How to Climb
Mount Kilimanjaro
Everything You Need to Know
Choosing a Route
What Route Should I Take?
There is no single ‘best’ route up Mount Kilimanjaro. Instead, the best route for you depends on your personal tastes.
What is important to you?
- 🏞️ Scenery of the Route?
- 🥾 Foot Traffic Levels?
- ⏱️ Duration of Climb?
- 💪 Difficulty of the Route?
You must take all of these aspects into consideration when choosing the best route for yourself.
Having trouble deciding on the best route for you and your party? We have crafted a quiz that will give you a personalized recommendation of which route to take, in just 3 minutes!
Otherwise, check out this in depth guide for choosing the best route up Mount Kilimanjaro. Or, feel free to contact us today, and a Kopa Crew member will give you a route suggestion based on your fitness and personal history.
No Matter What, Take It Slow!
As you ascend Mount Kilimanjaro, you will gradually traverse up to 19,341 feet in elevation.
'Pole Pole' means 'Slowly, Slowly' in Swahili.
Pronounced as /poˈlei/, you'll hear this phrase often on the mountain - our guides lead your ascent at a slow speed to help your body acclimatize to the high levels of elevation. By moving slowly and having nightly health check-ins, our guides can properly gauge your health and anxiety as you ascend the mountain.
Acclimatization and Mountain Preparedness
High levels of anxiety can affect a hiker’s likelihood of reaching the summit; science has proven that the more anxious a hiker is, the more chance they have of developing acute mountain sickness.
Feeling safe on the mountain is just as important as being safe on the mountain.
Our mountain guides help ensure you have a calm composure and a positive mindset while trekking Mount Kilimanjaro.
The best way to prepare yourself for low levels of anxiety is to actually put yourself in stressful situations where your body learns to cope with stress.
You can do this by training your body physically and mentally for Mount Kilimanjaro. Rigorous exercise - such as running a half marathon - helps to develop a strong mind and body. This can lead to a hiker’s success on the mountain.
Our mix of psychological safety & mountain readiness is the key to providing you a 98% Summit Success Rate in climbing Kilimanjaro.
Strict Adherence to Safety Protocol is our Guarantee!
Fitness Training
Why Do I Need To Prepare?
You will need to prepare for this hike by being in your best state of physical fitness.
When training, hikers are encouraged to push themselves to the limit, in order to test their mental strength and fortitude. A large portion of hiking Mount Kilimanjaro is a mental game where you HAVE to think positive thoughts in order to succeed.
The long hours and physical exertion can be taxing on even the most experienced of hikers; pair this with the high altitude levels and it is understandable how any person can become exhausted while on the mountain.
Training the body and mind before arriving in Tanzania is essential to summit success. It is easy to let doubts creep in the night before your climb begins. Knowing you worked hard and prepared for the moment is the easiest way to destroy those doubts!
How Do I Train for Mount Kilimanjaro?
Hikers who are training should focus mainly on aerobic exercise - running, hiking, and stair climbing are all great options.
You should complete 3-6 mile long walks, or 2000-3000 stair steps, at least three times a week.
To round out your fitness profile, it is also beneficial to add in some circuit training (lifting weights) or HIIT workouts (High Intensity Interval Training).
- Circuit Training - it is best to strengthen the muscles in your legs at least two times a week.
- High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) - these workouts focus on completing short, high intensity bursts of exercises. You can check out an example of a HIIT workout here.
The best predictor of summit success is completing a milestone fitness achievement. For example, attempting to run a half marathon. It is a big test of your mental and physical strength. If you can break beyond your previously imagined physical limits, and succeed - we KNOW you’ll have it in you to make it to the top of Kilimanjaro!
Example Workout Schedule
Repetition is key in preparing your body for the journey. Following a workout similar to the schedule below is a great way to prepare! We encourage you to start this training schedule 8 weeks before your departure, to build up necessary endurance.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-6 Mile Walk | Weight Lifting (Full Body) | HIIT Style Workout (example) | 3-6 Mile Walk | Weight Lifting (Leg Day) | 3-6 Mile Walk | Rest Day |
 |  |  |  |  | |  |
Planning My Trip
When is the Best Time to Hike Mount Kilimanjaro?
Tanzania has two wet seasons throughout the year. During these wet seasons, Mount Kilimanjaro receives a substantial amount of rainfall - which also creates more snowfall at the peak of the mountain. You have the choice to:
- 💧Hike during the wet season when there are less crowds
- ☀️Hike during the dry season for better weather but more crowds.
Most hikers climb during the dry season - BUT, if you are looking for solitude on the mountain, consider one of the off-seasons:
| Wet Season (Major) 💧💧 | Wet Season (Minor) 💧 | Dry Seasons ☀️ |
|---|---|---|
| March - May | November - December | January - February / June - October |
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Mount Kilimanjaro can be climbed in any season. During the rainy seasons, there is a significant amount of cloud cover and rain on the mountain. This means the views are not as optimal and there is more snow on the mountain. If you choose to hike Mount Kilimanjaro during these rainy seasons, be prepared with gear appropriate for wet conditions. For a detailed breakdown of conditions on Kilimanjaro month-by-month, view the table below:
| Month | Rainfall | Temperature | Cloud Cover | Foot Traffic | Rating (out of 4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 🌤️ Low | ||||
| February | 🌤️ Low | ||||
| March | Moderate | ⛅ Medium | |||
| April | Moderate | ☁️ High | |||
| May | Moderate | ☁️ High | |||
| June | ⛅ Medium | ||||
| July | 🌤️ Low | ||||
| August | 🌤️ Low | ||||
| September | Moderate | 🌤️ Low | |||
| October | Moderate | ⛅ Medium | |||
| November | Moderate | ⛅ Medium | |||
| December | Moderate | ⛅ Medium |
How do I Plan my Trip to Kilimanjaro?
No matter where you're at in your decision process, you can always contact us at Kopa Tours to answer any questions you have. Once you are ready to book your trip, you will be given a dedicated Kopa Crew member. Dedicated means DEDICATED. You will have a direct line to them, and get the full support you need - 24/7. Your Kopa Crew member will walk you through everything you need to prepare for your Kilimanjaro departure, including:
📄 Documents you will need:
- 🛂 Passport
- 🎟️ Tanzania Visa
- You can purchase for $100 USD
upon landing at the Kilimanjaro Airport
- You can purchase for $100 USD
- 📝 Medical Insurance
- 💺 Airline Tickets
- 💵 Cash & 💳 Credit Cards
- No Foreign-Transaction-Fee cards are best!
✈️ Airport:
You will fly into Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) located between Arusha and Moshi, Tanzania. From here, one of our team members will transport you to Springlands Hotel, where you will rest after your long travel days and get ready for your hike of a lifetime!
💊 Medicine:
Before heading out on your trip, make sure to meet up with your primary care doctor to discuss any medication you will need on this trip. You will definitely need a prescription for malaria medicine. You can also consider medication for altitude sickness. About 40% of climbers bring this medication to help ease their concerns and increase their chance of reaching the summit. Going slow up the mountain and keeping calm are the best ways to avoid getting sick, but medication can be there for you as a fall-back.
Do I Need a Guide to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro?
Yes, absolutely. In fact, it is required by law that all hikers must be accompanied by a registered and licensed guide in order to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
In addition to your licensed mountain guide, a team of porters, cooks, and assistant guides will support you on your climb.
Your team will:
- ⛰️ Guide you Safely up the Mountain
- 💪 Carry Tents, Supplies, and Food
- 🚰 Prepare Your Meals and Supply Fresh Water
- ⚕️ Perform Daily Health Checks to Monitor for AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness)
All hikers must preregister with the Mount Kilimanjaro Parks Authority prior to beginning their hike. Head guides will instruct hikers to register upon arriving at the entrance of the trail they will be embarking on. Along the route, at each campsite, hikers will check-in at the local camp authority and sign a ledger to show their arrival to camp.
All of our guides are fully licensed professionals, highly-trained, and have years of experience under their belts. Our guides, assistant guides and porters schooling and training is provided annually through the Mount Kilimanjaro Porters Society - a non-profit organization that works to ensure the professionalism and most importantly, protection of our mountain crew.
How do I know Kopa Tours is right for me?
Picking the right tour operator is extremely important- to ensure that you are safe, secure, and taken care of. Additionally, there are many different costs to climb Kilimanjaro. Anywhere from:
- $1,000
- $2,000
- $5,000 and above!
A lot goes into the final price .. tourist taxes paid to the Tanzanian government, National Park Fees, (food + tent) supply costs, and of course salaries for your guides & porters.
Most every operator will get you up & down from the mountain safely. The difference in price comes down to how well the staff is treated. Any climb that charges less than < $1,500 likely has to cut corners on porter pay. We ensure the following working conditions for our guides and porters:
- A proper minimum wage in accordance with the Labor Institutions Wage Order of 2013 GN No. 196 of the United Republic of Tanzania.
- Proper climbing gear, shelter, and meals during climbs.
- A bank deposit via the Diamond Trust Bank for direct deposit enrollment.
- A 30 lb limit placed on the weight of load for porters to carry (this will be weighed both at the hotel and at the Kilimanjaro entrance gate).
Kopa Tours has a set of core values we live by - we strive to do everything we do with humility, grit, and trust. We like to call our promise to you "The Kopa Pledge."
Check out the benefits of climbing with Kopa Tours, explore the different climbing routes we have available, and compare the costs to climb Kilimanjaro.