So how much does it actually cost to climb Kilimanjaro, and what are the things you need to consider?
The long answer is: it depends on quite a few things.
And the short answer – which you're probably looking for – it's on average around $4,000.
So let's have a look in detail – what are the factors that amount to that sum?
The climb itself (or what you pay to your tour operator);
flights to and from Tanzania;
visa; medical precautions; tipping;
rental gear or equipment; travel insurance.
First and the most important thing to consider would be your climb operator,
which is normally between $,2000 and $3,000.
So there's two factors that influence the cost here.
Number one is the duration of the trip.
The vast majority of routes take between six and 10 days.
As a rule of thumb, an additional day costs between $200 and $300.
The second consideration is the different type of operator.
Anything that's priced below $2,000 we would classify as a budget operator.
Everything between $2,000 and $3,500 we would call mid-range or value-for-money operator.
And anything above would be a luxury operator.
Second, that would be your flights.
So wherever you're flying from, flights might be more or less expensive.
On average, I would say it costs around $1,000.
To make things even easier,
we've looked up flight prices from four major hubs to Tanzania.
London
New York
Hong Kong
Dubai
Number three, that would be your visa. Most countries pay $50 visa fee.
Exception is the US, where they pay $100.
The reason for the difference is that visas from the US are valid for 12 months,
whereas visas from other countries are only valid for 90 days.
The fourth point would be medical precautions.
So it's important to get the right vaccinations and malaria tablets to travel to Tanzania.
On average, I would say count in around $100.
We advise to book an appointment with your GP or your local travel clinic to get advice.
Or you can also have a look online on the Fit for Travel website,
for which you can find the link in the description.
The fifth point would be tipping.
It's quite a universal custom on Kilimanjaro to tip your mountain crew,
and people tip on average around $250.
That might seem like a lot, but you have to consider that for every climber there's five crew members.
So if you're climbing in a group of six, your crew is 30 people.
The sixth thing would be rental gear.
So it depends what you already have.
If you're already well-equipped for climbing, it might be less.
But on average, people pay around $100 to rent a particular gear in Tanzania.
The three most expensive items are: good hiking boots; high-quality, four-season sleeping bags; and a warm down jacket.
A down jacket costs about $40 to rent in Tanzania.
At Follow Alice, we already include sleeping bags.
If you want to see all the details that you need, have a look at the packing list, which you can find in the description.
Last, but not least, travel insurance.
Regular travel insurance normally doesn't cover you for climbing Kilimanjaro.
So you need to get special insurance.
Make sure it covers you up to 6,000 metres. Count around $100.
Something to bear in mind is that travel insurance is not only important,
but it's also mandatory if you climb with a reputable Kilimanjaro operator.
I hope this video was useful, and if you have any further questions,
put them in the comments and I'm going to answer them as soon as possible.
And if you need any more motivation to climb Kilimanjaro,
have a look at the footage that we took from some of our recent climbs.
And once you feel ready, we're here for you all the way.
And our team in Tanzania is already waiting for you!