Climbing Kilimanjaro can be a bit tricky if you’re new to high altitudes, outdoor camping, and long marathons. That’s because many hikers attempting Mount Kilimanjaro suffer from altitude sickness, fatigue and a lack of sleep. This is often due to poor acclimatization opportunities and a lack of physical recovery after hikes. More importantly, not knowing how to prepare to climb Kilimanjaro or adjust to the mountain’s altitudes could wind up costing you a lot of money and a successful summit. That said, this post will go over various elements that are often overlooked when hikers plan their Kilimanjaro hike and will further highlight and link to a few tips that will help you successfully and safely reach Africa’s highest peak.
How To Climb Kilimanjaro?
- Registered Company — You can only climb Kilimanjaro with a registered and licensed travel company in Tanzania. These are the only entities that can obtain a hiking permit from the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority (KINAPA).
- Licensed Guide — You’re also required to hike Mount Kilimanjaro accompanied by a licensed Kilimanjaro tour guide who has undergone emergency safety training. This policy toward unsupported treks was introduced in 1991 by Tanzania’s tourism governing body, Tanzania National Park Authority (TANAPA).
- Support Crew — Lastly, there’s no reliable source of water past 4,000m (13,123ft), so in addition to general hiking equipment, you’ll need a crew to carry enough water to use at higher altitudes. This work is usually done by porters and cooks who are in charge of transporting tents, food, and hiking equipment up the mountain.
Step 1. Test Yourself Before Committing To The Summit
Before thinking about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, conduct a fitness test to gauge your ability to travel at a pace of 400 vertical meters per hour with a 10kg weighted pack. This will determine your body’s ability to adapt to sudden shifts in altitude while assessing your strength to endurance during long hikes. Applying this step will set a foundation to help you choose an appropriate climbing route, establish an effective Kilimanjaro training plan and commit to a suitable hiking date.
Step 2. Select A Kilimanjaro Trekking Route That Is Alligned With Your Fitness Test
Now that you know your vertical meters per hour, it’s time to select a climbing route that shares similar elevation gains as your daily vertical climbing fitness. Lemosho, Machame route, Rongai and the Northern Circuit have the least amount of elevation gains on average and are likely to fit within your hiking ability on the mountain. Where some of these routes stand out is the duration spent acclimatizing at 4,630m (15,190ft) before approaching the summit at Uhuru Peak. That’s because it becomes so much easier for your body to adjust up to 5,895m (19,341ft), when you’ve already acclimatized at 4,630m (15,190ft) during the trek. This is the reason these three routes perform exceptionally well across the board. Especially among first time hikers above 3,000m (10,000ft).
Step 3. Pick A Date That Fits Within Your Kilimanjaro Training Plan
June to October and December to March have the best weather conditions out of the year, however expect some of these months to invite heavy traffic along Kilimanjaro’s popular trails. If you’d like to avoid crowds, schedule your hike either in June, early July, October, December, or February. Months that border the rainy seasons are usually less crowded, which is less likely to ruin your momentum during the expedition. It’s also worth mentioning that nights on Kilimanjaro tend to get pretty cold and windy, so try and include extra hand and toe warmers in your Kilimanjaro packing list, in addition to other proper hiking gear.
While we’re on that note, full moon climbs are a scam! You read that right; a full moon climb is capitalism working at its best to create scarcity in the marketplace in order to drive up hiking costs. If you are skeptical, consider why your outfitter insists on you bringing a headlamp to your Kilimanjaro hike despite claiming a full moonlight would be enough to illuminate the trail leading up to the summit? Full moon hikes are just another ploy for companies to get into your coffers and maximize profits. So when you hear a tour operator touting this scheme, always choose a standard option.
Step 4. Find An Operator In Tanzania, Africa
While international travel agencies are known to overcharge their customer base, local outfitters are notorious for risky behavior and tourism scams. Furthermore, sifting through affordable Kilimanjaro climbing companies can be a bit difficult when most local outfitters are pushed out of the online market. Companies that are often found on popular search engines, such as Google or Bing, are Kilimanjaro international travel agencies pretending to have a foothold on the ground. (1) They usually have local staff wear branded t-shirts and shoot pictures with their company banners during Kilimanjaro expeditions.
To identify a Kilimanjaro local tour operator online, look for signs of local management teams, with local contacts, and permanent local addresses. This is usually indicative of a locally owned company that runs their own expeditions with a firm footing on the ground. If they speak Swahili, that’s an added bonus.
Now to avoid risky local operators, evaluate the outfitter’s equipment, safety measures, and the number of support staff they use for their expeditions. Risky operators will always try to cut costs by using outdated equipment, inexperienced tour guides and a few support staff for their expeditions.
Step 5. Train & Condition Your Body For The Climb
You don’t need any fancy training since Kilimanjaro isn’t really a technical climb. Extensive cardio exercises and adjusting above 3,000m will do the trick. If you do not have easy access to small peaks in your region, what you can do to condition yourself before Kilimanjaro is hike Mount Meru, which sits at 4,566m and is in close proximity to Mount Kilimanjaro. Hikers that attempt Mount Meru beforehand are often well conditioned to perform incredibly well when they hike Kilimanjaro.
Otherwise, you could also engage in pressure breathing exercises and breath-holding drills, about 4 times a week. These breathing exercises will help your body better anticipate and adjust to lower atmospheric oxygen levels during your hike up Kilimanjaro.
Step 6. Travel To Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania
The most common and convenient way to get to Kilimanjaro National Park is by flying into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). (2) The airport is located approximately 51km away from the mountain and is easily accessible from either Moshi town or Arusha town. If you’re located in a neighboring African country, in addition to a long and strenuous bus ride to the region, you can catch a flight to the airport through a connecting International flight or a domestic airline at affordable rates. Since these flights are usually in low demand, they often tend to be extremely cheap. Speaking of which, domestic transportation modes aren’t expensive either. You can get to Kilimanjaro’s region by either train or car.
Step 7. Start Your Mountain Climbing Expedition
Hiking Kilimanjaro requires lots of hydration, acclimatization and, possibly, adjustment pills. That’s because many hikers attempting Mount Kilimanjaro, for the very first time, find themselves experiencing altitude sickness once they get to 3,500m (11,500ft) in elevation. To combat this, you’ll need to establish preventative measures before you start your hike in order to help your body quickly anticipate and cope with low atmospheric oxygen levels.
High altitude and exposure to cold can also lead to significant levels of dehydration. This is due to excessive urine output and high energy expenditures. By drinking up to 6L a day, you can increase your blood oxygen saturation to help you recover or prevent altitude sickness during your hike. Instead of cutting corners by hiking short trails or climbing Kilimanjaro without a guide, follow acclimatization systems and spend enough time on the mountain so your body can properly adjust to the altitude. Many fall short on the mountain climbing Kilimanjaro on a budget.
Compare the Lemosho vs Machame routes since you’re likely to have a much easier experience trekking these trails compared to other routes on the mountain. Furthermore, these trails are the reason Kilimanjaro vs Everest Base Camp‘s performance is hard to differentiate for many first time hikers above 3,000m (10,000ft). However unlike the Marangu route on Kilimanjaro, the Lemosho and Machame trails do not come with established hut accommodations. To gain access to this feature on the mountain, the Marangu route is easily a good option but offers poor acclimatization opportunities. You’ll also not get a chance to experience special wildlife sightings, like blue monkeys, which are commonly found on the Rongai route. More importantly, whichever route you choose, avoid the Western Breach route on Kilimanjaro, as an ascent path, because it’s well known to have a number of deaths, due to random rockfalls. In order to get past this technical path to the summit, you’ll need to have technical climbing experience and know how to prepare for Kilimanjaro‘s difficult terrain.
