Kilimanjaro

Hi! I'm a 20 year old student and have decided to take my next semester off to do some world traveling. My plan starts in Africa, where I want to do an overland tour from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, catch the train to Kilimanjaro, and climb. This is where my question begins. I've been doing a lot of research on line about climbing tours etc., but they are all SO expensive. I'm looking to pay around $1000, but not much more. There have been sites that say people do it for around $500, but I just don't understand how. Does anyone know how to make it more affordable? Or of any good (and cheap) overland tours from Cape Town to VF? Thanks!

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ingridsheila -
Take a look at my trip report from last December for Kilimanjaro here on Trailspace - http://www.trailspace.com/news/2008/02/13/africa-2007-photo-safari-and-kilimanjaro-hike.html

If you want to book from the US, contact Adventures Within Reach http://adventureswithinreach.com/. Or, you can wait until you are in Moshi or Arusha to contact a local guide service. We went with a local Moshi company called EcoTours. I will warn you that as you walk around town, you will be accosted by many locals offering "bargains" to guide you up the mountain. As with many things in life, you get what you pay for, and a lot of the offers on the street end up costing a lot more than they seem to offer at first. There are park entry fees (even higher than the most popular US national parks are these days), and you will need someplace to stay before and after (even the local hostel is expensive, as much as some acceptable hotels). Also plan on giving your guide, porters, and cook tips (roughly $7/day for the porters, $10/day for the cook, and $15/day for the guide - they get something like this from the company you hire, though some companies exploit the porters and pay them less than what the porters' union considers fair). And don't forget the fee for the visa you need for each country (Tanzania's was $100 in December, and other countries in Africa are similar).

If you are looking to do the whole Cape Town to Victoria Falls tour for $1000, I'm afraid you are out of luck, especially since the air fare is likely to be double that by itself. Keep in mind that for the climb of Kili, you are required to have a local guide (whether you book through a US or European climbing company with their own guides), cook, and porters. The minimum for 1 person is 1 guide, 3 porters, and 1 cook. I would expect the minimum would be at least $1400, depending on the dollar-euro exchange rate (remember that a single person will probably have to pay a "single supplement").

I would strongly advise you to start learning Swahili (more than just "survival Swahili"). It makes a big difference in getting along with the locals and with your guide and porters.

Sorry, but the old "Europe on $5 a day" no longer exists. Still, with air fare and all, the 2 of us did it on a bit less than $7000 for 20 days - and we did the safari as "Basic Camping", and I had the minimum crew for the climb on a fast 6-day schedule, with minimal stays in an economy hotel before and after the safari and climb.

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