Preparations for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

Group of Kilimanjaro climbers with the desert of the Saddle behind them and snowy Kibo in the distanceWant to climb Kilimanjaro but don’t know where to begin? This section will help you to take those first steps on the path to the summit of Africa’s highest mountain.

By clicking on one of the topics listed on the left (or below on mobile) you can find advice on how to book a trek, what inoculations and other pre-departure preparations you may require, how much it’s all going to cost, how to get to the mountain – and much else.

Don’t forget that you can send me an email with any questions you may have and – within reason – I’ll try to help.

The contents of this section have been taken directly from chapters of our Mount Kilimanjaro trekking guide book, which have been abridged and edited to fit the website. The guide book does, of course, go into much more detail, including reviews of all the major Kilimanjaro trek agencies, how to make it cheaper etc etc.

But hopefully there is enough information on this website to point you in the right direction and get you started on your journey to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.

If you’re unsure whether Kilimanjaro is for you, then a great place to start is our list of reasons why you should attempt to climb Africa’ Highest Mountain; while the next page lists some reasons why perhaps climbing it is not such a good idea after all.

Once you’ve decided that you do want to give it a go, then the best page to look at first is the Kili Countdown -a step-by-step timeline to help you plan your preparations.

Then, to help you with every step of your preparation, do look at the rest of the pages in this section:

Kilimanjaro: Ten reasons why you should… >>

… And why you shouldn’t >>

Kili countdown >>

Best time to climb >>

Budgeting For Your Trek >>

Booking Your Trek >>

Your Physical Fitness >>

Getting to Kilimanjaro >>

Kilimanjaro Routes >>

What to take >>

Inoculations for Tanzania >>

Insurance for Kilimanjaro >>