb
Please get to know what includes and is excluded on your Standard climb package and costs for additional items when booking your Kilimanjaro Climb package with us.
Kindly see our Kilimanjaro Price list for all the Kilimanjaro Route and What Include and Exclude our Standard Kilimanjaro Climb Packages
It is essential to climb Mt Kilimanjaro with the tour operator, a Partner(member) of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP). The majority of tour operators don’t treat fair their Mountain crew, especially the porters who work for their company. Most of these companies exploit their porters in different ways, as below. They provide an inadequate meal to their porter, one meal per day during the climb. Their porters carry more than 20kg, which is standard by Kilimanjaro National Authority KINAPA. They provide few poor sleeping tents, which cause the porters to sleep many in one tent. They pay their porters a meagre wage and cause the porters to depend more on the tip at the end of the climb. They don’t care about their sick porters. The above are just a few exploitations to their porter on Mountain Kilimanjaro by these tour companies. Companies like these are budget tour operators, and even midrange tour operators exploit their porters to inspect the claim that they do responsible climb, which is not. Therefore, it is crucial to climb the Kilimanjaro with a tour company that is a Partner (member) of KPAP. These companies adhere to all the protocols for an ethical and responsible climb on Mountain Kilimanjaro. Eco-Africa Climbing is a proud partner of KPAP, and a porter from KPAP audits all the climbs we conducted, which makes us comply with the ethical and responsible climb.
Before embarking on a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro, it’s essential to get a medical check from your family doctor. A basic check-up will ensure your fitness levels are adequate and your overall health is up to the challenges of the mountain.
High altitude trekking has its own set of risks. Climbing Kilimanjaro is a strenuous, challenging journey, and you need to be aware of how any existing injuries or medical conditions may be affected by the altitude and the terrain.
A medical examination can also reveal any unknown issues, such as high blood pressure, respiratory problems (asthma), or heart conditions that you weren’t aware of but could affect your ability to climb.
Here at Climbing Kilimanjaro, we take your safety very seriously. We ask you to fill in a medical form before your climb so our guides have an accurate picture of your overall condition and are aware of any health risks, problems, or injuries you might have.
If we see something on your medical checklist that needs further clarification, we may ask for a doctor’s report. But in most cases, this isn’t necessary. See our Medical Checkup Before Climb Kilimanjaro
Yes, it’s mandatory to have travel insurance that covers you for trekking up to 6,000 meters if you plan to climb Kilimanjaro.
Due to the high altitude, remote location, and demanding conditions of a Kilimanjaro trek. Anyone taking part in a Kilimanjaro climb will be required to show proof of insurance before the hike.
For emergency evacuation during the Kilimanjaro climb, we are working with KILI MEDAIR, which provides Helicopter Search and Rescue operations, ensuring the safety of everyone on Mount Kilimanjaro.
It would be best to have insurance that covers emergency evacuation 6,000 meters above Sea Level to use this service. When they evacuate you from the mountain, all the costs are covered by your insurance.
We highly recommend that you get insurance with Evacuation coverage up to 6,000 meters above Sea Level in case of any emergency during the climb.
You can read more about Kilimanjaro Travel Insurance
When you have booked your Kilimanjaro climbing package, you can start looking at flights to Kilimanjaro when your dates are fixed. Together with some other essentials like a kit list.
To get to Kilimanjaro, you must fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA): CODE (IATA: JRO), which many airlines serve daily. The closest major cities to Kilimanjaro National Park are the city of Arusha and the town of Moshi. Depending on where you are traveling from, you can usually fly direct to Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) via the Gulf (Qatar airlines, Emirates) or Europe (KLM).
The Tanzanian town of Moshi is the main starting point for any Kilimanjaro adventure. Bustling with activity, most tour operators have their base in one of these towns, and there are plenty of good accommodation options, restaurants, shops, and markets. Moshi is closer to the international airport, about 40 minutes by road, where Arusha is around 90 minutes.
You can read How to get to Kilimanjaro.
All visitors to Tanzania must have Tanzania Visa and show a passport valid for at least six months beyond entry into the country. Your passport should have at least one empty page for official stamps. Check your passport well before travel if you need to renew it.
The Nationalities listed below require a valid Visa each time they enter the Republic of Tanzania. A Single Entry Visa (Ordinary Visa / Tourist Visa / Visitor’s Pass) is the most common type of Visa. It can be obtained via the Tanzania Electronic Visa Application System (eVisa) or on arrival and is valid for 90 days from issue.
The eVisa application usually takes 10 business days, is issued via email, and the cost is US$50 for a Single Entry Visa.
You should note that a visa’s possession is not a final authority to enter the United Republic of Tanzania. The Immigration Officer at the Entry Point may refuse a holder of a Visa to enter if he is satisfied that the holder cannot fulfill Immigration entry requirements or if the presence of such person in the United Republic of Tanzania would be contrary to the National Interests. Read our TANZANIA VISA GUIDELINES
Vaccination like malaria and yellow fever are essential when traveling to Tanzania. Before you travel to Tanzania, you will need to make an appointment at your local hospital or discuss vaccinations with your doctor. It’s a good idea to do this early to finish any side effects you might suffer before traveling to Tanzania.
See our Vaccination Requirements To Travel To Tanzania
Tanzania has been open to tourism since 2021, Mountain Kilimanjaro is safe for you to climb, and Eco-Africa Climbing Mountain Crew is ready to guide you.
Due to Covid Crisis, we have implemented KILIMANJARO CLIMB STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR COVID-19 SAFETY AS BELOW.
All our Kilimanjaro climbing packages include accommodation in Moshi before and after the climb. When you arrive at Kilimanjaro International airport, you’ll be picked up by a team member and transferred to the Panama Garden Resort.
The day before your climb, you’ll meet your guides for a climb briefing; they’ll answer any questions and check your gear.
The rooms at Panama Garden Resort are ensuite with Balcony, Bathroom Amenities, Colour Television Desk, Non-smoking, Sitting Area, Slippers, and Coffee Maker. The restaurant uses fresh, local produce to cater to all dietary requirements, and free WiFi is available to keep in touch with family and friends.
To climb Mountain Kilimanjaro, you will need the Mountain Crew(Guide, Cook, and Porter) to support you to the summit of Mountain Kilimanjaro. According to Kilimanjaro National Park Authority (KINAPA), no climbers can climb Kilimanjaro without the Mountain Crew on all routes.
Every year, the Mountain Crews are supposed to have a valid registration card to enter Mountain Kilimanjaro to support the climbers. On Mountain Kilimanjaro, porters are the backbone of the climb; they carry all the climb loads (food, camping gears, climber bags) from the start of the climb until the end of the climb. Without these Mountain Crews, mountain climbing will be challenging to climb for many climbers. Therefore, the climbers make sure they book the Kilimanjaro climb with a company that does ethical and responsible trekking, like Eco-Africa Climbing, to ensure these Mountain crews are treated fairly.
Kilimanjaro National Park Warden measures the weight of every piece of load carried by porters at every entry gate of each Kilimanjaro ascent route. The porters are not allowed to carry climber luggage that exceeds 15kg. Therefore, we recommend that our clients pack their duffle bag-wise and not take many climbing items as the weight limit is 15 kg or 32lb. This 15kg will include the client all climbing items and the sleeping bag. Eco-Africa Climbing does ethical and responsible climb and is a partner (member) of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assitance Project; we follow this protocol of 15 kg for our porters. Our porter will not carry more than this. If a client happens to have many climbing items, they will need to leave some of the items at the hotel or hire a personal porter to carry their belongings. Hiring a personal porter will cost the US $30 per day.
The day-by-day schedule on the Mountain Kilimanjaro will always start by walking up in the morning, whereby our Mountain guide will wake up all our climbers from their tents and ask about their night and how they feel on that day. Then our waiter will serve the climber with warm water to wash the face and hands as every day will provide this hot water; also, if the climber needs the tea or hot chocolate, our waiter will give them inside the tent. After all, our climber finishes washing; the breakfast will be ready in the Mess tent. We provide a mess tent with a table, chairs, tableware, and handwashing facilities every day on Mountain Kilimanjaro. After breakfast, our mountain guide will monitor all the climbers oxygen levels using the oximeter and provide the climb briefly for that day.
Then our climbers will go to their tents and assemble their day pack, and then we will leave the campsite and start the hiking, usually at 8 am. When we leave the camp, our porters will assemble all the food, camping gear, and other equipment; then, they will start hiking to the next campsite, depending on which campsite we will camp. Walking and hiking on Kilimanjaro usually vary from day to day, but it usually takes 6 hours on average as this depends on the climber’s walking pace. Our guide will continuously monitor the climber’s speed to ensure that all the climbers are walking together; therefore, there will be a short break for climbers to take water, pictures, etc. On the Kilimanjaro trial, we will provide the climbers with packed lunch, and on other days they will have a hot lunch. Our porters usually walk significantly faster than the climber to reach the campsite early than a climber and set the camp with tents, mess tents, and prepare water, food, and all the necessary facilities to use the grounds. After our climbers reach the camp, they will be welcome with a hot towel for washing their hands and face; then, we will provide a glass of juice and snacks. In the evening, we will serve the climbers a delicious dinner. After the dinner, our guide will monitor our climber’s oxygen level for the second time every day; they will also provide the climbing briefly for the next day. After this, the climbers will have time to socialize with each other, with our mountain crew, before they go to sleep, as the climber needs time to sleep to recharge their bodies. During the summit day, the climbers wake up at midnight and start their journey to the Uhuru peak. Therefore these will be the activities of the climbers day by day on the mountain Kilimanjaro.
We ensure we provide the best experience to all our clients from the first day to the last day.
On Mountain Kilimanjaro, we offer mountain services like the below.
Mountain Kilimanjaro has seven established routes to climb Mount Kilimanjaro up to Summit the Uhuru Peak (5895m). Among those seven routes, only the Marangu route has a hut, and the rest are camping routes.
When climbing on the camping route, you will spend your nights camping on different campsites. The climbers will sleep inside the Mountain Tent for the entire climb on this route. Eco-Africa Climbing, we provide Four Season Mountain tents to our client during the Kilimanjaro climb to keep our climber warm, comfortable, and waterproof. This four-season has more space, and we allow a maximum of two people to stay in one tent to let the climber have more room for their daypacks and duffel bags. We also provide a sleeping mattress, one point five inches from which is comfortable for the climber to sleep.
We offer a cozy tent and sleeping mattress to make the camping environment suitable even for the first-timer camper or people who don’t like to camp a lot.
The only route you do not have to camp on is the Marangu route, so if you hate tents, this is the best route to climb Kilimanjaro. Be warned, though, that the huts are very basic and noisy.
On Mountain Kilimanjaro, we offer different varieties of food and drinks to our climbers to make sure the food fuels them to the summit of Mountain Kilimanjaro. Since it is common for people to lose appetites during the climb, we have designed special foods for our climbers to make them healthy and have all the energy they might need during this Machame route climbing. We are serving the best food on the mountain as all our meals are fresh-cooked every day, and this keeps surprising some of our climbers how we make this possible. We also have fresh fruits and vegetables on our climb. We also have meals for people who are vegan and vegetarian. We usually ask our clients for food requirements to provide the meals that will be the best for them as we understand that every client has different needs regarding food. We also offer drinks like water, juice, tea and hot chocolate, and sometimes even wine during the climb. We make sure our foods are fresh by resupplying the new foods at Karanga camp. Our foods are the best as we serve food like a five-star hotel on top of Kilimanjaro Mountain.
See What Food we provide on the Mountain Kilimanjaro
Each campsite has public toilets for the climber and Mountain crew (guides, porters, and cooks). These toilets are the Africa-style toilet with a long holes; usually, it is the squat toilet. Squat toilets are used in African countries, Asian countries, and Southern European countries.
These public toilets are not suitable for the western style. On Mountain Kilimanjaro, these public toilets are made of blocks and wooden. There are no sitting facilities in these toilets. You have to position yourself in a squatting place while inside the toilet, and you will need to have toilet paper or water while using this toilet. The high crowds on this Machame route comprise many porters, guides, cooks, and climbers; these public toilets get busy and get very dirt with the bad smell. Since these public toilets are filthy with an unpleasant odor and are not suitable for many western people, we provide the private portable toilets with the private tent to all our customers on Kilimanjaro.
There are no shower or bathroom facilities. Most of the tour companies on Mountain Kilimanjaro provide hot water in the morning and evening for their climbers to wash. Keep in mind that you will not shower on the mountain Kilimanjaro for some days while climbing unless you request a private shower on the mountain for an additional cost. Most high-end tour operators who offer luxury services on mountain Kilimanjaro provide these shower facilities for their climbers.
Your safety in the Kilimanjaro climb is crucial; most of the midrange Kilimanjaro operators have established safety measures and evacuation procedures during their climb different from budget Kilimanjaro operators.
Your Guide needs to know how to conduct daily health checks, recognize the early signs of altitude sickness, and know how to use everything in their medical kits. Top-quality guides know their worth and don’t come cheap. An attempt to save money by employing untrained guides can be catastrophic in an emergency.
The below are Eco-Africa Climbing Safety Practices and Measure on Kilimanjaro Climb
Your guide will need to know any medications you take (including over the counter).
Please read our Kilimanjaro Altitude Training Guide.
The majority of climber fails to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro, the Uhuru Peak 5895m, not due to a lack of fitness but due to Altitude Sickness. Kilimanjaro climb has a unique set of challenges, the most dangerous being altitude sickness. A significant proportion of people who climb over 2800 m above sea level develop some symptoms relating to altitude.
Altitude sickness, also called Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), hypobaropathy, and soroche, is caused by low air pressure and external partial pressure of oxygen, which many climbers experience at high altitudes.
AMS is caused by exerting yourself at high altitudes if you have not been adequately acclimatized. It is most common at altitudes above 2800 meters, and Kilimanjaro’s peak is nearly 6000 meters above sea level. At this height, the air pressure (and the amount of oxygen) is less than half that at sea level and has been comparable to ‘working with only one lung.’
AMS can be severe, especially as it can be debilitating, and it generally occurs far from places where you can easily administer medical treatment.
Of course, not everyone suffers from AMS, and it is challenging to predict who is or is not vulnerable to it. Generally speaking, a fit person is less vulnerable than an unfit person because their cardiovascular system can operate at low pressures longer without as much strain. Anyone can be susceptible at altitudes above 3500 meters, no matter their fitness level, if they have not spent some time getting used to the low atmospheric pressures first.
Undoubtedly the best way to see how you will react to high altitude is to go high and try to do some exercises.
Read our Kilimanjaro Altitude Sickness Guide
The summit day on Mountain Kilimanjaro usually begins at midnight to get to the top of the Mountain Kilimanjaro Uhuru peak (5895 meters) during the sunrise. For the climbers who will climb the Machame route, Lemosho Route, Shira Route, and Umbwe Route, their base camp will be the Barafu camp; when these climbers get to the base climb, they will have more time to rest as they will sleep early as soon after dinner to prepare themselves for the summit ascent. Usually, the Mountain guide will wake up all the climbers to get a light snack and then attempt to summit Mountain Kilimanjaro. The summit day involves walking in the darkness for hours on a single line as the guide will lead the way, and both climbers and guides will wear summit clothing and have a headlight and walking poles. As you ascend on a steeper slope, you will enter the summit zone so that the climber will experience the cold, wind, and few oxygens. The summit day is a tough day due to this condition as a very long climb as you will walk from 11 to 16 hours on this day as this depends on our pace and healthy state on that day, but the great effort will be needed to make you conquer this Kilimanjaro and reach the Uhuru Peak. During this ascent to Uhuru peak, some climbers fail and turn around due to Mountain sickness and fatigue and give up getting to the Uhuru Peak.
When in the group of climbers and during the summit day one of the climbers fails to climb and turn around, the Mountain guide and summit porters will assist them in descending to the Barafu camp, while the rest of the group will continue with their journey to reach the Uhuru peak (5895 meters). When you reach the Uhuru peak (5895 meters) is where you will get the chance to celebrate, take photos, and thank your almighty God for reaching the Roof of Africa. After spending a few minutes at Uhuru peak, you will have to descend to the Barafu camp to eat lunch and rest before we descend to the Millenium Camp or Mweka camp. The descending part is also challenging to climb Mountain Kilimanjaro as it will involve a long descent, and most climbers get very tired. Their bodies’ energy is usually low as they use most of their enegry to get to the top of Uhuru Peak, which is very typical for anyone.
You can climb Kilimanjaro and camp at the crater camp before the summit or after the summit of Kilimanjaro. You will have two options as below.
You can check our Crater Camp Route for more details
When clients fail to climb the Kilimanjaro, they will have to descend and check out the Mountain. There will be no refund which our company will refund the client since Kilimanjaro Permits and park fees are non-refundable once you pay no refund at all. The clients also have to pay for the extra nights at the hotel, apart from the two nights hotels offered on the climb packages.
When people climb Mountain Kilimanjaro, they usually wonder how the communication will be with their relative’s miles away from Mountain Kilimanjaro and Tanzania. While climbing, most people want to update their relatives about their progress while attempting Mountain Kilimanjaro on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Still, on Mountain Kilimanjaro, there is a low network signal and poor internet access. But on the Mountain Kilimanjaro, there are some locations on the trail where there is a good and robust network signal for making a call and accessing the Internet. Still, you will have to have a Tanzania mobile line to access make calls and the Internet. Eco-Africa Climbing during the climb, our guide on the Mountain usually communicates with our team at Moshi’s office using mobile calls or radio calls.
Also, our guide will have to send us a video or photo of our clients to post on our social media channels (Facebook and Instagram) so that our clients’ relatives can get daily updates regarding the climb.
On Mountain Kilimanjaro, tipping is not a mandatory thing. We are taking care of our porters well while on the Mountain, and we are paying our porters a recommended salary; therefore, for our company, our Mountain crew (porters, guides, cooks) are not dependent on the tip. The tip is just the way for the client to show appreciation for their services on the Mountain Kilimanjaro. We usually have the tipping recommendation for our clients who are willing to tip the crew to follow:
Below is the tipping recommendation for our Mountain crews as recommended by the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP).
The above is just the guideline on how you will tip the Mountain crew; we understand that for some of the clients who climb alone, these tipping may be higher for them but for the clients who are climb with a group, these tips may be split according to the number of the client on the group. For example, in five clients climb together, each will contribute
$3–$4 per day for the Lead guide tip. Some of our clients find it challenging to do the tip estimate, but we calculate the estimate and send it to them.
The tipping procedure on the Mountain Kilimanjaro as below
Combine Mountain Kilimanjaro Climb with Mount Meru, Safari, Cultural tour, and Zanzibar Beach
We see many people flying into Moshi, spending the afternoon in a restaurant, going to bed, waking up the following day, climbing Kilimanjaro for a week, coming back, and flying back home. This is understandable when you don’t have a lot of time, but you should stretch your time if you have the opportunity. You’ve spent a lot of money on those flights to Tanzania, so you might as well see what else there is to do in the area. If you’re only spending an afternoon in Moshi, you might think it is a bit of a sleepy town.
You can do Safari; if you want to get the most out of your experience on African soil, you can combine the two. You can do this in, for example, Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, or Lake Manyara National Park. You can see our Kilimanjaro and Safari Package.
You can consider climbing Mount Meru to acclimatize before climbing Kilimanjaro. This is the perfect warm-up (or cool-down) for climbing Kilimanjaro. Meru is regarded as the little brother of Kilimanjaro, and from here, you can get great views of Kilimanjaro and the valley in between the two mountains. With 4,565 meters, Mount Meru is the fifth highest mountain in Africa. Mount Meru has very decent accommodation in the shape of the Miriakamba Huts and the Saddle Huts. Are you keen? Check out our Mount Meru Climbing. You can also extend your trip to different Cultural tours offered in Moshi or Arusha, and if you prefer the beach, you can visit Zanzibar Island.
Get in touch with our Travel experts and combine your Kilimanjaro climb with a safari, Zanzibar, Mount Meru, or Cultural tour.
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