Summiting Kilimanjaro: 10 Things to Know Before Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
Tanzania

Summiting Kilimanjaro: 10 Things to Know Before Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro, affectionately referred to as “Kili” is tallest mountain in Africa and one of the 7 Summits. It is also the tallest freestanding mountain in the world at 19,341 feet. Getting to the top of Kilimanjaro, “The Roof of Africa”, is a bucket list item for many people and visiting Kilimanjaro has become one of the top ten tourist destinations in Africa. About 30,000 people climb Kilimanjaro every year, but only about 75% of those people make it to the summit. In July 2024, 15 of my friends and I set out to summit Kilimanjaro, and all of us were successful. How was this possible? I attribute our success to proper preparation, the most amazing support crew, the route that we took, and clear expectations. If you’re thinking of summiting Kilimanjaro, read through my list of 10 Things to Know Before Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro so that you too can reach the roof of Africa!

1. The Closest Airport is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and the closest town is Moshi, Tanzania.

Mount Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania. Fly into Kilimanjaro Interntional Airport (JRO) and stay in Moshi before starting the trek. I recommend Ameg Lodge or BruBru Lodge. I stayed at both hotels while in Tanzania and here’s what I loved about these two:

  • they offer transport to and from the airport, just arrange it beforehand
  • they have clean, modern rooms and bottled water
  • they offer luggage storage so you can safely store your belongings while you’re out on the hike
  • they have bars and kitchens with great food so you can stay at the hotel for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as desired
BruBru Lodge

2. You cannot climb Kilimanjaro without a certified guide and crew.

You cannot climb Kilimanjaro unassisted. As of 1991, The Kilimanjaro National Park Authority (KINAPA) prohibited unsupported treks on the mountain meaning you have to use a guide. The guide must be employed by a licensed tour operator in order to purchase park permits. Some companies offer treks with minimal support, but most will require that you have at least a few porters to carry your things.

On our trek, we had 7 guides, 2 waiters, 2 cooks, 2 bathroom/toilet attendants, and a crew of over 50 porters. I could write an entire post about how amazing the members of our crew were. Their job is TOUGH, which is why it’s important to pick a crew that is KPAP certified (Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project). KPAP is a nonprofit that ensures the fair and ethical treatment of Kilimanjaro porters, cooks, and mountain guides to include fair pay and limits on how much weight they can carry each day.

Make sure to tip the members of your crew.

3 of our beloved local guides

3. It will cost you anywhere from $2000-$6000 per person to do the Trek.

Make sure to book with a KPAP certified company and be aware that you will get what you pay for. The more amenities provided, the more it will cost.

Because we trekked with such a large crew and had so many amenities, we paid higher end prices.

We used Tanzania Journeys who I cannot recommend enough. Our 7 guides were incredibly helpful, patient, kind, encouraging, and most important of all: focused on our success and safety. Everything about our journey was well organized. Our tents were set up for us with our bags in them every day before we arrived at each camp. We were given 4 liters of clean drinking water each day, 3 hot meals per day were prepared for us and served to us by our waiters. We ate our meals as a group in a large tent which was set up by our crew each day. We even had soap and warm water available to us at each camp for washing up. You can book directly through Tanzania Journeys and communicate to them the specific itinerary and amenities you would like, or you can make things even easier and book through WHOA Travel who essentially coordinates everything for you- all transportation, meals, hotels surrounding the trek, the trek itself, and a 2-day safari afterward.

Booking through WHOA Travel was worth it in every way. All we had to do was show up to the pre-trek hotel on the right day with the items on their packing list, and the rest was covered. This company is amazing, and I would highly recommend booking through them for the ease of having everything pre-planned for you. It is a women’s adventure company; however, if you have a large group of men and women like we did, you can ask for them to plan a private trip for you.

Shoutout to our group adventure leader (and my best friend), Isabel, for putting this trip together! Follow her and her husband at their website: Operation Adventure. Isabel has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro 5 Times and she and her husband are a wealth of knowledge regarding all things travel and adventure!

Our meal tent set up by the crew each day

4. There are 8 Main Routes to Take to Get to the Summit


Lemosho and Machame routes seem to be the most popular with the best success rates. They are both regarded as beautiful hikes and both are camping routes that take about a week. With any route, the itinerary is flexible and can be altered by a day or two, but longer routes always have higher success rates.

We did the Machame 7 Day Route which has generally very high rates of success.


The Marangu route is also popular but has a far lower success rate. The trek takes about 5 or 6 days. This is the only route providing overnight stays in huts. The huts offer dormitory-style accommodation, and you cannot camp on this route. 

sunset at basecamp

5. There is no mountaineering and no special equipment needed to summit Kilimanjaro.

Kilimanjaro is a “walk-up” mountain. There is no technical climbing. There is no need for mountaineering equipment like ropes, harnesses, helmets, or ice axes. Microspikes are recommended and might be needed on summit morning. Other than that, you need basic hiking equipment- boots, poles, rain gear, day pack. See full list below.

6. The biggest challenge most people face is altitude sickness.

Although there is no technical climbing or mountaineering, the main reason the summit success rate is only 75%, is because many people have to turn around on summit day or earlier due to altitude sickness. Being generally physically fit is helpful, but the best way to prevent altitude sickness is to try and get your body used to the altitude as much as possible. If you have the ability, try to do some high altitude hiking before the trip.

While on the trek, “hike high, sleep low” is a guideline to follow in order to get your body used to altitude. On the Machame Route, Day 3 involves hiking from 12,598 feet at Shira Camp, up to Lava Tower at 15,091 feet, and then back down to Baranco Camp at 12,959 feet. We hiked up to 15,091 feet where we spent about an hour and had lunch to get our bodies used to that elevation and then we returned back to lower elevation to sleep in order to reduce serious effects of altitude at a time before our bodies were ready.

Another way to help your body to acclimate to higher altitude is simply to walk really slowly. The guides will constantly tell you “polepole” which means “slowly” in Swahili. Walking too quickly up the mountain, especially on summit day, makes it more likely that you will get sick.

Another thing that is helpful to prevent altitude sickness is taking Diamox throughout the hike. I took diamox twice daily every day of the hike. Talk with your medical provider before the trip. They can make sure you’re prepared for the trip in every way- diamox, malaria prevention medications, and vaccinations.

7. You don’t need to bring a tent, food, or water.

With most companies, food as well as clean/filtered water will be provided for you throughout the entire hike. The company will also provide a tent which they will have set up for you each day.

You will need to bring a zero degree sleeping bag and a sleeping bag liner as well as an inflatable camp pillow.

I also recommend bringing some snacks in case you have appetite issues at altitude and all that sounds good is junk food. I personally didn’t lose my appetite at all on the mountain and many of my snacks went un-eaten. We were given plenty of food at mealtimes but it was nice to have some snacks to eat throughout the hikes.

Each day you will carry a medium sized day pack (28 to 32L) with water, snacks, phone, sunscreen, and any extra layers you may want for the day. The remainder of your things will go into a 75 to 90 L duffle bag which one of the porters will carry. Your duffle cannot weigh more than 15 kg at the start of the hike.

The weather on Kilimanjaro is unpredictable. Summit night was very cold and the rest of the trek was decent with temperatures 40-60 degrees during the day and cold nights where the zero degree sleeping bag was necessary. This can change at any moment so its important to always have warm layers and rain gear in your day pack at all times. It is best to hike during dry season from January to March or July through October, but even during dry season it can rain.

You’ll also need:

8. You will hike for about 5-7 hours each day except for summit day which is 13-16 hours of hiking.

Each day on the mountain goes about like this:

  • Wake up around 6:30/7am
  • Get dressed and ready for the day with the things you need for the day in your day pack and everything else packed up and locked in your duffle bag
  • Leave your packed and locked duffle bag at the designated area for the porters to carry it for you
  • Meet everyone in the meal tent for hot breakfast
  • After breakfast, start the day’s hike which will be anywhere from 5-7 hours long
  • Once you arrive at the next camp, you’ll generally have hot lunch at camp except for day 3 where lunch is set up and served at Lava Tower along the hike
  • After lunch, there is some rest time/ down time or a short acclimitization hike which is optional but recommended
  • Then dinner is with everyone in the meal tent at 6/7pm
  • Bed time (after marveling at the stars of course) 

9. Summit Day is really, freaking hard and very cold.


Summit day is very hard! You’ll arrive at base camp (15,091 feet) the day before and have a dinner at 5pm. You’ll (try) to sleep from 6-11pm and then at 11pm you wake up, meet in the meal tent for coffee/snacks, and then start the trek at midnight. The task at hand is climbing about 4000 feet straight up in 3 miles. You will have to walk very slowly to reduce chances of altitude sickness that come with ascending too quickly. Even at your snail’s speed, you’ll be very short of breath. It’s normal to experience some nausea and headache as well. Ibuprofen is very helpful. You’ll reach Stella Point as the sun rises and then ascend another 500 feet to Uhuru Peak. You will have about 15-20 minutes at Uhuru Peak to take photos and celebrate before you walk back down the mountain via a steep skree field. Back at base camp, you’ll take a nap, have lunch, and then walk another 2600 feet down to Millenium camp where you’ll stay the night (if you’re on the Machame Route).

Weather on summit day will likely be very cold! Keep in mind that the summit trek starts at midnight and you will be heading to 19,341 feet! Temperatures can be -20 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The water in my bladder froze even with the insulated tube cover so I could only drink water from my wide mouth Nalgene bottle. I wore 3 pairs of pants and 5 layers on top as well as a balaclava and heavy mittens. I had hot hands in my gloves but desperately wish I would have brought several pairs of toe warmers to put in my shoes. My toes were really the only thing cold.

10. Walking Down the Mountain is the most painful.

The trek up is difficult and summit day is extremely challenging, but for me, nothing was as painful as the descent. Afterall, in a day and a half, you’ll descend about 14,000 ft. On the last day (day 7) of your trek, if you’re on the Machame Route, you’ll descend 6500 feet from millennium camp to mweka gate in one day. It’s important to include some downhill hiking in your training and to get comfortable using your hiking poles (they can be a huge help when going downhill).

Thankfully, when you get to Mweka Gate, you’ll have a fantastic celebration! You can buy a beer and snacks at a kiosk at the Mweka gate and there will be lots of singing, dancing, and cheering. You will also be greeted by people who offer to clean your boots and poles for $5 cash- well worth it! You then sign out inside the building and get on your bus which will drive you about 30 minutes back to Moshi/your hotel. 

Conclusion

The most important thing to know about summiting Kilimanjaro is that despite the challenges, it is well worth the work. The mountain is breathtaking. On your journey, you will travel through several different climate zones which are astonishing. Summiting Kilimanjaro is such an incredible achievement, and the journey to get there was so much fun. I enjoyed learning Swahili from our guides and loved dancing and singing to Kilimanjaro songs at camp. I would recommend a hike up Kilimanjaro to anyone physically fit and looking for a challenge who also wants to experience Tanzanian culture and learn about this beautiful country.