Do I need climbing experience?+
None. Kilimanjaro is a long uphill walk on trails — no ropes, no ice axes, no technical skill. What it asks for is general fitness and the willingness to walk five to seven hours a day for a week, then eleven hours on summit night. If you can walk a hilly 20 km comfortably at home, you have the fitness. Altitude is the harder part, and days are the answer to it.
Which route gives the best chance of summiting?+
The Northern Circuit at nine days, then Lemosho at eight. Both climb slowly enough for your body to actually adapt. The five-day Marangu route has the lowest success rate on the mountain by a wide margin — it is the cheapest for a reason. If your budget forces the choice between a shorter route and a better lodge afterwards, choose the days.
How bad is the altitude?+
Almost everyone feels something above 4,000 m — headache, breathlessness, poor sleep, no appetite. That is normal. What is not normal is severe headache, confusion, vomiting or breathlessness at rest, and our guides descend people showing those signs without debate. We take pulse-oximeter readings twice a day and record them. Descent is the only reliable treatment and it works fast.
What is the minimum age?+
Tanzania National Parks sets ten as the minimum for Kilimanjaro. In practice we would want a fit, willing teenager rather than a reluctant ten-year-old, and we will say so if we think a child is not ready. There is no upper age limit — people in their seventies summit every season.
How are the porters treated?+
Loads are capped at 20 kilograms by regulation, and we climb to the standards set by the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project on wages, meals, sleeping shelter and gear. Porter exploitation on Kilimanjaro is real and it is usually the operator undercutting on price who is doing it. Ask us for the wage sheet before you book — with anyone, not just with us.
When should I climb?+
January to mid-March and June to October. January and February bring clear, cold nights and quieter trails; June to October is drier and busier. Avoid April and May, which are the long rains, and November, the short ones — the trails are wet, the views are gone and summit night is genuinely miserable.
What should I budget for tips?+
USD 250 to 350 per climber for the whole crew, distributed by the head guide at a ceremony on the last morning. On a seven-day climb your team is typically ten to fourteen people — guides, assistant guides, a cook and porters. Bring it in cash, in small US dollar notes, and factor it in from the start rather than being surprised by it.
Can I combine the climb with a safari?+
Yes, and it is the most common combination we sell. Climb first while you are fresh, then spend three or four days in a vehicle recovering, which the northern circuit is very well suited to. Our joining safaris depart from Arusha on the day after most climbs come off the mountain — tell us at booking and we will line the dates up.
