Walk from the equator to the arctic

How hard is Kilimanjaro, what are your chances of summiting, which route to pick and when to go, answered by an operator based at the foot of the mountain.

Do I need climbing experience?: No. Every standard route up Kilimanjaro is a walk, not a climb: no ropes, no harnesses and no technical skills. The one section people worry about, the Barranco Wall, is a scramble where you use your hands for a few metres. What the mountain demands is the ability to keep walking for five to seven hours a day, several days in a row, on progressively less oxygen.
What are my actual chances of reaching the summit?: It depends far more on how many days you spend than on how fit you are. Five-day climbs succeed well under half the time; eight and nine-day climbs are up around nine in ten. Adding a single day to your itinerary does more for your chances than months of training, because the limiting factor is how fast your body makes red blood cells, and that cannot be rushed.
How fit do I need to be?: Fit enough to walk for six hours carrying a daypack, on consecutive days, without it ruining you. Most people who train for a few months with long weekend walks, hills and stairs are fine. Being an athlete does not protect you from altitude. Very fit people sometimes fare worse, because they climb faster than their acclimatisation allows.
What is altitude sickness, and will I get it?: Almost everyone gets some of it: headache, poor appetite, broken sleep and breathlessness are normal above about 3,000m. That is acute mountain sickness in its mild form and it passes as you adjust. The prevention is unglamorous: walk slowly (pole pole is not a slogan, it is the method), drink three to four litres a day, and take routes that climb high and sleep low. Your guides check oxygen saturation twice daily. Serious altitude illness is rare, and descending is the only reliable treatment, which is why it is never negotiated.
How cold does it actually get?: You start in shorts. The forest sits around 25°C, and the temperature falls roughly as you climb. Summit night is the extreme: typically between -7°C and -20°C at Uhuru Peak before wind chill, in the dark, after a midnight start. It is the coldest most climbers have ever been, and it lasts a few hours.
When is the best time to climb?: Two windows: January to early March, and June to October. Both are dry and clear, with January to March slightly warmer and quieter, and June to October the peak season. April and May are the long rains, and November the short rains. The mountain is far emptier then and cheaper, but the forest is genuinely wet and the summit views are a lottery.
Why do prices vary so much between operators?: Because a large fixed portion of any climb goes to Kilimanjaro National Park in conservation, camping, rescue and crew fees before an operator has bought a single meal. That figure is the same for everyone. When a quote comes in far below the rest of the market, the saving is coming out of something, usually porter wages, food quality, or the safety equipment you hope never to need. Ask any operator what their crew are paid and how many porters carry your climb.
How many people will be with me on the mountain?: More than most people expect. A camping route runs about four to five crew per climber and a hut route about three: a lead guide, a cook, and porters carrying tents, food, water and equipment. You carry a daypack. A second guide joins the party from three climbers, so a pair walks with one guide between them. Porter welfare is a real issue on Kilimanjaro, with load limits and wage standards that not every operator observes.
Is there a minimum age?: Kilimanjaro National Park sets the minimum age at 10. In practice, whether a particular child should climb is a separate question from whether the rules allow it, and it depends far more on the itinerary length than on the child.
What are the toilets and washing like?: Long-drop toilets at each camp, which are as basic as that sounds. Good operators carry a private toilet tent as well. There are no showers. You get a bowl of warm water each morning and evening, and you learn to appreciate wet wipes. Marangu's huts have slightly better facilities, which is part of its appeal.
How long is summit night?: You are woken around 23:00, start walking by midnight, and reach the crater rim at Stella Point after six or seven hours in the dark. Uhuru Peak is another 45 minutes along the rim. Then you descend all the way back past your camp to a lower one, twelve to sixteen hours of walking in total. It is the hardest day, and everything before it is arranged to get you through it.
Can I charge a phone or camera?: There is no mains power on the mountain. Bring a power bank and keep it inside your sleeping bag at night. Cold flattens batteries faster than use does. Signal reaches parts of the mountain but not reliably.