- Its the highest 'peak' of the African continent (Peak may be a wrong word as its actually a volcano)
- Its one of those rarest mountains in the equatorial region which has snow on it (other being Mt.Kenya)
- It is perhaps is the only 'highest-in-the-continent' type mountain that can be 'summited' by mortals like us with no prior mountaineering experience
- Its the place where you can experience all the four seasons on your way up to the summit
Some vital statistics about Mt.Kilimanjaro
Mt.Kilimanjaro is actually a combination of 3 volcanic cones. They are Kibo, Shira and Mawenzi. All these volcanos are extinct now. In technical terms they are in the "dormant" state (that is no new volcanic activity is expected). The Shira cone has the famed crater with ice and glaciers that we all are used to see. On its crater's rim lies the coveted highest point of Africa, the "Uhru peak" at 5895 mts or 19340 ft.
Another speciality of Mt.Kili is that all the four seasons can be experienced on the way to the top.
As for the citizens of India, visa is available on arrival for a fee of USD 50 at the Airport. One needs to fill in a application form at the Immigration points. (Photo is not necessary). A visa sticker is pasted on the passport detailing the duration of the stay and validity. The whole process takes about 20 minutes.
Currency:
Tanzanian currency is "Tanzanian Shillings" (TZS). At the time of creating this post, the exchange rate with 1 USD was about 1170 TZS (1 Indian rupee would buy 30 TZS). Thats a lot! and goes to show the effect of inflation. I would recommend travellers bringing the forex in USD and getting it exchanged through a reputed bank counters at the airport or at the border (Namanga). There are lot of touts promising good exchange rates who sometimes can be a nuisance. USD 100 is valued more than say 10 bills of USD 10. TZS comes in the denominations of 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000. Coins provide for lesser denominations.
Weather and the best time for the climb...
Tanzania's is a typical equatorial climate. The summer (hot season) is from December to March. Rest of the year its temparate and moderately hot. It has two rainy seasons April-May and October. Best months to climb Kili are August and September with clear skies and pleasant mercury levels.
Am I fit for the climb? What are my chances?
Though no prior mountain climbing experience is required, one certainly needs strong pair of legs and enduring pair of lungs. It doesn't in anyway mean that one can simply walk up to the summit. The initial trek and the final ascent require considerable stamina and physical fitness.
If you are young, fit and under 40, a regular regime of brisk "off road" walking of say 6 to 8 Kms everyday, 3 months prior to climb might suffice (don't hold me for this though!). The distance of entire trek till the summit is in average about 30-35 Kms, depending the chosen route. Don't get misguided by the word 'trek'. Infact its an ascent which only gets steeper by each passing Km. Half way up the route, mercury plunges to near zero levels and oxygen starts to thin out. This could cause altitude sickness.
In my experiece what one really needs is the right 'attitude' towards the whole climb. If one does not worry too much about odds of making it to the summit and all the hardships on the way, but gives his best shot, he/she has the maximum chance of making it to the top. I have seen people from many nationalities, of both sexes, in different to age groups (teens, youths and even an Icelander who was 57!) who succeeded.
Essentials : Organizers, tour guide, routes, gear, food etc
Plenty of tour operators in Tanzania (especially in Arusha and Moshi) organize climbing treks to Mt.Kili. Usually these operators also organize game safaris and hikes within East Africa and you could bargain out a decent deal combing both of these. Its always better to pre-organize the trek with a reputed tour company before arrivng to Tanzania. It may be possible to shop around for cheaper deals in Moshi or Arusha provided one has plenty of time and ready for few compramises.
If you are a solo climber the tour company (usually) provides a tour guide (who guides and accompanies you to the summit), a Porter (who carries your gear, food and water till the last camp) and a Cook. These are the local men and boys who have done this adventure many times over. They would know the routes like back of their palm.
Like many first timers, I was under the impression that I would myself be able to make it to the summit alone without any assistance. This is indeed not the case (with very few exceptions). You HAVE to take the assistance of a guide, especially if you intend to summit.
Popular routes to the summit.
There are various routes to the summit of Mt.Kilimanjaro. By far the most popular route is the "Marangu" route. The "Machame" routes comes close second. There are other routs like Mweka, Umbwe, Shira etc. For a detailed list of the routes and their characterists, click here and here.
The duration of the expedition could vary from a trek of 5 days and four nights to 8 days and 7 nights depending on the route chosen.
Marangu and Machame are by far the most popular routes of them all. Unlike Machame where one needs to pitch tents for resting in the nights,
It has 4 camps en-route and at each camp there are 'huts'. 
These huts are made of wood with proper bunk beds, and they are bit weather proof.. saves some time and effort of pitching the tents. Each camp has a separate large hut for dining. There are shared facilities for toilets, separate for men and women.
More about Marangu route.
It should be kept in mind that expeditions to Mt.Kilimanjaro are controlled and managed by Tanzanian government through the offices of Mt.Kilimanjaro National Park. The adiministrators would allow only allow fixed no. of climbers at a time on the trail ensuring that existing infrastructure (like camps, bunker beds, water etc) would support them all.
Marangu route starts at the base of Mt.Kilimanjaro at the Park Headquarters. It consists of four major points (or camps) en-route.
1. Marangu Gate. Altitude 1980 mts (Park Headquarters and starting point of the trek)
2. Mandara Hut. Altitude 2700 mts (distance from Marangu Gate - 12 Kms, about 5 hours of hiking)
3. Horombo Hut. Altitude 3720 mts (distance from Mandara Hut - 15 Kms, about 7 hours of hiking cum climbing)
4. Kibo Hut. Altitude 4700 mts (distance from Horomob Hut -12 Kms, about 6 hours of hiking cum climbing)
Final ascent to the summit (or shall I say the attempt) will be made from the Kibo Hut. If one manages to reach the "Gillman's point" at 5681 mts on the crater rim, then he has officially climbed the Mt.Kilimanjaro! But the real thing, the "Uhuru Peak" at 5895 mts is still a distance away. Reaching the Uhuru Peak is what the ultimate aim of this trek.
The Marangu route can usually be done in about 5 days and 4 nights. However it is highly recommended that an additional day is added to this for the acclamitization purposes. This extra day would be spent at Horombo Hut.
About en-route food (especially for veggies), medicine and creature comforts
Your porter and the cook would carry enough food essentials (like Vegetables, Cereals, Bread etc) along with water for the length of the trip. The food is prepared by the Cook and served at the dining areas of each camp (in Marangu route). They will serve you a breakfast, a lunch (which is packed like 'take away' to be eaten on the way), a tea-snack and a dinner. Besides this, soft drinks, mineral water and crunchy snacks are available in these huts for purchase as well.
I being a Vegetarian had absolutely no problem with the food. I had told my organizer about my food requirements and it was adequately taken care. I was served with assortment of vegetable soups, cereals, noodles, steamed rice (yes!), yogurt, salads, pickles, bread, jam etc.
How much does it cost?
The average cost of the trip (in either of these routes) could be in the range of about USD 1000 to USD 1300. This excludes the tips and niceties that you would pay for your guide, porter and cook. This also excludes the travel costs from your place in the world to Moshi. This could be quite a sum for some of us (especially those from third world countries). For the illustration purposes, I have given the cost of a trip made from India in Indian Rupees.
Airfare : Rs.30,000 (Mumbai to Nairobi)
Visa : Rs.4000 (Kenya and Nairobi)
Lodging : Avg cost of Rs.1000 per day for a basic accommodation at Moshi
Local travel : Rs.3000 (from Nairobi to Moshi and back)
Food : Rs.500 per day
Cost of expedition : Rs.40,000
Tips and gratuties : Rs.10,000
Rental of trekking gear : Rs.4000
Grand total : Rs.100,000 (or 1 lakh)
My own experience of summiting :
