Anyone climbed Kilimanjaro?

PandyAndy

Hi,

Interested in doing this at some point, probably next summer. Just wondering though if somebody has done the trek/climb before what costs were involved (Plane, Visa, equipment, 5 star hotels)? Did you do it with a registered group or just wander off on your own group? How long did it take? What route? How was the climb with your own mountain climbing experience? Just really all the basic questions.

I have been looking at http://www.climbmountkilimanjaro.com/ but looking more for personal experience.

Thanks

Mod: If there's a more suitable forum feel free to move it.

deamonchild

I am hoping to climb Kilimanjaro next year also but i am wary of bogus outfitters, so far the best advice i can find is from talking to friends who have done it an take it from there, however the more advice i can get the better so if anyone has done this trek and can advise on the best outfitters i would appreciate it..thanks.

imark_v1

I went up Kili a few years ago with a friend. What we did was fly into Arusha. We booked into a local hotel and arranged our guides there with a company run by and american guy. He was able to provide all the gear you need. Basically, the trip was customised to suit us. I couldn't recommend them highly enough. We had best guides and equipment on the climb. All you'll need are good boots and a few layers of clothes.

The same guy organised a safari to Ngorangora for us which we did before the climb. You should do that too if you have the time.

It took 5 days total to do the mountain. 3.5 up 1.5 down. You'd need to be reasonably fit.

If I manage to find the name of the guides we used I'll post hem here.

Have a great trip.

khlebnikov

Havent climbed it myself but have also been looking into it, maybe early next year. The website i've been looking at is exodus.co.uk. I've been on a few trips with them before and i couldn't complain. they sort everything from the flights to ground transfers or anything else i needed (i was a young woman traveling on my own so having everything organised in countries where i didn't speak the lingo was perfect) and there are add on options such as safari or zanzibar afterwards. They also organise solo trips if you were traveling on your own and wanted to climb with a group full of solo travelers. They have some detailed itineraries on the website too.

Sacred_git

i climbed it on one leg a few years back, easy, next time im only using my big toes, piece of piss!

Bens

Climbed it with a company call Kumuka.
Its dead easy. You could nearly climb it in your slippers.
Anyone who says its hard is just trying to big up their "achievement".
People complaining about altitude sickness ... making it up or imagining it.
Do a safari afterwards.

PandyAndy

I forgot about this thread. Thanks for the replies

blorg

Altitude sickness is very real and you need to watch for the symptoms. People die at altitudes lower than Kilimanjaro. It is completely independent of how hard a trek is and depends purely on the altitude. It can be avoided completely by acclimatisation but how much is needed is a bit random and varies on the person.

PandyAndy

Yea, I was reading up on that before. Thanks.