Four adults smiling together in the alpine desert zone of Kilimanjaro
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What is it like to climb Kilimanjaro?

What is it like to climb Kilimanjaro?

Mar 18, 2025

Climbing Kilimanjaro is like walking from the Equator to the North Pole in the matter of a week! It's also an incredibly bonding experience. Let us paint you that picture in a little more detail ...

Man on snow mobile in snowy landscape

by  Paul Kelly

 

4 min read

Thinking of adding a Kilimanjaro climb to your plans for the future? Epic idea! We'd love to help.

One of the first things we can do in that vein is answer the commonly asked question: What is it like to climb Kilimanjaro?

Your preparation will be all the more effective and your anticipation all the sweeter when you have a clear view of what you're getting yourself into.

It's like walking from the Equator to the North Pole in a week

Kilimanjaro is a giant of a mountain that has glaciers at the top even though it sits just a stone's throw from the Equator! This is why we say that climbing Kilimanjaro is like walking from the Equator to the North Pole in the space of about a week.

But during this transition from hot to extreme cold, you pass through a handful of dramatic changes in vegetation, wildlife and climate during the ascent.

Kilimanjaro has five different climates zones:

  1. The lowest zone is one of coffee and banana cultivation. (Kilimanjaro is famous for its arabica coffees!) You don't hike in this zone โ€“ rather, you're driven through it to reach the second zone, where your trek begins ...
  2. Most Kilimanjaro routes have their trailheads in the rainforest zone. The lower portion of this forest is newer forest, while the upper portion is ancient and full of diversity.
  3. The next climate zone is Afro-alpine moorland (or heather), and this is a truly fascinating environment. You find rare and unusual plants here like giant lobelias and giant groundsels, as well as gorgeous proteas, impatiens and more.
  4. The next climate zone is alpine desert, and this is a harsh, unforgiving zone where little grows.
  5. And finally you have the arctic zone, which often receives snow. This is where you find Uhuru Peak, the highest point of the mountain at 5,895 m above sea level.

The ever-changing landscapes and weather that you experience on a Kilimanjaro trek make the adventure endlessly interesting and beautiful!

You can learn more about the changes in landscape and weather as you ascend the mountain in Mount Kilimanjaro's five surprising climate zones.

Kilimanjaro trekker, what is it like to climb Kilimanjaro?

You can go from a shirt to three cosy layers in one day on Kilimanjaro!

 

 

It's a truly bonding adventure

Picture this ...

You chat with your guide while walking through the forest, learning about his life in Tanzania while sharing about yours back home. You swap stories in the evening with your fellow trekkers whilst eating dinner in the cosy mess tent. Later you discuss your nervousness for summit day with your tent mate. And on summit day you stand tall (even though tired!) by the Uhuru Peak sign with everyone in your team, arms around one another, smiling into the camera as you digest the fact that you've reached your grand goal!

So yes, one of the very special aspects about climbing Kilimanjaro is the relationships that you form through the experience. Because for the week or so that you're on the mountain together, you're like a family. You have to rely on each other for everything. And that's incredibly bonding.

In terms of your mountain crew, it's your guides and cook whom you grow to know the best. Your guides are literally alongside you for most of the trek, getting to know how you tick in order to help you practically, mentally and emotionally. There's also lots of time for great talks, and so unsurprisingly they often feel like friends by the end of the adventure!

You also forge strong bonds with the other trekkers in your group โ€“ whether they were friends or strangers at the start, it doesn't matter! The nature of the trek is that you quickly move past any initial getting-to-know-you awkwardnesses because you're thrown into the thick of things together. You cosy up in the mess tent together every day, tired but happy, and have all of the day's experiences as fodder for good chats and laughs.

Climbing Kilimanjaro really is a great way to meet fellow adventurous souls like yourself. In fact, at Follow Alice we've had clients who met on a Kili climb and then arranged to meet up in other parts of the world for further adventures together!

group photo with Follow Alice flag at Kilimanjaro campsite, What is it like to climb Kilimanjaro

 

If you're ready to book your spot on a future climb, check out our Kilimanjaro dates and itineraries!