Fly into Kilimanjaro International, stay in Moshi or Arusha, and drive to the gate on the first morning. Here is how the arrival works, and what to do the day before.
Kilimanjaro is one of the easiest big mountains in the world to reach. There is an international airport about an hour from the trailheads, two towns at the foot of the mountain with every kind of hotel, and a tarmac road to within a few kilometres of every gate. You can land one evening and be walking in rainforest the next morning.
This page covers the airport, the towns, the transfers, and the day before the climb. For what happens once you are walking, see a typical day.
Places Kilimanjaro
Known as the “Coca-Cola” route, the Marangu route is a classic trek on Mount Kilimanjaro. It is the…
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The Marangu route is one of the most popular routes to the summit of Kilimanjaro.
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Kilimanjaro International Airport, JRO, sits on the plain between Moshi and Arusha, about 45 minutes from one and an hour from the other. It takes direct flights from several European and Middle Eastern hubs and regional flights from Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Most long-haul flights land in the evening. That means your first night is in a hotel, and the climb starts the following morning or, better, the morning after that.
Your operator meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board. Visas for most nationalities are available on arrival or in advance online. Have your passport, your visa or the fee in US dollars, and your yellow fever certificate if you are arriving from a country where it is required.
Moshi is the town at the foot of the mountain. It is smaller, quieter, and closer to the Marangu, Machame and Umbwe gates. On a clear morning you see Kibo from the street. Most Kilimanjaro operators are based here and most climbs start from here.
Arusha is an hour further west. It is bigger, busier, and the base for the northern safari circuit. If you are combining a climb with a safari, Arusha makes the second half easier. It is also closer to the Lemosho and Rongai starting points. The difference is small.
Both have hotels at every level, from backpacker lodges to comfortable garden hotels. Both have gear hire shops, banks, pharmacies and supermarkets for last-minute snacks. Either works. Moshi is the more mountain-focused choice.
Arrive the day before the climb, and two days before if your flight is long. You want a proper sleep and a full day to sort things out.
The briefing with your guide usually happens the afternoon before. They go through the route day by day, check your kit, weigh your duffel, and answer questions. This is the moment to say anything about your health, your diet or your worries.
Use the rest of the day for gear hire, last purchases and rest. Sleeping bags, jackets, poles, head torches and duffels can all be hired in Moshi and Arusha. Buy snacks, spare batteries and any toiletries you forgot. Change some money into small notes for tips.
Then eat well, drink water, and go to bed early. The first morning starts around seven.
On the first morning your operator collects you from the hotel, usually with the crew and the gear already loaded. The drive to the gate takes one to three hours depending on the route.
Marangu and Machame gates are closest to Moshi, an hour or so. Umbwe is similar. The Lemosho start at Londorossi is two to three hours west. Rongai is on the north side near the Kenyan border, about three hours from Moshi.
At the gate the guide registers the group, the porters' loads are weighed, and you sign the park book. It can take an hour. There are toilets and usually a place to buy water. Then you walk.
At the end of the climb the process reverses: you sign out at the exit gate, collect certificates, and drive back to your hotel, usually arriving in the early afternoon.
Most people who climb Kilimanjaro also go on safari, and the order matters. Climb first. The mountain is tiring, the safari is the gentle half, and if the climb runs a day over it costs a safari day, not a flight home.
Allow at least one rest night between the two, in Moshi or Arusha. Coming off the mountain and into a vehicle the next morning is possible and nobody enjoys it.
From Arusha the northern circuit begins: Tarangire two hours west, then Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. From the Serengeti you can fly to Zanzibar for the beach, or back to Kilimanjaro airport for the flight home. The safari pages on this site set out each of those trips.
Most international departures from JRO are in the evening or late at night, which leaves a final day with nothing in it. Arusha National Park, under an hour from the airport, is the usual answer: a half day of game viewing that fits either slot without risk to the flight. The day trips from Moshi work the same way.
Build a buffer before an international flight. Bush flights from the Serengeti depend on weather, and connecting from an airstrip to a long-haul departure on the same day is possible but unwise.
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