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Kilimanjaro

Quick Facts

Height: 5,895 m/19,340 ft - making it the tallest mountain in Africa
Country: Tanzania
Nearest airports: Kilimanjaro airport, www.kilimanjaroairport.co.tz
Dar Es Salaam International airport www.tanzaniairports.com
When to go: can be climbed year round
Authorities: Tanzanian National Park www.tanzaniaparks.com
Climbing: takes betweeen 5-7 days. 6 routes ranging from fairly easy to difficult
Costs: Approx. cost from 700 US$ (tips not included). A guide is necessary. As per January 1st 2006 the daily park fee is 60 US$. This is normally included in the price if you book with a tour agent.
Nearest cities: Moshi and Arusha of which Arusha is definitely the nicest.
Things to do nearby: Go for a safari in the Ngorongoro crater or the Serengeti, relax on the beautiful beaches, explore the historic Stone Town, enjoy excellent diving on Zanzibar, climb Mt. Meru or Mt. Kenya while you're at it.
Malaria-area: yes


The Longer Story

Standing at 5,895 m/19,340 ft Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa and is located in Tanzania.
Your gateway into the mountain starts at either Moshi or Arusha. You'll most likely arrive in Kilimanjaro Airport or on a bus from Dar Es Salaam. If you get a choice I would recommend staying in Arusha rather than in Moshi. Not only are there better hotels to choose from, the city is also nicer. Both in Moshi and Arusha you'll find several tour agents. Tours range from poor to luxury and generally you get what you pay for. However, there are several dishonest tour agents about, so don't buy your trip on the street, in your hotel room or in a restaurant. You need to see the agent's office. Also remember that in Africa prices are negotiable. Even if emailing with the agent, you should try to negotiate a better deal than the first price offered.

I won't recommend any tour agent. I tried Roy's Safari and they were decent. Their safari sucked but they handled my request professionally and their mountain guides were excellent.

If you're up for it, you can save some money arranging your trip with the guide I used. His name is John and you can get in touch with him on johntreks@yahoo.com. However, bear in mind that he does not run a tour agency. He'll hire all the staff, rent a car, tents, cooking gear etc., and he'll be able to get you up the mountain about 100 US$ cheaper than a tour operator. He is a local from one of the villages from Kilimanjaro, has been working as an authorized mountain guide for several years, and has been to the summit over 100 times.

If you want to arrange it through an agent, you can either book it in advance or shop around once there. Most of the agents are located in Arusha. If you arrive by bus you'll quickly find yourself surrounded by touts trying to sell you a safari. I won't recommend choosing any of them and most likely you'll be better of just going to a hotel and then finding tour agents based on recommendations from other travellers or from the hotel staff.

Pre-departure

Before heading up Kilimanjaro you should be well prepared. You can rent a lot of stuff there but the essentials you should bring from home. The things listed beneath are the most essential items:
I assume that you know about the rest such as hiking boots, first aid kit, sleeping bag etc. Once in Tanzania it'll be hard to find a headlight so make sure you bring one from home. You can rent sleeping bags from your agent, but they're not very warm so you will be grateful if you bring your own sleeping bag. Personally I wouldn't recommend or take Diamox, but if you intend to, you should also bring that from home. Also you won't come across good energy bars in Tanzania. Even if you're not into them you'll probably be once you start hiking.

Lastly, I recommend that at least six months before embarking on your trek, you start an exercise regime to get in shape. It's important to get your heart in shape. Though it's a fairly easy trek up the mountain, the last night can be tough. You'll need a strong heart and good legs to cope with the thin oxygen conditions at the summit. Also, you'll enjoy the trek more if it doesn't feel like hard work.

Up the mountain

There are six routes that don't require any climbing experience. These are Marangu, Machame, Mweka, Umbwe, Shira and Rongai. Marangu aka "the Coca Cola Route" and Machame aka "The Whisky route" are the most popular. They're also the easiest and cheapest. On the Marangu route you stay in mountain huts. However, I heard that most of those who tried these huts would've preferred a tent. For a while the Marangu route was the most popular (that means busy too) route, but rumours are that now the most popular route is the Machame.
I did the Machame in January 2005 and it certainly was busy. It's a very beautiful 6-7 days trek.

Basically the secret to making it to the summit of Kilimanjaro is to ascend slowly to avoid altitude sickness. Each day's walk is fairly short so don't worry about making it to camp in time. Normally your porters have run ahead and set up your camp. All trekkers have to stay in the camp-sites and the sites get pretty crowded. The camp-sites have very basic toilets and that's it.

Kilimanjaro can be climbed any time of year. However, Christmas and New Year are pretty busy. Also it's worth avoiding the rainy season as the trails get very muddy. If possible, try to plan your climb when there is a full moon.

Situated near the Ngorongoro crater, the Serengeti and a 1 hour plane-ride from Zanzibar, you can combine your trip with some of the best safaris in the world and explore history, white sandy beaches and experience great diving and snorkelling on Zanzibar. God must have thought of tourism when he laid out Tanzania.