RONGAI ROUTE COST:
£1955 per person
Includes
Excludes
How do payments work?
We try to make payments for your Kilimanjaro climb as easy and manageable for you as possible. You can secure your place on a climb with a deposit of £100, which is paid on booking (and included in the advertised trip fee). The balance is then due 6 weeks prior to your trip start date. When you book a trip with us you are automatically given an online account on our secure server. You can then sign into your account at anytime to make interim payments, if you wish, or to make one instalment 6 weeks before your trip. It’s totally up to you, you can spread the cost or make one balance payment – it’s all very flexible.
Not all about money
Our prices are competitive and good value; we offer quality, an excellent service, security and a strong stance on tourism in a developing country. We don’t want to be so expensive to run fewer trips and have our staff idle, but on the other hand we believe that running cheap trips that promote the practise of skimming budgets would result in the porters getting next to nothing, which is something we cannot consider.
Additionally we will only run a minimum of 7 day climbs on the mountain, since any less is dangerous for a peak just short of 6000 metres (equivalent to Camp 1 on Mount Everest). Current National Park and camping fees are included in our trip fee and are circa USD $1000 per person for a 7 day climb, which makes Kilimanjaro an expensive peak to visit. Reducing the number of days does make the price cheaper, but the chances of reaching the summit reduce to around 50% and it’s potentially dangerous.
We include lots of support staff plus one guide for every two or three climbers (ratios change depending on the number of climbers but our guide to climber ratio is never greater than 1:3). We do not operate kitties and we use a very good hotel in town with which we have built up a strong relationship with over the last four decades.
We have our own license to operate tours on Mount Kilimanjaro and are a member of the local Tanzanian Association of Tour Operators.
Travel insurance
We advise everyone to take out travel insurance as soon as you pay your deposit as it’ll cover you should any potential events occur that might cause you to cancel your trip.
You need to ensure that you have a policy which covers trekking to 5895m, helicopter rescue and cancellation, but it does not need to cover technical climbing. You should bring with you a copy of your policy and ensure your tent mate knows where you keep it. Further details can be found by clicking here!
“Superb Leaders”
“Just thought I would drop you a line to say how fantastic an experience the climb was, we loved every minute of it. As you will know we both achieved the summit with no real ill effects from the altitude and best of all no Diamox. Lipman, Godfrey, Kamanda, Simba and John were superb leaders all in their own styles they have my up most respect.”
Check out more of our independent reviews of Adventure Alternative and Kilimanjaro Trek here!
Mount Kilimanjaro Experience, Fitness and Terrain
This is a trek to climb Kilimanjaro with no technical requirements, but it does offer a mountain experience which includes camping and being outdoors all the time, and walking uphill every day for a week for an average of 5 or 6 hours per day. Any regular hill walker will find climbing Kilimanjaro within his or her capabilities, but also remember that you will be sleeping and eating on the mountain too. The cumulative effect will be tiring and you should mentally prepare for a week of sleeping in a tent and living outdoors.
It is not necessary to have any experience of high altitude to climb Kilimanjaro, and there is nowhere in the United Kingdom or Ireland to possibly train for it. The important factor will be to go slowly and allow your metabolism to adapt to the lower air pressure and the thinner air.
Training for Kilimanjaro should include regular hill walking with a small pack of around 10 kgs, or regular visits to the gym for the final two months before departure. Work on strengthening calf and thigh muscles and exercise your cardio-vascular stamina on a step machine or cross trainer, but remember this is a holiday and not a forced march! Don’t approach it as if you are training for a marathon, and remember it can be dangerous to over train.
The secret of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro is to go slowly and enjoy the scenery, drink well, eat well and sleep well. A regular, consistent and slow pace will ensure the proper acclimatisation. Statistically the biggest proportion of failure occurs with young, fit males who go too fast and ignore the simple rules. It’s not a race or a competition!
Operate on the principle that if you look after yourself well during the first five days, then the sixth ‘summit day’ will be a big challenge but not dangerous. We cannot condone the people who push themselves beyond the bounds of safety and wear the badge of hardship as a medal of honour, perpetuating the image that getting to the summit has an element of masochism to it! “This is just an example of bad mountaineering”, says Director Gavin Bate, “We want people to be clear-headed on the summit, with the strength to come all the way back down again! Drink lots of liquid, eat every meal and go slowly all the way – this is the mantra that my staff will say to you over and over again”.
Terrain on Mount Kilimanjaro
The terrain on Kilimanjaro varies throughout; in a period of seven days, over 50 miles, ascending from 2000m to 5895m and back down, we’ll pass through cultivated farmland, equatorial forest and alpine heath, across a lunar-like volcanic desert and up to the glaciated summit. Climbing Kilimanjaro is not a technical climb and there are no precipitous drops along the way, no rock climbing or specialist equipment is needed – a full packing list for Kilimanjaro follows below.
The paths are in good condition and well trodden; some are steeper than others though on the Rongai route you can expect less up and down and more gradual ascent. You will most likely meet people along the way and at the camps, though the Rongai is a quiet route in terms of traffic. On summit day the path is mostly screed, which can be loose and unrelenting, especially on the descent when your knees will feel it and a buff is handy to have for the dust.
Blogs for Mount Kilimanjaro
Support on Mount Kilimanjaro
The staff will carry your main bag up to a maximum weight of 15 kgs plus all the tents, mattresses (no need to bring your own), kitchen equipment, food, fuel, tables and chairs. They will cater for all the group needs, providing excellent meals and putting up the tents. The guides will also brief you daily on the next days activities, weather and check how you’re doing.
Our operations manager in Moshi and Director of Adventure Alternative Tanzania organises all the staff, equipment, permits and hotel arrangements. You will have his telephone number and he is organiser, translator, problem-solver, adviser and the main link between you and the UK office. He talks to the guides every day on the mountain and can make arrangements for you, even while you’re up high.
Our main office is on the north coast of N.Ireland but we also have a company, Adventure Alternative Tanzania, with an office, stores, campsite and a guesthouse in Moshi right next to Mount Kilimanjaro. We provide full employment for our subsidiary company alongside excellent rates of pay, equipment, training and career development.
You also have continued support from the main office in Northern Ireland. Should a problem arise of significant proportion then you only need to call or message us.
Mount Kilimanjaro Rongai Route Kit List
Most hill walkers or outdoor fans will already own clothing for a climb of Kilimanjaro. You don’t need anything technical an if they’re anything that you don’t have it’s easy to rent gear too.
- Waterproof day sack of about 25 – 30 litres for you to carry your daily needs (waterproofs, camera, sun cream, hat and water)
- Duffle bag for your main clothing and equipment (to be carried by porter) est 90 litre bag
- Sleeping bag rated down to -10° Celsius or more if you get cold easily (3 season)
- Sturdy hiking boots with ankle support, and a sole that does not bend too easily. Gore-Tex lined fabric boots are fine but not quite as warm as leather. Gaiters are advised also.
- Waterproof windbreaker jacket and trousers, preferably breathable, with a hood and big enough to accommodate several layers beneath
- Down or synthetic jacket, or a heavy duty fleece for warmth especially on summit night
- Thermal underwear or long johns for summit night
- Balaclava or insulated warm hat, insulated gloves or mittens and thermal inner gloves
- Sun hat, sun lotion, SPF lip screen and sunglasses
- Trekking clothes – trousers and shorts, shirts and T-shirts, jumper or midlayer fleece, underwear and several pairs of hiking socks, trainers or sandals
- Water bottle and/or camelback (take a protective cover for the mouthpiece) and water purification tablets (optional, iodine-based is fine)
- Head torch with spare batteries
- Trekking poles (especially useful for coming down from the summit)
- Personal wash kit include a nail brush, moisturising cream, a small towel, tweezers, soap, nail clippers and wet wipes
- Variety of waterproof bags – for dirty clothes, sleeping bag and things to keep dry
- Personal first aid include aspirin, Nurofen, plasters, Germolene, Immodium, strepsils and prescription medicines for possible gastric problems
- Passport, insurance papers, spending money, air tickets, 2 pin (round) plug adaptor, spare batteries for digital cameras, reading books, diary, pen
A full packing / kit list for climbing Kilimanjaro can be found by clicking here.
Rental Items for Mount Kilimanjaro
You can rent clothing, and equipment from an outdoor provider at home, or from us directly. If renting from us you can collect items on arrival in Tanzania from our staff and simply hand it back afterwards – this saves on carry everything with you a possibly excess baggage charges. We have a store of equipment including sleeping bags, poles, torches, duffel bags, gloves, hats, gaiters etc. For a full list see the ‘Extras’ tab here. To hire directly from us you can add them when booking, or by logging into your account at a later date. It’s also possible to hire equipment last minute in Moshi directly from our staff, such as walking poles, torches or anything that you may have forgotten.
Find out more and book a life-changing Kilimanjaro Trek at Adventure Alternative
From the Blog
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