Posted: 5/13/21 | 13. Mai 2021
Hiking Kilimanjaro is something atop the list of numerous travelers’ bucket lists. Each year, the renowned mountain attracts thousands who spend days attempting to reach her snowy summit.
Since I’ve never hiked the mountain, I’ve invited my community manager, Chris, to share his suggestions and guidance to help you save money and increase your chances of reaching “the roofing system of Africa.”
Standing on top of Kilimanjaro at sunrise was one of the most remarkable feelings I’ve ever had. After a week of struggle — including hiking over 17 hours in a single day — I had made it to the frigid summit. For a few moments, I was the highest person on the entire continent. That was a really magical feeling.
Kilimanjaro holds a special place in the travel world. It’s one of those activities — like Everest base camp, Machu Picchu, or the Camino — that attracts a certain kind of traveler. The kind who wants a challenge, who wants to push themselves, to test themselves.
While hiking Kilimanjaro has become much more tourist-friendly over the years, it’s still a major challenge. people still get hurt — and die — on the mountain every single year. only 45–65% of people who start the hike make it to the top.
However, with a little planning and preparation, you can greatly increase your chances of reaching “the roofing system of Africa.” Here’s everything you need to know to make the most of your trip:
The Routes
There are six routes on Kilimanjaro, each one a different length, with varying degrees of difficulty and differing success rates. The route you choose will depend on your budget, how long you have for the trip, and the company you book your expedition with.
Here’s an summary of the main routes:
Marangu: This is “the Coca-Cola route,” named after the fact that there are huts along the way where you can sleep and purchase things — like a cold Coke. It actually has a low success rate, however, as people underestimate the challenge and opt to rush to the top in five days instead of taking much more time to acclimatize.
Machame: This is the most popular route. When done in seven days, it has a success rate of over 60%, thus its popularity. It’s called “the whiskey” route,” hinting at the fact that it’s a much more major challenge than the Coca-Cola route.
Rongai: This is the easiest route on Kilimanjaro. It’s a bit less picturesque and much more expensive (there aren’t as numerous budget operators here), but it’s the only route that techniques from the north. It’s also much less busy.
Shira: This route jumps into some high-altitude gains early on before joining the Machame route. It’s challenging and much more expensive, because you start in the west before linking up with the main route.
Lemosho: This is the most stunning route up the mountain, which is why I chose it. It provides lots of variety and plenty of challenge. It’s one of the much more expensive routes, however.
Umbwe: This route is really only for experienced climbers searching for an extreme challenge. It’s a lot of scrambling and climbing instead of regular hiking.
Regardless of what route you take, I would suggest nothing less than seven days. Don’t rush this trip. Although it will cost much more money, the slower you go, the better your body adapts to the altitude, which is the #1 thing you can do to drastically increase your chances of success.
Kosten
As with all travel, there is a broad range of price points available. There are luxury companies that will haul a full-size bed up the mountain so you don’t have to sleep on the ground, and there are very low-cost companies that cut corners and likely don’t pay their porters fairly in purchase to keep costs low.
I suggest going for a much more middle-of-the-road company for two reasons:
First, they will have much more qualified guides, so you can learn much more during your hike. These companies also typically pay their porters fairly, so you can be confident your team is taken care of.
Second, you’ll know that the company isn’t cutting corners. There is a lot of competition for Kilimanjaro treks, so you know if one company is just too low-cost to be true that they are likely skimping on something. because this is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, don’t be cheap.
Prices range from $1,000 to over $5,000 USD per person. I wouldn’t book with any company charging less than $2,000 USD (I paid around $2,200 for my trip, before tipping — see much more on that below), as anything under that is going to be bare-bones.
Remember, people get seriously injured on this mountain every year, and around 10 are killed. Don’t cut corners! pay for a trusted company with good reviews. Not only will you delight in your trip much more but you’ll feel much more comfortable and be safer.
Finding a trip Company
Since climbing without porters is prohibited, you’re going to need to hire a company to supply you with everything you need: gear, guides, porters, paperwork, and everything in between.
But there are tons of companies available. how do you decide which to go with?
Here are a few tips:
1. read reviews – once you’ve narrowed down your choices based on your budget, look for a company that has positive reviews. While online reviews ought to always be taken with a grain of salt, they will help you establish a first impression. keep an eye out for details about the gear and food provided.
2. Ask about their client/porter ratio – how numerous other travelers will you be going with? and how numerous porters/guides/assistant guides will be included? You don’t want to be stuck in a substantial group where you don’t get customized attention if you have questions or concerns.
3. What is their success rate? – What is the company’s success rate for the route you’re looking at? While they can’t control the weather, they can do everything in their power to get their clients to the top.
4. Are they a responsible company? – The Kilimanjaro Porters support project has a list of trip operators that meet their standards for responsible and ethical travel. book with a company on this list to guarantee that your porters are fairly treated. I didn’t know about this list before I went, and it’s one of my most significant regrets about the trip.
5. pick a company with included accommodation – many companies include a totally free hotel stay for the night before your trek and for the night after (as well as pick-up and drop-off). Make sure you choose a company that provides this, so you can get a respectable night’s sleep before your hike and delight in a real bed after your strenuous time on the mountain.
Intrepid travel and G Adventures are two companies I would recommend. They meet KPAP’s guidelines and offer a variety of treks with qualified local guides. start your search with them.
A note on Tipping Your Guides
In addition to paying the company you book with, you will also need to suggestion your team of porters. My sister and I had a team of 12 with us — just for the two of us! Porters to carry our gear, a cook, someone to carry (and clean) the toilet, a waiter/assistant cook, our main guide, and then our assistant guide. It takes a lot to get to the summit; you aren’t doing this alone after all!
At the end of your trip, typically while you’re still on the mountain, you’ll need to suggestion your team. This has to be done in the local currency — which implies you’ll need to get all that cash before you hike and carry it with you on the trek.
You’ll be tipping a particular amount per day to each porter, a bit much more to the cook, and then a bit much more to the guides. Breakdowns typically look something like this:
Main guide – $20 USD per day
Assistant guide – $15 USD per day
Cook – $12 USD per day
Toilet engineer – $5-10 USD per day
Waiter – $5-10 USD per day
Porters – $5-10 USD per day (each)
What I read online beforehand stated that a 15% suggestion is customary. So, if you paid $2,500 USD for your trip than you’d suggestion at least $330 USD to the team. When I asked my guide about this, he said a normal suggestion was closer to $1,000 USD…which is practically a 50% tip.
As you can imagine, things can get awkward if someone is expecting $1,000 USD and you give them an envelope with just $400 USD — and many teams will open the envelope while you’re standing best there in front of them. It can get a little uncomfortable.
Obviously, your porters are worthy of to be paid fairly. They are doing extremely challenging work. If you can afford a generous tip, they 100% are worthy of it. For minimum tipping guidelines, I encourage you to follow the Kilimanjaro Porters support Project’s guidelines.
13 suggestions for Hiking Kilimanjaro
1. Make sure your insurance will cover you
Most travel insurance policies have restrictions on how high you can hike. That implies that if you get injured over a certain altitude, your policy won’t apply.
World Nomads, for example, covers up to 19,685 feet on its conventional plan and their Explorer plan (I booked my coverage through them for that reason). (Kilimanjaro is 5,895 m (19,340 ft) high.)
No matter who you book with, make sure you will be covered whatsoever altitudes.
2. Train in advance
Every route on Kilimanjaro will offer its own challenges. In purchase to meet — and conquer — those challenges, you need to make sure you’re physically fit. While many days on the trail are relatively easy, you do a lot of elevation gains, and the last day can involve upwards of 17 hours of hiking in a 24-hour period. I’m not saying you need to be jacked, but you do want to make sure you can deal with a week of walking uphill.
3. Prepare for a mental battle
Kilimanjaro is just as much of a mental battle as it is physical one. While the final day is extremely physically challenging, it’s also a mental marathon. Hiking for up to 17 hours, in freezing temperatures, in the pitch black, while also battling the altitude and the weather? That’s a recipe for disaster unless you can keep your mental fortitude.
4. Bring altitude medication
The altitude really does impact everyone differently. I saw people less than an hour from the summit who turned back because of it. I highly recommend you bring and take altitude medication just in case. I found it very helpful. Your doctor can give you an summary of your options and their side effects, but I took Diamox and didn’t really suffer any altitude sickness at all. However, the side effect was that I had to pee continuously (which can be inconvenient for women).
5. Bring a water filter
Your porter team will make sure you have water during your hike. It’s collected from different areas on the mountain, boiled, and then served to you. because the water is boiled, it’s perfectly safe. However, it never hurts to be extra safe. Bring a filter like LifeStraw or SteriPen to guarantee that your water is totally free from bacteria. sicher ist sicher!
6. book a company that includes gear
If you’re an avid hiker, chances are you have all the gear you need. However, bringing it with you to Tanzania is likely much more hassle than it’s worth — especially when you consider that you need cold-weather gear for summit night, which takes up a lot of space. For that reason, make sure you book a company that has all the gear you need: hiking poles, winter season hiking gear for the summit, sleeping bags, gaiters — the list goes on. many companies include gear, but it’s always a good idea to double-check.
7. Bring snacks!
This one is very essential for your mental well-being. While the cooks on the mountain are extremely gifted, I encourage you to bring snacks, so you have a pick-me-up to look forward to. I brought several bags of cookies and candies, so I had a sugar increase during the day for, as well as something for camp. just make sure you save a bunch for summit night because that’s when you’ll need it most.
8. Pay extra for a toilet
Most companies will charge extra for a portable toilet that will accompany you (it’s just a small travel toilet in a narrow tent so you have some privacy). It’s extremely basic but absolutely worth every penny. The few toilets in the various camps are disgusting, so having your own private toilet tent is a worthwhile expense.
9. stay hydrated
I drank 4-5 liters of water per day while hiking. I was literally drinking all day every day. You’ll need at least 3L on you during the day, and the rest you can drink in camp. That implies you’ll need a 2-3L water bladder and then maybe an extra 1L bottle. always make sure they are full before you set off for the day — and make sure they are empty by the time you get to camp. staying hydrated is one of the most essential things you can do to increase your chances of making it to the top.
10. break in your footwear
If you’re purchasing new hiking boots for this trip, make sure you break them in. You’ll want at least one month of regular wear in the boots to make sure you don’t get blisters. Over the years, I’ve seen some nasty wounds among travelers who didn’t break in their boots for one hike or another. Don’t make the same mistake!
11. Go slow — and then go even slower
I’m a fast walker and a fast hiker, so this was challenging for me, but it’s very essential that you take it slowly so you can acclimatize. Your guides will continuously remind you of this —listen to them! On summit night, my speed was half a foot per stride (compared to my typical stride of around three feet). The slower you go, the much more likely it is that you will succeed.
12. Double-check your dietary concerns
If you have an allergy or special diet, make sure the company knows. and then remind them — multiple times. I informed our company three times that my sister is vegetarian and I am vegan — and we still got meat on day one. Fortunately, we got it all sorted out and had an remarkable cook for our trip, but that could have gone sideways very easily. Kili is the last place you want to be lacking calories (or running to the toilet!).
13. Bring e