FAQs

Six to twelve months for June to October or the Christmas period — the good camps are small and they fill. Three months is comfortable outside those windows, and we can sometimes do considerably less. If your dates are fixed and you want the northern Serengeti in August, book a year out.

It depends far more on camp choice and season than on the number of days. Rather than publish a headline figure we ask what you want and send a real number inclusive of park fees. Add a from-price band if you want one on the page

Private, almost always — your own vehicle and guide. We run shared departures only when you ask for one to keep the cost down.

Park and conservation fees, accommodation and meals as listed, a guide and vehicle with fuel, drinking water in the vehicle, domestic flights where shown, and taxes. Excluded: international flights, visas, insurance, tips, drinks not listed, and personal items. See the full terms.

Most nationalities do. It is available online in advance or on arrival at Kilimanjaro International; applying in advance is calmer. Check with your own embassy close to departure — requirements change, and entry is your responsibility.

Only if you are arriving from, or have transited for more than twelve hours through, a country where yellow fever is a risk. Travellers coming directly from Europe or North America generally do not need one. If you are routing through Nairobi or Addis, check carefully.

Speak to a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you fly. Malaria prophylaxis is normally advised for the parks and the coast. We are not a medical service and will not give you a list to rely on.

At least six months beyond your return date, with blank pages for stamps.

US dollars, in notes printed 2009 or later — older notes are widely refused. Tanzanian shillings are useful for small purchases. Bring more cash than you think for tips.

In Arusha and the larger lodges, usually. In the parks and at most camps, assume not. ATMs exist in Arusha and Moshi but not inside the parks.

It is customary and genuinely relied upon. As a guide: set your recommended safari guide/driver per-day rate for a safari guide, and set your recommended Kilimanjaro crew total for a mountain crew, split across the team. We will give you a written breakdown before you travel.

Five to seven nights gives a proper northern-circuit trip without living in the vehicle. Three is possible and busy. Under three, we would suggest picking one park and doing it well.

Probably four of them easily. Rhino are the hard one — realistically the Ngorongoro Crater, and never guaranteed. Anyone promising you all five is guessing.

Tanzania is a stable country and safari travel is well-run. The real risks are road journeys, sun and altitude rather than crime or animals. Follow your guide about staying in the vehicle and about camp at night.

Better than most people expect. Dietary requirements are straightforward if you tell us in advance — vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal are all routine.

Signal is patchy but present in much of the northern circuit. Most camps have wifi in the main area, often slow. The southern and western parks are genuinely remote.

Lemosho for the highest success rate and the best acclimatisation profile, Machame for scenery on a shorter schedule, Marangu only if huts matter more to you than summiting. See the route comparison.

Fit enough to walk five to seven hours a day for a week on consecutive days. It is an endurance walk, not a technical climb. Altitude affects the very fit and the barely fit alike.

Check the altitude limit. Many standard policies stop at 3,000 or 4,000 metres; Uhuru Peak is 5,895. A policy that excludes it is worthless on summit night. This is the single most common gap we see.

Ten years for the mountain by park regulation, though we would want to talk it through with you first.