First, congratulations on your decision to climb Kilimanjaro. You are about to have an experience of a lifetime. Here is a list of suggestions on how to plan Kilimanjaro climb.
How to plan Kilimanjaro climb
Select the route.
There are multiple routes to the summit: Machame, Lemosho, Marangu, Shira, Rongai, Umbwe and Mweka. The most Popular is Machame, Lemosho is the most beautiful longer route that allows for better acclimatizing. Umbwe is the most difficult one. The climb will take 5-8 day depending on the route selected.
Set realistic budget.
Climbing Kilimanjaro is not cheap. During my pre-Kili climb physical in 2011, I learned that my doctor climbed Kilimanjaro with her husband when they were on medical mission in Tanzania in 1977. Their Tanzanian friend took them up the mountain. There was no park entrance fee. It was free. When I told her that my climb was $2000, she was shocked. Well, now that the prices went up almost twice, I’m shocked. Everything is relative. Couple of years ago Tanzanian government raised park entrance fees significantly and now you are looking roughly at $800-850 raw cost for 5-day trek. So, be realistic, you won’t be able to climb the mountain for $1000. Realistic budget for booking the trip if you book from overseas is in $2400 -$4700 range (land cost only, flight and 2 nights pre- and post- climb hotel stay not included).
Select your tour operator or local guide.
First you need to decide whether you are going with tour operator or planning to hire one of the local guides in Arusha, Moshi or maybe even at the base of the mountain (yes, it was possible to hire a guide right near the trailhead in 2011). Local guides will be significantly cheaper. Some people prefer to book their tour from overseas.
Interview potential tour operators
Booking from overseas will give you piece of mind if you are the person who needs it. If you decided to book from overseas, research available operators first. Google “Kilimanjaro Climb Operators” and you will get 10+ pages of google results, some are well known, others are not. All of them will most likely take to you up and down the mountain. Read reviews, narrow down the list to three-four companies that operate on the you selected route, contact the operators and interview them.
List of questions to ask your tour operator.
Keep in mind that if things go as planned, the weather is great, no serious occurrences of altitude sickness in the group, no other medical related issues, any operator will be ok and you will have great experience. But if not, you will greatly benefit from having experienced guide on your side.
After researching different operators, I decided to select upstate NY based company Pack Paddle and Ski Kilimanjaro climb. One day I will write a post dedicated to Rick French and his passion to make a world a better place, but for now I just say that Rick is very personable and supportive, he has a big HEART and you will enjoy every minute of your trip when you travel with him. Pack Paddle and Ski supports variety of development and volunteering projects in Karatu area. A little disclaimer here: Rick has no clue that I’m advertising his company here, I haven’t talked to him since our climb.
Book the flight.
Book it in advance, the sooner the better. I always use Kayak to compare prices. Also, in case you are going with a tour operator, plan to fly in a day in advance. This protects you from flight delays and cancellations.
Book one extra night in the hotel, you won’t regret it. You can spend extra day in Moshi to relax after the long fligh or explore Moshi and enjoy those “green hills of Africa”.
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1 day in Moshi, Tanzania
Tanzanian visa.
Tanzania requires visa for US citizens. You can get the visa on your arrival in the airport, the cost is $100, cash only. Tanzania requires 6 months passport validity.
Currency exchange.
You will be able to exchange Tanzanian Shillings in the airport. If you are in Tanzania only for Kilimanjaro climb do not exchange more that 100$. In case you are staying for additional time, 300-400$ should be more than enough for a week to 10 days. Tanzanian Shilling is internal currency, you will not be able to exchange it outside of Tanzania, so you have some TZS left you will need to exchange those in the airport before your flight home.
Important:
- US dollar bills issued prior to 2006 not accepted in exchange locations.
- Bring some small bills, also bring 20-40$ in 1-dollar bills
Vaccination/Medication.
Your tour operator will give detailed list of vaccination required for Tanzania. In addition to standard vaccination (MMR, Tetanus, etc.), it is suggested to have Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B vaccination.
Yellow fever vaccination is no longer required for US citizens. Horray!
Medication.
Malaria medication (Malaron/Doxiciclyn, etc.) highly recommended for altitude lower that 6,000 ft; it is not required for higher altitude 6000+ft. In you are not staying for safari after the climb you don’t need to take it.
