Climb Kilimanjaro!

Trip Level

This trip is rated a Level 6+ (Very Strenuous) according to our trip grading system, our most strenuous rating. There are no alternative hiking options available. Despite the fact that the Kilimanjaro climb doesn’t require climbing equipment or technical skills, it is extremely challenging and considered a real physical test. All trip members must be in excellent shape—both physically and mentally!

Challenge Days
• Day 9 - 7-9 hours, 2 miles, 2,840 feet ascent
• Day 10 - 8-10 hours, 8 miles, 541 feet ascent, 9,301 feet descent

How Tough is This Trip?
You need to be able to hike on steep, uneven surfaces and over loose scree. You must feel comfortable and confident on your feet for an average of 8 hours a day, with recent experience hiking 10 miles in a day. There are dangers inherent in any expedition to high altitude—in this case, 19,341 feet, with an overnight at 18,800 feet. These dangers include everything from rock falls to the possibility of a serious fall, accident, or sickness without access to a means of rapid evacuation, adequate medical supplies, or adequate medical attention once provided. Although we carry oxygen and Gamow bags on every climb, it is important that all participants understand that the climb is very challenging. Our Trip Leaders and crew are experienced veterans of the mountain, but it takes cooperation and flexibility from each participant to ensure a successful ascent.

The daily pacing is flexible and may be adjusted by the Trip Leader. Trail conditions, weather and the group’s level of fitness can affect hiking times. Normally, some trip members hike faster than others. Our climbing groups are accompanied by highly experienced Kilimanjaro mountain guides in addition to the Wilderness Travel Trip Leader so that we can divide into smaller groups, each hiking at their own pace and each with its own guide.

Terrain

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.

Weather

As in most mountain areas, the weather on Kilimanjaro can and does change abruptly. Usually, Kilimanjaro’s summit clouds appear around 10:00 am and then disappear from around 4:30 pm until sundown. The snow line usually begins at 17,000 or 18,000 feet, but a sudden storm may bring it as low as 14,000 feet (the snow line is usually at its lowest after the two rainy seasons). Daytime temperatures range from the 50s to the 70sF at altitudes from 7,500', where we start the climb, to about 12,000'. Above this altitude, daytime temperatures are lower and evening temperatures can drop to 10ºF or even lower. Above 16,000', daytime temperatures most often are in the high teens to low 40’s, but on the occasional clear calm day, because of the lack of atmosphere to filter the UV, it can feel hot. At this altitude, you should expect nighttime temperatures to be below freezing, and temperatures below zero are not uncommon. At the summit, it is rarely above 45ºF during the day. Kilimanjaro is the first high-altitude obstacle facing the moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean, so it receives higher than average rainfall. We don’t offer climbs during the rainy months of April and May or November.

As with most mountain areas, the weather on Kilimanjaro can change abruptly so you need to be ready for these sudden changes with extra layers of clothing, including waterproof gear, in your day pack at all times. Usually, Kilimanjaro’s summit clouds appear in the late morning and then dissipate shortly before sundown.

Accommodations

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 -30ºF 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.

Cuisine

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.

Environmental Concerns

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.