Climbing Kilimanjaro for Free (Is It Possible?)

If you’re like me and are planning a trip to Kilimanjaro, you have probably found out that it’s pretty expensive. So I’ve been wondering if there is any way I can climb Kilimanjaro for free so I decided to dig around.

It’s virtually impossible to climb Kilimanjaro for free. This is because you cannot climb Kilimanjaro without the company of a registered guide and porters to carry your luggage, both of who require payment. In addition to this, Kilimanjaro charges a fee for each climber that amounts to about $800 just in entry fees. Let’s look at unique situations where you can climb Kilimanjaro for free and alternative mountains you might want to consider if you want to climb for free.

Is it possible to climb Kilimanjaro for free?

As I’ve mentioned earlier, climbing Kilimanjaro for free is really close to impossible. There are a lot of mandatory fees that you must pay to even access the mountain that makes it virtually impossible for you to climb for free.

Mandatory fees you must pay to climb Kilimanjaro

1. Park Entry Fees: For you to be able to even start your climb, you will need to pay the entry fee for you, your guide and porters. This averages around $900 and needs to be submitted before you are allowed on the mountain.
2. Guide and Porter Fee: This will be paid to the climbing company in advance before starting your climb
3. Tips to the Guide and Porters: These will be given after the climb is done

I have written a more extensive article on why climbing Kilimajaro is so expensive. You can look at it for more details

Possible ways you can climb Kilimanjaro for free.

The only way I have found that you can go up Kilimanjaro without having to pay any fees is getting a large group of friends who will hike with you up Kilimanjaro and have them all pay for their hikes. With that, you can negotiate a discount with the climbing company to allow you to climb without paying for bringing a large climbing party to climb.

I think this strategy is difficult to execute since you will need friends or contacts who have a lot of money and don’t ask a lot of questions. 🙂

Why you can’t climb Kilimanjaro on Your own

As observed above, the main thing that makes Kilimanjaro so expensive to climb are the fees you pay to the guide company to take you up the mountain. 

So you may have asked yourself why you can’t climb the mountain alone without the guides.

The government of Tanzania requires all climbers going up the mountain to be accompanied by registered and trained guides. Each climber is also required to have at least 3 porters to carry their luggage.

Since these are not suggestions, you will not be allowed to go up the mountain unless these conditions have been fulfilled.

How everyone else Climbs Kilimanjaro

Most people climb Kilimanjaro using mid-range climbing companies like ultimate Kilimanjaro and PeakPlanet. These don’t charge the cheapest fees but they offer quality services and are well trained to keep you safe on the mountain.

When climbing Kilimanjaro, you don’t want to go with the cheapest company since they may be taking shortcuts that at best will make your climb uncomfortable or at worst, can put you in mortal danger.

On the other hand, you may not want to spend $6,000 to climb this mountain unless you have a lot of money and don’t mind paying more than double what normal companies charge without providing much extra comfort.

Mountains you can climb for free

If you are completely not able to climb Kilimanjaro due to the high cost, you may consider the following mountains which you can climb for virtually no money.

1. Mount Rainier (Washington USA): $15 This mountain allows climbers to go alone and you will only spend $15 in the entrance fee to get in and that’s it. You may need to use guides but they are not required
2. White Mountain (New Hampshire USA) $15: Although this is not a long climb, it is a popular destination for beginners and offers a good climbing challenge without charging a lot. The $15, I found, was for the map.
3. Mount Whitney (California USA) $15: Also popular with tourists, this mountain offers a good challenge for someone who wants to prove themselves without going to Africa to do it.

How to get a discount when climbing Kilimanjaro

Climbing Kilimanjaro has a lot of costs and you may find it difficult to find any discounts from any company already charging fairly to climb Kilimanjaro. 

However, when planning my hike to Kilimanjaro, I found that being a citizen of Kenya makes me entitled to a discount in the park entry fees which make up a large percentage of the climbing cost. 

Since most of the people reading this may not be able to get this discount to climb Kilimanjaro as I can, what you need to do is to get a company whose rates are affordable and reasonable though not the cheapest.

Why you shouldn’t look for the cheapest Kilimanjaro climbing company

When choosing your Kilimanjaro hiking company, you will need to choose companies that are not the cheapest since the cheap ones may be cutting corners that may endanger your life.

1. They don’t hire the best guides: Your guide will be your lifeline when climbing and descending the mountain. Not having someone who knows what they are doing may mean the difference between life and death.
2. They don’t treat their porters right: The porters are the real superstars on the Kilimanjaro climb. They carry heavy loads up the mountain and ensure that the camps are well prepared for you. Budget companies don’t pay or treat their porters well and this has big implications on your climb
3. They don’t carry the best equipment: You will need good tents and medical monitoring equipment for you to be comfortable when climbing the mountain. Most budget climbing companies don’t invest in the necessary gear to keep you safe on the mountain.
4. Poor Training of Staff: there is one critical area of training that you want your guide to having proper expertise: This is handling mountain sickness. A lot of very sound and well-informed decisions will need to be made. You should use a company that has staff that understands what is going on and that will make snap decisions that will save your life when up on that mountain.

Which time of the year will you get the best discounts

If you are looking to get a discount, you want to climb during the low season where there are few climbers on the mountain. 

March to June are the wettest months of the year on Kilimanjaro and though they are not the best times to climb, you may get a discount since most people avoid Kilimanjaro during this season.

Conclusion

Although you cant climb kilimanjaro for free, there are a number of high-quality mid-range hiking companies that are well equiped to provide you a safe and memorable climb.