Why Climbing Kilimanjaro is So Expensive

If you, like me, have recently asked for a quote for climbing Kilimanjaro, you have most certainly encountered the high total price for your climb (which, by the way, is conveniently tucked at the bottom of the writeup). You may then have wondered why the fees are as expensive as they are and if there is any way of getting a lower quote.

The main factors that make Climbing Kilimanjaro so expensive are labor costs of paying the guides and porters helping you to climb and the park entry fees into Kilimanjaro National Park. This amounts to about $1,200 for labor and about $1000 in Park Entry fees for yourself and the guides who will be helping you climb. Let’s discuss these costs in more detail and talk about the ways you can save some money when Climbing Kilimanjaro.

The Most Expensive aspects of Climbing Kilimanjaro

There are a few key factors that contribute to the cost of climbing Kilimanjaro. The main two are labor and park entry fees

Labour Cost of the Climbing Team

you will probably be thinking that you can reduce the cost of doing a climb up Kilimanjaro by climbing alone. I wrote a more detailed explanation of why you can’t climb Kilimanjaro without a guide but short summary is that the government doesn’t allow it and you will be exposed to too many risks if you go up on your own.

Not being able to climb on your own, however, comes at a cost: 

To go up Kilimanjaro you are required to have at least 3 porters per person.  On top of this, you will share a cook, and two guides with the rest of your climbing group. 

The total labor cost of going up Kilimanjaro per climber ranges between $80 – $150 per day.

With the fact that you’re going to be on Kilimanjaro for at least 7 days, you will end up spending about $1,200 in labor cost alone for the entire Kilimanjaro Climb

This high cost of Labour makes up the highest proportion of your cost when climbing Kilimanjaro and since you cannot avoid it, you can expect the total cost of climbing Kilimanjaro to be quite high. 

Park Entry Fees for yourself and your crew

The government of Tanzania charges tourists a decent amount for them to be able to go up Kilimanjaro. The park entry fees can be divided into several sections as outlined in the table below. (I will assume an 8 day climb and that you will have 3 porters and 1 guide to calculate the total)

Fee	Amount	Duration	Total for duration
Conservation Fee	$70	Per Day	$560
Guides & Porters Entry Fees	$2	For the trip	$8
Rescue Fee	$20	For the Trip	$20
Camping Fee/Hut Fee	$50	Per Night	$350
Total Park Entry Fees			$938

As you can see above, The total cost of gaining entry into Kilimanjaro National Park will be approximately $938.  this is the second-highest contributor to the total price will be charged to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. 

Other items that contribute to the cost  of the climb

There are other minor expenses that will add to the total cost of your Kilimanjaro climb and these include: 

1. Food
2. Transportation
3. Conveniences
4. Airport Pick Up 
5. hotel accommodation before and after

 these costs are not nearly as high as the park entry fees and the labor costs but they do add up and will cause the cost to go up by a few hundred dollars.

How to reduce the cost of Climbing Kilimanjaro

Now that you know what causes the prices for climbing Kilimanjaro to be so high,  here are a few things that you can do to keep your total cost low:

Use the popular and less difficult routes

Using less difficult routes like the Marangu route will mean that the climbing company will not need to use as much equipment or hire as many Guides and porters for you to get up the mountain. 

The Marangu route, in particular,  is an easier one for climbing companies since it has huts along the way which saves the climbing companies a lot of money on camping gear and the labor required to set up and break camp.

The cost savings tend to be passed on to the climber and you may end up paying less if you use this route in particular.

Use Your Own Gear

Try to use your own equipment as much as possible and avoid renting.  This will give you a huge cost savings if you’re planning to use the gear later on and you will end up paying less for great quality Gear than if you came and hired the gear once you arrive. 

Avoid the High Season

The January-March season  generally has the fewest visitors in Kilimanjaro and you may end up saving a lot if you choose to climb around this time. 

The downside to this is that it’s going to be generally colder and less favorable than in the more popular months of May to October

Go in a group

Going with a group is ideal for anyone looking to save money when climbing Kilimanjaro.  A group climb will save you more since you are sharing a number of costs with other climbers.

Choose your Hiking Company Wisely

The company that you will use to climb Kilimanjaro will be one of the biggest choices you will make in preparation for your climb. 

 there are a number of companies that charge upwards of $5000 to climb Kilimanjaro and based on the research I did,  these prices are hugely exorbitant compared to what other competent-looking companies charge.

 I found the $3000 Mark to be the sweet spot that balances quality and price. Companies that charge way higher than this or lower than this should give you pause. 

Avoid prices that are too low

One of the things I’d like to mention about climbing Kilimanjaro is that you want to avoid companies that charge very low prices.

 as I explained previously,  the basic cost of getting you up the mountain without adding any profits adds up to more than $1700.  

This means that anyone charging anything less than $2000 is cutting corners and saving money on areas that you would ordinarily care a lot about.

Areas that may be neglected by low-price guides 

Companies  that heavily discount their total climbing price  maybe compromising in a few important areas:

• Maintaining high safety standards for the climbers and workers
• Paying their workers a fair and living wage
• Training their staff on important areas like how to spot and manage mountain sickness in their climbers
• Maintenance of equipment like tents, medical monitoring equipment and emergency evacuation equipment
•  The quality and cleanliness of your meals

Factors that may increase your climb cost

 if you don’t like money and would like to maximize your probability of paying huge amounts of it during your climbing Kilimanjaro,  here are a few things you can do.

1. Climbing alone: Hiring your private crew to do a climb of Kilimanjaro on your own is one great way of losing  tons of money. You will have to foot the cost of the guide, porters and cook on your own. 
2. Renting all your gear when you arrive: Paying for things like warm clothing and hiking boots when you arrive in Tanzania is a bad idea. You will be charged exorbitant amounts and you are not guaranteed that the equipment will be of good quality or fit for you. 
3. Using a climb company that does few climbs: if you use a climbing company that only does a few climbs every year,  you stand the risk of either climbing with experts who are flown into the country for your climb( which will cost a pretty penny)  or using inexperienced guides that may put you in danger.