Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing 5 Days Marangu Route

The cost to climb Kilimanjaro with Twende Africa Tours is between $1,560–$3,250 per climber, depending on which route you select. This does not include airfare and personal gear that you want to buy or rent.

Twende Africa Tours Kilimanjaro Climb Cost By Route and Date

Very few local companies are licensed to operate their own climbs in Tanzania, but Twende Africa Tours is one of them. By owning and running our own climbing operation, our expert guides are able to maintain hands-on moment-to-moment safety, complete with a team of professionally-trained cooks, experienced support crew members, and high-end equipment.

Dates & Prices

Thanks to the popularity of climbing Kilimanjaro — and the fact that you literally need a guide to even step foot on the mountain — hundreds of operators exist and they each provide different levels of service.

Finding the right one is a balance. You don’t want to choose the cheapest outfit in town and sacrifice your safety. But you also don’t need the most expensive one to have a successful climb.

Check out what we recommend - and what’s included in a Twende Africa Tours Kilimanjaro package - to see what you should be getting for the price:

What’s included in the Kilimanjaro Climb Cost

To start, look for a reputable, trustworthy company that covers these essentials in their cost to climb Mount Kilimanjaro:

Entrance Fees to Kilimanjaro National Park

You’ll not only need to pay an entrance fee for yourself to get in Kilimanjaro National Park, but you’ll also need to pay park fees for the rest of the crew. In total this could be close to $1000 USD.

Don’t forget to pre-arrange how you’ll be getting to the park. If you book with Twende Africa Tours, we will transfer you to and from the park gates in our own good vehicles, taking care of that part for you.

A Dedicated Kilimanjaro Local Guides, Chef and Porters

The number of guides included in your Kilimanjaro climb cost depends on your group size. If you're hiking on your own, you'll have your own personal guide. Most Twende Africa Tours groups operate with anywhere from 2–6 guides.

Twende Africa Tours, also includes 3–4 porters per climber. And they will carry 30 lbs of your personal gear.

Every company uses porters to carry climbers' bags and camp equipment. However, Twende Africa Tours hires more porters than other companies in order to carry extra safety gear and camp equipment. For example, for a group of 12 climbers, we will typically hire 35-40 porters, depending on the length of the trip. Smaller groups will have 3-4 porters per climber.

Twende Africa Tours is dedicated to paying a good wage to our valuable Twende Africa Tours guides, porters, and chefs, and this is factored into our Kilimanjaro climb cost.

Food Fit for Kings of the Mountain

If you think you’ll be living off granola bars and energy drinks while you hike Kilimanjaro, think again.

In a mountain first, Twende Africa Tours has partnered with the Culinary Institute of America to train our Kilimanjaro chefs on an ongoing basis. The "Institute" designs our menus with meals based on a mixture of European, Asian, and African cuisines. The meals are not only designed to meet your nutritional needs at high altitude, but they also taste delicious.

All your meals — from a midnight snack on your arrival night through lunch on your final day — are included in your cost to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with Twende Africa Tours.

That’s hot breakfast, hot or picnic lunch, and hot dinner each day. Plus you’ll have as much purified water as you can drink on your climb.

We sit down to our meals in roomy all-weather dining tents equipped with tables, folding chairs, and gas lamps for warmth and lighting. If you have any special requirements, just let our team know. We'll arrange it with our chefs - you don’t have to worry.

Hotel Accommodation

A few nights in a hotel before and after your climb should be included in your Kilimanjaro climb cost.

With Twende Africa Tours, you’ll stay at one of our two delightful family-run hotels in Moshi for two nights (one before your climb and one after your victorious summit). The hotels are located close to the center of town, the Moshi market, unique shopping and local restaurants.

Our adventurers always say the staff and hospitality at the hotels are excellent.

And if you descend Kilimanjaro early, Twende Africa Tours, will provide one “extra” night’s stay in Moshi at our hotel - free of charge.

Camping and Climbing Gear

Though you’ll be responsible for packing protective clothing and hiking boots, Twende Africa Tours will bring all the extra gear necessary to hike and camp Kilimanjaro like a pro.

That includes providing custom designed:

4-season waterproof mountain tents

2-inch air/foam mattresses

4-season basecamp dining tents

Waterproof stuff bags

Our kitchen tents are equipped with everything our cooks need for gourmet mountain meal preparation. Our aluminum dining tables have comfortable fold-up chairs with back and arm rests so you can relax in the warm glow provided by our propane gas lighting.

We’ll bring everything you need for water purification on the mountain so you’re always hydrated as well.

Don’t forget about using the restroom on your hike! Twende Africa Tours provides a private toilet tent, complete with a custom "throne" and a great view.

Medical Equipment to Keep You Safe

While you may want to bring your own sleeping bag and trekking poles for the adventure (or rent), your Kilimanjaro climb cost with Twende Africa Tours includes everything else needed to keep you safe.

Twende Africa Tours guides use pulse oximeters, stethoscopes, rescue stretchers, oxygen regulators, cannulas and other medical devices. This is how we keep our climbers safe.

Twice a day, your guide will check your vitals and monitor your stats like blood oxygen saturation, resting pulse, and lung sounds. Twende Africa Tours guides will also record your acclimatization stats to assess how well you’re handling the altitude. We’ll check on you more often, if necessary, to make sure you reach the summit safely. As an added safety measure, our guides also carry along large oxygen tanks and a portable altitude chamber, in case it’s needed.

So now that you know what should be included in your Kilimanjaro climb cost — and you know everything about trekking Kilimanjaro like a true adventurist — it’s time to check out more details about the route that suits you best.

Altitude sickness, also called Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), hypobaropathy and soroche, is an illness caused by exposure to the low air pressure; especially low partial pressure of oxygen, which many climbers experience at high altitudes.

AMS is caused by exerting yourself at high altitudes, especially if you have not been properly acclimatized. It is most common at altitudes above 2400 metres. Kilimanjaro’s peak is nearly 6000 metres above sea level. At this height, the air pressure (and the amount of oxygen it contains) is less than half that at sea level, and has been said to be comparable to ‘working with only one lung’.

AMS can be serious, especially as it can be debilitating, and it generally occurs far from places where medical treatment can be easily administered.

Not everyone suffers from AMS, of course, and it is very difficult to predict who is or is not vulnerable to it. Generally speaking, a fit person is less vulnerable than an unfit person, because their cardiovascular system can operate at low pressures longer without as much strain. Even so, anyone can be vulnerable at altitudes above 3500 metres, no matter their fitness level, if they have not spent some time getting used to the low atmospheric pressures first.

Undoubtedly the best way to see how you are going to react to high altitude is to go high and try to do some exercises. For most of us that isn't an option so a good alternative is to have a session with a specialist altitude training company that have equipment that simulates the effects of altitude. In the UK the leading specialist is The Altitude Centre.

Avoiding AMS On Kilimanjaro Climb

Walk high, sleep low. It is best to gradually climb higher each day, and then descend lower to sleep. This lets you gradually become accustomed to lower pressures, and then recover somewhat overnight.

Slow and steady. (pole pole in Swahili) You need to keep your respiration rate low enough to maintain a normal conversation. If you are panting or breathing hard, you must slow down. Overworking your heart and lungs substantially increases your chance of becoming ill.

Drink much more water than you think you need. Proper hydration helps acclimatization dramatically. You need to drink at least three litres each day. As dehydration presents many of the same symptoms as altitude sickness, your chances of being allowed to continue are best if you stay hydrated.

Diamox. The general consensus of the research is that Diamox is helpful in avoiding AMS. We use it when climbing Kilimanjaro. We recommend you google Diamox and its effects yourself. It is a prescription drug, and you should consult with your doctor before taking it.

Effects of exposure to low atmospheric pressure

Low oxygen saturation

At high altitudes and low pressures, each breath takes in less oxygen, and transfers less to the blood. Blood with low levels of oxygen is said to be poorly saturated. Having slightly low oxygen saturation can lead to fatigue and feeling breathless. Severe low oxygen saturation can cause impaired mental functions, reduce your decision making ability, and have other dangerous effects. All our guides have pulse-oxymeters to check your oxygen saturation daily.

Cerebral oedema

Severely reduced air pressure can cause fluid to collect in the sinuses and air cavities in the skull. Initially it presents as a mild headache, but can eventually cause disorientation, coma and even death. Cerebral oedema can present very suddenly, and is an extremely serious medical issue.

Pulmonary oedema

This is caused by reduced air pressure in the lungs. Fluid sometimes begins to seep from the lung tissues into the air spaces of the lungs, making breathing even more difficult. This often presents like pneumonia, and is most likely to occur during sleep.

How to recognise AMS

AMS does not present as a slow, gradual worsening of lesser altitude-related symptoms like breathlessness or headache. It is in fact generally a rapid, dramatic onset of symptoms that can render a person unable to walk or take care of themselves at all.

Our guides are trained to recognize AMS and apply the appropriate first aid. They will monitor your blood oxygen saturation and evaluate your overall acclimatization, but it is vital that you monitor and report your condition accurately, for everyone’s safety.

Our client descent protocol

If our guides believe you may be in poor health or that allowing you to continue the climb may be dangerous, they will require you to begin your descent immediately. If that decision is made, it will be according to this protocol:

Measuring your oxygen saturation

If it is below 80%, then you will be required to submit to another test every half hour, for the next two hours. If your saturation does not rise to at least 75%, you will be required to descend immediately. If your saturation is at least 75%, you will be allowed to continue subject to close monitoring. If your condition worsens you must notify your guide immediately, and begin the descent.

Evaluation on the Lake Louise Scale

If your score is between 6 and 8 then the guide will consider whether you can continue based on your score, oxygen saturation levels, pulse rate and overall well-being. If you are allowed to continue, you will be monitored closely for the duration of the ascent. If your condition worsens you must notify your guide immediately, and begin the descent. If your Lake Louise Score is higher than 8, you must descend immediately.

Hey you, the one who daydreams of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro’s summit at sunrise, the one whose life goals include reaching Africa’s highest point and letting out an enormous howl of celebration at the top. What if I shared with you the single best piece of advice to increase your chances of reaching the top of the highest freestanding mountain in the world?

Okay, here it is: Slow and Steady. (pole pole in Swahili)

We understand

To climb Kilimanjaro means taking a leap. It typically means flying halfway around the world to scale the Roof of Africa. And in order to make this large commitment, you need the trip to be successful—it might be your only chance.

Also, sifting through reviews on how best to climb Kilimanjaro can be as daunting as reaching the summit itself. You can find armies of information regarding the best routes and optimal numbers of days, but all you have to remember are these simple words: Slow and Steady. (pole pole in Swahili)

Why? Because each year 35,000 to 50,000 people climb Kilimanjaro and the single most common inhibitor to making that sunrise summit is this: altitude sickness. But if you go slow and steady and choose a trip with enough days to acclimatize, your success will skyrocket.

Beware of the Five-Day

Kilimanjaro National Park won't let you climb their beloved Kili in fewer than five days, so technically you have 5 to 10 days to complete the climb. Some of these five-day treks may be alluring because of their lower cost, but beware: they have far lower summit success rates. This is simply because there is less time to properly adjust to the elevation change.

Choose your Own Adventure.

There are seven official routes on Mount Kilimanjaro, and we've highlighted four of our favorites below for you to better understand the options for a successful Kilimanjaro trek:

1 - Marangu (5-6 days) - "The Coca-Cola Route." Traditionally this was the most popular, economical, and direct route. There is permanent hut accommodation the whole way,

though it does have lower summit success than the others. Best to choose six days.

2 - Machame (6-8 days) - "The Whiskey Route." This is quickly becoming Kilimanjaro's most popular route. It's scenic and gradual, with an average duration of 7 days. Machame gives you proper adjustment to higher elevations.

3 - Rongai (6-7 days) The non-crowd – Rongai approaches the summit from the north and offers some remote and gentle climbing. You'll come across fewer trekkers on this route, too.

4 - Lemosho (7-10 days) – Considered one of the most scenic routes, Lomosho has smaller crowds but increasing in popularity. It's more remote with a generous southern traverse.

Take at least a week. Any fewer than seven days and you begin to compromise your Kilimanjaro summit. Each additional day increases your chances for success. Ideally, 7-9 days (10 if you have extra time) will enable you to ease into the elevation and position both your head and heart for one of the most stunning sunrises of your life. Few places on Earth compare to Kilimanjaro so take it slow and steady (pole pole in Swahili) and your daydream might just step into reality.