Climbing Kilimanjaro - Candid tips

Safari side trip
- Mt Kilimanjaro -

Safari tips you can trust

If you're thinking
of climbing
Mount Kilimanjaro

Combining a climb
with a safari trip

Because Mt Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro Crater are relatively near each other, many people combine a climb and a safari in the same trip.

Best time of year

Book a dry season climb (from January to mid March and from August to mid September). Rainy season Mount Kilimanjaro climbs can be miserable.

Degree of difficulty

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro requires trekking stamina, not mountaineering skills, as do the world's other highest mountains.

Nonetheless, the Mount Kilimanjaro endeavor is long and strenuous, normally lasting four days up, two down. It is strongly advisable that you be in top physical condition and have undergone high altitude trekking training before commencing the climb.

Costs

A six day climb costs about 750 to 1,500 US dollars per person. This price is usually all-inclusive except for pre- and post-climb expenses such as airfare - and for gratuities. Cost variables include tour type (group or private), number of climbers, outfitter's or tour operator's quality level, and the number of porters hired to carry the equipment and supplies.

Different routes

There are a number of routes to the summit. They vary in difficulty and trail traffic. The easier, the more traffic