FAQs
Main FAQ
Our prices are land based and all inclusive including all park fees – there are no hidden costs/ fees. We have flexible payments and ask for a £250 deposit to secure your place, then remaining balances 4 weeks prior to departure. We have more than ten years’ experience in organising climbs with 95% summit success rates and can ensure you a wonderful and enjoyable climb of Mt Kilimanjaro. More info here…
Yes, we can arrange an extension to your trip so you can visit one of our day care centres in Kenya. There will an extra cost to your trip including but not exclusively, additional flights, accommodation and food.
Yes, British passport holders can obtain a Tanzanian visa by post before they leave the UK find out more here, you can also purchase this on arrival in Tanzania. If you are travelling through Kenya en-route, you will also require a Kenyan visa which is best applied for on arrival.
Your address during your visit should be given as:
Keys Hotels, P.O Box 933, Moshi, Kilimanjaro Tanzania +255 757117784
And emergency contact:
Director of Operations – Humphrey Senna: (+254) 711 930 609
We will supply you with a full kit list once you have signed up, but apart from a good pair of hiking boots, warm/waterproof clothes and a warm sleeping bag there is no specialist kit.
Yellow Fever is absolutely compulsory before you enter Tanzania. Typhoid and Hepatitis A vaccinations are advisable. Tetanus and polio vaccinations should be up to date. Anti-Malaria protection may also be advised by your GP. This is a guideline only you are advised to seek professional medical advice from your GP or local travel clinic.
The Government’s Gift Aid scheme means that if a donation is made by a UK Taxpayer, we can claim back 25p for every £1 donated. As this scheme works in a particular way, and often we do not receive the Gift Aid until long past the event, the guaranteed place minimum sponsorship targets are as stated and not reduced by Gift Aid.
To secure your place we ask for a deposit of £250 on booking (which is included towards the advertised total trip fee). The balance is then due 4 weeks prior to your trip start date. Remember: when you commit to climbing with us your deposit lasts for life, so you can simply decide on a date as and when is most convenient for you.
This is not just a walk, this is a demanding trek so you do need to train and be fit. We will send you a training guide when you enter to get you fully prepared. Remember the fitter you are the more you will enjoy the adventure.
Approximately $150 to $180 (US) spending money is sufficient for drinks and some souvenirs.
Yes, everyone who takes part needs to take out their own comprehensive travel insurance covering health, accidents and loss before departure. We will send you further information nearer the time of exactly what is required.
Due to the growing popularity of trekking Mount Kilimanjaro, the mountain has in effect become a key component of the local economies in Moshi and Arusha Tanzania.
With this growing interest in trekking Kilimanjaro, local and international tour companies have proliferated and local residents in these towns have flocked to the mountain in desperate need for work. Unemployment is high in Tanzania and hence there is no shortage of people willing to do literally anything to earn a wage, albeit tiny.
At Nasio we work with a reputable climb company who we’re proud to say offer excellent salaries, but tipping is very much part of the culture on Kili.
If you are the only climber in your group, and you feel like you received a great experience on the mountain, increasing the amount of your tip beyond this suggested level makes a massive difference to the lives of the guides and their families.
- Please prepare your tips before going on the mountain by bringing around $150 (US Dollars) with you when you climb.
- Please give your tips as a group to the head guide at the hotel. Do not give the tip to the guides or the porters directly or at the gate.
- Please do not give an individual tip to a specific porter or guide during the climb of Kilimanjaro. This breeds suspicion and encourages them to pester tourists for more money. We try to maintain consistency and fairness at all times. If there is someone who the group feels deserves special mention then tell our head guide and by all means add a small amount extra, but make sure that it is given in front of everybody and recognised as a reward for service beyond the usual call of duty.
- Please also remember that money is not the only way of showing your gratitude, a genuine thank you in front of all the other staff goes a long way to making someone happy.
Find out more about the role and history of local porters on Kilimanjaro here.
While camping we will be up at around 6.00 am! We will have an early breakfast in a communal dinning hut and then start walking around 7.30-8.00am. We walk for 3-4 hours in the morning and then stop for a packed lunch. In the afternoon we walk for 2-4 hours to our overnight camp. In the evenings, firstly we will have a drink and rest, dinner will again be served in the dining hut and we will have a briefing each night about the next days trek.
We are more than happy to help wherever you are travelling from. We can put together special climb packages that are perfectly tailored to overseas participants. Please get in touch with us and we can discuss your requirements and come up with the perfect solution for you.
Depending on group numbers, you will have a UK Expedition Leader or Local Leader, plus local guides, porters, cooks and kitchen staff.
The trip has to be paid for in advance, so we insist that 30% of the total must be paid to The Nasio Trust at least 26 weeks prior to departure and 80% of the total must be paid at least 6 weeks prior to departure.
If you do not meet the 30% deadline you will be encouraged to consider either postponing your climb date or switching to the climb-only option. Please note you may be liable for any costs incurred by the charity as a result of the delay in payment should you decide to continue with the fundraising option and the same climb date.
Failure to meet the 80% deadline will forfeit your eligibility to participate – or again you may choose to make up the balance yourself.
The best times of year to climb Kilimanjaro is between December to early March and late May to late October. The two main rainy seasons are between late March to mid May and November. Equatorial and arctic conditions are present on Kilimanjaro and so you can expect the weather to change from hot and dry to wet and misty, to very cold. We start on the warm plains (up to 30C), before ascending through a wide belt of wet tropical forest. The higher we climb, the colder it becomes. There is permanent ice at the summit and below freezing temperatures. Night-time temperatures will be very cold.
All the water on trek will be boiled or pumped and safe to drink. Bottled water is available to buy in the hotel. Meals on trek will be substantial, but it is still a good idea to bring energy bars, snacks, etc…, to keep you going during the day. Breakfast will consist of cereals and/or bread, with something hot such as porridge or pancakes, plus tea and coffee. A typical lunch will be sandwiches, chicken plus a drinks and chocolate bar. For our evening meal there will be soup followed by a main course with rice, potatoes, pasta and vegetables. Again hot drinks will be served. We will need to know in advance of any special dietary requirements.
In the “Fundraising” package the Nasio Trust is responsible for arranging your flights and connections for you before you arrive in Tanzania. Quoted prices are based on a UK departure airport but we can quote for departure from anywhere in the world.
With the “Climb Only” package, you are responsible for arranging your own flights and transfers to Kilimanjaro Airport, where the Nasio Trust will pick you up and take you into our care for the duration of your stay.
Although a portion of the funds raised in both types of package do go to benefit the causes we support, the “Climb Only” package is designed for people seeking to raise funds for a different charity, but still wanting to take advantage of our many years of experience arranging Kilimanjaro adventures.
Whichever option suits you best, you will still be guaranteed the high level of personal service and excellent summit success rates that we’ve worked so hard to provide through our network of local guides and operators.
The terrain varies from sub-tropical vegetation through cloud forest, to bare rugged mountain slopes. The route has repeated ascents and descents and whilst most of the paths are wide, there are a couple of short narrow sections.
The room configuration in the hotel at the beginning and end of the trek is likely to be twin share. Whilst we are trekking we will be sleeping in two person dome Mountain tents. Single rooms are available at the hotel on request at extra cost.
The altitude problem is the shortage of oxygen: as you climb higher, the air gets thinner. At 4,600m, atmospheric pressure is about 50% of that at sea level. The high altitude will be the biggest challenge to us on this trek and there are a variety of symptoms including headaches, tiredness, irritability, nausea and depression. The effects of altitude can be felt from around 2,500m upwards. Not everyone is affected by altitude sickness and fitness, size, age or sex has nothing to do with how people maybe affected (although females are less likely to be affected than males) if at all. Please read the altitude information on the Kilimanjaro medical form.