Hiking Kilimanjaro is a mindbogglingly daunting task – physically and mentally. However, there is one other thing which adds to all this stress while you prepare to conquer Kili and those are the questions – Kilimanjaro Packing List ? Kit and Clothes for Kilimanjaro ? What to wear for the Kilimanjaro summit?
There are various posts which give you a complete list of stuff which you can take while hiking Kili (Read more). But not everything is necessary based on our experience. I have provided below a list of stuff which are a must have and also some stuff which are good to have while you hike Kili for 5-6 days.
Remember there is a weight restriction of 15kg per person for what the porter can carry – so select and pack wisely.
Lets start with the List of stuff which you need to pack –
| # | Item | Must Have/Good to have? |
Comments |
| 1 | Thermals — Top and Bottom | Must Have | Get the best thermals you can lay your hands on. An absolute must have as it freezes at night and also on summit day. |
| 2 | Base layer | Must have | Again to protect you from the cold. |
| 3 | Fleece Jumper | Must have | Take a thick fleece jacket – this is your best bet against the cold. |
| 4 | Track pants | Good to have | Initial 1-2 days are not that cold and you can hike comfortable in your regular home track pants. |
| 5 | Trek Pants | Must have | Preferably the zipped ones which have multiple pockets and can be converted to shorts. |
| 6 | Water Proof Jacket and Pants | Must have | It can get wet at times and water proof jackets/pants is a must. You can use it interchangeably with the regular Trek pants. You can hire them in Kili. |
| 7 | Thermal Underwear | Good to have | With Thermals, Base layers, Trek pants – didn’t need it. |
| 8 | Thermal Socks | Must have | You would need this for the summit day. Practice walking with these socks to avoid shoe bites as they can be quite thick. |
| 9 | Walking/Sports Socks | Must have | Regular socks are a must – Keep extra pairs as it can be wet on some days. |
| 10 | Woollen Gloves | Must have | A pair of woollen gloves are a must at night and summit. |
| 11 | Hiking Gloves | Must have | Very good pair of hiking gloves – So you would be using both the woollen and hiking gloves on summit day.
|
| 12 | Woollen hats | Must have | |
| 13 | balaclavas | Must have | A 100% must have – the best protection for your face, ears, and nose on summit day. |
| 14 | Glares | Must have | African sun can be very punishing.
|
| 15 | Hiking Boots | Must have | The most important thing for the hike – a well-used, broken-in hiking boots. Ensure you have used them for quite a few hikes and are very comfortable with these.
|
| 16 | Sun Screen | Must have | As I said African sun can really hurt. |
| 17 | Lip Balm | Must have | |
| 18 | Moisturisng cream/cold | Must have | Your face tends to crack up in the ice cold temperatures – so a must have. |
| 19 | Walking Poles | Good to have | We never used it – but did see many people using it. You can rent it at Kili rather than take it all the way with you. |
| 20 | Sport/regular shoes | Good to have | At the end of the day, after walking for 5-6 hours, all you would want is to throw your hiking shoes and change into something more comfy. |
| 21 | Sleeping Bag | Must have | Unless you want to freeze yourself to death – this is a must have. But, you needn’t carry it with you – you can rent out. |
| 22 | Backpack | Must have | A backpack is needed to carry your essentials while you hike like water, lunch etc. |
| 23 | Water Bladder | Must have | Buy good quality ones which don’t freeze at minus temperatures. |
| 24 | Headlamps | Must have | Again for the summit night when you hike in pitch darkness they are your saviours – so buy good LED ones. |
| 26 | Rain cover for bag | Good to have | It can get wet at times so would need to protect your day packs. |
| 27 | Duffel bag | Must have | Porters prefer to carry your belongings in Duffel bags. |
| 28 | T-shirts | Must have | Take few good cotton t-shirts for the hike. |
| 29 | Towel, Napkins | Must have | Though you won’t be having much of a bath during the hike – you would need towel just to freshen up. |
| 30 | Toiletries – Tooth paste, Tooth brush, Toilet roll, wet wipes (many) | Must have | |
| 31 | Mosquito Repellent | Good to have | |
| 32 | First aid kit—Diamox, bandaids, paracetamol, painkillers and antibiotics | Must have | Keep this handy. Diamox helps with Altitude sickness – no harm in trying though.
Diamox – start taking 1 day before arriving at Kili to get used to it . |
| 33 | Vaccinations for Tanzania – yellow fewer and malaria!! | Good to have | Check your country’s travel guidelines for Tanzania. |
| 34 | Battery cells for Camera | Must have | Take additional batteries for your cameras as they tend to drain out more quickly in colder temperatures. |
| 35 | Zip bags | Must have | Use this for any valuables like passport, mobiles etc. |
| 37 | Eatables — Protien bars, nuts, gels | Must have | There is nothing specific you would need, just take anything which you enjoy and would keep you motivated – Even if it’s a snicker bar. |
| 38 |
Shewee |
Must have | The temperatures on the first day itself can get close to minus and also pitch darkness at night with no electricity doesn’t entice you to go out to take a leak. |
This is what we travelled with and were very comfortable. People do recommend using glove liners, gaiters etc – which I don’t think are essential.
What you wear doesn’t matter much for the days before the summit night. It can be hot at day time when you do most of the walking so wear something comfortable, carry lots of water, glares, hat etc. The nights can be quite cold – so a good fleece and a sleeping bag can make you feel comfortable.
However the answer to the question – “What to wear for the Kilimanjaro summit” matters a lot. You would be awakened close to 11:30PM to prepare for the hike. So be prepared on what you would be wearing. This is what I recommend –
Upper Body:
- Base Layer – Long sleeves
- Thermals – Long sleeves
- Regular T-shirt
- Thick Fleece Jumper
- Wind/Water Proof Jacket
Lower Body:
- Base layer Pants
- Thermal pants
- Hiking pants
- Thermal Socks
Other Stuff:
- Balaclava
- Woollen hat
- Woollen Gloves
- Hiking Gloves
- Headlamps
And finally take in lots of willpower – this is what will get you to the top.
View our Kilimanjaro Hike Video here –
Also, read our successful Kilimanjaro Hike journey here – Click here.
If you have any queries/feedback, leave me a comment with your email id and I’ll get back to you at the earliest.
This is Aldrin and my partner Amoli. We bring you "Earths Pilgrim" - a unique insight into our travel escapades while leaving life in a cubicle. If you are looking for some inspiration to break the shackles of a regular life, then you are the right place. Read more about us- Click here.