Booking your Kilimanjaro trek

In 1991, the park authorities made it compulsory for all Kilimanjaro trekkers to arrange their trek up Kilimanjaro through a licensed agency. Furthermore, they insist that all Kilimanjaro trekkers must be accompanied throughout their walk by a guide supplied by the agency.

When these laws were first introduced, it was for a while still feasible to sneak in without paying, and many were the stories that arose about trekkers who managed to climb Kilimanjaro independently, tales that were often embellished with episodes of encounters with wild animals and even wilder park rangers.

Fortunately, the authorities have tightened up security and clamped down on non-payees, so these tedious tales are now few in number. Don’t try to climb Kilimanjaro without a guide or without paying the proper fees. It’s very unlikely you’ll succeed and all you’re doing is freeloading – indeed, stealing isn’t too strong a word – from one of the poorest countries in the world. Yes, climbing Kilimanjaro is expensive. But the costs of maintaining a mountain that big are high. Besides, whatever price you pay, trust us, it’s worth it.

With the decision over whether or not to climb Kilimanjaro independently taken out of your hands, and you’ve chosen who is going to join you on this trip of a lifetime up Africa’s highest mountain, the next thing to decide is which agency is going to get your business.

With whom should you book your Kilimanjaro trek?

The following pages deals with exactly this matter. This may seem like overkill but booking your Kilimanjaro trek with the right agency is perhaps the single most important factor in determining the success or otherwise of your Kili trek: they are the ones who arrange everything, supply the equipment, and designate somebody to be your guide to take you up to the Roof of Africa. So take your time choosing one. Because unless you are a guide, porter, guidebook writer or just plain daft, climbing Kilimanjaro will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience - and an expensive one too - so make sure that you get it right.

In the book we go into greater detail about booking with an agency, including a comprehensive review of the Kilimanjaro trekking agencies, both in your home country and in Tanzania. But the following is still very useful to help you decide whether you should book with a trekking agency in your home country, or wait until you arrive in Tanzania and book your Kilimanjaro climb there.

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Booking your trek with an agency in your country: intro >>

Booking your trek with an agency in Tanzania >>