Kilimanjaro Packing List

What do you actually need to pack for Kilimanjaro?

You need clothes for four seasons in one week, a sleeping bag that copes with sub-zero nights, and a small kit of personal items. Everything else, including tents, food, cooking gear and water treatment, is normally supplied by the climbing company.

Split your kit into two bags. Your daypack stays on your back and holds what you need during the day. Your duffel goes with a porter and you will not see it again until you reach camp, often hours after you. Porters walk faster than climbers, but not always, so anything you might need before dinner belongs in the daypack.

What goes in your daypack each day?

• Waterproof jacket and trousers. Rain in the forest zone can arrive with little warning.
• A warm mid-layer, such as a fleece.
• 2–3 litres of water in bottles or a hydration bladder.
• Sun hat, sunglasses, sun cream and lip balm with SPF.
• Snacks you actually like eating when you are not hungry.
• Head torch with spare batteries.
• Personal medication, blister plasters and hand sanitiser.
• Toilet paper and a small bag to carry it out.
• Phone or camera, and a small power bank kept warm in an inside pocket.

A daypack of about 25–35 litres with a hip belt and rain cover fits all of this without tempting you to carry more.

What clothes do you need for each climate zone?

Kilimanjaro National Park describes five eco-climatic zones on the mountain, rising through montane forest, heath and moorland and alpine desert to an arctic summit zone, which it likens to a trip from the equator to the arctic. In practice that means sweating in a T-shirt on day one and wearing everything you own on summit night.

Forest and moorland (roughly the first two days)

Light trekking trousers, a synthetic or merino T-shirt, a sun hat and rain gear within reach. The forest is humid and muddy, especially in the rainy months.

Alpine desert (the middle days)

Dry, dusty and exposed. Days can feel warm in the sun and cold the moment a cloud covers it. Wear a long-sleeved base layer, add a fleece at camp, and use gaiters to keep grit out of your boots.

Summit zone

Well below freezing, with wind. You will need your full layering system: base layer, fleece, insulated down or synthetic jacket, and waterproof shell, plus warm trousers, a warm hat and good gloves. The gear guide explains how the layers work together.

What should you pack for summit night?

Summit night is the one time your packing decisions really get tested. Most groups leave high camp around midnight and walk for several hours in the dark, in the coldest part of the day.

• Thin liner gloves under insulated mittens or gloves.
• A warm hat and a buff or balaclava for your face.
• Two pairs of socks you have tested together in your boots.
• An insulated bottle cover or a bottle carried upside down inside your pack, so the lid does not freeze first.
• Chemical hand warmers, if you run cold.
• Your head torch, with fresh batteries fitted before you leave camp.

What toiletries and first aid should you bring?

Keep toiletries small. There are no showers on the camping routes, so wet wipes, a travel toothbrush, hand sanitiser and a quick-dry towel cover most needs.

For first aid, the UK National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) suggests blister pads, plasters and dressings, antiseptic wipes, pain relief, antihistamines, diarrhoea remedies, hand sanitiser, insect repellent and sun cream of at least SPF 30 with 4- or 5-star UVA protection. Bring enough of your regular prescription medicines for the whole trip plus a few spare days.

CDC advises that there is malaria risk in Tanzania below 1,800 m. The mountain towns and park gates sit below that line, so pack insect repellent and talk to a travel-medicine doctor about antimalarial tablets and about preventing altitude sickness. Do not take altitude medication without a doctor's advice. See altitude sickness on Kilimanjaro.

Which documents and money should you carry?

• Passport, with a copy stored separately.
• Visa or visa confirmation. See the Tanzania visa guide.
• Travel insurance policy number and the insurer's 24-hour emergency number. See travel insurance for Kilimanjaro.
• Cash for tips at the end of the climb, in an envelope you will not dip into on safari. See tipping on Kilimanjaro.

What should you leave at home?

Plastic bags. Tanzania bans them for environmental reasons, and UK government travel advice (checked September 2026) says air arrivals are asked to hand them over. Use dry bags or stuff sacks to organise your duffel instead.

Cotton and jeans. Cotton holds sweat and dries slowly, which is uncomfortable in the forest and dangerous in the cold. Choose synthetic or merino fabrics.

Too many clothes. You will wear the same trousers for days, and nobody minds. Every extra item adds to a porter's load, and KPAP guidelines say loads for the company should not exceed 20 kg.

Valuables. Jewellery and spare electronics are better left in a locked hotel store.

Operators set their own limits, so check with yours. KPAP's porter treatment guidelines say that loads carried for the company should not exceed 20 kg, excluding the porter's personal kit. Your duffel counts towards that, so pack light.

Yes, or a well-insulated synthetic equivalent. Evenings at high camps and the summit push are well below freezing, and a fleece alone is not enough. Many climbers rent one rather than buy.

Do not count on it. Bring a power bank and keep it, and your phone, warm in an inside pocket or your sleeping bag at night, because cold drains batteries fast.

Leave plastic bags, cotton clothing, jeans and unnecessary valuables at home. Tanzania bans plastic bags, cotton stays wet and cold, and every extra kilo adds to a porter's load.

Yes, for the lower slopes and the towns. CDC reports malaria risk in Tanzania below 1,800 m. Mosquitoes are rarely a problem higher up, but you will spend time below that altitude before and after the climb.