Kilimanjaro climbing FAQ

Our routes run from five to ten days. More days gives your body more time to acclimatise, and seven or eight days gives most people a better chance of reaching the top than six.

It depends on your time, experience and what you want from the walk. For most first-timers we suggest the eight-day Lemosho or the seven-day Machame, because both give your body time. Marangu uses huts, Rongai is quietest and best in the rains, Umbwe is the most direct and hardest, and the Northern Circuit is the longest and quietest.

No. There are no ropes or crampons on the standard routes and no climbing skills to learn. The Barranco Wall on Machame needs your hands for balance but is a scramble, not a technical climb.

Fit enough to walk five to eight hours a day, several days in a row, with a light daypack, and ten to fourteen hours on summit day. We suggest a 12-week training plan with weekend hikes and back-to-back days.

The two drier windows: late June to October, and January to the middle of March. They are also the busiest. The Rongai route is the usual choice in the rains.

Yes. Climbs on Kilimanjaro are guided. On our tented routes you have a lead mountain guide who speaks English, with one assistant guide for every three trekkers.

You walk with a small daypack while porters carry the rest. Each trekker has a porter, carrying a duffel capped at 15 kg, and a mountain cook prepares hot meals at every camp.

On our climbs, emergency bottled oxygen is carried with the team, pulse oximeter checks are made morning and evening at each camp, and guides are trained in wilderness first response. Altitude affects everyone, so honesty with your guide is the most important safety measure.

Tell your guide straight away. Mild symptoms often ease with rest, fluids and a slower pace, and the treatment for serious signs is to descend promptly. We do not give medical advice, so talk to your own doctor before you travel.

On most routes in four-season tents, with foam mats provided, plus a dining tent, a kitchen tent and a private toilet tent. The Marangu route uses shared dormitory huts.

Park fees, the guide team, porters, a mountain cook, tents and foam mats, emergency oxygen, daily health checks, transfers, a summit certificate and Tanzanian taxes. Flights, visa, insurance, personal gear and gratuities are not included.

Gratuities for the mountain crew are customary and are handled separately from the price. We share guidance before you travel.

Yes. A summit certificate is given to everyone who reaches the top.

Yes. Plenty of climbers pair the mountain with a safari or a few days on the coast. Tell us early so we can put the mountain first and the rest as a reward.

Personal travel and medical insurance is compulsory for the climb. It should explicitly cover trekking to 6,000 m, emergency evacuation and medical care.