Planning your Kilimanjaro climb
I used to be fairly good at planning things at least a few months in advance - my mother would plan to the last detail our summer vacations and book any flights or hotels at least three months out. However, in the last few years, I’ve had to rein in my inner planner as Man who Works’ startup schedule is very unpredictable and he has no psychological problem booking intercontinental flights the day before (surprisingly, often this isn’t any more expensive than booking months in advance).
I planned my Kilimanjaro climb in about two months, and you could do it in even less - the park does not turn people away, unless the weather is bad. Here are my recommended steps to planning a successful Kilimanjaro trip.
My small crew (not pictured: 8 other people keeping us alive)
Find your crew.
You can climb Kilimanjaro on your own (well, with a support team of at least five), if you are really an introvert and want to be alone with your thoughts. My main concern would be after the climb if you were to say, fall and can’t get up, it might be a while before the hotel staff find you. Single climbers can join other groups, if dates are flexible. Just ask the tour company. For me, the best number is 2-4 people of similar age and similar-ish fitness who you don’t mind spending a lot of time with. My brother is much fitter than me, but I had an easier time summiting. And then a much harder time descending. But overall we were mostly in sync. We did see some large groups, including intergenerational families - which seems like a nice idea, but the group must stay somewhat together, which means if Grandma stops for a water break, everyone stops for a water break. The large groups are also inherently noisier, which might decrease your enjoyment of the peacefulness of hiking.
2. Take the easy way up.
We did the Marangu route, sometimes called the Coca-Cola route (the last day I did see a small piece of a broken glass Coke bottle next to the trail, although there was hardly any trash along the route at all!). I like to think of it as the Original route. You can do the Marangu route in 5 days, but there is a higher chance of success if you take an acclimatization day at the second camp, so 4 days up and 2 days down. The perks of this route are you get to sleep in beds, with pillows, there are Western toilets at all the camps except the last (where there is no water), and solar electricity. All the routes go to the same place, and the Marangu route is cheaper since it is faster and you don’t need as many porters to carry gear (2.5 vs 5 porters/climber). Plus the luxury of not having to squat in the woods while your legs are already super sore. When we were climbing, we hardly saw or heard anyone along the trail as the groups space themselves out. I’m all for taking the easy and cheaper way - Marangu is by far the best route to climb Kilimanjaro on a budget - but there are several other harder routes if you want to really punish yourself!
Inside this outhouse is my favorite toilet in the world. Even though the light is broken and the door doesn’t lock.
3. Pick dates.
The best Kilimanjaro climbing seasons are August-Sept or Jan-Feb. The other months it’s either raining or winter (colder, and more snow!). Another consideration: you do not want to climb during your period. Good news: that can be managed. Learn how here.
4. Buy local.
International travel agents sub-contract to local operators anyways so might as give a needed boost to the Tanzanian economy by booking with a Tanzanian tour company. We went with Leopard Tours, based on a friend’s recommendation. Leopard is a safari company that has recently branched out into climbs, and we were very happy with them. Another option is Zara Adventures, who has been doing Kilimanjaro climbs for longer and is owned by a Tanzanian woman. If you do book local, one thing they might not ask you about is insurance. Make sure you have your own that covers you up to 6,000 meters - we used World Nomads which was affordable and easy (although luckily we didn’t have to use it!).
5. Consider side trips.
If you’re coming all this way, there are other things to check out in Tanzania. Kilimanjaro is in the opposite direction of the northern parks you have heard of (Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater), so you will need several extra days to reach them and see animals.
You can ask your climb company to add on a safari, or consider supporting a smaller operation: Narina Trogon Safaris is a one-man shop run by Casmir Shija, an experienced guide who is an excellent game spotter with a funny sense of humor. If you like to gamble there are good deals to be had on last-minute all-inclusive flying safari packages through Coastal Holidays. The only catch is you have to book 7 days or less before the departure, most leaving from Dar or Zanzibar.
It is possible to do a day safari in Arusha National park, closest to the mountain, which is small and has many animals, but no lions and elephant sightings are rare.
Zanzibar is a short flight away (look at JRO, 1h from Moshi, or ARK, a smaller airport on the other side of Arusha, 2h from Moshi). Stone Town is great for culture and food, while the best beaches are on the east side of the island. Our favorite beach resort is Kisiwa On the Beach, a one hour drive from Stone Town.
Just a day to kill in Moshi? Check out the Union Cafe for breakfast or lunch and take a tour of a local coffee farm.
6. Book tickets and apply for a visa.
Flying directly to JRO is probably easiest, as transiting through Dar involves changing terminals and dealing with unreliable schedules of local flights. KLM, Turkish, Emirates, or Qatar are your best bets as of 2020. You can now apply for a tourist visa online which saves you some time at the airport ($100 for Americans, $50 for everyone else!). Note: you cannot do any volunteering on a tourist visa. The government is very strict about this so make sure you have the correct visa for what you are going to be doing.
7. Take care of health stuff.
Check on your vaccinations - aside from the routine ones you should get the typhoid vaccine (injection is good for 2 years, oral for 5 years but have to take it over 7 days) and Hep A. If you are just doing the climb, you only need to worry about malaria on the days off the mountain. The best way to avoid malaria is to cover up at night and use good bug spray. If you plan to do other travel and want to take prophylaxis, Malarone is best in terms of side effects. However, even if you are taking prophylaxis, you can still get malaria. Before you leave, go to a pharmacy and ask for Coartem and a malaria self-test kit. The most dangerous place to get malaria is outside of Africa where they don’t know how to deal with it- so if you have a fever within a few weeks of returning, take the self-test, then the first dose of drugs, then bring all of it to the hospital. Most malaria deaths outside of malaria zones are due to late diagnosis and treatment. See above about getting travel insurance- if anything happens on the mountain, you want to make sure you can be evacuated to Nairobi, South Africa or Europe for any special care.
8. Gear up.
The climbing company will send you a list of gear, or you can see my recommended packing guide for ladies. You don’t need to buy it all, borrow or rent at the gate things you think you will never use age. Most important is having a pair of broken-in, waterproof hiking boots. If you aren’t a member of the REI co-op, and you think you need to buy some gear, join now. It’s $20 but then they give you a $20 off coupon for the next time, so get the boots first and come back for the other stuff later. I like REI because it’s nice to actually try on things to see if they are comfortable, their prices on brand-name items are the same as you can find on Amazon, they have their own REI brand lines that are cheaper than the brand names, and they have an amazing return policy. My brother got some boots there that were not wearing well when he started hiking in them, and they accepted the return without any problem. Plus, as a member you get annual dividends- I got $86.99 this year!
Free money!
9. Train.
My Kilimanjaro training plan was missing a key element: walking down. In retrospect, this seems obvious. There is no need for high-intensity training, slow and steady are key - but climbing actual hills/mountains in your boots that you also have to go down will help for the real thing.
10. Just do it!
I did it, old people do it, and you probably can too. Just take it easy, don’t get altitude sickness, and don’t do anything stupid!
We did it, and so can you.