FOOD ON MOUNTAIN KILIMANJARO

What Food will be provided on Mountain Kilimanjaro? 

Great menus… Fueling you to the top of Africa!

You will be amazed at the variety, quality & quantity of the food we serve while you are on your Mount Kilimanjaro climb.

As you are trekking for between 6-9 hours a day (before summit night), you will be burning many calories – and as you are at altitude – even more than you would at sea level.

Our Mountain crew always makes sure that you are well fed and fully fuelled for climbing Kilimanjaro is paramount – so you’ve enough energy to get to the top. On all of our, Kilimanjaro climbs, you will be fully supported by a team of guides, cooks, and waiters who will cater to every dietary requirement and have three hot cooked meals a day – plus a plentiful supply of water and hot drinks.

Our experienced cooks take great pride in serving delicious and nutritional meals. Our menus have been precisely planned to provide you with the necessary energy and nutrients and keep you hydrated. We even have a resupply crew mid-way through your trek to ensure everything is fresh just for you.

Below is a sample of our menu during the climb.

Breakfast: Fruit juice and fruit, cereal, porridge, eggs prepared at request, slices of bread and toast with jam margarine and honey, French toast, pancakes, sausage, bacon, teas, coffee, drinking chocolate.

Snacks: peanuts, crisp, popcorn, cookies, chocolate, dried fruits

Lunch: Sliced vegetables, fruit, boiled egg, meat cutlets, various sandwiches options (egg/ cheese/tomato/tuna/meat/peanut butter), macaroni and meat sauce, and slices of bread.

Dinner: soup of the day, slices of bread, salads, rice, pasta, potatoes, roast or fried chicken, beef or fish, curries, mixed vegetables, lentils, fruit salad, fruit with custard, teas, coffee, drinking chocolate.

Summit night, we offer a midnight snack with juice, soup, hot chocolate, tea or coffee, and biscuits. When you return to base camp, a nice meal will be waiting for you to reward all your hard work.

We also consider your choice of food that you would prefer -Vegetarian, Vegan, Kosher, and Non-Vegetarian)

We are happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions or requests.

 There is a space to indicate what you don’t eat and what you eat in our booking form.

Therefore we ask all our climbers to be free to tell us what they eat and what they don’t eat.

In the case of very strict diets, we recommend you bring along some of your favorite “energy” foods, as some specialty ingredients can be hard to source in Tanzania.

One overall effect of altitude is a reduced appetite. We offer enticing meals rich in “good” carbohydrates. According to the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, “carbohydrate is the most efficient fuel for optimizing performance at altitude”, speeding up recovery and replenishing muscle glycogen stores for the next day’s activity.

The same study says, “a high carbohydrate diet at altitude is recommended as an intervention to alleviate symptoms of AMS (acute mountain sickness)” as it increases ventilation and blood oxygenation.

With the decreased appetite, carbohydrate-based foods are often more palatable than high protein or fats, and altitude changes your metabolic processes. The combination of hours on the trail and your body’s adaptation to altitude means you’ll have a much higher energy requirement than at home.

Experienced climbers who are used to eating horrible dehydrated foods on the trail are often surprised at the quality and variety of food from our mountain kitchens. We use only fresh produce, no dehydrated “ready meals,” and our porters carry all food up Mount Kilimanjaro.

All our meals are served inside the mess tents for dining for whatever the weather or temperature on Kilimanjaro; there will be cover and shelter to enjoy each meal. 

The mess tents will always be up when you come into the camp. If the weather is especially nice, we will set up dining tables and chairs outside to make the most of the views. Our mess tents and Kilimanjaro camping equipment are of the highest quality and will therefore always be warm, dry, and a spacious area to relax in.

What Water will be provided on Mountain Kilimanjaro?

Water is collected from mountain streams and treated with water purification tablets. Water is provided only at the campsites, so you need to carry enough water; usually about 3 liters, to stay hydrated while you climb.

On Mountain Kilimanjaro, we treat water by using water guard tablets available in Tanzania.

 For years of experience during the Kilimanjaro climb, this water guard may affect some climbers while other climbers don’t get any effect.

So we usually recommend our climbers to have their purification tablets in case our water guard may affect them; they can use their tablets.

A significant cause of gastro-intestinal problems in Africa is drinking untreated water. We treat all our water, including the water we wash food and cook with a water guard.

Staying hydrated is very important for acclimatization. The dry air, exertion, and altitude can quickly dehydrate you, and if you’re taking Diamox to help acclimatization, you need to keep fluids up.

How much water should you drink when Climbing Kilimanjaro?

It would be best if you aimed to drink around 3-4 liters of water per day. We recommend bringing powdered drink mixes with electrolytes or bouillon cubes to change the flavor so you can keep drinking!.

There will be tea, coffee, hot chocolate, squash, and fruit juices at each Kilimanjaro camp. We don’t bring sodas or bottled water.