How to Plan Kilimanjaro Trip
Dreaming of climbing Kilimanjaro but not sure where to start? Knowing how to plan your Kilimanjaro trip is crucial because you need to ensure you are adequately trained and that you have plenty of time to prepare both physically and mentally.
Planning a Kilimanjaro trip is easy when you do it with us because we do all the hard work for you.
All you need to do is let us know the route and dates you’re interested in. Then, we will send you all your booking information including an invoice, a training program, and an equipment checklist.
Keep reading so you can get all the details for how to plan the perfect Kilimanjaro climb.
Choose When You Want to Climb
The first step in planning is to look at your schedule and determine when you have the time to fly to Tanzania and make the climb.
We recommend climbing during one of the two dry seasons– either mid-June to the end of October or December to March. Avoid the wet months
During these months we have calendars with scheduled group climbs where you can join 10-12 other climbers.
You’re welcome to come and climb with us any time of the year on a private trek as well. Just let us know your preferred dates and we will sort something out for you.
Choose Your Route
There are many routes to choose from up the mountain. Here is a quick look at the different ones:
- Shortest route up the mountain
- Sleep in huts rather than tents
- Less time to acclimatize means lower success rate
- High success rate
- 7 and 8-day options
- Most scenic route on the mountain
- Great scenery and a lot of wildlife
- High success rate
- Most popular route up the mountain
- Very remote and no crowds
- Harder to adjust to the altitude because of the steep ascent
- Tough summit night
- 9 day option makes it great for acclimation
- Less crowded than other routes
- High success rate
- Very steep with low success rate
- Rapid ascent means it’s hard to adjust to the altitude
- Remote and not crowded
The route you choose should be determined by how much time you have, your personal fitness level, and your experience with high-altitude climbing.
In general, we recommend most climbers do the Machame route, the Lemosho route, or the Northern Circuit route. These routes have the highest success rates even for novice high altitude climbers.
If you’re a more experienced climber and want a challenge, feel free to go up one of the more remote routes.
See Your Travel Doctor
Anytime you are traveling to a new country, it’s important to meet your travel doctor or general physician to seek their advice on necessary vaccinations and medications.
There are several recommended vaccinations when traveling to Tanzania including Hepatitis A and Typhoid Fever. All of your routine vaccines like tetanus should also be up to date.
Depending on where you are traveling from and where you have layovers, you might also need the Yellow Fever Vaccine.
Travel Doctors will also usually give you some basic antibiotics like ones for travelers diarhhea in case you get an upset stomach while traveling.
Contact Us For Booking and Payment
Once you have your route chosen, your preferred dates in mind, and a schedule for your vaccinations; send us an email and let us know which dates you want to book.
We will send you a detailed itinerary, a payment schedule, an invoice for payment, and some simple booking forms for you to fill out.
In your email, you can also let us know any questions or concerns you might have.
We can arrange a phone call with you and discuss answers to all your questions.
We will also send you important information about training, packing, flights, and visas.
Research Visa Requirements
Depending on your passport, you will either need to apply for your visa ahead of time you get it on arrival at the airport.
Some nationalities also need referral letters and other requirements, so it’s important to get all the details ahead of time to ensure you can secure your visa before your departure date.
If you don’t have a passport if your passport is about to expire, you will also need to leave yourself enough time to do a passport application.
You will also need to ensure your passport has at least one blank page for your visa that immigration will stamp at the airport.
Buy Your Flights
Make sure you review the itinerary we sent you so you know the best dates to book your flights. If you need to arrive a few days early, that’s also fine! We can book accommodation for you and pick you up from the airport regardless of which day you arrive.
You want to make sure you book your flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). This airport serves many different airlines including KLM, Qatar, Ethiopian Airlines, and Kenyan Airways as well as many others.
Start Training
How long do you need to spend training? Well, this depends on how active and fit you currently are.
Some people are okay to only train for 2-3 months before the climb while others might need to begin a year in advance.
You can train at home or at your local gym. It’s also important to do some training outside like hiking and walking.
Make sure to break in your hiking boots as well so they don’t give you blisters and damage your feet while on the mountain.
The good news is you don’t need to be extremely fit or a skilled mountain climber to summit Kili.
All that matters is that you work on your physical and mental endurance. No body building or spending hours on the treadmill is necessary.
Try to find a good balance of training including hiking, cardio, strength training, stretching, and yoga.
Start Buying Gear
There are many things you need to bring with you to Tanzania to be adequately prepared for your climb. You want to ensure you have everything from our packing list with the right specifications and temperature ratings.
It might seem like a lot of stuff, but it’s for your own comfort and safety.
If you don’t have many of the items already, you can rent most of the gear from us once you arrive.
This is a great option if you want to save money or if you think you might not need any of the gear again after summiting Kilimanjaro.
Pay the Balance of Your Climb and Budget the Rest of Your Money
30-90 days before you arrive, you will need to pay the balance for your climb. You also need to ensure you bring extra money to Tanzania for things like souvenirs, tipping your guides, and any accommodation or food you might need if you are arriving early or departing late.
You can either bring money and exchange it for local currency or withdraw money from an ATM. Make sure your bank or card company knows you are traveling so that your card doesn’t decline at the ATM or any other place you might want to use it.
Our company also accepts USD, Euros, and GBP to make it easier for you to tip the guides at the end of your trek.
Get Travel Insurance
A few weeks before you leave, you want to look into getting travel insurance. This will cover expenses related to lost luggage, flight delays, and many other issues.
Travel medical insurance will also cover accommodation and hospital bills if you fall ill while climbing or during any other part of your Tanzanian holiday.
We also recommend you get high-altitude evacuation insurance. This will pay for emergency helicopter services in case you need to get lifted off the mountain.
Make a Departure Checklist
About a week before you plan to depart, you want to make sure you begin packing. Make a list of all the things you need (or use the one on our website) to help you ensure you don’t forget anything.
You also want to ensure everything fits in your bags and that they are not overweight per the airline’s requirements.
Keep in mind there is also a 15kg limit for the duffel bags that our porters carry. It’s important to pack all the things you need and weigh your bag to see if it’s overweight or if it’s okay.
A checklist for everything you need to do before leaving is also important. Do you need to find someone to housesit? Do you have any pets that you need to find accommodation or a pet sitter for?
What last-minute things do you need to buy? Does a relative or close friend know how to contact you while you are away to check up on you?
Have you sent us your flight arrival time to us so we know when to pick you up?
Make sure you also arrange transportation to the airport ahead of time so there are no delays or surprises.
Come to Tanzania!
If you have done all of the above, you should be more than prepared to depart for Tanzania and climb Kilimanjaro.
Feel free to contact us with any last-minute questions you have as well!
