The Best Hotels for Your Kilimanjaro Climb
Back in the day, when as yet not a great deal of thought had been given to what works best for the unacclimatised visitor, the way a Kilimanjaro climb was run was largely a product of the convenience of the local operator.
Local operators tended to be based in Moshi or Marangu Mtoni as rents are cheap there, and these towns are close to the mountain. However, there are two main drawbacks with Moshi:
a) Moshi sits at 800 metres elevation - some 600 metres lower than Arusha, and
b) the infrastructure - accommodation, restaurants, shops - is relatively basic.
Why We Don't Recommend Using Hotels in Moshi
Moshi's low altitude has three significant negative consequences for Kilimanjaro climbers:
- For every 300 metres of lost elevation, the temperature increases by around 2 degrees Centigrade. This means that Moshi tends to be some 4 degrees hotter than Arusha - uncomfortably hot for most visitors from milder climates.
- Malaria-bearing chloroquine-immune plasmodium falciparum thrive at lower elevations. Conversely, local clinicians report that there have been no recorded cases of malaria in Arusha since around 2019.
- On day one of most Kilimanjaro climbs, trekkers attain around 3,000 metres altitude. If, prior to trekking to that height you've been sleeping at 1,400 metres (in Arusha), your body has a much better chance of adapting safely and comfortably than if you've been sleeping at 800 metres altitude in Moshi.
Because of these three very important considerations, we only recommend climbers book hotels in Arusha, not Moshi.
The best rates for hotels are generally obtained when booking through Booking.com - particularly if you are a regular user of the service and therefore qualify for a "Genius" discount.
Standard Grade Accommodation in Arusha
The following are the "standard grade" hotels used by the majority of our clients.
The Outpost Lodge is the most popular option with our climbers, because of the convenience of its location within walking distance of Arusha's central "Clock Tower" area. When not available on the required dates, climbers generally book one of the following hotels:
Upgrading Your Accommodation in Arusha
To view Arusha hotels on Booking.com, please use this link.
If there's more material about Arusha hotels on Booking.com than is convenient for you to work through, the following are our recommendations:
If you want to make a significant, positive contribution towards cleaning up Kilimanjaro and help us return its ecology to a pristine wilderness environment, please make use of the following payment facility:
Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) differentiates park fees applicable to visitors to the national parks thus:
The prices on this page apply only to Tanzanian Residents and are substantially discounted from our standard prices as a consequence of the significant reduction in park fees payable by East African Citizens.
Tipping is a universal custom on Kilimanjaro and on safari and has always constituted a significant proportion of a guide or porterβs salary. It is alleged that there are even companies operating locally that do not pay their staff any salaries and that these workers rely exclusively on tips.
The following description of clothing and equipment for Kilimanjaro is based on years of experience and will suffice for virtually all trekkers attempting to climb Kilimanjaro with us. However, we would strongly recommend that you avoid buying your Kilimanjaro kit at the last minute and that you aim to spend a weekend in the hills testing your gear before flying out to climb with us.
Since most summit bids start from high camp at around 2300 - 0100, with exact start time usually depending on the guide's assessment of the group's pace over the preceding few days, most of the approach to the summit happens in darkness.
For some climbers this question is almost irrelevant as they will have to fit their climb into whatever dates they can clear from their busy work or family schedules, though for perhaps the majority, this is probably the first question prospective climbers should ask themselves.
For those arriving into Tanzania from Australia or America, or from any time zones that are several hours ahead or behind, or from anywhere that requires several plane changes, an intelligent strategy is to allow a day or twoβs leisure in Arusha prior to your climb. The reasons for this are:
You don't need to climb on these dates shown below. We publish them only for those who wish to climb with others they don't already know. The majority of our clients choose their own dates (at no additional cost), though most request us to open up their climbs for others to join - simply so as to have extra company on the trek.
When considering the extensive range of Kilimanjaro climb prices that we detail below, please bear in mind that the majority of trekkers booking a climb with us opt for one of the two routes we principally recommend: TK Lemosho or TK Rongai.