Preparing to climb Kilimanjaro

We want you to feel prepared and ready for a successful trip with Kilimanjaro and Beyond. Below you will find information regarding travel requirements, necessary gear, physical training, and medical requirements.

1. Travel

Entering the Tanzania

Most of our adventurers fly into Kilimanjaro National Airport (JRO). At JRO one of our drivers will pick you up and transfer you to your lodge. Transfers and lodging is already included in your package. To allow for orientation and proper rest, it is advised to arrive by 1 pm the day before your adventure begins.
For entry into Tanzania it is necessary for all travelers to have:
  1.  A valid passport, at least six months prior to expiration
  2.  A valid visa. Visas can be obtained at JRO for $100, payable in US dollars*
  3.  At least two hours of your time spent in lines (efficiency is not the name of the game)
*Only applies to US citizens, Canadian, Australian, British and most European passport holders can also obtain visas upon arrival at the airport. The cost of a Tanzanian visa is $50, payable in US dollars. Requirements are subject to change, always confirm Tanzania’s visa requirements for your country with your embassy.

Travel Insurance

Valid travel and medical insurance is required to participate in these trips. Insurance should cover high altitude trekking, medical and repatriation costs, trip cancellation and emergency evacuation. Clients must be able to provide proof of insurance to staff upon request.

Travel Guard can be a good option for USA based clients. 

Airport Transfer

To make your journey more secure and hassle free, Kilimanjaro and Beyond provides free airport shuttle service to and from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). Tipping the driver is up to you, $1 or $2 per bag is fine.

2. Medical

All climbers should have a medical check prior to attempting the mountain. Somethings to ask you doctor, include but are not limited to: 

  • if high altitude climbing is permissible for your age and health 

  • if your fitness level and health condition allow for the trek

  • if you have any preexisting medical conditions that can cause problems 

  • if any of your medications can affect altitude acclimatization

  • if Diamox can be taken with your existing prescription medicines

Kilimanjaro and Beyond should be informed of an medical issues that could make climbing more dangerous before you book.

Before the climb we will check your resting heart rate. At minimum, you must have a resting heart rate of under 100 beats per minute.  The average resting heart rate is 60-80 beats per minute.

Physical training is incredibly important, however genetics control your ability to adjust to changing oxygen levels. The only way to know how your body will react in an oxygen deprived atmosphere, is to actually be in one.  

3. Gear

You are a busy person and you are preparing to climb the highest mountain in Africa, you amazing summit seeker. There is no need to research the equipment you will need to bring, we have already done it for you! Just download the gear list. Kilimanjaro and Beyond Gear List Gear List When packing and dressing you should follow the layering principle. Layering is wearing multiple layers of clothing, often consisting of a base layer, mid layer, and outer shell. This will allow you to adjust your warmth level throughout the day and your adventure. We suggest you bring only the items listed, as over packing is the most common mistake climbers make. While you climb, any extra items, such as safari or travel items, can be safely stored at the hotel in a separate bag. Communal equipment, such as tents and food will be provided, but each climber must bring their own personal gear (we can help you with anygear rental in Moshi).

Things to consider when packing:

  • Everything for your hike should be placed into the duffel bag (aside from items in your day pack)
  • Your duffel bag will be placed in a waterproof bag
  • Our porters can carry a maximum of 33 lbs (15 kgs) of your personal belongings
  • If you have weight in excess of 33 lbs (15 kgs) you must hire an additional porter. This should only happen on rare occasions, such as extensive photography equipment.
Climbers should carry 3 to 4 liters of water. Due to past issues with littering (I know, can you believe it), plastic recyclable water bottles are not allowed. All water must be brought in Nalgene bottles, water bladders, or a similar device. Unfortunately checked luggage on airplanes can get lost or delayed. To prepare for this, wear or carry the items that are essential to your climb and safari. While most clothing, gear and equipment can be replaced in Tanzania prior to your climb, some items should not be replaced. A good example is your hiking boots. A different pair for the climb is likely to cause painful blistering (and we want you to have happy and healthy feet.)

Kilimanjaro and Beyond recommends

  • wearing one complete hiking outfit on the plane with:
    • a long sleeve shirt
    • hiking pants
    • windbreaker or shell
    • socks
    • hiking boots
  • use your day pack as your carry-on and pack it with:
    • waterproof jacket and pants
    • insulated jacket
    • fleece pants
    • snacks
    • toiletries
    • medications
    • camera
    • paperwork
If your baggage is lost or delayed, please notify us and we will do our best to assist you in assembling the necessary gear and getting your gear to you on the mountain. We do our very best to avoid naked climbers.

Training

Can you climb Mount Kilimanjaro? Yes you can! If you can hike for 6 hours at a steady incline you have a great chance of reaching the roof of Africa. That being said, high altitude conditions affect everyone differently. For example, not all marathon runners summit. You will only know how your body reacts when you are on the mountain. Because Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, attempting to summit it is a challenge that should not be under estimated. Training to be physically prepared for the trek will greatly increase your enjoyment and likelihood of summiting.

If you want a specific training plan, many can be found online. Kilimanjaro and Beyond does not recommend any specific program, but we are happy to talk with you about our personal experiences and give suggestions.

PLAN YOUR SAFARI HOLIDAY NOW!

Get our Top African Safari Experience that you won’t find anywhere else by booking Tanzania Safari with us, Whatever Your Preferences, Our Specialists Offer First-Hand Safari Holidays To Match Your Interests and your Budget! Explore our Tanzania Private and Group Safari Tours, select the package that suits your and contact us.

What causes altitude sickness?

Two things are certain to make altitude sickness very likely – ascending faster than 500m per day, and exercising vigourously. Physically fit individuals are not protected – even Olympic athletes get altitude sickness. Altitude sickness happens because there is less oxygen in the air that you breathe at high altitudes.

Altitude sickness prevention

​Go up slowly, take it easy, and give your body time to get used to the altitude. The body has an amazing ability to acclimatise to altitude, but it needs time. For instance, it takes about a week to adapt to an altitude of 5000m.

Can I take drugs to prevent altitude sickness?

As with everything, many ‘quack’ treatments and untested herbal remedies are claimed to prevent mountain sickness. These treatments can make AMS worse or have other dangerous side effects – many herbs are poisonous. Only one drug is currently known to prevent AMS and to be safe for this purpose: acetazolamide (diamox). It causes some minor side effects, such as tingling fingers and a funny taste in the mouth.

​Where does acute mountain sickness(AMS) happen?

​Most people remain well at altitudes of up to 2500m, the equivalent barometric pressure to which aeroplane cabins are pressurized. However, even at around 1500m above sea level you may notice more breathlessness than normal on exercise and night vision may be impaired. Above 2500m, the symptoms of altitude sickness become more noticeable.

How are the symptoms of altitude sickness measured?

​The most prominent symptom is usually headache, and most people also experience nausea and even vomiting, lethargy, dizziness and poor sleep. Symptoms are very similar to a really bad hangover. Acute mountain sickness can be diagnosed using a self-assessment Lake Louise score sheet. If you have recently ascended to over 2500m, have a headache and your total score is 3 points or more on the score sheet, then you have acute mountain sickness.

Who gets acute mountain sickness?

Anyone who travels to altitudes of over 2500m is at risk of acute mountain sickness. Normally it does’t become noticeable until you have been at that altitude for a few hours. Part of the mystery of acute mountain sickness is that it is difficult to predict who will be affected. There are many stories of fit and healthy people being badly limited by symptoms of acute mountain sickness, while their older companions have felt fine.

​There are a number of factors that are linked to a higher risk of developing the condition. The higher the altitude you reach and the faster your rate of ascent, the more likely you are to get acute mountain sickness. On the Apex high altitude research expeditions, flying from sea level to the Bolivian capital, La Paz (3600m), caused over half of the expedition members to have acute mountain sickness on the day after they arrived. If you have a previous history of suffering from acute mountain sickness, then you are probably more likely to get it again. Older people tend to get less acute mountain sickness – but this could be because they have more common sense and ascend less quickly.

PLAN YOUR SAFARI HOLIDAY NOW!

Get our Top African Safari Experience that you won’t find anywhere else by booking Tanzania Safari with us, Whatever Your Preferences, Our Specialists Offer First-Hand Safari Holidays To Match Your Interests and your Budget! Explore our Tanzania Private and Group Safari Tours, select the package that suits your and contact us.

Your happiness is what matters

We received reviews from our served customers and customers rated Kilimanjaro and Beyond 5/5. This honor is given to us by our clients because we always remain committed to all our clients to do everything possible to ensure their safaris are fully satisfied.

Elisabeth Z.
Elisabeth Z.
2023-03-19
An unforgettable trip! I was able to do the trip to mount meru with Deo and his team. The trip was well prepared and planned and I felt safe all the time. The final hours to the top Deo was helping by carrying my backpack.The food prepared by Bashid was delicious and full of variety. Being back from mount meru we finalized the trip by visiting a local restaurant where I was able to try „Ugali“. The full journey was organized very professionally. They made sure that I had everything needed. Thanks Kilimanjaro ans Beyond for the awesome time!See you next October to climb on the summit of Killi!
Zemira
Zemira
2022-12-01
Hot waterrr We spend 5 days on the Marangu route with Deo and his friends, they helped us summit mt Kilimangiaro (also with handwarmers😂).The wohle team was very attentive helpful and kind. Deo in addition to being a great fotographer and video maker, is a very nice person and he share his love for his job! It was an unforgettable experience and we were treated like king and queen, we really recommented Deo and his company!
Bekk w
Bekk w
2022-09-18
Perfect way to go on Safari We spend a week with Deo and our driver Usain on Safari. They made our time in Tanzania unforgettable. We couldn’t have asked for a better team to show us around on this trip. We saw lots of animals, had many laughs together and just spend a perfect week together. Deo even took us to a pub on the last night. We really enjoyed our time and highly recommend kilimanjaroandbeyond!!
alexander l
alexander l
2022-05-22
Fantastic trip We did the 8/day LEMOSHO ROUTE and a 4/day SAFARI'S with Kilimanjaro and beyond Tour & Safari's both were absolutely incredible experiences and lovely. With our guide. Max& Meshack, and porters. One thing I love about Kilimanjaro and beyond Tour & Safari's is that they are a local company that gives back to the local community (Stella Maris school) and treats their porters and guides very well, and they are also incredibly professional and well run. Cannot recommend Kilimanjaro and beyond Tour & Safari's highly enough!For Kili, our entire trek team took great care of us and was a joy to be around. They went above and beyond to make sure we had a great trip and a successful summit (which we did). The food was delicious, and they accommodated our vegetarian diet no problem. We couldn’t have asked for better guides. They were not only super experienced and knowledgeable about anything and everything related to the trek and the mountain, but also had incredibly friendly and enjoyable personalities.For safari, our guide (Ton) was fantastic and make sure we had the exact experience we wanted. We saw SO much Big 5 Animal, and it was clear a big part of our success in sightings was due to his experience understanding where to go and when like Serengeti he now all the road. He was also incredibly knowledgeable about all of the wildlife we saw, which is key to appreciating the safari experience. The places we stayed throughout are safari were incredible(SERENGETI SAFARI'S LODGE). I couldn’t have imagined better, more unique lodging choices. As with Kilimanjaro, the food and coffee served was wonderfully the entire time.booking with them and will be hard up to find another experience as good in Tanzania!
Asher J
Asher J
2022-05-14
Its great experience and Lovely team Me and School mates we climbed mount Kilimanjaro and it was great so thankful to Kilimanjaro and Beyond Tours for the great experience especially the team lead by Deo and his assistant guide Ewald this guide saved my life from hypothermia all 5 of us successful to the top Uhuru peak 5895m because they worked very hard to make sure all we are safe one the trek started we were given a daily medical checkup to monitor our vital sign (Heart rate and Oxygen) to ensure that we could continue with our journey to the top each day without health issues Kilimanjaro and Beyond Tours guide are all medical trained. All the aspect of this company I found to be the good quality from starting to the end everything was planning very well . I would highly recommend Kilimanjaro and Beyond Tours & Safari to everyone considering climbing mount Kilimanjaro thanks again
Marcus
Marcus
2022-02-18
Das Rundum Sorglos Paket Ich habe mit den Jungs sowohl Kili als auch eine Safari gemacht und es war beides einfach nur super.Ich wurde aber auch neben diesen Events “versorgt” indem ich zu BBQ und Bier eingeladen wurde und mir auch das Nachtleben gezeigt wurde. War einmalig und kann ich nur zu 100% empfehlen. Danke besonders an Ewald!!
Elaine G
Elaine G
2022-01-21
8 day Mt Kilimanjaro hike They helped us summit Mt Kili.They were friendly, helpful & well informed.It was smiles throughout.
Kilimanjaro mountain guide
Kilimanjaro mountain guide
2022-01-10
Amazing guides and Porter please go with them anytime Kilimanjaro and beyond is the best local tour operater They helps my friends to make to the top of Africa also they give them luxury safari in Serengeti and NgorongoroKeep it up all crews there!!!
Jesca green
Jesca green
2021-12-29
My birds and insects Research went well My trip with Kilimanjaro and Beyond was awesome! i did travel for 22 days doing my research on birds and insects, we moved from Tarangire park to serengeti to Manyara park, these guys helped me well to accomplish my university research well, I do recommend them!
josh n
josh n
2021-12-27
Best trip ever on Christmass 2021 My Christmas event me and my beloved wife was awesome, this Company is one of the best Tour agency in Tanzania i ever travel with, i met with Deo (the guide) who guided us well on Kilimanjaro trip from Lemosho route to Uhuru peak, this guy is very proffessional made our trip awesome, my wife wishes to travel again in Tanzania withis company.