Preparing
When planning your Kilimanjaro climbing, there are some important points, you need to check and prepare before starting.
I will give you some information which I learned about the years. This will group by following points:
What you need to do before you start your Kilimanjaro climbing:
1. Check/ or buy equipment
I provide you with my own experiences in the lists below. This is according to my knowledge and things I discussed with my customers after their trip. There is no guarantee of fullfilment for your personal need but for almost every trip working:
Full equipment list (German) / Vollständige Ausrüstungsliste (Deutsch)
There is also possibility to hire all or part of equipment in Moshi. Just contact me, if you need more information about it.
2. Check/improve your fitness level
The type of fitness is more important than the degree of fitness. Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is a hike, challenging hike, therefore the best preparation one can do is to hike. You do need to be fit enough to walk, because that's what you will be doing. A Kilimanjaro climb is a very slow walk, all the way...
Walk as often as you can and as much as you can. Wear the cloth and for all boots and socks you will be wearing on the climb. (If they are newish then this is very important!) Wear the day pack that you intend to take. In addition to regular (2-3 times a week) gym workouts (for example stairs training), make sure you also go for walks in order to stimulate relevant muscle development.
Although jogging could be beneficial to your fitness level, it does not fully prepare your muscles for a strenuous 6-8 day hike. I suggest that you spend some of your training by merely hiking. Try to do a one or two day hiking trials in your area. This will not only be an excellent way for physical preparation, but also an enjoyable means to prepare you mentally. The gym and a hiking program should be followed simultaneously over an 8 week period. Consider in your training plan regeneration periods. Go down with your intensity of the training last 2 weeks before tracking.
My recommendation: Add to your regular gym workouts stairs training (“Stairs master”). Your goal should be to reach 100-140 floors in 20 min!
3. Book your flights
Tanzania has four(4) major International Airports:
- Dar es Salaam (known as Mwalimu Juliasi Kambarage Nyerere International airport)
- Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) (JRO)
- Mwanza
- Zanzibar
The most and easiest to get Kilimanjaro mountain is Kilimanjaro International Airport international and is about 45km to Moshi town,
Have another possibilities to fly to Dar es Salaam and then to take a bus to Moshi or fly to Nairobi in Kenya and to take a bus or shuttle to Moshi. Moshi town is the city nearest to the mountain and it is the place you will be able to get everything you needed including accommodations.
4. Contact agency/ guide
5. Choose route
Which route is the best for you depends on many factors. Before you choose it, try to answer following questions:
- What kind of accommodation do you prefer?
- How many days do you have for your trip?
- How high is your budget?
- What is your level of physical fitness?
- What kind of landscape do you prefer?
I will help you to choose best route for you. Just contact me and I will advise you taking into account of all important factors. Next to this, I give you my personal impressions for the six most important trails here on my website: Trails to Kilimanjaro peak.
For getting also different sights if you want to, please see also following links:
kilimanjaro.bplaced.net/ -- info map (almost german)
kilimanjaro.bplaced.net/ -- gpx-tracker (almost german)
6. Choose additional program
There are many possibilities for additional activities besides your Kilimanjaro trip. You can spend a few days on Safari in national parks like Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti, Lake Manyara or Tarangire. Furthermore you can climb Mt. Meru or Ol doinyo Lengai or spend a few days on Masai Area.
Whatever you plan, you can also contact me to give you support about these activities.
7. Choose accommodation
There are different types of hotels and rooms in Moshi and Arusha (for example shared room in hostel or hotel with air condition and swimming pool) with difference prices, so if you need more information I am ready to inform you, just contact me.