Mount Kilimanjaro Facts

Kilimanjaro is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, one of the highest volcanoes and Africa’s highest mountain, reaching 5,895m (~19,345ft). Kili has been summitted by a 5 year old, an 87 year old, several quadriplegics and amputees. It has been climbed from the park boundary to the summit in under 5 hours! Situated inside the Kilimanjaro National Park of Tanzania, Kili is one the world’s most popular climbs and is generally a yearly host to climbers with a range of ages and levels of experience across the six hiking routes.

The British founders of Team Kilimanjaro climbed in several mountain ranges throughout the world before deciding to concentrate their principal efforts on Kilimanjaro. There are many good reasons for their choice that will be obvious to anyone apprised of any Mount Kilimanjaro facts or who has been privileged enough to spend time in the Kilimanjaro region.

What training is required?

It is recommended that participants undertake a fitness training program at least 2-3 months prior to departure. Following are some links to information on various Kilimanjaro training programs recommended by tour operators in the region;

http://www.climbingkilimanjaro.com/climbing-kilimanjaro-fitness.php

http://www.ultimatekilimanjaro.com/preparation.htm

http://www.souladventures.co.za/mountaineering/climb-kilimanjaro/kilimanjaro-training-advice/

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1498010

http://www.4thsummit.com/training-for-mount-kilimanjaro.aspx

What is and isn’t included in the costs?

All on-mountain accommodation (camping twin share), airport transfers (JRO - Kilimanjaro International Airport), tour guide and all meals on the mountain are included in the tour.

Pre- and Post-climb Accommodation at Kibo Palace & African Tulip Hotel is provided on a bed & breakfast basis. 2 nights included (one before one after).

Participants should budget to spend $30-$40USD per day on the tour to cover additional food and refreshments on the mountain.

What is Not Included

International Flights, Travel insurance, and equipment such as sleeping bags, warm jackets etc are not included in the tour cost.

A list of what you need can be found on our Gear List page.

How Long Does it Take to Climb Kilimanjaro?

This is a hotly contested question. The simple answer is we recommend that if you want to enjoy your climb and haven’t recently been above 4,000 metres within the last fortnight, and want to summit, you should allow yourself 7 days for the ascent and descent.

All of our climbs are a minimum of 7 days.

Shorter climbs are organised by other groups, however the success rate is very low.

Interesting Facts

Fastest Ascent of Kilimanjaro

While attempted informally from as early as the 1960s by British ex-patriots who lived and worked near to Kilimanjaro, speed climbs on Kilimanjaro have been attempted frequently over the last few years with the feat now having been completed in just 4 hours 56 minutes by Karl Egloff on 13th August 2014. Karl rested 3 minutes on the summit and then ran down to the park gate in 1 hour 42 minutes, making his round trip time 6 hours 42 minutes, some 32 minutes faster than Kilian Jornet.

Fastest Woman to Climb Kilimanjaro

Until 2011, the fastest woman to climb Kilimanjaro was Rebecca Rees-Evans, who was the very first woman to attempt to run up Kilimanjaro in just one day. She ascended in 13 hours 16 minutes and 37 seconds on 21st May 2005. Her record lasted more than 6 years until Debbie Bachmann, a Kilimanjaro group leader, summitted in 11 hours and 51 minutes. While Rebecca’s time remains the fastest unacclimatised time, there have been many impressive supported speed climbs by women in recent years. The fastest supported, acclimatised time now stands at just 8 hours 32 minutes. Anne-Marie Flammersfeld completed this attempt on 27th July 2015. Interestingly, while Karl Egloff is half Ecuadorian, his father was a Swiss mountain guide. And since Anne-Marie is also Swiss, this now means that both male and female Kilimanjaro speed records are currently held by Swiss nationals, as at May 2016.

Mount Kilimanjaro National Park

Kilimanjaro is managed by KINAPA, (Kilimanjaro National Park Authority), whose headquarters is at the Marangu Gate, from where all climbs on the Marangu Route begin and end, and where Rongai Route and TK Rongai climbs are registered and end. KINAPA reports directly to Tanzania National Parks Authority, or TANAPA, whose offices are in Arusha, and mainly comprises administrators and conservationists. While there are no mountaineers employed by KINAPA, they nonetheless frequently work with externally subcontracted East African mountaineers such as Willy Shikuku in Kenya, when it is necessary to be able to consult on matters of mountain safety or to obtain expert perspectives on route selection.

The access to both wildlife and mountaineering expertise that the park authorities enjoy mean that Kilimanjaro National Park is bearing up reasonably well against the threats against its sustainability, as well as managing the ongoing challenge of facilitating the safe movement of climbers along six trails and their many variants, and up three assault routes.