What price should I pay?

How much should I pay for a Kilimanjaro climb? This is perhaps the most common question that vexes travelers.

The price of your trip ultimately depends upon YOU AND YOUR NEEDS.

For instance, the number of days on the mountain and the number of climbers determine a general price for a Kilimanjaro climb. And, the price is determined by the quality of trip you want to experience. You can find short, very cheap trips for $500 to $600 per person (not guaranteed to make it to the top) and you can find long, very expensive trips for $3000 to $4000 per person. A number of midrange trips run anywhere from $900 to $1400 on up. All of these prices change the longer you choose to stay on the mountain. As you can see, prices of trips covers the whole spectrum of services.

So what should you choose? Well, it’s kind of like this: I kind of equate it to staying in a hotel in the United States. Do you want a Motel Six quality? Do you want to stay at the Best Western quality? Or, do you want to stay at the Hilton quality?

If you are paying for a cheap trip, expect to get cheap services – guides probably won’t be as qualified, you food will not be a good, porters with be underpaid, no emergency plans, and the gear for the trip won’t be first rate. You could comprise your safety. But you might summit the mountain and by a quarter of the price that most people did.

If you are paying for a high-end trip, you will probably have everything from quality toilets, personal chairs, top-notch mountain gear, cooks that were trained abroad and some of the best guides, many who have been trained in Western countries.

One last thing, while many people look for budget trips on Mt. Kilimanjaro, remember you will most likely be camping outside for 6 to 9 days and will be at high elevations under sometimes-strenuous conditions. Given these circumstances, make sure you really consider the quality of the trip.

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