- Is nine days worth it over seven or eight?
- If you want the best odds on the summit, yes. The Northern Circuit puts more days at altitude behind you than any other route on the mountain before you attempt Uhuru Peak, and the summit success rate reflects that. It is also the quietest and the most varied — you go up one side of Kilimanjaro and down the other.
- Do I need mountaineering experience?
- No. Kilimanjaro is a trek rather than a technical climb, and no route on it needs ropes or rock skills. What it does need is preparation, determination and a good level of fitness — and enough days on the mountain to acclimatise, which is why we sell the longer versions of each route.
- What happens about the altitude?
- Your guide checks your oxygen saturation and pulse with an oximeter every day and sets the pace off what he sees. An emergency oxygen cylinder and a medical kit go up the mountain with the crew. Every itinerary here is built around acclimatisation — the extra night, the climb-high-sleep-low day at Lava Tower — rather than the shortest line to the summit.
- Can you cater for my diet?
- Yes. Vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free meals can all be arranged with advance notice — tell us when you book and the mountain cook will carry what he needs.
- Can I add a safari or Zanzibar afterwards?
- Most people do. The climb ends back in Arusha or Moshi, an easy transfer from the northern circuit, so it joins straight onto a private safari through Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti — or onto a flight to Zanzibar for a few days by the Indian Ocean. Tell us at the enquiry stage and we will draft the whole thing as one journey.
