What to bring when climbing Kilimanjaro

 

There are six traditional routes to the summit of Kilimanjaro: Marangu (the Coca Cola route), Machame (the whiskey route), Rongai, Lemosho, Shira and Umbwe. In addition, there are a few other routes that are rarely used. Each route has its own distinctive character with different levels of difficulty and nature.

Machame route is one of the most beautiful and varied routes on Kilimanjaro, also known as the Whisky route. The ascent follows a more natural than man-made path to the top of Africa, making the route more demanding. Therefore, we have organized the trip with 7 days (instead of six days) on the mountain, which gives a much better acclimatization, the best way to avoid altitude sickness, and thus increases the success rate of summitting significantly.

Visa

A visa is required for most nationals to enter Tanzania. The easiest way is to get it at the airport upon arrival. It costs 50 US dollars (100 US dollars for US citizens). Remember to bring a passport photo.
Some nationals are advised to obtain a visa prior to arrival. Please check the rules for your nationality before traveling. Visa regulations may change without notice. Please ensure that your passport is valid at least 6 months from date of arrival.

Vaccinations

Remember to contact your local health clinic to check up on relevant vaccinations before travelling.
When you enter Tanzania you may be required to show a certificate of vaccination.

Håndbagage på flyrejsen

Medbring de vigtigste ting som pas, penge, kreditkort, kamera og medicin i håndbagagen, så du er på forkant i tilfælde af at bagagen skulle blive forsinket. Skulle bagagen blive forsinket er det muligt at leje udstyr i Moshi. Tag dine vandrestøvler på på flyrejsen.

Hand luggage on the flight

Pack the most important things such as your passport, money, credit cards, camera and medication in your hand luggage in case your checked luggage is delayed. Should your luggage not arrive in Tanzania together with you, it is possible to rent equipment in Moshi. However, wear your hiking boots on the plane since you really don’t want to climb Kilimanjaro in new boots (if you can find any that fit you).

Travel insurance

Make sure to take out travel insurance covering illness, accident, repatriation, loss of vacation, baggage and third party liability. As a customer it is your own responsible to take the necessary travel insurance that covers these costs. Also make sure that your insurance covers at high altitude and evacuation by helicopter.

Hotel stay and accommodations
In Moshi, we stay at the Mountain Inn Hotel, where breakfast and dinner are included. On Kilimanjaro itself, we stay in 2-person tents. A mess tent is brought along where breakfast and dinner are served. There are also toilet tents where you can attend to nature's call in private.

Food and beverage
In Moshi breakfasts and dinners are included, but you need to pay for lunch. You can either have your lunch at the hotel or at one of the restaurants in Moshi. On Kilimanjaro all meals are included. There is a cook and a kitchen team on the trek who prepare breakfast and dinner which you enjoy in camp. Lunch packs are brought along for consumption in a suitable spot during the day. The kitchen team will provide drinking water, tea and coffee.

Tips
There is a tradition to tip the guides, porters and other helpers on Kilimanjaro. As a rule of thumb, you should expect about 80 USD per participant.
 

Photography and electricity
There are so many beautiful sceneries on Kilimanjaro, so make sure you have sufficient space on your memory card. You can charge your batteries at the hotel in Moshi, but it is not possible to charge the batteries on the mountain, so bring extra batteries for your camera and make sure they are fully charged before departure. Wrap up your batteries in a waterproof bag and keep them in a warm pocket, as they quickly lose power in the cold.

Below is a packing list for the ascent of Kilimanjaro. The packaging list is a guideline and has been made after many years of experience of trekking on Kilimanjaro. When you have the right equipment you don’t really need to bring a whole lot. So keeping the weight down to about 12-15 kgs on the trek wont be that difficult.

Consider the following when you pack:

• In Moshi the temperature is typically 28-30°C at noon, and a little chilly at night.
• On the mountain the temperature varies a lot during the day. At high altitude it is cold in the morning when you start walking, but it could easily be 20°C at noon. When the sun goes down the temperature drops dramatically and it may get down to minus 10-12°C at night. Clothes for hot weather is just as important as for cold weather.
• We highly recommend dressing up layer-by-layer. Woollen or other thermal underwear, with a T-shirt (not cotton) or shirt on top. A fleece or woolen sweater as the warm layer and then a windproof shell jacket on the outside. A down jacket is super nice, but not strictly necessary and could be replaced by a warm ski jacket.
• Many trekkers experience it to be colder than they had imagined when they were at home and packed, so make sure you bring very warm clothes!
• It is convenient to pack your belongings in plastic bags, to keep your stuff waterproof and it will be easier to maintain order in your bag.
• If you are unsure about the clothes and equipment you need to bring, you can always contact us and enquire about clothing and gear.

Trekking boots
It is important that you have good footwear for climbing Kilimanjaro. Trekking boots with a solid and profiled sole is a must. If you need to buy new boots, make sure to purchase them in a real equipment store where you can get adequate advice from the experienced staff. Make sure to break in your boots, before setting off on your journey. We recommend wearing two pairs of socks: A pair of thin socks liners and a pair of thick woolen trekking socks. With this combination you can avoid many blisters.

Sleeping bag
It is important that you sleep well at night and only do so if you keep warm. Therefore, a good insulated sleeping bag is very important. It's colder at high altitude than you think! Many people bring an inadequate sleeping bag which is not warm enough. An alpine down sleeping bag is expensive. As a supplement to your sleeping bag you can use a fleece liner that will increase the comfort level in your sleeping bag. It is a cheap and good solution instead of buying an expensive new sleeping bag, that may also be too hot at lower altitude. If you are unsure whether your sleeping bag is warm enough, so you can contact us for more information.

Packing for the trek
It is convenient to pack your belongings in a large backpack or soft travel bag. Keep weight to a minimum and makes room for any purchases. The dress code in Tanzania is very relaxed, even in the good hotels so you do not need to bring your fancy clothes. Keep the weight down to 12-15 kgs on the baggage you leave for the porters to carry.