KILIMANJARO CLIMB - FAQ

The best times to climb Mount Kilimanjaro are during the dry seasons, when the weather is more predictable and conditions are ideal for trekking. These months are:

  • December to February: This is one of the warmest and driest periods, with clear skies and moderate temperatures. It’s a popular time for climbers.
  • June to October: This period also offers dry, clear weather, making it another ideal time for climbing. It is slightly cooler than the January-March window but still great for trekking.

It’s best to avoid the rainy seasons:

  • March to May: The long rainy season, with heavy rainfall and slippery trails, making it more difficult and dangerous to climb.
  • December: The short rainy season, which also brings unpredictable weather and wet conditions.

Climbing during the dry seasons will give you the best chance to enjoy clear views and more stable weather conditions.

At the summit, Uhuru Point, the night time temperatures can range between 20 and -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 to -29 degrees Celsius). Due to Mount Kilimanjaro’s great height, the mountain creates its own weather.

There are minimum days recommended for each route or combination of routes. The more days you spend on the mountain, the better your chances for successfully reaching the summit. Statistics show that each additional day you spend acclimatizing increases your probability of success. Do not book the minimum number of days. Chances are, you will not enjoy your climb nor will you reach the top. Again, the guide’s advice will come in handy.

Follow the gear list and resist the temptation to bring more. You won’t need it and it is just extra weight that you or the porters must carry. Upon completion of the climb, you’ll be surprised to realize that what you needed is not that much anyway. Try to limit all of your gear to less than 20Kg. It can be done.

Not many people have been to such high altitudes before. Therefore, climbers should have a medical check prior to attempting to climb Mt Kilimanjaro. Consult your health-care provider to determine which immunizations and medications to obtain for your travels to East Africa. 

Also: a valid passport (six months prior to the expiration is required for entry into East Africa), most travelers will need a visa to enter this region, travel insurance.

Yes there are “long drop” public toilets at every campsite.

But we provide private toilet tents for our clients on all of our climbs. Private toilets consist of a portable plastic toilet and a privacy tent. These will be set up at each campsite. Our staff (a designated “toilet porter”) maintains the toilet tent to make sure it is clean and ready for use.

  • Our guides are highly experienced in preventing, detecting, and treating altitude sickness because they handle over 1,000 climbers per year.
  • Health checks are conducted twice per day using a pulse oximeter to monitor your oxygen saturation and pulse rate.
  • Our guides are certified Wilderness First Responders (WFR). They have the tools to make critical medical and evacuation decisions on location.
  • We carry bottled oxygen on all climbs and can administer it to quickly treat climbers with moderate and serious altitude sickness.
  • Our guides can initiate helicopter evacuation through Kilimanjaro MedAir, a helicopter rescue operation.
  • Our staff carries a first aid kit to treat minor scrapes, cuts and blisters.

The best exercise that you can do to prepare for Mount Kilimanjaro is hiking. Ideally, you should try to hike as much as possible on hills or mountains to simulate ascension on Mount Kilimanjaro. Doing day hikes is superb training. For those who do not have access to trails, but have membership to a gym, you can train very productively on a stair master machine. If you have no access to trails or a gym, then try to walk as much as you can, with extended walks on the weekends.

You should start training for climbing Kilimanjaro at least two months prior to your departure.

If you’ve never hiked before, you should start with shorter time intervals, a slower pace, and no weight (in your back pack) and then gradually increase all of the above as your fitness level improves. Remember that on Mount Kilimanjaro, you will walk slowly for prolonged periods, and carry probably no more than 8kgs in your day pack. Therefore, in your training, it is better to increase the time interval/distance and keep a slow pace than to shorten the time interval/distance and increase the pace. Try to train three times a week, for at least one hour per session, at a minimum. If you can do day hikes for four to six hours, with moderate elevation changes (~1,000 ft/305 m) while carrying a 20 lb pack, or if you can walk on a Stairmaster for 1-2 hours, at 30 steps per minute while carrying a 20 lb pack, then you’re probably ready for the real thing.

Your longest/hardest workouts should be performed 2-4 weeks before your departure. For the last two weeks, you should taper off your training and in the final days, rest so that your body has time to recover before your actual climb. In addition to walking/hiking, you can also supplement your training with exercises such as running or cycling, which will increase your aerobic capacity.

It is imperative that during Kilimanjaro training, you wear the boots that you intend to climb with so that they are sufficiently broken-in (to prevent blisters). Additionally, you should wear the day pack you intend to carry so you’re your shoulders/back/hips get used to the points of contact and weight (to minimize chafing and soreness).

Lastly, physical training is just one part of getting in shape. If you have an unhealthy lifestyle, use the climb as your motivation to change. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Reduce your red meat consumption. Don’t drink or smoke. Get eight hours of sleep per night and reduce stress.

Getting your body in great shape through physical training certainly helps prepare you for altitude. However, the ability to adjust quickly to the changing oxygen content is largely genetic. As the Kilimanjaro climbing success rates show, some people can climb Kilimanjaro in as little as 5 days (not recommended), while some still fail with 8 days. It is impossible to tell how well a prospective climber may fare in oxygen deprived atmosphere until he or she is actually in it.

Kilimanjaro Climbing requires healthy food cuisine ranging from Proteins, Carbohydrates and Fats for both clients and our entire Kilimanjaro trekking crew. Our professional cooks will prepare three hot meals on daily basis. i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our meals are cooked with the freshest seasonal yields. All fruits, vegetables, sea food, beef and chicken are purchased from the local markets in Moshi. For all treks of over 5 days in length, we have re-supplied of fresh food to the camp/hut for our use.

 

Water during Kilimanjaro Climbing

We provide drinking water throughout the entire climb.  Of course getting safe water on Kilimanjaro is always a big concern for our hikers. At low elevations where streams and running water are found, water is collected, boiled and filtered.  At higher elevations, the water is filtered and purified using chlorine tablets.

The standard voltage in Tanzania is 230 V. Power plugs used in Tanzania are D and G types (similar to the ones used in the United Kingdom). If your device uses a different plug type (such as Type A, B, or C), you’ll need a plug adapter.

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