Following the introduction of a wholesale ban on plastic bags in Tanzania, we've had a slew of emails from our climbers and others asking whether this rule is actually being enforced. The ban was due to take effect on 1 June. Almost a week later, and while the ban has indeed been introduced, it appears [...]
Penalties for those arriving at Kilimanjaro Airport with plastic bags We have been advised that Tanzania is, from the start of next month, banning plastic bags from entering the country. This does of course have huge ramifications for Kilimanjaro trekkers, many of whom use plastic bags to keep their clothes and other items separate in [...]
Shooting Kilimanjaro: Visiting Kenya's Amboseli National Park It’s all Toto’s fault. In their chart-topping hit from the 1980s, the lead singer of the Canadian dad-rock outfit crooned the line ‘Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti’. To those who know their geography, such a scenario is absurd and that you can’t, in fact, [...]
The camps of Kilimanjaro: a highly subjective list of the best and worst By our reckoning there are around 25official campsites on Africa’s highest mountain, as well as several unofficial ones that are still used regularly by tour operators but which have yet to receive official sanction from the park authorities, KINAPA. Admittedly, the locations [...]
Can people climb up Kilimanjaro without a mountain crew? It's a question I still get asked several times a year: Is it possible to just turn up at the foot of Kilimanjaro with a rucksack full of camping gear, food and warm clothes, and head up the slopes to the top? The people who ask [...]
Climbing Kilimanjaro during the rainy season - whether to do it, how to do it - and what to expect April and May is traditionally the low season on Kilimanjaro, and few people climb at this time. There's a good reason for this, of course: these two months are usually when the 'Long Rains' happen [...]
Homophobia in East Africa - can it stop you climbing Kilimanjaro? I was prompted to write this article after we had been contacted by a gay travel agency from California, who were looking to climb Kilimanjaro later this year. Amongst the usual fears they had about altitude sickness and the safety procedures on the mountain, [...]
Climbing Mount Meru Mount Meru, which overlooks the city of Arusha from the north, about 60km from Kilimanjaro, is used by many trekkers as a warm-up trek to Kilimanjaro. In other words, it acts as an hors d’oeuvre to the main course of Kili. And a perfect starter it is too: though smaller, it’s also [...]
Looking to climb Kilimanjaro next year, but having trouble settling on a date. One of the best ways to choose when to climb is to see what astronomical events are happening over the next 12 months and see if you can time your trek to coincide with one. After all, there are few things more [...]
Has Kilimanjaro's most popular route become too popular? For over a decade now the Machame Route has been Kilimanjaro’s most popular trail. According to the most recent figures given to us by KINAPA, 20,339 trekkers used the Machame Route in their attempt to reach the summit in one year. That figure represents a massive [...]