Climbing to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro is without doubt one of Africa’s most extreme challenges. Not only is it the highest trekkable mountain in the world it’s also the highest freestanding mountain on earth and is the only region along the African equatorial belt to have snowfields. Reaching the peak of Kilimanjaro is by no means easy and should certainly not be taken lightly. A Kilimanjaro climb is significantly more difficult than many people think. This is by no means a walk in the park; it’s an arduous, gruelling and potentially fatal trip to one of Africa’s most inhospitable places. The problem that the majority of trekkers face is that they don’t realise the difficulty of the mountain until they are perked up on a ledge half way up. Providing that you are as fit as you can be, your well prepared and well guided then this experience will be one of your life’s highlights.

Whether it’s just two of you or a group of 15 trekking on Mount Kilimanjaro you will be accompanied by trained professionals in the form of mountain guides, porters and of course cooks. These guys are your lifeline for 6/7 days and their job is to guide you to the summit and carry with them all the essentials your groups will need on the trip including toilet tents, chairs, tables and of course your food. In almost all cases the threat to you not achieving your goal at the summit is altitude sickness which can be moderated by a bottle of Altox.

Selecting the right time of year to climb Kilimanjaro is of paramount importance. The primary issue with this is obviously safety as at certain times of the year it’s very common for the weather, especially high up on the mountain to turn nasty, catching out any unsuspecting climbers. There are ultimately two periods in the year where climbing Kilimanjaro is at its safest, from 16th January - 28th February and from 1st September - 15th October.

Believe it or not, to successfully climb Kilimanjaro you have to be of reasonable fitness, with many very fit people still saying the pain trekking to the summit is worse that childbirth…and that’s coming from women! The bottom line is that you need to be undertaking as much exercise as possible prior to your hike on the mountain to stand a reasonable chance of reaching the summit. This is not a trip you want to pay a substantial amount of money for, only to have to turn back half way up.

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