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Kilimanjaro Climbing FAQs

All you need to know about Kilimanjaro Climb

Kilimanjaro is located in Tanzania on the north border near Kenya, and has the highest point in Africa, Uhuru Peak (5,895 m). It is the tallest free-standing mountain in the world! While classified as a mountain, Kilimanjaro is actually made up of three volcanic cones that were formed by the Great Rift Valley. Kilimanjaro is one of the seven summits, but it’s not classified as a technical climb and is sometimes called Everyman’s (or Everywoman’s!) Everest because it’s the most attainable of the world’s seven summits. Check out our KILIMANJARO ADVENTURE GUIDE for a trail map and more info on its magnificent and diverse wildlife, climate zones!

Frequently asked questions

For experienced climbers, Mount Kilimanjaro will take around 5 to 6 days to reach the top. But it is important to understand the while the trek is shorter than others, the length of the trek doesn’t mean it is any easier. In fact, Mount Kilimanjaro is incredibly difficult because of its short trek.

You ascend rapidly up the mountain, which means your body needs to acclimate to the changing conditions very quickly. Thus, can lead to acute mountain sickness and if you aren’t prepared for that, you can have to turn back to get help

On average, it takes eight hours alone to reach the summit on the last stage of the trek. This is because it is 4,084 feet or 1,245 meters of climbing at extreme altitudes over 18,000 feet and greatly increasing your risk of getting acute mountain sickness.

We have a fantastic record of getting climbers to the summit successfully and safely.  If you are a regular weekend walker with lots of determination we can get you to the top. That does not mean that it is not an incredibly tough challenge. The difficulties arise from a number of different factors. First, you are walking every day for at least 6 days for an average of 7-8 hours a day. There is then one very long day of up to 18 hours. You need to be really determined to handle this.

Second, you are climbing to nearly 20,000 feet at which altitude, air pressure and oxygen availability is about 60% of sea level. This means with every breath you are only getting just over half as much oxygen. To compensate for this you have to do everything slowly.  Finally, you will be camping for up to 8 nights, sleeping on the floor and washing and cleaning in tough conditions. This is nothing that a positive attitude can’t overcome, though.  For more about acclimatization see here.

The shortest route Kandoo runs as standard is 6 days. It is possible to climb over 5 days but the shorter climbs have a much lower success rate. Remember it is a long way to travel and a lot of money to spend to not reach the summit. We recommend that you take at least 7 days to give yourself a really good chance of reaching the summit safely. Read more about which routes are best and the days they take here.

We have helped lots of novice trekkers summit Kilimanjaro safely. You need to be fit enough for “weekend walking” and able to do 5-7 hours on your feet for two days back to back. Besides being fit though you will need to look after yourself all the way and have bucket loads of determination.

The best training you can do is to get your boots on and cover as many miles as your can before your climb. If you follow this advice, most days will be pretty comfortable for you. However fit you are though, summit night is a very tough experience.  You will be climbing for 8-10 hours and descending for 6 – 8 hours.  For more advice on training see here

The success rate varies hugely by the route and by the operator. Success rates reported by the Park vary from below 50% on the shorter routes like Marangu up to 85-90% on 7 days and longer climbs. Our success rate on climbs of 7 days or longer is 97%. We get such a high success rate with great preparation, great guides and carefully managed itineraries. And of course clients with grit!

We always answer this question by saying you should try and get out and do as much hill-walking as you can. Nothing prepares your body better for climbing Kilimanjaro than some weekends doing long walks of 7-8 hours.

For a more technical answer, there are four aspects of fitness you need to work on.

  • First is pure cardio. As you ascend there is less and less oxygen in the air and this makes your cardio system work very hard. Prepare for this with an intense cardio exercise. We are big fans of High-Intensity Interval Training where you work very hard for a short period and the rest.
  • Second is leg strength. Consecutive days climbing puts a lot of strain on the legs and specific leg exercises like squats work really well.
  • The third is stamina. On summit night you need to keep going and going. Try and do some longer exercises that require real stamina like a long ride or a really long day hill-walking.
  • And finally, don’t forget your flexibility as lots of injuries are caused by a lack of flexibility.  So both before your climb, and on it, remember your stretches. For more detailed advice on training see here.

The public toilets on Kilimanjaro are horrible. To find out in more detail what they are actually like then take a look here.  Fortunately, we now provide private toilets as standard on all climbs. This is a chemical toilet in a small tent. This is kept clean and hygienic by our crew. Lots better than the long drop public loos.

We treat all our crew and guides really well. This is recognized by KPAP ( the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Program).

KPAP does great work to ensure porters are treated fairly on the mountain.  This is not just about wages, but food, clothing, tents and tipping policy. Sadly far too few Kilimanjaro operators are members of KPAP. We have been a leading member of KPAP since we started on Kilimanjaro. There is a KPAP porter on all our climbs to ensure that our treatment of porters always is up to high standards.

Altitude sickness (often just called AMS) is caused by climbing to altitudes where the air pressure is much reduced. There is a great little calculator here http://www.altitude.org/air_pressure.php. which shows how this happens.

By the time you have reached the summit of Kilimanjaro air pressure is down to 49% of what it is at sea level. The first effect of this is that every lungful of air contains only half the amount of oxygen it would normally have. This makes any physical exertion very hard work. Slowly, slowly is the key.

The second and most dangerous effects of low pressures are on the parts of the body where fluid and air meet. The two most important are in the skull and lungs. With low air pressure fluid gets into the lungs and the gap between the brain and the skull. In the lungs, this causes something like pneumonia, where your lungs fill with water. In the brain, it causes bad headaches. Both of these can become so bad they will kill you.

The good news is that we plan our ascents very carefully to minimize the risk of you getting AMS and have well-tested emergency plans to evacuate you should you have any problems. You can read lots more about Altitude sickness here.

A well-equipped weekend hiker will have most of the essential kit you need. We provide a full list of what you need on the Kilimanjaro packing list as well as a printable checklist. Most important on this list are mittens. We haven’t found a ski or mountain glove that is warm enough for the coldest night on Kilimanjaro.

Private climbs to climb Kilimanjaro are your own personal tailor-made adventure. They give you total flexibility and the highest chance of success. Just choose your date, route, and any of our tailor-made options. Perfect for a group of friends or a charity group. Or perhaps for a couple looking to celebrate a special birthday or anniversary. Upgrades to private climbs start from £100 per person depending on the size of the group.

If you want the company of others while you climb Kilimanjaro then an open group is perfect for you. Our group climbs run every week during the main climbing season from June – October and December – March. They are limited to a maximum of 12 climbers to make sure you get the best chance of summit success. Particularly popular are our open group full moon climbs which run every month.