If you’ve never met me before, you may not know that I have climbed Kilimanjaro twice! My first time was in 2012 with Kent Scouts when I was 19/20 years old (I had my birthday during the trip), and my second time was in 2022 on the 10 year anniversary of my first climb, in which I organised the trip for myself and other Scouters in Kent.
Below you will find my Awesome Kilimanjaro Kit list that I shared with our climbers in 2022. I have split the kit list into hand luggage and hold luggage as I usually find this helpful when actually packing my bags before a flight, even if everything gets moved around when climbing the mountain.
I have also included at the end of the page some of the group kit we took and split between us for the benefit of our whole group. On the mountain (and on the plane), this equipment is split between us and our mountain weight limits.
For some extra context, we climbed both Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru which is a nearby volcano to Kilimanjaro which is great for acclimatization. However, this shouldn’t have generated too much extra kit.
Hand Luggage
One piece, not to exceed 7 kg or 50 x 37 x 25 cm (Depends on your airline)
| Item | Comments |
|---|---|
| Walking Boots | Not really in your luggage, but worn on the plane. These are usually heavy so wearing them takes that weight out of your allowance. Make sure they are a decent pair, and not cheap shoes. The last thing you want is to have them break on the side of the mountain. Make sure they are worn in! |
| Passport + Yellow Fever Certificate | Keep these together. Yellow fever isn’t strictly needed for Tanzania, but if you get diverted to Kenya and get stuck there for a little while, then you wont be able to enter Tanzania until 10 days after vaccination. |
| Printed Photocopy of passport and Travel Insurance | Keep separate from your passport. |
| Digital copy of your documents stored on your phone | |
| Travel money £ UK for airport & US$ for overseas | Tanzanian Shillings are generally not available outside of Tanzania, you will have to change them in a bank or airport in Tanzania. However USD is the second currency of Tanzania, and is used for tipping your guides/porters. |
| Tanzanian Visa – Printed and digital copy on phone | |
| Mobile phone | |
| Mobile phone charger (plug) | |
| USB Cables | Whatever your devices need to charge. I recommend strong braided cables, and with enough length to reach from your bag to your pocket/hand to charge on the go. |
| Battery bank | For charging your phone (which may also be your camera). You will be on the mountain for usually around 7 days, so you may need 2 to 3 packs depending on their capacity. |
| Wristwatch | |
| Sunglasses (Cat 4) | You need category 4 sunglasses for high altitude. the category defines how much sun they block out, and at high altitude there is a lot of UV light. |
| Money Belt | Pick pockets can be a real problem in Tanzanian cities. |
| Expedition Shirt and necker (worn) | Pickpockets can be a real problem in Tanzanian cities. |
| Gopro / Osmo – and any accessories | You may wish to take video of your climb, these are sturdy and can be attached to you or your bag with accessories. Make sure they are USB rechargeable. |
| Sim card plan | Not strictly necessary, and likely done at the airport on landing. If you want data, and to be able to update people on your trip then a local sim may be the best option. There is signal at most camps on the mountain nowadays. |
| Digital scales | For weighing your bags. Not just for the airport, but also when prepping your bag for the mountain. |
| Anti Malaria Tables | Needed for Tanzania. Technically not needed on the mountain due to the altitude, but due to needing to take tables x amount of days before and after exposure, you will still need to take them, |
| Other medication | Any other medications you take, such as anti-nausea pills. |
Hold Luggage
Personal Walking & Camping Gear
| Item | Comments |
|---|---|
| Trekking poles x 2 | I cannot stress the importance of these to take stress of your knees when descending the mountain. |
| Sleeping bag | 4 season. The top of Kilimanjaro can be as cold as negative 20. So make sure the sleeping bag is rated for this. They will usually be large. |
| Fleece or silk sleeping bag liner | Extra warmth |
| Sleeping mat | Some tour companies include mats, but they can be very thin |
| Travel pillow | |
| Head torch | |
| Spare torch | Important. Nothing worse than your headtorch breaking during accent and not being able to see. |
| Batteries for both torches | |
| Solar panel & cord/clips for securing to things | Can be useful, but not always as your moving during peak sun hours. |
| Platypus / osprey / Camel bag | Whatever a hydration pack/pouch may be called where you are, these are the best main source of water for you to drink on the go. You will drink at least 3 litres each day. |
| Hydration pipe insulator | On summit night, your hydration bag pipe may freeze as you walk (mine did on my first climb). Either blow air into the pipe after each drink, or buy an insulated pipe. |
| Backup water bottle | |
| Spare boot laces | |
| Absorbent trekking towel | |
| Insect repellent | |
| Suncream | High factor. You are closer to the sun at altitude, and you can still burn through the clouds in the rainforest part of the mountain (I learnt the hard way) |
| Lip sunscreen | |
| Housewife | Sowing kit for fixing things |
| Tenacious tape | Useful for patching holes |
Clothing
| Item | Comments |
|---|---|
| Trainers & or Crocs | Comfy shoes for around the hotel and at camps on the mountain |
| Gaiters | Lower parts of the mountain can be very muddy |
| Walking Socks | Plenty of these |
| Normal socks | For off the mountain, and also to layer under walking socks |
| Underwear | |
| Tee Shirts | |
| Swimwear | For any hotels |
| Thin Fleece | |
| Thick Fleece | |
| Wide-brimmed hat | Protect your ears too |
| Walking trousers | Lightweight, quick drying. Do not wear jeans! |
Technical Clothing
| Item | Comments |
|---|---|
| Thermal long sleeve base layer | |
| Thermal long legging base layer | |
| Down jacket with hood | For Summit Nights |
| Fleece hat | |
| Waterproof over-trousers | |
| Waterproof jacket with hood | |
| Fleece gloves | |
| Warm over gloves/mitts | Often you can get 2 part gloves that have a removable fleece glove inside, and a thick warm outer glove. Remember its as cold as -20c |
Personal hygiene
| Item | Comments |
|---|---|
| Toilet rolls x 4 | If you’ve got a tour company with a personal portaloo then it may come with toilet paper. But don’t get caught short, especially between camps. And if you are using the on-mountain long drops, you will need your own toilet roll. |
| Tissues | |
| Small Nail Brush | Kilimanjaro is ashy and dusty and it easily gets under your nails |
| Toothbrush | |
| Toothpaste | |
| Beach Towel | For off the mountain |
| Soap/Shower gel/Shampoo | |
| Wet Wipes | For cleaning your face/body. No showers on the mountain. |
| Dry shampoo | |
| Travel wash / Scrubba bag | You may wish to clean your clothes before/after the climb |
| Antibacterial handwash / handgel | |
| Foot powder/creams | |
| Deodorant | |
| Razer | |
| Any other personal hygiene products |
Personal First Aid Kit
| Item | Comments |
|---|---|
| Water purification drops | |
| Ibuprofen & Paracetamol | Altitude often causes headaches. These can both usually be taken together. |
| Asprin | |
| Piriton tablets | for bug bites |
| Antiseptic cream | |
| Selection of plasters | |
| Blister plasters | Loads of these. I also recommend you have some plaster style tape to go over them, as they can melt into your socks when walking. |
| Dioralyte & Immodium | Encase you need it! |
| Lactulose | For the opposite situation to the above |
| Small tin of vaseline | For windburn and other rubbing |
| Diamox | If prescribed by your doctor for the altitude. (I didn’t get this) |
| Sterile wipes |
Group Equipment
| Item | Comments |
|---|---|
| Group paperwork x2 – Copies of passports & Visas – Printed emergency action plan – Itinerary – Tour Company – Itinerary – Your own full Itinerary – Hotel Bookings – Emergency contact details | Two members of your group should carry a paper copy of all these things. When traveling you may lose access to your phone or the internet. |
| Group Cash (USD in two envelopes) | Split group money between main organizers. Group money is used for things that can’t be bought in advance online (like buses and taxis). It is also for emergency situations and can help top-up tips. |
| Mountain Leader first aid kit | Several depending on your group size |
| Sterile first aid kit | This contains sharps (needles/scalpel). You may not trust the hygiene if you end up in hospital, you can give them this pack. |
| Lightweight folding stretcher | For emergencies. Packs up really really small. |
| Water purifier pump | Water on the mountain usually has to be boiled, and or have water purification drops/tablets added. This may not taste very nice. A group filter can solve this. |
| Splint (leg/wrist) | For emergencies. lightweight and portable. |