Mount Kilimanjaro National Park

NYAYO TOURS AND SAFARIS

Tour Guide, Moshi, Tanzania

16 Jun 2016 | 4 mins read

Kilimanjaro Mountain

Located: Tanzania in East Africa.

Elevation: 19341ft or 5895m above the sea level. (Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, and the highest free standing mountain in the world.)

Vegetation: It ranges from mountain forest, savannah, tropic jungle and alpine zone.

Temperature at the peak can be 0 degrees F (minus 18C) and if the wind is blowing, the wind chills reach dangerous level.

Number of trekkers.

Being one of the most popular mountains in the world, roughly 40,000 trekkers every year try to reach the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. According to research the average summit success rate across all climbers and routes is three- quota (75%). However, summit success rate heavily depends upon what route is climbed as routes vary considerably in terms of acclimatization profile and duration. It is relatively safe climb and most who failed to summit experience altitude related issues or harsh weather near the peak.

Route to climb mountain Kilimanjaro.

Mount Kilimanjaro routes and their variations take betweenfive to nine daysto complete. Although Mount Kilimanjaro is known as a "walk-up" mountain, you should not underestimate it and its risks. The overall statistics show that less than half of all climbers didn’t reach the summit.

There are several routes by which to reach Kibo, or Uhuru Peak, the highest summit ofmount Kilimanjaro namely, Marangu, Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe and Machame.

Difficulties, risks and death.

Difficulties often happened due to altitude, the high altitude the low oxygen available, and some of the trekkers may suffer acclimatization problem. Overcoming this problem , Machame and Lemosho route are highly recommended, and increasing the number of days to climb also increase the possibility of climbers to summit safely with less observed difficulties. The great risk to avoid is about your health, as the altitude increases the climbers suffer from altitude sickness before they reached the summit and most were ascending too high, too quickly. Signs of sickness include vomiting, headaches, and difficulty sleeping. Researcher said the best way to acclimatize was to climb slowly and some trekkers to incorporate acclimatization rest days. Severe altitude sickness can lead to serious complication, including shortness of breath at rest and inability to walk. The average number of death recorded according to research is 3 to 5 annually.

Best time for climbing.

The best time to climb Mount Kilimanjaro is during dry season or time with little downpour. June to September and November to February are the best season for trekking Kilimanjaro.

Trekking cost and itineraries.

The cost for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is relative cheaper than you can think. The price differs depending with the route chosen, number of days preferred, state of budget ( if you planned budgetary or luxury) and dollar fluctuation because our currency (Tanzania shilling) is highly determined/influenced by a dollar.

Here is the general price for all routes for an individual client (1pax )

A total of $1400 is essentially for trekking mount Kilimanjaro per person but a great discount of up to 10%  is offered to a group of up to 3people. The above charged amount covers the following;

a) Private transfer from airport to the hotel and from the hotel to airport on return

b) 2 nights in semi luxury hotels or lodges.

c) Private transfer from the hotel to the starting gate of marangu and on return.

d) Meals and other accommodation for those 5days for client and the overall crew.

e) Salaries for the members in the crew, from guide, chef and porters.

Note, this price of $1400 is for 1pax but its negotiable if there a group of 3pax onward. The more number of people in a group, the low the price will be charged.

The price above do not includes the following.