8 Best Kilimanjaro Tour Companies 2023 – 2024: Trekking Operators Reviewed
Hiking up the dormant volcano, Kilimanjaro, is an experience that many recommend. It is the easiest of the seven summits, but still difficult considering it is Africa’s tallest peak at 5,895 meters.
While this is the easiest of the seven summits, it still gets more difficult at night and still requires you to be in great physical condition. The first step in researching how to climb the mountain is by locating a tour company that can assist you with your climb.
1. Climbing Kilimanjaro
Climbing Kilimanjaro
is a company with all the tools you will need to make it to the summit. They have decades of experience and offer amazing customer service from start to finish. This even includes picking you up and taking you to the airport after you finish your adventure. They are the best company to climb Kilimanjaro with.
They are so popular due to specializing in hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro, unlike many other companies. This allows them to assist you fully from start to finish, and you know they are professionals.
Best Kilimanjaro Guides
Our top recommendation for a Kilimanjaro climb is Climbing Kilimanjaro; they send more teams up Kilimanjaro than any other operator in Tanzania, making them #1 in experience. Not only do they prioritize client safety, but also have the resources to perform helicopter evacuations incase of emergency.
Climbing Kilimanjaro has highly experienced and licensed Mountain guides. They are known for their high client satisfaction and summit success rate. They provide tips even before you arrive to let you know what to expect and bring.
They believe that a quality guide is key to making it to the summit. Almost a third of climbers don’t make it up the mountain if they don’t have an experienced guide, which is why Climbing Kilimanjaro only provides you with the best.
Equipment
This company is focused on keeping you safe and providing the best equipment for your trip. This includes tents, meals, water, and even toilet tents. All of their equipment is made specifically for the mountain experience and will provide comfort, knowing that it was arranged by professionals.
They also provide many safety features for your hike. This includes Certified Wilderness First Responders being at the ready. To properly check your health, they will take daily pulse and oxygen saturation monitoring. Emergency oxygen and medical kits are provided as well.
Along with providing equipment, their website has a list of what you should pack. Along with this, they provide many different tips on how to prepare for your climb.
The Premier Kilimanjaro Outfitter was formed upon the following motto: Focus on safety, be flexible, treat everyone fairly, and have fun! Climbing Kilimanjaro hold 5/5 rating on TripAdvisor:
Tour Packages
Climbing Kilimanjaro offers seven different tour options, varying from six to nine-day trips. On their website, they provide detailed information on each route and what to expect. The best feature outside of the itinerary is the review section for each route. This allows you to see what other clients thought of that route.
The first night of all tours allows you to get acclimated in the foothills of Mount Meru, the second-highest peak in Tanzania. You will get to stay in Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge, which has many amenities that you can enjoy.
Machame Route
The route costs $2,790 with various dates available and lasts for seven days. This is one of the most scenic routes on the mountain with a variety of different zones. This includes lush rainforest and arctic zones.
Marangu Route
This route is six days long and costs $2,670 for one person. This route comes up to the mountain from the southeast and takes you across six different ecological zones.
Rongai Route
The Rongai Route is a seven-day trek that costs $2,850. This is the only northern route with a view of Kenya and Amboseli Park. You will go through six ecological zones during this hike.
Northern Circuit Route
This is the only nine-day route, at the cost of $3,280. This is a newer route that is quickly gaining popularity with clients. It has a beautiful view throughout the trip with various zones as well.
Lemosho Route
There is a seven and eight-day option for this route. The seven-day costs $2,850, while the eight-day $2,980. From day two, the itinerary does differ, so make sure to view which one you may prefer. The Lemosho Route is known for being the most scenic of all the options.
Climb Mount Meru
Along with expeditions up Mount Kilimanjaro, they also have the option to climb Mount Meru. These treks usually last three or four days and give you the feel of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro on a smaller scale. For three days, it costs $950 per person, and it’s $1,050 for the four-day option.
2. Tanzania Expeditions
This company is known for its variety of tour options. They provide travel planning and guides for arriving at Mount Kilimanjaro. However, they do not specialize in climbing the mountain, but they do have access to experienced guides.
They offer many tips and tricks on their website on how to best make it up the mountain and how to prepare prior to your hike.
Equipment
The equipment provided varies depending on the tour package you choose. So you will need to make sure to review this information, so you know what you need to bring. They do provide you with a thorough list with recommendations for what you should bring.
Tour Packages
Tanzania Expeditions does offer eight different tour packages. Specifically, each package takes you through a route that can take from 6 to 7 days long. It is recommended to take an extra day where you can get acclimated during your climb.
Their website provides a highly detailed itinerary for each route and a list of what each one includes.
Tanzania Expeditions Holds is one of the best reviewed Kilimanjaro tour company, holding 5/5 ratings on Trip Advisor :
Lemosho Route
- Six-day: $2,229 one person
- Seven-day: $3,500 one person
Machame Route
- Six-day: $2,229 one person
- Seven-day: $3,500 one person
Marangu Route
- Six-day: $2,100 one person
Rongai Route
- Six-day: $2,590 one person
- Seven-day: $3,500 one person
Umbwe Route
- Six-day: $2,790 one person
3. Summit Expeditions & Nomadic Experience
Like Tanzanian Expeditions, Nomadic Experience has a wide variety of options outside of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. They offer five traditional routes and one remote trail, the Northern Circuit route. They do provide a trip leader, climbing guides, and mountain crew for your trek.
Equipment
They do provide all accommodations and meals within the fee. This means all camping and dining equipment is covered, other than sleeping bags and pads. You will also need to bring your own hiking equipment.
Tour Packages
All of their routes begin with a stay in the foothills of Kilimanjaro on My family farm. The routes from six to ten days long.
Summit Expeditions & Nomadic Expereince Holds 5/5 rating on TripAdvisor:
Lemosho Crater
- Nine-day: $4,640 per person
Lemosho Route
- Eight-day: $3,990 per person
Machame Route
- Seven-day: $3,635 per person
Rongai Route
- Seven-day: $3,545 per person
Northern Circuit with Crater
- Ten-day: $4,995 per person
Umbwe
- Six-day: $3,175 per person
4. Tusker Trails
Tusker Trails is a highly recommended company with skilled guides. They specialize in Mount Kilimanjaro and also do provide skilled guides and a strict itinerary of each route.
Guides
All of their guides have comprehensive medical training and experience hiking up the mountain. Tusker Trails also makes sure that there are plenty of guides per group, usually ranging from two to six guides per group.
They have a list of their guides on their website, along with their experience. The least experienced having been a guide for ten years, and the most experienced at 20 years.
Tusker Trails Holds 5/5 rating on TripAdvisor:
Tour Packages
Tusker has four different routes available, each with amazing views. They also have recommended lengths for each route so you can best acclimate to the mountain. Each route has a designated camping site along with meals and tents provided.
Marangu Route
Machame Route
Lemosho Route
Tusker Spiral Route
Tusker has even pioneered a new route, Tusker Spiral Route. This route will start from the north and go through a spiral shape to go around the entire peak. This is also a longer trip that allows you to acclimatize easily.
5. XPATS International Travel
XPATS International Travel Based in Arusha, Tanzania, is a sustainable local tour operator known for personalized travel experiences. Their commitment to safety includes daily medical checks for climbers and staff, and their guides are trained as Wilderness First Responders. The climbing expedition fee covers accommodations, meals, and camping equipment, while personal hiking gear and sleeping bags are required for a safe and comfortable climb.
Tour Packages
The fee for XPATS International Travel’s 5 to 9-day climbing expeditions includes a host of essential amenities that will ensure you have a comfortable and memorable trip. With all accommodations and meals included, you can rest assured that your basic needs will be taken care of throughout your climb. This means that you don’t need to worry about finding places to stay or cooking your meals, leaving you free to focus on the climb itself.
Equipment
The company also provides camping and dining equipment, which includes tents, tables, and chairs, among other things. This also means that you won’t have to carry these items with you, and you can rest assured that you’ll have all the necessary gear to make your climb a success. However, it’s important to note that you will need to bring your own hiking equipment, including appropriate footwear, clothing, and gear such as hiking poles.
You’ll also need to bring your own sleeping bags and pads, as these are not included in the packages. It’s important to invest in high-quality gear to ensure that you’re comfortable and safe throughout your climb.
6. Thomson Safaris
Thomson Safaris has a 98% summit success rate, plus they provide detailed information on what they provide for a trek. They have high standards for safety and have a wide variety of adventures offered.
Equipment
Like most other companies, they do provide campgrounds, tents, and meals. They also provide a highly detailed list of what you should bring and how you should plan on packing your bags based on your itinerary. They even have a downloadable link for packing tips and a checklist.
Tour Packages
Thomson Safaris has ten different options for your Mount Kilimanjaro trek. They vary from scheduled routes to private or custom routes. They vary from four to ten-day routes. Each route has a detailed itinerary along with what accommodations you should expect.
Western Approach
- Nine-day: $5,990 per person
Grand Traverse
- Ten-day: $8,490 per person
Umbwe Route
- Six-day: $4,690 per person
Machame Route
- Seven-day: $3,990 per person
The private routes are:
Lemosho
- Nine-day: $5,990 per person
Northern Circuit
The rest of the routes require you to contact them directly as the length and price varies depending on your request.
Shira
Marangu
Rongai
The last route they have available is the Design Your Own route. You will be allowed to customize any route that you would like; all you will need to do is contact them to go over your specifications. This includes dates and how many people will be going on the trek with you.
7. Kandoo Adventures
Kandoo Adventures provides safety, meals, quality guides, and many other features in a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. They provide tips and other advice on how to best prepare for your trek. They also have expert travel consultants listed and ready to answer any questions you may have about your trip.
Equipment
Kandoo does provide certain equipment for camping, but you will need to bring your own hiking gear. They have a list provided of gear they highly recommend, especially when considering how difficult the climb will be.
Tour Packages
On their website, they have tips for the best time to climb and what you should expect. They provide a brief description of each of the routes they have available, along with recommendations depending on your needs. Specifically, they give information on which routes are best during certain times of the year.
They have four different routes that they highly recommend:
Machame Route
- Seven-day: $2,925 per person
Lemosho Route
- Eight-day: $3,245 per person
Northern Circuit
- Nine-day: $3,635 per person
Rongai Route
- Seven-day: $2,925 per person
Kandoo also offers other routes or even routes with added benefits:
Machame Climb and Safari
- Eleven-day: $3,895 per person
- Seven days on the Machame route before switching over to the safari
Lemosho Climb and Safari
- Eleven-day: $4,675 per person
- Seven days on the Lemosho route before switching to four days in the safari
Machame Route and Crater Camp
- We will need to contact them for prices.
- Allows for extra time to explore the summit and crater
Marangu Route
- Six-day: $2,335 per person
Kandoo also offers a trek climb up Mount Meru. Many prefer Mount Meru since it is at a lower elevation compared to Mount Kilimanjaro. This is a three to a four-day trip that is a perfect option if you just got off safari. To enquire about prices, you will need to contact Kandoo Adventures directly.
8. Team Kilimanjaro
Team Kilimanjaro is a family-run company that specializes strictly in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Since they are specialized, they have offers that other companies may not have. For example, they offer different levels of hiking. This can vary from a VIP trip to a one for someone who is a hard-core adventurer.
They offer a wide variety of tips for climbing the mountain on their website. Along with this, they give you recommendations on how to prepare for your climb.
Guides
Each team has a chief guide with a team to assist a group of climbers. They have a wide variety of guides available and have a page dedicated to their founders. Their two founders both have or do still hold records for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro the fastest.
Equipment
Team Kilimanjaro has a list of items that you should have for your expedition. They have gear available in their shop that you can look through. They even provide a Kilimanjaro Kit that you can rent out. It has many of the main items you will need while climbing that you can look through.
Tour Packages
They offer six different routes to hike up with a variety of lengths. They offer the pros and cons of each route so you can find the best one for you and have good advice from people with a lot of experience hiking up the mountain.
They offer a wide variety of prices, depending on the length you would like to stay for. Along with this, each price varies depending on the level you would like to be on.
Marangu Route
- Superlite, nine-day: $2,561 per person
- Lite, nine-day: $3,385 per person
- Advantage, nine-day: $3,951 per person
Machame Route
- Superlite, nine-day: $2,595 per person
- Lite, nine-day: $3,449 per person
- Advantage, nine-day: $3,978 per person
Rongai Route
- Superlite, nine-day: $2,718 per person
- Lite, nine-day: $3,575 per person
- Advantage, nine-day: $4,112 per person
Umbwe Route
- Superlite, nine-day: $2,579 per person
- Lite, nine-day: $3,436 per person
- Advantage, nine-day: $3,973 per person
Lemosho Route
- Superlite, nine-day: $2,648 per person
- Lite, nine-day: $3,505 per person
- Advantage, nine-day: $4,042 per person
Shira Route
- Superlite, nine-day: $2,648 per person
- Lite, nine-day: $3,505 per person
- Advantage, nine-day: $4,042 per person
There is one more level called Excel that is slightly more expensive because it includes a stay in the crater. The advantage is the most popular package as it includes a high level of support during your climb.
Lite and Superlite are both levels that have less assistance and fewer quality amenities that the other packages offer. These are only recommended to experienced climbers or highly athletic individuals.
Final Thoughts
While the routes throughout each company may seem similar or repeat, there are many other things to consider. This includes the overall price, but also what may be included in the trip. While they all provide campsites, there may be other amenities that one offers that the others do not.
Another factor to consider is the overall experience they have with climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. You may want to find a company that specializes in climbing the mountain, or just look somewhere that has highly skilled guides.
No matter what, you will need to know what is on your priority list to know which company may be best suited to you.
