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This is a guest post by Dave and Deb of ThePlanetD.com. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was one of the most memorable experiences of our life. It gave such a sense of pride standing on the roof of Africa. We had just made it to the summit of the highest peak on the continent. It is definitely one of the most famous climbs in the world and many people may be intimidated before going, but climbing Mount Kilimanjaro doesn’t have to be a daunting experience. In fact, it is one of the most climbable mountains of the big peaks. It’s altitude makes it enough of a physical challenge that certainly puts you in an elite group of people that have made it to the top, but you don’t have to have technical climbing experience to climb the world’s tallest walkable mountain. It also doesn’t have to be an expensive trip that you will have to save for years to make.

The Climbing Route

Here are some of the things that you can expect when climbing Kilimanjaro and a few things that you may want to know before climbing the worlds highest free standing mountain.

1. Located in Tanzania, most people think that Arusha is the place to book your climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. Actually, Moshi is the best place to book your climb. It is a small town very close to the mountain and you can find a tour operator there. It will be much cheaper than by booking at online or in Arusha and if time is a factor, don’t worry, you can be on your way up the mountain the very next day after settling on a price.
2. If you can manage to climb with other people you will have more room to negotiate your deal. The more people in your group, the more the price will go down per person. We climbed with 7 people in total and we paid $960 US dollars each. That price included the $630 park entrance fee! If you are not in a hurry, try to find some other people either at the airport or in town that want to climb as well. Get together and negotiate a deal. Talking to people at Kilimanjaro airport is a good idea as you can also share a taxi to Moshi. Cabs are a fixed rate of $60 USD, but if you hire a van, you can split the cost with up to 7 other people.
3. Don’t book your climb in your home country. You will end up paying extra fees on top of your more expensive climb. One fee that we have seen in all tour companies that sell guided treks up Kilimanjaro is a local fee of around $200 US dollars. If you book at Kilimanjaro, you won’t have any of these fees. You pay a fraction of the price and you will support local companies. Your tents may not be as “pretty” as the package tourists, but they will be dry and warm.
   You can take the money you saved and give your guides a juicy tip. They deserve every penny.
4. Your guide will most likely stop at a supermarket along the way for provisions. While they will feed you more than enough food during your excursion, it is a good idea to get some goodies for yourself. Chocolate is a savior. At times I felt a little sick, especially after my summit and couldn’t stomach food. However, dairy milk went down very well and gave me the energy that I needed.
5. Take your time during your climb. Don’t be in a hurry each day to get to camp. Pace yourself and enjoy the scenery. Hydration is also a key factor in staying healthy. Dehydration is a large contributor to altitude sickness. The better you feel the better chance you have to summit. There is nothing to do at camp and believe me, even if you take your time, you will still get there early in the afternoon. You will have plenty of time to take a nap before dinner.


Dave and Deb With Their Climbing Party

6. If you have the time, take the extra day to do the Machame Route, known as the Whisky Route. It is a day longer than the Merangu Route aka The Coca Cola Route and it will give you extra time for acclimatization. It is also a more beautiful route. You stay in tents as opposed to cabins and you get to have the added bonus of climbing the western breach. It is a fun climb up a spectacular rock face that gives you a little thrill.
7. Keep your camera batteries close to your body and bring plenty of batteries. As you climb higher in altitude, the temperature drops dramatically draining your batteries quickly. On summit day, make sure to keep your camera under your coat or you just may not have any battery life left for your prize shot at the summit. A solar charger is a big bonus to keep your batteries fully charged.
8. Be prepared mentally that the summit day is one of the hardest days you will have in your life. You will be starting in the middle of the night, it will be freezing and you will be tired. Make sure to force down some food before starting to give you the energy that you need. Once you reach a certain altitude of around 5,500 meters (18,000 feet), your body will feel the effects of altitude and at times you will not want to go on. Your legs will be heavy, your heart will be pounding and putting one foot in front of the other will be difficult. Just keep drinking your water and keep a steady pace. Don’t rest for too long or you won’t want to start back up. Soon you will settle into a rhythm and you will have worked through the effects allowing you to go on. But take care, altitude sickness is a serious concern on Kilimanjaro and if you start to feel too bad, go back down to a safer altitude. Deaths have occurred on the mountain.
9. The summit is surprisingly spacious. It isn’t technical at all so you don’t have to worry about falling or stumbling. It is simply a slow walk up a very wide and safe path. When you take your photo at the famous sign on Uhuru peak, you are nowhere near the edge. There is only one spot walking up to the summit that is a little scary. There is one moment where you have to go around an outcrop. You have to be careful with your step, but if you hold on and take care with your footing you will be fine.
10. Going down is the hardest part. After you summit, you don’t get to rest. You have to make your way down to camp quickly where they will have breakfast waiting for you. You think that you will get a good break afterwards to recover, but you have to keep walking down to Mweke Hut at 3,100 meters (10,170 feet) right away. It makes for a very long day, but it is a great feeling the next day when you only have a couple of hours to walk until you are at the bottom enjoying a beer and receiving your certificate.

Dave and Deb @ The Summit of Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro is a very rewarding experience and it doesn’t have to be the big and scary experience that so many people make it out to be. Anyone that is reasonably fit can do it. Don’t let your lack of training stop you. While being fit will make the climb more enjoyable, even some of the fittest athletes can have a problem with altitude. A triathlete may not be able to summit due to their genetic make up while a person that is in average health may have no problem at all simply because their body can adapt to altitude better. If you have been thinking of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro what are you waiting for? Get out there and have that adventure that you have always dreamed of.

Dave and Deb – “Canada’s Adventure Couple” – have hiked, climbed, paddled, biked, throughout five different continents. You can read more about their hike to the summit of Kilimanjaro or follow their other adventures by visiting their blog ThePlanetD.com. They are also on Twitter @theplanetd.