EVERY QUESTION,
ANSWERED.

Pick a date and route, then submit the booking form or request a quote. A 20% deposit confirms your place on a group departure or reserves your team for a private climb. We follow up within one business day with a confirmation, an invoice, and your pre-departure paperwork.

The remaining balance is due 60 days before your climb start date. If you book inside 60 days, the full amount is payable at the time of booking. We accept bank transfers, Zelle, PayPal, and all major credit cards, and we will send a reminder well ahead of each due date.

Deposits are non-refundable. Cancellation made more than 60 days out are refunded in full minus the deposit; inside 60 days, refunds are reduced on a sliding scale. Travel insurance is required for participation in our trips, and will reimburse cancellation penalties if the reason for cancellation is covered under the policy.

Yes. Every route is available as a private climb on the dates that suit you — solo, with friends, or as a family. Private departures run year-round and let you set your own pace. Just tell us your preferred window and group size and we will build it.

Three to six months is comfortable for most climbers — it gives you time to train, break in boots, and arrange flights and visas. Peak months (January–March, June–October) fill earlier, so book sooner if your dates are not flexible. Last-minute climbs can often be accommodated; ask and we will do our best to accommodate you.

On group climbs you share a tent and hotel room with another same-gender climber at no extra cost. If you prefer your own tent and room throughout, a single supplement is available — ask for the current rate when you book.

Kilimanjaro is a trek, not a technical climb — no ropes or mountaineering skills required. But it is a serious physical undertaking: six to nine days of hiking, four to seven hours a day, and a very long day when we hike to the summit. If you can comfortably hike for several hours over hilly terrain carrying a daypack, you have the right base. The rest is training and the right pace.

Start eight to twelve weeks out. Build endurance with long hikes — ideally on hills, wearing the boots and daypack you will use on the mountain. Add stair-climbing, cardio, and some leg strength work. The single best preparation is time on your feet over uneven ground, gradually increasing duration.

Consult a travel clinic six to eight weeks before departure. Yellow fever vaccination is required if you are arriving from a country with risk of transmission, and routine vaccines should be current. Many climbers carry anti-malarial medication for the lower altitudes and safari, and discuss Diamox (acetazolamide) for altitude with their doctor.

Most visitors need a tourist visa, which can be obtained online in advance through the official Tanzania immigration e-visa portal or, for many nationalities, on arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport. Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates. We send a full checklist once you book.

A passport valid six-plus months, your visa or e-visa confirmation, proof of travel insurance that covers high-altitude trekking and evacuation, any yellow-fever certificate, and copies of your flight details. We handle all park permits and climbing paperwork on your behalf.

You wake to hot drinks and a cooked breakfast, pack your duffel for the porters, and set off mid-morning carrying only a daypack. You hike four to seven hours at a deliberately slow pace — "pole pole," slowly slowly — reaching the next camp by mid-afternoon. Tents are already pitched. After a hot lunch or snack, the guides run a health check, then dinner and an early night.

You wake around midnight, layer up against the cold, and climb by headlamp for six to seven hours to reach Uhuru Peak near sunrise. It is the hardest part of the trip — cold, dark, and high — but the pace is slow and your guides are beside you the whole way. After photos at the summit, you descend to camp for a rest and a hot meal.

Our success rates run well above the mountain average because we favour longer itineraries that build in proper acclimatisation, keep guide-to-climber ratios high, and monitor health twice daily. The single biggest factor in summiting is spending enough days on the mountain — which is why we rarely recommend the shortest routes.

It depends on your time, budget, and how much acclimatisation you want. Longer routes like the Northern Circuit and Lemosho have the highest success rates and the best scenery; Machame is a popular, scenic seven-to-eight-day option; Marangu is the only hut-based route. We will recommend the best fit once we know your dates and experience.

There is paid wifi available at some camps, but do not count on reliable connectivity. There is intermittent mobile signal on parts of the mountain, strongest at the lower camps. Most climbers treat the week as a genuine disconnect — bring a power bank to keep a phone or camera charged for photos, and let people at home know you will be largely offline.

Public camps have basic long-drop toilets. We provide a private portable toilet tent for our groups so you are not reliant on them. Each morning and evening you get a bowl of warm water for washing, and a larger basin at camp. There are no showers on the mountain — bring biodegradable wipes.

Porters carry one duffel per climber, limited to 15 kg (33 lb) of your personal gear by park regulation. You carry a daypack with the day’s water, snacks, layers, and camera. We provide the duffel. You can leave any luggage you don’t need on the trek at the hotel in Moshi.

Kilimanjaro spans five climate zones, so you dress in layers you add and shed through the day: a moisture-wicking base layer, an insulating mid layer (fleece or down), and a waterproof, windproof shell. Summit night calls for everything at once plus a heavy down jacket. The Packing List breaks down exactly how many of each.

Yes. We rent quality down jackets, sleeping bags, trekking poles, and other big-ticket items in Moshi, so you do not have to buy or fly with gear you will use once. Reserve rentals when you book and collect them at your pre-climb briefing. Boots are the exception — bring your own, well broken in.

Waterproof, mid-to-high cut hiking boots with good ankle support and a stiff sole. They must be broken in over many miles before you arrive — new boots are the most common cause of blisters on the mountain. Pair them with proper hiking socks and bring blister tape just in case.

We provide spacious, four-season Ferrino tents and a sleeping cot and mattress to keep you off the cold ground. You bring (or rent from us) a sleeping bag rated to roughly −10°C / 15°F or colder, plus a liner for extra warmth. A good night’s sleep is part of acclimatising, so we do not cut corners on camp comfort.

Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) comes from ascending faster than your body can adjust to thinner air — headache, nausea, fatigue. We manage it the proven way: longer itineraries, a deliberately slow pace, high fluid intake, and twice-daily health checks. Mild symptoms are normal and manageable; our guides know exactly when to act.

Twice a day, our Wilderness First Responder–certified guides check your blood-oxygen saturation and pulse with a pulse oximeter and log it as part of the 15-point medical check, alongside how you feel and how you ate and slept. Trends matter more than any single number — the records let us catch problems early and decide calmly, not in a panic.

Yes. Every climb carries bottled emergency oxygen, a thermometer, pulse oximeter, sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, and a comprehensive first-aid kit. On Northern Circuit treks, we carry a portable hyperbaric (Gamow) bag. These are safety nets — the goal is always to prevent problems through proper acclimatisation.

Your guide makes the call to descend, which is the single most effective treatment for altitude illness. Assistant guides mean the group keeps moving while you are escorted down safely — you never climb on alone or hold others back. Rapid descent resolves the large majority of altitude problems quickly.

Our team is trained to manage medical evacuations. When possible we will use a helicopter, getting climbers to the hospital in Moshi faster. You must have travel insurance that covers Kilimanjaro hikes. Our supplemental coverage through AMREF will do the rest.

Fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), which sits between Moshi and Arusha. We meet you on arrival and transfer you to your hotel. Some climbers route through Nairobi (NBO) and connect by air or shuttle; we will advise the simplest option for your origin.

Your climb includes park and rescue fees, all camping equipment, guides, porters and cooks, all meals on the mountain, hotel nights before and after, and airport transfers. Not included: international flights, Tanzania visa, travel insurance, tips for the crew, and personal items. The What’s Included page lays out the full inventory.

Tipping is customary and a meaningful part of the crew’s income. The amount of the tip will depend on the length of the trek and the number of climbers in the group, totaling between $300–$800 per climber for the whole mountain team. The tip is pooled and distributed at a ceremony when you get back to the hotel at the end of the trek.

Absolutely — most climbers do. A safari through the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, and Tarangire is the perfect reward after the summit, and Zanzibar’s beaches are a short flight away. We package the whole trip together so transfers and timing line up seamlessly.

We include comfortable hotel nights in Moshi before and after your trek — a proper bed, hot shower, and good meal at each end. Your pre-climb briefing and gear check happen at the hotel the evening before you start. Extra nights are easy to add if you arrive early or stay on.

Hot, fresh, and varied — never box lunches. Our cooks prepare three cooked meals a day from locally sourced ingredients resupplied mid-trip, high in the carbohydrate and fluid your body needs at altitude, with real protein every day. Eating well is part of summiting, so the kitchen is a priority, not an afterthought.

Yes — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and Kosher menus are all handled, planned so calories and protein never drop below what the climb demands. Note your diet on the booking form and confirm it at your briefing, and the kitchen plans around it from day one.

Flag any allergy — nuts, lactose, shellfish — and any strong preferences when you book. Familiar, safe food matters even more at altitude, where appetite drops, so we would rather over-plan than guess. Your guide carries your dietary notes for the whole trek.

Porters collect water from mountain streams each day, and it is boiled, treated, and filtered before you drink it. You refill your bottles and hydration bladder at camp. Aim for three to four litres a day — steady hydration is one of the most effective defences against altitude sickness.

It is normal — appetite fades as you go higher, just when your body needs fuel most. Our cooks counter it with smaller, more frequent, familiar dishes and plenty of warm drinks and soups. Forcing down even a little keeps your energy and acclimatisation on track, and the guides will gently encourage you.