Am I fit enough to hike the trail?
Are you able to walk 15 km on one day? Have a go at it: pack a bag and start walking in your surroundings. How do you feel? Start with short walks and steadily extend the distance of your walks. This practice may encourage you before starting your travels. Anticipation is known to be the greatest joy. Do not stop due to sore muscles! Start your practice with short, steadily extending walks. Training will make sore muscles vanish after a short period of time.
In case you do not have any experience or practice with hiking start slowly with short distances. Consult your doctor and ask him or her for recommendations.
It is a great idea to document the improvements of the distanced walked, your weight, your waist measurements, your blood pressure and your heart rate. The positive feedback is one of the many rewards for your efforts. Take your measurements before and after the hike!
Motivate others to participate as well. Practicing in a group setting is motivating and lasting.
What time of the year is the best time to hike the Kili Trail?
We recommend to hike in the dry season. The dry season lasts from June until October. During that period we mostly have dry climate and moderat temperatures. January and February are dry as well however those months are also the hottest. Do not forget to bring sunscreen. Along the trail passing through the savanna to Lake Chala, there is almost no shade.
In general please bring a raincoat with you at any time. Mount Kilimanjaro has its own climate and rain is possible through out the year.
During rain season, from March until May and November until December, it is not always possible to hike as parts of the trail are not accessible. Please inform yourselves about the possibilities of a hike during rain season with our local coordinator.
Rain can convert the trail into a slippery slope and rivers are not possible to cross any more. Hiking sticks are in general an advantage.
The average annual temperature at the hight of the trail (1200 - 1700 m above the see level) is 18° C. At the foot of the mountain in Moshi city it is 25° C.
Where can I get something to drink along the trail?
Along the way you can buy 'soda'-lemonade, a product of a local fresh water company, or bottled water. It should be sufficient to bring one or two bottles of water with you. On the markets you will be able to purchase soft drinks like Coca Cola as well.
Shoes, clothes, luggage
Most important asset for your hike are the right shoes. We recommend worn-in walking shoes or hiking boots as some parts of the trail are fairly steep.
Simple, lose clothes covering shoulders and legs are to be recommended. Provocative clothes, revealing the shoulders or the neckline, worn by women are frowned upon. Likewise men should refrain from wearing short shorts and singlets/tank tops. Next to the sunscreen it is vital to bring a sun protection for your head. Try to bring not more than 6 - 8 kg of luggage on your trip. A recommended packing list includes one pair of casual shoes for example flip flops for the evenings, one pair of long trousers, fleece jacket, two shirts/blouses, two pair of socks, underwear, light towel, light pyjama, light raincoat, toiletries, clothes line, clothes peg, a small medical kid, flash light, adapter and charger, a pen, a diary, a camera, ...
Where can I eat and sleep?
The accommodations offer local meals. When staying at a local guest house this usually includes dinner, breakfast and a lunch box to take with you the next day. It is a great idea to bring an empty lunch box with you. That way you can minimise rubbish and guarantee for a safe transportation of the meal.
A simple hospital canteen supplies employees of the hospitals in Nachahme and Kibosho with meals and drinks. Here visitors are welcome as well.
Enroute you pass street traders as well as small stands at trail crossings or groups of houses. The traders sell peanuts, avocado, banana, other fruits, cookies, lemonades and bottled water. Those opportunities to stock up on drinks and snacks should be taken seriously as there are parts of the trail without any possibility of purchasing goods.
Along the route there are accommodation of different qualities. However there are not plenty of options and therefore rooms should be booked in advance. Our local coordinator will be very happy to help you with that. The price for a room with dinner and breakfast, some times even including a lunch box for the next day, range between 23 - 53 US$ a night/person.
It is cheaper to sleep in your own tend. However not all campsites have toilets or washing facilities. Therefore it is advisable to approach parishes, the Wildlife College in Mweka, the KNCU coffee cooperative near Uru-Ost or the lodge at Lake Chala to find a spot to set up your tent as they offer suitable prerequisites. It is possible to rent a tent at the Wildlife college, KNCU and at the lodge at Lake Chala. However you need to bring your own sleeping bag and a sleeping mat. That means around an additional 7 kg on your bag. We recommend talking to our local coordinators in order to get you sorted for camping at one of these addresses.
A mosquito net is no necessity in Moshi city. However there are different recommendations when it comes to Mount Kilimanjaro's Garden Belt. In the hight of 1200 - 1700 m above see level mosquitos and malaria are seldom. Most accommodations supply the rooms with mosquito nets. Nevertheless it is advisable to bring malaria prophylaxis when being new to the region.
Trail and GPS
As there are no trail marker we recommend hiking with a local guide familiar to the way. The information you receive from him/her can enrich your hike to a great extend. A GPS tracker and the maps in the hiking booklet are helpful to your own orientation. The locals are not always able to give you detailed information. Even though they are locals they do not necessarily know the ways to distant places. In addition signs for towns or villages are often missing. Parishes, mosques, schools, medical centres or markets can be used as signs of orientation along the trail.
Which direction should I hike?
Machame is situated on top of the hill, whereas Lake Chala is situated downhill in the savanna. While hiking from west to east the trail leads down to the lake with a wide view over the Pare and the Usambara Mountains. A dip in the crater lake rewards you for the long and sometimes exhausting hike.
While hiking form east to west the trail leads you several hours through the savanna up into the garden belt offering shade.
Shorter hikes of a single or a few days are possible as well. The most difficult part of the trail lies between Uru and Fukeni. At this point the trail crosses several deep valleys. This part is known as 'Gutman-Trail' named after one of the first missionaries to the region.
How much time should I calculated for the entire trip?
Hiking the entire 100 km could be translated into 6 to 8 days of walking. It is possible to walk 15 - 20 km a day while walking 3 - 4 km in an hour. You need to calculate more time if you want to visit churches, plant a tree, undertake some bird watching, take photos of plants and animals, visit waterfalls and the Chagga caves as well as museums along the way. The daily kilometres also depend on the accommodation available. Our local coordinator are more than happy to help you with information on that matter.