If you plan to do  a climb  to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania  you will need prepare accordingly. For that I'll try to to solve all that queries for climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in this article.

How to prepare for climb Mt. Kilimanjaro

1. Best time to go
2. Routes and itineraries
3. Tour companies
4. Paperwork
5. Altitude sickness
6. Training and diet
7. Malaria
8. Gear and clothes
9. Get in & Around
10. Money and tipping


Mount Kilimanjaro



1. Best time to go

When we talk about the weather of course we need to better mind  when we are talking about very high mountain. The weather is in the high morning like Kilimanjaro is very hard to predict. So we should always come prepared and matters of Kilimanjaro this could mean that you have -20°C at a summit.

    The weather is unpredictable and changes quick but also here we have seasons. This is not as much summer and winter season as we know from Europe and North American. It is more the dry season because of the proximity equator. Therefore the best time to go i actually in the dry season from August to October. This is a time when you have lowest rainfall and you have less cloud. However this is also the time when it is most crowded.

   The time you should avoid is of course the rainy season because bad weather drains your energy. Therefore the success summit rate on that time is very lower. The rainy season last from march to may and also November is not a good month to do it because in all this month's you have high rainfall and but you have less crowd. If you want avoid to crowd you can do it on rainy season. May be you are lucky to have good weather.

And you can also go on July and until 20th of December because you have getting chances to good weather and less crowd.



2. Routes and itineraries

When we talk about routes the general rule is to choose longer route. The longer route is the better way to climbtization. If you take a long rout then your buddy has also time to adjust to the high altitude and you increase the chance for there to reach the summit.

  When you take longer route is also means you have way more time to take pictures and a longer route for Kilimanjaro is Lemosho route but also Machame  route is way more pictureous than the other one's route.

So that, it is beneficial for you to choose a longer route, if you have sufficient time.



3. Tour companies

It is very important topic to choose right company. As we talking here about a national park you will only allow to go with registered guide and trekking companies. And the national park fees you are looking into make us almost half of the money you pay for tour. So here we talking about 800 to 1,000 dollars depending upon the duration of your tour. And they are always included in the tour prices.
  The question you should ask yourself before going with the tour operator.Is they pay for  widgets? Do they have good equipment's? How much experience do they have?

   I suggest you to go for mode price range between 2,000 to 3,500 dollars depending on which route you choose and go with local tour operator.



4. Paperwork

For Tanzania you need a  visa which you can get most of the cases on arrivals. For example Europe and North American citizens, general you can actually get a visa once you arrive. But it is always better to check Ministry of foreign affairs if you need to apply for visa before hand or not.

   Next is insurance. Actually you need to have a proper health insurance. In order to go on a tour with most of the companies in general highly recommend to get a good health insurance. Because here we are talking about active travel and you are in foreign country  and also you are in a mountain. Where things can happens all the time. It is always best to  get travel insurance.



5. Altitude sickness

A big topic is when we talking about climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mt. Kilimanjaro is  so high so that is reasonable for Altitude sickness. It is something that everybody can get on matter how old are you? How fit you are? How experienced you are?. If you are not living in the mountains at an altitude of 3,000 meters your chances are high to have syndrome of high altitude sickness.

  In most of the tour companies and tour guides are check your health everyday  and they check many health related things. And it is best option to tell your tour guide how you are filling and  they can give good advice to you.



6. Training and diet

2 or 3 months before going to the trip you need to do running practice and train Yourself for the climbing. And I suggest you to quite alcohol and take a proper diet to boost your immunity system.
Daily exercise is also best option to prepare for climb.



7. Malaria

When we talking about Tanzania  of course you need to talk about malaria because Tanzania is high risk zone of malaria. However we talking about Kilimanjaro most of the time an altitude level of above 1,500 meters the altitude are known for mosquito. It is highly depends on your travel plans.

Highly recommended you to consult a doctor a few weeks in advance to talk about your travel plans and the season when you going there to determine what medicine you need.



8. Gears and clothes

For climb the Kilimanjaro you need some gears with you

a. Water:- carry a 2 to 3 liter two water bottle  with you for the high altitude sickness.

b. Climbing boots:- carry a comfortable climbing boots with you.

c. Poles:- you need to also carry a pair of climbing poles.

d. Sleeping bag:- sleeping bag is also important.

e. Waterproof bag:- carry a waterproof bag for your clothes and electronic equipments because you may trekking through some rainy areas.

f. Vaseline and a sunscream:- in high altitude you have to face sun and snow both

g. Jacket:- jacket is very important because in the top of summit is so cold.

And make sure for top of the summit always be layer up with your clothes to protect yourself from cold.



9. Get in & Around

Every trekking tour goes up to Kilimanjaro usually starts in the area around Moshi. So you will fly in to Kilimanjaro international airport which is located between Rush's and Moshi. From there you should organise private peak-up with the tour operator you are going to trekking Kilimanjaro.



10. Money and tipping

Finally let's talk about money and tipping. Actually the tip you are handling to the end of the trip. This is only depending on your experience with your tour guide. But general rule is to have 10% of the tour price. But at last its always depends on you. What you want to hand your tour guide. You can give more or less.