Last year, I got to complete my dream of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, and it was absolutely magical. The not so fun part?? Getting organized! There are so many items to pack and things to consider, it was a wild ride to prepare. However, I feel like I almost nailed it. Overall, I feel like my packing was nearly perfect and I was super ready to tackle the mountain – there were only a few minor things I would change. So I am bringing you my master packing list, along with some notes for what I would do differently, and what items I am SO glad I brought! And don’t stress if it seems overwhelming – I’ve also included a free printable PDF checklist that you can work through item by item. If you’re a visual person, there’s a video of me packing my bags as well!
Tanzania Travel Necessities
First, let’s get the stuff out of the way that you need to even get to Tanzania.
- Travel Visa: Apply Here
- Travel vaccines (see your travel doctor!)
- Passport
- Cash: USD recommended
- Wall plug adapter
Trek Packing
Now, let’s get into the trek itself. To note: your tour company will supply you with certain items, but this varies from place to place, so I am going to include everything on this list to cover all bases. Then you can reach out to your contact, and cross off the items you know they have in store for you. One thing that’s almost certainly handled by all companies is meals and tents, so don’t worry about those!
Since you’re climbing a mountain, the weather changes drastically. One day will be 30, sunny, and humid… and 3 days later it’ll be -20, windy, and cold. So you have to be ready for it all!
Clothes
- 3 sports bras (my go-to is always the triple pocket run bra from Brooks and my various Lululemon ones)
- 10 pairs of underwear
- 1-2 warm base layer tops
- 2-3 t-shirts or tank tops
- 3 long sleeve tops (I brought my winter running shirts – breathable and warm)
- 1 fleece sweater (my fav Patagonia one was just perfect)
- 1 other sweater
- Long underwear/base layer pants
- Waterproof pants
- Fleece sweatpants/joggers for in camp/sleeping
- Hiking pants
- Hiking shorts (aka my running shorts)
- 6-8 pairs good hiking socks (wool is best!)
- 2-3 pairs comfy camp socks (I brought my fav comfy fuzzy socks to sleep in and loved it)
Outerwear
- Ski Jacket (or parka)
- Mittens (real warm, for summit day)
- Lighter mitts (preferably waterproof)
- Toque
- Buff or balaclava
- Ski sunglasses
- Rain coat (I borrowed my mom’s and it’s the BEST RAIN COAT I’VE EVER WORN)
- Poncho (these are nice cause they cover your pack too!)
- Sunproof hat (baseball cap or bucket hat)
- Gaiters to keep mud, rocks, rain, and snow out of your boots!
Gear
- Day Pack – 20L minimum, with camel pack
- Rain cover for pack
- Water bottles (need to carry 3L minimum – Nalgene is recommended as it doesn’t freeze)
- Hiking boots (I LOVE these ones from Merrell – but hiking boots are super personal so make sure you test out pairs for yourself!!)
- Camp shoes (I brought Tevas, they were great tbh – you want to get out of your hiking boots once you’re in camp, but many of the camps are rocky so you still want some stability)
- Hiking poles
- Thermarest
- Towel/soap/toiletries/toothbrush/toilet paper, baby wipes etc
- Pillow (I can’t stand camping pillows so I got a toddler pillow and it was the best choice I could have made)
- Headlamp
- Packing cubes
- Dry bag
- Sleeping bag & fleece liner (this thing was HUGE for making my sleeps feel extra cozy!)
- Sleeping mat
Medications
- First Aid Kit (blister packs, band-aids, athletic tape, duct tape)
- Headache tablets (ibuprofen + acetaminophen)
- Tummy meds (immodium, pepto, tums)
- Prescriptions: diamox, anti-malarials
- Electrolyte packets
- Sunscreen
- Bug Spray
- Lip balm (with SPF!)
Other
- Phone & charger
- Camera & spare batteries
- GoPro & charger
- Power bank
- Snacks (I brought chocolate bars, endurance tap, trail mix, granola bars, and Clif Blocks)
- Ear plugs
- Eye mask
- Playing cards
- Book/journal
The MVPs of the Trek
What I Wish I Had Packed
- Ziplock bags for everythaaanngg – if I could do this again, I’d do waterproof Ziplocks for all my stuff instead of packing cubes. Everything I owned got soaking wet 🙁
- Properly waterproof gloves! My ski gloves got waterlogged and that was no fun
- Waterproof phone case
Printable PDF Packing Lists
Here are the printable PDF packing lists so you can stay organized!
(click the download button below the images to get the whole PDF file)
Words to Know
Nearly everyone we met in Tanzania spoke English, BUT it’s still nice to learn at least a few words of Swahili for your trek. These are the words/phrases that we used most often during our 8 days on the mountain:
- Jambo (Hello)
- Mambo (How are you/how’s it going)
- Poa (Good, fine, all is well)
- Asante (Thank-you)
- Asante sana (Thank-you very much)
- Karibu (Welcome)
- Sawa (Okay)
- Lala salama (Sleep well)
- Pole pole (Slowly)
Wrap Up
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!! And YES I will be doing a recap of my experience very soon. I actually had the YouTube video edited and ready to roll out when my phone died and I lost everything. I have been slowly working on re-editing it all and hope to have it out for yall within the next few weeks. For now, go watch my safari video!
