CLIMBING MOUNT KILIMANJARO: THE ULTIMATE PACKING LIST

Packing for Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the most crucial parts of a successful climb. Before my journey, I read tons of blogs and watched many vlogs to try and come up with the most complete Mount Kilimanjaro packing list. When we booked the climb, our tour company sent us a basic list, and then I added many many things to it.

In this Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro series, I am trying to provide potential future climbers with as much useful information as I can. You can find part 1 here (The Experience of a Lifetime) and part 2 here (Everything you Need to Know). I added a female-specific part at the end of the list (ladies, I’ve got your back). I hope this helps you get ready for beautiful Mount Kilimanjaro.

Gear

Trekking Gear

– Hiking boots (Make sure to break them in before the climb. DO NOT use brand new boots.)

– Camp shoes (Comfortable running shoes you will wear at the camps after walking in your boots all day.)

– Extra pair of laces (In case yours break during the climb.. can very useful.)

– Wool socks (Comfortable. I used merino wool socks.)

– Day backpack (Small and comfortable. Big enough to carry a few electronics, extra layers, snacks, and 3 liters of water.)

– Poncho

– Short pants (For example leggings or even shorts.)

– Trekking pants

– Camp pants (Ideally fleece pants. Must be comfortable.)

– T-shirt

– Long sleeve shirt

– Sun hat (Very important as the sun is extremely strong on the mountain.)

– Warm hat (Fleece beanie)

– Underwear (This includes sports bras for the ladies.)

– Camelback (3L is the ideal size.)

– Water bottle

Summit Gear

– Big winter coat (Ideally Gore-Tex, Microtex, or K-Tech Trilaminate jacket. The temperature at the summit can get as low as minus 20 degrees celsius.)

– Other smaller coat (Duvet coat. Something you can layer under your big winter coat.)

– Fleece jacket

– Thermal top

– Big winter pants (Ideally Gore-Tex, Microtex, or K-Tech pants.)

– Thermal long johns

– Thermal socks (That you can layer over your wool socks.)

– Fleece or thermal gloves

– Fleece or thermal balaclava

– Gaiters

– Headlamp

– Thermal flask (To keep your water from freezing. If you don’t have a thermal flask, you can use your regular water bottle even during summit night and put it upside down in your backpack as the top always freezes first.)

– Warm pads for hands and feet (A few pairs can be useful as you might also want them on some colder nights.)

Other Gear

– Duffle bag (The porters will carry this bag for you. It can’t be heavier than 32 lbs (15 kg). They will weigh your bag before the climb so make sure you comply with this rule.)

– Walking sticks

– Sleeping bag

– Sleeping bag liner

– Dry bags (To put all your clothes in so they don’t get all humid and cold. People used to pack things in plastic bags but please know that single-use plastic bags have been banned from Tanzania in June 2019. That means you can’t bring any in the country. The only exception is the government-issued little plastic bags used for your liquids while traveling by plane.)

– Sunglasses

Electronics

– Camera

– Phone

– Earphones (Some people like listening to music to fall asleep or even during the climb.)

– Portable chargers

– Extra camera batteries

– Extra headlamp batteries

Basics

– Towel / Facecloth

– Soap (A soap bar is ideal as they will give you hot water every morning and night to wash your face, feet, and hands.)

– Wipes (This is what you will use to clean yourself every day as there are no showers.)

– Toothbrush + Toothpaste

– Toilet paper (Remove the cardboard center to save some space.)

– Kleenex

– Purel (Carry it with you in your day backpack to be able to quickly wash your hands during the day.)

– Face cream / Hand cream (It gets dry on the mountain so it feels nice to keep your skin hydrated)

– Deodorant

– Sunscreen

– Bug spray

– Contact lenses + Solution (For those of you that need it like me.)

– Chapstick (Ideally with some SPF.)

– Nail clipper (You might want to clip your toenails before you start the descent so you feel comfortable in your boots.)

– Dry shampoo (Not necessary.. but definitely a nice little luxury to have.)

– Hair brush + Elastics/ Bobby pins

– Eye mask + Earplugs (If you are a light sleeper, these things may help.)

– Snacks (It is very useful to bring a few snacks you like on the mountain. They provide all the meals but sometimes having a good protein bar or some dried fruits or nuts during the day can be very useful.)

Pharmacy

– Malaria pills (Need to be prescribed by a doctor.)

– Altitude sickness pills (Need to be prescribed by a doctor.)

– Headache medication (Example: Advils.)

– Nausea medication (Example: Gravols.)

– Cold and Flu medication

– Muscular pain medication (Example: Advils.)

– Bandaids (Blister bandaids are a lifesaver too.)

– Gastrolytes (Very good if you get dehydrated.)

** I am not a health professional so please make sure to visit your doctor before your trip so they can give you all the appropriate recommendations and prescriptions for your Mount Kilimanjaro packing list.**

Essentials 

– Passport

– Printed photocopy of your passport (Always useful to also have a picture of it on your phone.)

– Wallet (Credit cards, ID, Money.)

– Tanzania visa (For the people that need one.)

Ladies Only

– Tampons/ Menstrual pads/ Diva cup (Or whatever else you use while on your period.)

– Extra thin pads (The packing space is very limited for this expedition so bringing extra thin pads and wearing one every day is extremely useful. Here are a few reasons why: 1- During the day, when you are climbing, you have to go to the bathroom behind a rock or a tree.. or wherever you can feel somewhat comfortable. Taking toilet paper out, using it, and disposing of it in a bag in your backpack can be a long process, but if you wear a pad you can just skip these steps and go on with your day. This obviously only works for number one but it does save quite a bit of time. 2- Having pads also means you can bring fewer pairs of underwear on your climb. If you change the pad every day and night, you can bring 3-4 pairs of underwear instead of 10+.)

– Baby wipes (Our privates tend to be very sensitive so you will want baby wipes instead of regular wipes to clean yourself down there.)

– Bras (I mentioned sports bras above, but it can be any type of bra you find comfortable.)

*   *   *

I think this sums up my ultimate Mount Kilimanjaro packing list. I also made a video of my whole experience on the mountain. It can be very useful to watch if you want to see what it really looks like up there and if you want to see all the equipment and gear I had. Here it is:

I hope this list will help you when it comes time to pack for Mount Kilimanjaro. I chose not to list the exact numbers of things I brought because I think it will be very different for everyone.

It is also good to know that you can rent pretty much everything in Tanzania before the climb. We in fact rented many things (sleeping bags, duffle bags, ponchos, gaiters, walking sticks, headlamp, etc). Don’t spend crazy amounts of money on buying gear if you don’t plan on reusing it. The rentals are very very affordable and they have every size and style possible. Please also remember that you CAN NOT bring any plastic bags into Tanzania as they have been banned since June 2019.  

If there is anything you would like to add to this list, please leave it in the comments below.