Kilimanjaro Hike

Boy, is this an expensive hike. Not as expensive as Kota Kinabalu on a per day basis, but still.

Budget: USD3,906 (~JPY624,990)

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 5,895m / 19,344ft)

Hike Date : February 15-21, 2026
Difficulty: 5 out of 5, due to elevation. Without the elevation, it really is just a long walk.
Route below is around 64.6kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲4,998m/ ▽5,739m (45h41m)
Map Link; yamap log

When to Go
January to late February, June to October.

Special Notes

Summit. Stella peak is the crater peak, but the highest point is Uhuru Peak. A certificate is provided to those who reach Stella peak at the very least. We declined to have the certificate.
Layers. The weather of course changes, but the top still has glacier and remains cold throughout the year. I brought my winter jackets/glove/hat and I was still cold, no spikes/crampons needed though. So yeah, you'll bring winter gear only to wear them for a day. But then it gets really warm going down, so layers is the key.
What to pack. As much as you want, I think? I personally brought maybe 10kgs. Just know that a porter can carry only 20kg max for you. So if you want 40kgs, you'll just have to pay 2 porters. They will put your stuff in a bag and in our experience that bag remained dry even though it was raining almost every afternoon.

Tour Provider. We went with Africa Natural Tours. They basically cover everything from your arrival to the airport. Take note of the quality of service - it is... very flexible. In my experience, communication is a bit lacking and some minor mistakes (wrong name at pickup, wrong itinerary sent...), but nothing major. I think most local agencies are similar.

Tips. There is a standard tipping policy. Each group requires two guides ($20/day), one chef ($15/day) and around 3 porters per person ($10/day). Depending on the season, maybe add $5 per day. Basically depending on the number of people in a group, you can share the fee for the guide + chef.
Portable Toilet. $150 per toilet (can be shared) + porter to carry it. Not having this would definitely have had made our trip miserable.
Altezza, owned by a Russian owner according to my guide, is one of the biggest (you can see their flags everywhere) and probably have more Western-oriented customer service? Unfortunately the locals cannot match their service, but I would still go with the local company I went with.

Trails : Lemosho. I decided to choose the most famous and beautiful one - Lemosho. What are the considerations?

View. Shira Plateau, a moorland, is gorgeous and my favorite part of the hike.
Weather. Western routes supposedly have better weather as stronger winds come from the east (at least according to my guide). Also, take note that when the weather is dry, you will get so much dust to your face.
Altitude Acclimatization. Supposedly the best as you basically stay at 3500-4500 most nights. The difference between 7 and 8 days are whether you are skipping Shira One OR Karanga Camps. I did map the itinerary below (it did change... coz well, the tour company is rather very very flexible), and staying at Barafu camp is the most important one.

Itinerary
Day 0. Arrival.

We got picked up at the airport, and it doesn't matter what time you arrive. I also arrived 2 days earlier so technically they picked me up at Day -2.
Our guide, Amin, came to brief us and check our gear.

Day 1. Lemosho Gate

Pick up at 8:30am, drove around to check gear for others in the group, pack up the van, drive to trailhead.
Hike started at 3:19pm.

Day 2. Shira Plateau

Probably the second longest day. This is normally split into two days when doing 8 day Lemosho.

Day 3. Baranco Camp.

Short but tough as we had to hit Lava Tower at 4,600meters. Basically a good ascent push, and then head down.

Day 4. Karanga Camp.

From Baranco Camp to Karanga, you'll have to pass the rocky section called Baranco Wall. It is not at all tricky, but the line is ridiculous.

Day 5. Barafu Camp.

Day 6. Summit day

The day starts at midnight. Others started at 11am. Go really slow, and then summit around sunrise. We were back down to the Barafu Camp at 10:30am ish, got to nap an hour, lunch at 12noon and then head down to Mweka Camp.

Day 7. Mweka Gate.