Kilimanjaro Climbing Preparation & Packing

You do not need climbing experience, but you do need good general fitness and, above all, the endurance to walk for six to eight hours a day for several days in a row — and up to 16 hours on summit day. Start training eight to twelve weeks before your climb and build up gradually.

The number of days matters more than the route itself. Longer itineraries give your body more time to adapt to altitude and significantly improve your chances of reaching the summit. We recommend at least seven days for most climbers.

• Lemosho (7–8 days): scenic and quieter, with excellent acclimatisation — our favourite all-rounder.
• Machame (6–7 days): varied and popular, with the “climb high, sleep low” profile of the Barranco Wall.
• Northern Circuit (9 days): the longest and quietest route, with the best acclimatisation.
• Rongai (6–7 days): a gentler approach from the north, good in the rainy season.
• Marangu (5–6 days): the only route with huts, but a faster profile.
• Umbwe (5–6 days): steep and direct — only for experienced trekkers.

As you climb, the air holds less oxygen, and your body needs time to adjust. Mild symptoms of acute mountain sickness — headache, tiredness, poor sleep, loss of appetite and slight nausea — are common and usually ease with rest and hydration. Your guides check your oxygen saturation and pulse twice a day and ask how you feel.

Severe altitude illness (HAPE and HACE) is rare but dangerous. Warning signs include breathlessness at rest, a persistent cough, confusion, loss of coordination and a severe headache that does not improve. The only reliable treatment is descent, and your guide’s decision to descend is final.

Summit night usually starts around midnight from your high camp. You climb by headlamp for six to eight hours on steep volcanic scree in temperatures that can fall to −10 °C or lower with wind chill, reaching Stella Point or Gilman’s Point on the crater rim around sunrise, then continue along the rim to Uhuru Peak. After photographs, you descend to a lower camp — a total of 12 to 16 hours or more.

It is the hardest part of the climb, mentally as much as physically. Your guides set a steady rhythm, take regular short breaks and watch everyone closely.

You will walk through every climate from humid rainforest to arctic summit, so dress in layers you can add or remove easily.

Porters carry your main bag (usually a soft duffel of up to 15 kg); you carry a daypack with what you need during the day.

See your doctor before the climb, especially if you have a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition, and discuss altitude medication and vaccinations. Your travel insurance must specifically cover trekking up to 6,000 m, including helicopter evacuation and medical treatment. Bring your passport, visa, insurance details and any prescriptions, and leave a copy of your documents with someone at home.

Your crew — guides, assistant guides, cook and porters — work extremely hard, and tips are an important part of their income. Tips are given at the end of the climb, ideally directly to each crew member. As a widely used guideline, per day for the whole group:

Kilimanjaro’s fragile environment and its porters deserve respect. Our porters are paid fair wages, carry limited loads, and are given proper food, shelter and equipment. On the mountain, please carry out all your rubbish, use the toilets provided, stay on the trails and never leave anything behind.