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What to know before you go

As one the seven summits standing at 19,341 feet, or 5,895 meters, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is on a lot of people’s bucket lists. Beyond reaching the highest point on the continent of Africa, there are so many reasons to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro: the beauty, the challenge, and the reward all make putting Mt. Kilimanjaro on your bucket list worth it.

While I briefly considered Mt. Meru as an alternative to Mt. Kilimanjaro, I was so happy I ultimately chose to climb Kilimanjaro for this trip. If you aren’t sure you want to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, there are day trip options where you can hike to various points on the mountain and enjoy much of what the it has to offer. The guide company I chose offers day trips to Mt. Kilimanjaro. Spoiler alert: I chose the same company to guide me up Mt. Kilimanjaro as I the one I mentioned in my Safari in Tanzania article.

If you’re thinking about booking a trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, keep reading for tips on when to go, how to book, how to train, what to pack, and generally how to prepare for your high altitude trek. These tips are based on my research and my experience. These are the questions I researched before setting off on my Mt. Kilimanjaro adventure.

If you aren’t looking for planning information, scroll to the very end for my fails, or what you may perhaps call my lessons learned… as well as a funny story.

1- When should you climb Mt. Kilimanjaro?

May through October is generally considered dry season in Northern Tanzania, the land of safari, the Serengeti, and home to Mt. Kilimanjaro. These dry season months are the most popular months to visit Tanzania and to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in early July and found the weather just right. It was warm during the day and cool or cold at night depending on the elevation. We even saw a tiny bit of snow the day before the summit push, which was apparently a rare treat for that time of year. Dry season will be a busier time on the mountain but plenty of people trek to the summit all year round.

2- Can you climb Mt. Kilimanjaro without a guide?

There are many companies that guide visitors to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. In fact, for various reasons, it is a requirement to have a licensed guide to accompany you on the trek. There are more than 35,000 trekkers that climb Mt. Kilimanjaro each year according to most estimates. There is a real need to mitigate the impact of having that many visitors on the mountain each year. The guides and porters help ensure that everyone complies with the laws, remains safe, and packs out the waste they pack in with them.

Beyond mitigating the impacts of so many visitors, it is helpful to have a guide service arrange your permits and other logistics. For experienced self-sufficient backpackers, having a team carry your gear, set up the campsite, gather and purify water, and prepare your meals is practically luxurious. All you have to do is pole, pole, or slowly, slowly make your way to the summit with your daypack while enjoying the beautiful surroundings.

3- How to find a guide company

As I discussed in the Safari in Tanzania post, I researched guide companies quite a bit before I found one that was local to Tanzania, was much more affordable than other companies, had excellent reviews, and offered guide services for both safari and Mt. Kilimanjaro. After corresponding with and receiving several quotes from other companies, I ultimately chose Golden Dream Safaris. I was obviously super pleased with the quality of service and attention to detail which is why I continue to mention them in my posts. My feedback and opinion is consistent with the other reviewers which you can find here.

While I personally feel more comfortable booking tours in advance of my travels, there are plenty of stories of travelers arriving to either Arusha or Moshi and booking tours on arrival. This can lead to even more affordable rates as you may be able to join another tour group if you are traveling solo or with one other person. Having a larger group does help to further reduce the per person tip cost.

Tips are the primary source of income for the guides and porters and after seeing them work first-hand, you will understand why adequate, or generous, tips are so warranted. Not only is the work incredibly physically demanding but all the support crew on the mountain, in my group and beyond, were so kind and friendly, and they exuded such wonderful positive energy.

4- How I trained and prepared for the climb

I chose the Machame route and did not find the route itself to be particularly technical hiking, however having good baseline of fitness and stamina proved to be important for hiking uphill for days in a row. I enjoy trail running and hiking so I continued to do both activities leading up to my trek. I did, however, start adding weights in my backpack when hiking beginning several weeks prior to the climb.

If I hadn’t been a runner and hiker and I wanted ensure I had the stamina and strength for a 6-8 day trek to the summit of Africa’s tallest mountain, I would have started training at least 3 to 4 months in advance. While I did make several longer hikes carrying weight in the mountains in advance of the trek, I could have achieved the same result with lower body strength training workouts and treadmill routines at the gym or at home.

This is by no means intending to give advice on how you should train, as each individual is different with different abilities and limitations. It is simply what I would have done to ensure my chances of summit success.

In fact, if I had to do it over again, I would incorporate more workouts focusing on lower body strength, such as squats. The extra strength would have further protected my knees as the muscle strength would have been there to take the brunt of the impact on way back down. By then, my legs were really tired. I had also never hiked in the small pebbly scree and like with most things, there is a technique to it. My guide taught me the technique as I otherwise might still be hiking down.

All of this said, I have read so many stories of those with various abilities and of various ages who have successfully summited Mt. Kilimanjaro. Regardless, it’s always a good idea to talk with your doctor before putting yourself in a physically demanding, high altitude environment.

5- Helpful packing list

This is not an exhaustive list of what you should pack, but I would be sure to bring:

• daypack
• book and/or journal
• metal water bottle as the water was boiled first for purification
• water bladder
• electrolyte tablets
• various layers of clothing
• a wide brimmed hat
• sunscreen
• sunglasses
• supportive, comfortable, and broken-in footwear
• snacks

Conclusion

Lessons learned – what I did wrong!

Underestimating the altitude

It’s not that I took it lightly, I took the risk of altitude very seriously in fact. Even still, my first lesson learned was altitude is truly no joke! I had never experienced altitude over 10 -11,000 feet (3028-3352 meters) and I didn’t feel any effects of altitude at 10-11,000 feet. Between the overall exposure to the elements and the elevation, I was feeling the effects by day 2. We did the “climb high” and “sleep low” approach which helped.

I left my hat

I had packed a wide brimmed hat specifically for the trek but in my haste of repacking after the safari, I left it in the luggage I stored at the tour company’s office. Thank goodness for the kind soul that had an extra and let me borrow it. The exposure was intense.

I didn’t drink enough water

Having read about the physiological effects altitude has on the body after I returned from my trip, it all makes sense. Adequate hydration is vitally important to helping stave off altitude sickness as your blood literally thickens at higher altitudes. I simply did not consume enough water despite my effort. This is also why I specifically added electrolyte tablets to my packing list above as the flavored dissolvable tablets may have helped me consume more water.

I didn’t bring a book or journal

To save on weight, which I could have easily carried, I left my book and journal in my belongings stored at the guide company’s office. There can be down time in the evenings in you aren’t traveling with a group or you just want some quiet time. There were times I would have enjoyed journaling and reading in the evenings.

Funny pre-summit story

I’ll leave you with this: summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro was no joke. The exposure and the altitude are to be taken quite seriously. While I had read many stories, they couldn’t have prepared me for the nighttime summit push which began at roughly 11:30 p.m. or 12 a.m. When we finally reached what I believe is considered the false summit, the night sky had barely begun lighten. My guide and I sat, he forced me to eat and drink yet again, and I became verklempt.

By that point I couldn’t believe I had pushed myself to continue hiking all through the night whilst dealing with the effects of altitude sickness. He noticed the emotion and said “don’t cry” in a really kind and caring tone. He quickly followed up by saying “it’ll make your headache worse” in the practical and pragmatic manner he maintained throughout the journey. The pragmatism having met my emotion made this moment increasingly funny as the days and weeks passed after the climb.

In that moment, I realized he had a point so I wrapped up the emotion and continued on to summit as daylight overtook the night sky, casting alpenglow on both the glaciers and the low lying clouds we were hiking above.

Share your experience and let me know what questions you have

Have you climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro? What was your experience like? What did I miss that would be helpful for others to know?

If you are planning your Mt. Kilimanjaro trip, what questions do you still have? Let me know in the comments.