Kilimanjaro Private Journey

You will be hiking through a variety of different terrain along your ascent and descent. From forested areas with low angle dirt trails, into loose lava flows and valleys, all the way up to steep volcanic scree. In general, the trail is a tight footpath, rocky underfoot, winding its way across lava flows and exposed ridges. As you gain elevation, the mountain becomes steeper and the footing becomes looser. Compounded by the high elevation, these last days cover less ground but are the most physically demanding.

Every participant must understand that this trek is truly challenging — you should be in excellent physical condition. Even though trip members carry only a daypack (with camera, jacket, rain gear, water bottle, and other small necessities you may need during the day), we recommend you make a special effort to get in top physical shape for the trip by hiking, running, swimming, bicycling, or engaging in other forms of aerobic exercise well beyond your normal routine. Many activities get heart and lungs into shape, but the most effective way of getting fit for hiking is to hike! Walking up and down flights of stairs is also an effective way to train. Bending your knees as you go down stairs will help strengthen your quad muscles. At least two months prior to your trek, we urge you to go on weekend day hikes that involve long uphill and downhill walking.

For this trek, we require your doctor sign the Wilderness Travel Medical Form. Once Wilderness Travel has confirmed your place on the trip roster, no refunds beyond our standard fees will be made if your physician refuses to sign the form. It is very important that you and your physician fully agree that you are physically capable of undertaking a strenuous trek, and equally important that you undertake proper conditioning prior to the trek

The Trek Leader has the right to disqualify any member from the trip at any time if it is medically necessary, to avoid endangering the group, or if the participant in question is physically unfit for the rigors of the trip. Refunds are not given under such circumstances.

On the Kilimanjaro climb, porters carry the group gear and you carry a daypack for your wind/rain jacket, water bottle, and camera (depending on your equipment, this can weigh approximately 10 pounds). The camp crew sets up camp each day and we are served dinner in a dining tent with tables and chairs. We use American-made mountaineering tents rated by the manufacturer as 3-person tents but we use them for only two people, ensuring a fair amount of space for sleeping. Sleeping bags are rated to -30°F and sleeping pads are three inches thick and over two feet wide. Fires are not allowed on the mountain so there are no hot showers available at camps (hot showers are available at all of our safari camps).

For more information about our accommodations, please reference our “Camping with Wilderness Travel” and “Climb Kilimanjaro Lodging” pages of the detailed itinerary.

While there are certainly limits as to what can be done in such a setting, our Kili climbs have become renowned for the excellent meals served on the mountain, even at the highest altitudes. We have put a great deal of effort into combining proper nutrition with appealing and varied dishes; WT even launched the first chef training school in Tanzania over twenty years ago to create the highest standard of food quality for our high-altitude climbs.

Breakfasts typically include tea, coffee, fruit, eggs, bacon, porridge and homemade granola. Picnic lunches set up along the trail midway through the day can include sandwiches, soup, energy bars, nuts, fruit, cheese, crackers, and guacamole. Dinners vary day by day (and with elevation moving to foods that are easier to digest) but include soups with baked bread, an assortment of salads, pasta with garlic bread, spaghetti Bolognese, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, and of course brownies and apple pie with cream!

We have a separate dining tent with food available upon request at any time, and provide an assortment of snacks for you to take on the trail, including mixed nuts, energy bars, homemade granola, dried fruit and much needed sugary sweets to boost your energy at higher elevations such as chocolate bars.

Please let us know of any dietary needs and we will accommodate as best as possible.

From our Kilimanjaro camps, we try to carry out every item of trash that we cannot burn easily. Toilet paper, which is put in a can beside the chemical toilet, is burned by the crew before leaving each camp and some small easily burnable items can be given to them to burn at the same time. For pit stops on the trail, carry toilet paper back to camp in a plastic bag. Please keep your own trash in a trash bag and pack it in your porter duffel for removal from the mountain. Take chemical or toxic trash (such as dead batteries) back to the US with you so they can be disposed of properly.