Kilimanjaro Hiking Prices Clarification

1. GROUP SIZE
The more people that are in a trekking party, the lower the cost per person. Climbs that have only one or two climbers will have the highest prices as the costs to operate are shared by a small number of people. Not surprisingly, climbs with a dozen or more people will have much lower prices.

2. KILIMANJARO CLIMBING EXPENSES
Conservation Fees – $70 per day per person.
The Kilimanjaro National Park authority collects fees from all visitors in order to fund the upkeep of the park. This includes maintaining the trail, keeping it clean and paying for the rangers. The conservation fee applies for each day (including partial days) you spend inside the park. On an 8 day Lemosho climb, the conservation fees total $560 ($70 x 8 days).
Camping or Hut Fees – $50 to $60 per night per person
This fee is charged for using the campsites and simple huts on the mountain. Huts are only available on the Marangu route. All other routes camping at designated public sites. The hut fees on a 5 day Marangu climb are $240 ($60 x 4 nights). On an 8 day Lemosho climb, the camping fees are $350 ($50 x 7 nights).
Rescue Fees– $20 per person per trip
Rescue fees are charged for the chance the park authority may need to coordinate a rescue. This fee must be paid whether or not you actually require rescue. The cost is $20 per person per trip.

Guide and Porter Entrance Fees – $2 per staff person per trip
All of the staff also must pay park fees to enter. The park entrance fee is $2 per person per trip.
Value-Added Tax – 18% of services
A value-added tax (VAT) is a type of general consumption tax that is placed on goods and services whenever value is added at a stage of production or distribution. The Tanzanian government charges an 18% VAT to Kilimanjaro operators.
Wages, Food and Transportation Costs
After park fees and taxes, the other significant expenses are staff wages, food, and transportation costs.
Local wages amount to around $80-$150 per climber per day (depending on group size). Food costs come out to about $10-$20 per climber per day (includes food for staff). Transportation costs are about $100 per trip depending on the route. There are also costs associated with wear and tear on camping equipment and administrative costs for arranging your climb.
By adding up all the daily costs listed above, you can estimate what it may cost to fund a Kilimanjaro climb on your own. The total is certainly significant, but are not high enough to justify the jaw dropping price tags seen in the industry.
So instead of asking how we can be priced so low, you should be asking how those other companies can be priced so high?

3. QUALITY OF SERVICES
-Guides & Porters
Having a high guide-to-client and porter-to-client ratio means that porters are not overloaded, carrying more weight than they should be, in an attempt to keep prices low.
Sleeping conditions, adequate gear, and food are just as important for porters. Our guides perform the same health checks for the porters every day, to ensure no one is suffering from altitude sickness or other complaints.
When you see how hard your porters work, you’ll be thankful that you climbed with a company that makes it our mission to ensure staff rise their life standard.

At Climbing Kilimanjaro we take our responsibility to our guides and porters very seriously. There are countless reports of porters not being paid a living wage, of them having little to no cold-weather gear, inadequate food, and sleeping in crowded, uncomfortable conditions. The Tanzania Porters Organization was set up to counteract this unethical treatment and we aim to exceed their guidelines.
-Your Safety & Well being
Climbing Kilimanjaro is tough. And it can be dangerous. For your safety and comfort, at the very least, you’ll want:
-Well trained, experienced English-speaking guides who know what to do in an emergency
-Proper procedures in place
-Well maintained, good quality equipment
-Nutritious, varied meals that are tasty
-Safe drinking water

Evacuation Procedure & Medical Kit
well-maintained safety equipment, and proper processes in place in the case of an emergency:
-Pulse Oximeter for daily monitoring and check up
-Training in the use of the Lake Louise Scoring System for Altitude symptoms
-Emergency oxygen & when/how/whom to use it
-Stretcher for evacuation if a climber can’t walk
-Medical kit, replenished regularly
-Knowledge of when to call for helicopter rescue and how to stabilize a patient before they arrive
Our porter are categorised in three different groups, the first group is the medical training porters which is very important, in the case of an emergency. Building a team of porters and guides who are teamwork this is to ensures the efficient running of the camp, and in the event of an emergency, a well-rehearsed evacuation procedure.

-Equipment
Gear and equipment on the mountain takes a battering. You want to be sure that your operator maintains all gear to a high standard. When you choose a climb kilimanjaro, you have to be sure that you’re getting the following trekking equipments

-Solid, well-maintained 4-season tents, suitable for mountain conditions.
-Proper dining tent with table and chairs and cooking tent
-Toilet and toilet tent (if applicable)
-Spare gear in case of damage
It is better to know that your crew has proper trekking gear and sleeping conditions which means good sleeping tent which is water proof.

Our Ratio for Climber to Guide & Climber to Porter
Trekking Kilimanjaro is a specialist outfitter dedicated to leading clients on Mount Kilimanjaro. We provide two professionals, trained mountain guides for every two climbers. According to this ratio allows for safe monitoring of all our climbers and good management in and around campsite. We’ve seen groups of 7 climbers with two guides, which you might save money but possibly at the higher risk of the climbers.
When you see the amount of equipment that needs to be carried up the mountain, from the tents to the kitchen equipment, toilet facilities and food you’ll realize why we need a very large team of crew.
There are roles weight limits imposed by the National Parks Authority on how much an individual porter is allowed to carry. This is quite often ignored, in an attempt to cut costs, and results in porters being overloaded. As part of our commitment to porter welfare, we strictly limit the loads they carry.
Usually, there are around 4-5 porters per climber. This ratio varies depending on the route and trekking days.

4. The Cost Of Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro Depends On Choosen Route

There are eight hiking Kilimanjaro routes that lead you to the summit of Kilimanjaro Uhuru Peak . The route you choose will also affect how much your climb costs. Longer routes, with more days on the mountain, increase your chances of summit success by having a better acclimatization protocol. Some people try to save on the cost by opting for the shortest route possible.
If your goal is to reach the summit, then you need to give your body a chance to adapt to the altitude and acclimatize properly. It’s not much good if you’ve booked a five-day climb and have to turn back on day 3 with altitude sickness.
For this reason, Climbing Kilimanjaro 5 days Marangu route we do not recommend , as for most hikers it gives insufficient time for acclimatization and as a result, has a much lower summit success rate.
Climbing Kilimanjaro recommends 6 days as a minimum, but 7-8 days on the mountain gives you the best acclimatization protocol and offers the highest chance of a safe and successful summit.

Route	Duration	Description	Success rate
Lemosho route	7-8 days	Arguably the most beautiful route to ascend Kilimanjaro. It’s popular, but not as crowded as the Machame route.	High
Machame Route	6-8 days	The most popular Mount Kilimanjaro route. Very Scenic Route and has acclimitization advantage, hike high sleep low	High
Marangu Route	5-6 days	The only route on Mount Kilimanjaro that has hut accommodation. Not very scenic.	Low
Rongai Route	6-7 days	Rongai route ascends Kilimanjaro from the north-eastern side of the mountain, along the border between Kenya and Tanzania. It’s the easiest route and best during rain season	Medium
Northern Circuit	9-10 days	The newest and longest Mount Kilimanjaro route. It’s very scenic, and is one of the least crowded routes.	High
Umbwe Route	5-6 days	The shortest, steepest and hardest of all Mount Kilimanjaro routes. For experienced hikers	Low
Shira Route	6-7 days	Shira Route is a little used trail that begins near Shira Ridge. It is nearly identical to the Lemosho route.	Medium
Western Breach	7-10 days	e Western Breach is a gap, formed by lava flow, on the western outer rim of Mount Kilimanjaro main summit, Kibo.	Low