WHAT ARE THE COST TO CLIMB KILIMANJARO?

Many people look for a cheap Kilimanjaro climb. But if you have done some research, then you have already found that this is not possible. And you probably have also discovered that there are a wide range of prices charged for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro by different outfitters. There are more than 200 licensed operators on Mount Kilimanjaro. The choices may be overwhelming. The bad news is that there are not many reputable operators, and who you choose to climb with is crucial to your success and overall experience. However, if you disregarded the questionable companies, you’d be left with only a couple dozen or so quality Kilimanjaro operators.

First and foremost, do not make your decision based on price alone. Price should be only one component of your overall decision. High altitude trekking is not the place to shop for a cheap “deal”, nor is it the place to overpay needlessly. What you are looking for is high quality service at a reasonable price.

There are minimum expenses every Kilimanjaro operator faces, such as park fees, staff wages, food, equipment, transportation and other logistical costs. Kilimanjaro National Park entrance fees, camping/hut fees and Tanzanian taxes by far make up the biggest expense, costing about $180 per climber per day. The other significant expenses are staff wages, food, and transportation costs. Local wages amount to around $80-$150 per climber per day (depending on group size). Food costs come out to about $10-$20 per climber per day (includes food for staff). Transportation costs are about $100 per trip depending on the route. There are also costs associated with wear and tear on camping equipment and administrative costs for arranging your climb. By adding up all the daily costs listed here, you can estimate what it may cost to fund a Kilimanjaro climb on your own.

The long and short is that it can cost anywhere between US$2,000 and $4,000 to climb Kilimanjaro. This excludes flights, clothes and gear. You would probably need to add on at least another US$1,000 for those things depending on where you live and how much gear you already own. 
The climb price alone depends on a lot of factors including things such as tour operator and itinerary. 

As we mention above given that the biggest cost involved in climbing Kilimanjaro are the park fees, no tour operator can undercut another by any serious margin. What they can do, and a lot of operators do this, is to pay their staff below minimum wage, provide low quality food, and take the shortest and least scenic route up the mountain. This is why other outfitters are often much cheaper than outfitters who are working with the porter welfare group KPAP (http://www.kiliporters.org/). Operators registered with KPAP follow all the mountain rules, including fair treatment of porters and guides! Exploitation on Kilimanjaro is a major problem and choosing cheap operators only enhances the welfare issues.   
Once again, the cheap operators will take you up the shortest and lest scenic route -like the Marangu route, and sometimes if you book 7 days trip they can take you to 6 days in ore.

ECO-AFRICA CLIMBING is a Proud  Partner of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP).  Please contact [email protected] to confirm this.