What Happens Before Your Kilimanjaro Climb?
If Iβm flying to Nairobi, how do I reach Arusha and Team Kilimanjaro?
If unable to find affordable flights to Kilimanjaro International Airport an alternative is that you fly to Nairobi, spend the night at a hotel there and transfer to Arusha via a six hour bus journey, crossing the border at Namanga. Youβll need a Kenyan tourist visa for this option which you can purchase at Nairobi airport when you arrive.
If flying in to Nairobi you will need to take the Shuttle Bus across the border to Arusha, which effectively uses up an additional day and may require a night at a hotel in Nairobi. Further information about flights and shuttles is offered on Riverside Shuttle's website. A reliable and centrally situated hotel that is very conveniently located for pickup by the Shuttle Bus service to Arusha is the Best Western Meridian Hotel, just 350 metres from the north side of Jevanjee Gardens, from where the Riverside Shuttle departs outside Parkside Hotel:
There are two Shuttle Bus departures from Nairobi daily, leaving at 0800 (still operating) and 1400 (not operating during COVID), but the Riverside company asks passengers to be there at 0700 and 1300 respectively. The route this shuttle takes enters Tanzania at Namanga border where it is necessary to show or purchase an entry visa for Tanzania and to show a Yellow Fever Certificate of Vaccination.
If you have a conscientious objection to being compelled to being injected with substances on trust, most officials will allow you (unofficially) to purchase a certificate without actually receiving the injection. You can then arrange, at your own risk, to be injected at a time and place that's comfortable to you - should you wish to be vaccinated, and this purchased certificate will suffice to satisfy all future bureaucrats at borders throughout East Africa.
To book this shuttle, you can either use Riversideβs online facility or request us to book this on your behalf. If you wish us to book this we will need to know your movements and timings immediately prior to your proposed shuttle departure.
Do you have a contract for me to sign when I arrive in Moshi?
We donβt operate out of Moshi, but when we collect you we ask you to sign a declaration and conditions of participation. Let us know if you wish us to email this to you.
Do you check client's items the night before to ensure they are well equipped?
Not if their flight comes in at 2045 with KLM, which is very often the case with people being so busy these days and barely squeezing in a climb between their flights, as this means that they will generally get through Immigration at 2120 and reach their hotel at 2200 β 2230, depending on whether there have been any delays arriving at JRO.
But where a climber reaches Arusha with enough time to afford a kit check our standard operating procedure is to meet them at their hotel at 1800 on the evening immediately preceding their climb. The guide then delivers a short brief, all hired gear, and checks the climberβs own gear for suitability. Any deficiencies are then resolved overnight and it is hoped that by 0730 when we collect the climber everything is squared away and we can proceed to the hill without delays.
Am you able to advise where I can hire a good quality down jacket?
Yes, from us! Please use the Team Kilimanjaro equipment hire request form.
Am I able to leave excess luggage at your hotel before and after the trek?
Any of the hotels that we would book on your behalf are happy to look after your luggage while you are on the mountain. They all have lock-rooms and internal safes for small items of especial value.
Many people spend a lot of time and money training and equipping themselves for a Kilimanjaro climb, only to fail in their objective of reaching the summit. Failure is avoidable and we really want trekkers to understand how to prevent it.
As from March 2021, PCR testing (or rather, sample-taking) is now available at Seronera and Ndutu airstrips in the Serengeti. This facility has been implemented to prevent clients having to either curtail their safaris or dissect their safaris with a journey to Arusha or, more recently, Karatu (FAME Hospital), mid-safari - so as to satisfy the "less than 72 hours old" validity rule that most airlines are required to enforce.
Arusha Pedal Series club aims to organise a group ride three times a week - on Mondays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, and Saturdays. All keen cyclists are welcome to join.
We read widely divergent estimates of deaths on Kilimanjaro, but how dangerous is it really? In this post we share our own experience of the dangers.
First of all - you can definitely still climb Kilimanjaro during COVID-19! There is absolutely no impediment within Tanzania. Issues only potentially arise with your own country's rules.
Although there is no requirement to have a PCR test for COVID in order to enter Tanzania, many climbers are nonetheless required by their airline to show evidence of a negative COVID test before boarding the flight home.
This following information is provided to reassure prospective climbers that there is a straightforward way to enjoy the incredible tourism and adventurous opportunities that Tanzania offers, while ensuring that returning home afterwards is stress-free.
Kilimanjaroβs Western Breach is a beautiful and breathtaking place but represents the most risk-associated assault route to Kilimanjaroβs summit, of the four options currently sanctioned by Tanzania National Parks.
I think the question of how much it costs to climb Kilimanjaro is a little like asking, how much it costs to buy 'a car'! Apart from the obvious question of how many people you want the car to carry and whether you want it to have offroad capability, there are more subtle considerations.
Kilimanjaro has been climbed from the park gates to the summit in a little over just 5 hours, and yet the Royal Geographical Society suggests that trekkers should not spend less than 10 days reaching the summit? So, how long does it usually take and what is safe?
While we've assisted people in their 70s, a 5 year old, amputees, and quadriplegics to the summit, and while in theory, pretty much everyone could climb Kilimanjaro, nonetheless, many people have told us that climbing Kilimajaro is the hardest thing they've ever done in their lives - and some of these people have been professional athletes (rugby players).
