Drinking significant amounts of water while climbing Kilimanjaro is one of the keys to a successful summit. Most people drink 3 to 6 liters of water per day. The trick is making sure that you are drinking clean, safe water.

Ideally the best combination to ensure clean water is water purification tables – such as iodine – and a quality filter/purifier. This way you have double protection.

Typically, you fill up on water 3 times per day. First, you will fill up your nalgene bottles in the morning before leaving camp, then when you arrive in the new camp, and finally at night before you go to sleep. With the exception of the first day when you receive bottled water, the porters bring a bucket of water from steams to camp. One of the porters will use your water filter and pump it into your nalgene bottle, or your water treatment system. You will add your iodine tablet and other mixtures you want to include.

Things to remember with water filtration on Kilimanjaro:

• REI has the best selection of water filters and are extremely knowledgeable on the subject.
• If you have a big group, filtering water can take a long time. Make sure to prepare everyone in advance.
• Not everyone in the group needs a water filter. You should have one water filter for every two people
• Drinking pure water for many days is boring. Make sure to have some mix to add to the water, like Gatorade
• Water can be purchased in almost all of the tourist areas of East Africa.
• You will not need a water filter on safari.

Although this is not on Mt. Kilimanjaro, it is a good video to watch, which illustrates what to expect, and what to do, with altitude sickness – a common occurrence on the mountain.

There are numerous airlines that service East Africa – the hub for people climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro – and there are numerous airports each with different advantages and disadvantages. Before you determine which airport, you should ask yourself these three questions:

1. Are you looking for the cheapest possible option?
2. Do you have lots of extra time, or are you on a tight schedule?
3. Do you plan to travel through out Africa and leave from a different airport?

By answering these questions, you can help better determine where you should fly into.

Kilimanjaro International Airport:

The most easiest and efficient way is to fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), which sits just outside of Arusha and Moshi. There are regular flights into Kilimanjaro from Amsterdam, London, Ethiopia and a handful of other countries. This is not for someone who is on a budget, and it’s best for someone who is on a tight schedule. You can fly into the airport, begin climbing the mountain the next day, and then fly out right after your climb is over.

Pros: Quick, Easy, Close to Mt. Kilimanjaro

Cons:  Expensive

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport:

The cheapest way to get to East Africa is to fly into Nairobi, Kenya. Typically these flights come via London and are serviced by Kenya Airlines. Nairobi’s airport is about six to eight hours away from the starting points to climb Kilimanjaro. You can get to Kilimanjaro on any of a number of shuttle services.

Pros: Cheapeast Way to East Africa

Cons: Kenya Visa, Possible Night Spent in Nairobi, Six to Eight Hours on A Bus

Dar es Salaam International Airport: “Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA)

The last major airport into East Africa is in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania called the  Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR). Dar International Airport is farther away from Kilimanjaro than Nairobi, and therefore is typically the last resort in terms of flights. However,  if you are interested in going to Zanzibar, then Dar would be the best airport to start your flights. Dar is a great city to fly out from. A good way to plan your trip would be to fly into Nairobi or Kilimanjaro Airport, and then fly out of Dar es Salaam. The reason is that most people like to end their adventures near a beach, and Dar is located just 2 hours from Zanzibar by boat. If you had to commute back to Nairobi, or Kilimanjaro, you w0uld spend more traveling time and more money.

Pros: Close to Zanzibar; Good departure airport if planning Zanzibar after mountain climbing or safari; great city to explore

Cons: Not conveniently located

Airlines that service East Africa:

From Europe:

• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
• British Airways
• Swiss International Air Lines

From United States

• There are no direct flights from the United States. If you book with an American airline, the typically have partner companies that will  service your flight. For example, Northwest Airlines partners with KLM to provide your trip from the United States to Europe, and then onward to Africa.

From Middle East and Asia:

• United Arab Emirates
• Qatar Airway
• Air India

From Africa:

• South African Airways
• Ethiopian Airlines
• Kenya Airways

Domestic Airlines:

• Air Tanzania
• Precision Air

Many of the Asia and Middle East airline do service Europe, so you can book a flight from Europe to Africa on a Middle East carrie, and find good prices on flights.

When you climb Kilimanjaro with an outfitter, you will typically receive three meals per day. The meals are what you would expect on the mountain – high in carbs, with wonderful vegetables and fruit. There is not loads of protein available, except the first few days when you have fresh meat fresh from the butcher at the entrance to the park.

While each company is unique, and claims to have “amazing food,” you can generally expect the following for each meal:

Breakfast
When you wake up, you will receive tea or coffee brought to your tent. The coffee is typically an instant coffee blend, and is not French Press unless you are with a high end company. Breakfast is usually fresh fruits, oatmeal, friends eggs, toast and sometimes a hot dog type sausage. It’s good to get something in stomach early in the morning, as you will be hiking early in the morning, and need energy.

Lunch
There are two different ways that lunch is served. Sometimes the porters hike a few hours ahead and prepare a hot meal, while other times they give you a sack lunch in the morning. This typically depends if you are with a high-end operator, or where you are on the mountain. If the lunch is prepared in advance, it’s typically a sandwich or fried chicken, a muffin, some fruit, an egg, and a juice box.

Dinner
Dinners always taste the best on Kilimanjaro as you have typically been hiking all days, eating nuts and fruits, and drinking loads and loads of water, and therefore any hot meal is wonderful. Hot meals typically begin with a soup, and then is followed by a variety of options, which could included: pasta/spaghetti, rice & chicken, steak, bread, stews and grilled vegetables.

The one thing I recommend is packing your own snacks, as it’s always good to be able to eat your own food when you are hungry. With big groups, it can sometimes take a long time before you receive the meal, so having some back up food is always nice.

People often ask me, how do you start planning an adventure trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro? To them, it seems like such a daunting task, with countless variables and things to consider. Each person has a unique way they go about planning a trip, but I have developed a check list of each important highlights with planning an expedition to climb Africa’s highest mountain. Most of the details are common sense but sometimes go overlooked.

Make A Mental Commitment

It’s too easy to start an enormous life-changing adventure and then easily give up because of logistics, cost, conditioning, family reaction, et. For most people, climbing Kilimanjaro is a once a in a lifetime opportunity. Therefore, if you make the commitment, even if it’s not going to happen until next year, then make sure you will follow through.

Begin Your Training

This is the central and probably most important aspect for climbing any mountain in the world. Start your training early. In fact, the earlier you start, the better. You should TRY to start training at least six months in advance, in order to ensure the highest probability of success.

Save

Traveling half way around the world, and spending seven to ten days climbing a mountain can be expensive. Make sure to start saving as early as possible. Including airfare and a climb up the mountain, it can easily range from $4,000 to $8,000 per person.

Find Others Looking For a Challenge

It’s always exciting to include others in your adventures, as it build strong relationships, it holds you to your word, and it gives you someone to train with. Since climbing Kilimanjaro can be done by just about anyone (those who takes their time), you should consider bringing friends, family, other people interested in an African adventures. Also, the more people you have on a climb, the cheaper the rates can be. Just make sure the people you bring are people you can cope with under sometimes difficult conditions.

Pick Your Outfitter and Guide

Whether you choose to pick your outfitter when you arrive, or in advance, it’s important to establish a relationship with someone early that can get your climb up Kilimanjaro organized. You should start having conversations with the outfitter 6 to 12 months in advance, as it gives them plenty of time to organize guides, logistics, permits, etc. There are times in the year that are busy (Feb & Aug) and sometimes the best guides are booked a year in advance. The earlier you book, the better.

Determine Your Dates/Routes

After you pick your outfitter, you should start to determine the following: dates, number of people, routes, and other important aspects your adventure. You will need to make sure you choose the proper route up Kilimanjaro, as well as the right time of year. For example, you would not want to plan a trip during the rainy season (April & May), unless you don’t mind walking in the rain all day, ever day. Likewise, in terms of the climbing routes, an experienced mountaineer, or someone who likes a little adventure, would most likely do the Lemosho or the Machame Route, with an option up the Western Breach vs. going up the Marangu Route.

Keep Training

Again, the central point for a successful trip is training, training, training. You need to make sure you are consistent with your training program.

Purchase Your Airfare

Once your dates and outfitter is finalized, you should purchase your airfare. It’s best to shop around, as you can find huge price variations. You will want to purchase your airfare 3 to 5 months in advance. Make sure to check alternative non US-based carriers – like Ethiopian Airlines or Qatar Airlines – if you are searching for a cheap flight.

Get Your Immunizations

Talk to you local travel clinic about 3 months prior to your trip. This will be the time you decide which immunizations you should get. Make sure to plan this into your budget, as sometimes these shots can be a significant addition.

Prepare Your Gear

While climbing Kilimanjaro does not take any specialized equipment, you will want to make sure all your gear is order. Do you have warm climbing pants? Do you have a 10-degree bag? Do you have trekking poles? Have you hiked more than 100 miles in your boots? All of these questions should be considered before going up the mountain. And, it’s best that all of your gear is clean and in working condition before you take off. The worst thing to do is try to find all the details in the last week.

Organize Your Visas

As of the time of writing this blog post, you could get your visa upon arrival at the Tanzania airport, or at any border crossing. If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of organizing your visas upon arrival, you can get these sorted at the Tanzanian embassy in Washington DC. Expect to take about 3 weeks to get your passport back.

Leave The day has come. Say goodbye to your friends and family, and take off on your adventure!