Tanzania Trekking Tips

With an elevation of 5895 meters (19340ft), Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. Mount Kilimanjaro is located in Northern Tanzania in the Moshi region, which is an hour drive from Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and 2 hours drive from the Arusha region, the safari transit town.

A successful summit and enjoyable trekking needs:

1. Planning and
2. Preparation

Planning

• Best Time to climb –you need to know the best time to climb – The best months to climb is June to October and January to February, the dry season in Tanzania.
• Best Route to take – Lemosho route is our number one recommended route as the route offer enough time to acclimatize. Lemosho and Machame routes are also very scenic and offer highly successful summits.
• A number of days for trekking– climbing Kilimanjaro can take 5 – 9 days so you need to decide how many days you may to acclimatize better. Remember about altitude sickness is the main problem in the mountain and you may need to consider additional for any route to acclimatize better.
• Choose the right operator/agent – we are here for you and we will be with you throughout the climb. Our professional team with years of experience will make your experience nothing shorter than extraordinary. You will receive an orientation before you’re in Tanzania through a Skype meeting with your guide and upon arrival before you begin your adventure.

Preparation

• Travel documents – For your trek, you will need to make sure you have all required travel documents for Tanzania including visa, right vaccinations, and travel insurance.
• Personal gears – get the list of the personal gears you will require for the climb and simultaneously search for your most convenient flight to JRO.
• Prepare yourself – get yourself in shape and always remembers climbing Kilimanjaro does not need any expertise or mountaineering equipment.

Preparing for a Kilimanjaro Climb

• Walk – Walk as much as you can and make sure you walk in the boots you will be wearing during your climb. You can as well wear the daypack you will be carrying during your trek…you may also put a 5kg weight in it.
• Gentle Hike – if you have never done hiking, you should start doing it months before your departure date. Start slow and get more intense as you go along. Walk and hike through steep trails and small mountains up and down every day.
• Expose yourself to some altitude – if you have time and can afford it, travel into some mountains and expose yourself to some altitude for a few days. This will increase your chance of a successful summit.
• Full Day hikes– Better be more practical! It is important you practice hiking for 6-8hours of a hike for 2 days continuously. If you can do this at some high altitude that will be awesome. You do not need to be fast doing any of the above as in Kilimanjaro you walk slowly to save enough energy for the summit day, which is considered the most difficult day of all.

Tips to a successful summit during your trek

• Climb at a good pace – A word “pole pole” is a very common word you will hear during trekking, which means, “Walk slow”. Your hiking pace should allow you to talk, drink and laugh…this will make your adventure easier while saving energy for the summit day, which is considered the difficult day of them all.
• Drinking as much as possible, a minimum of 3lts of water a day – you must bring a camel bag that will enable you to carry enough water during the trekking. Drinking more water will make you stay dehydrated all the time while helping you with altitude sickness. We recommend you bring painkillers and altitude sickness pills just in case.
• Eat what you like and eat plenty – we have excellent mountain chefs but if you have any issue with the food provided, you must tell your guide and chef in time, as we are very flexible in preparing what like to have during your trekking. Dietary requirements must communicate in advance. To keep up with cold weather and long days you need enough food. You may lose your appetite but you must push yourself enough.
• Keep Warm –The correct gear is a must, not just because shivering isn’t nice and hypothermia dangerous, but also because staying nice and toasty will lessen your risk of succumbing to altitude sickness.
• Keep your Daypack light – Only take what you really need. Every extra kilo needs extra oxygen to carry.
• Smile all the time – as we have a great crew that will be singing all the way just to motivate you, smiling is the best way to encourage yourself that you can make it no matter how difficult it may seem!