How to Train for Kilimanjaro: A 12-Week Plan for First-Time Climbers

How fit do you need to be to climb Kilimanjaro?

A good benchmark is being comfortable walking 6 to 8 hours on hilly ground, two days in a row, with a 5 to 6 kg (11 to 13 lb) daypack. You will walk 4 to 8 hours on most days, then 11 to 15 hours on summit day. You do not need to be fast. In fact, speed is a disadvantage here, as you will read in our altitude sickness guide.

Training will not stop altitude sickness, so choose enough days on the mountain as well. Your fitness and your days work together.

A 12-week Kilimanjaro training plan

If you are starting from a low level of fitness, add four to eight weeks at the beginning. If you are already a regular hiker, you can shorten the early weeks, but keep the back-to-back hikes.

What each stage of Kilimanjaro training is for

Weeks 1 to 4: build the habit

The goal here is consistency. Do not worry about speed. Get used to moving most days, and start wearing your boots on your walks.

Weeks 5 to 8: build endurance

Your hikes get longer, and your pack gets heavier. Practice eating and drinking while you walk, because you will need to do that on the mountain.

Weeks 9 to 11: practice back-to-back days

This is the most valuable stage. Long hikes on consecutive days teach your legs what the mountain will ask of them. If you can do this comfortably, you are well prepared.

Week 12: rest

Do less than you think you should. Arriving rested is more useful than one last long hike.

What matters most in Kilimanjaro training

Time on your feet

Long, slow days prepare you better than short, fast runs.

Hills, both up and down

Downhill walking is hard on your knees, especially after summit night. Include descents in your training, and practice with poles.

Your boots

Wear them on your long hikes so that they are comfortable before you arrive. Blisters on day two are a miserable, and avoidable, problem. See our Kilimanjaro packing list.

Your daypack

Practice with the bag, water system and layers you plan to use.

Walking slowly

Practice a pace you could keep up all day while chatting. That is much closer to mountain speed than you might expect.

The best strength exercises for Kilimanjaro

You do not need a gym. Two short sessions a week of these exercises will strengthen the muscles that matter.

• Step-ups: the closest thing to walking uphill. Add a pack as you get stronger.
• Squats and lunges: for your thighs and hips.
• Slow step-downs: to prepare your knees for the long descent.
• Calf raises: for steep sections.
• Planks: a strong core helps you carry a pack comfortably.

How to train for Kilimanjaro if you live somewhere flat

Use stairs, a stair machine or an inclined treadmill, and carry your pack. Office or apartment stairs work well for short sessions. If you can, take a practice weekend in the hills before you travel, because nothing replaces walking on rough ground.

Do you need altitude training for Kilimanjaro?

No, although it can help. If you can spend time at altitude before your climb, such as on a nearby high mountain, your body will have a head start. Most climbers cannot do this, so they take more days on the mountain instead, and that works well. Altitude tents and masks are expensive and unnecessary for most people.

Matching your fitness to the right Kilimanjaro route

If you are unsure about your fitness, choose a longer climb with shorter days, such as the 8-day Lemosho or 7-day Rongai. Shorter climbs like the 6-day Machame ask more of you each day. Our route comparison can help you decide.

Common Kilimanjaro training mistakes

• Only running. It helps your heart and lungs, but it does not prepare you for hours under a pack.
• New boots. Break them in well before you travel.
• Skipping back-to-back days. One long hike does not tell you how you will feel on day five.
• Training too hard at the end. Rest in the final week.
• Thinking fitness replaces days. It does not.

A sample training week for Kilimanjaro

Here is how a typical week might look around weeks 5 to 8, when you are building endurance. Adjust it to fit your life.

Eating and drinking in your Kilimanjaro training

Use your long hikes to practice what you will do on the mountain. Aim to drink regularly, not only when you feel thirsty, and work up to about 3 liters (3 quarts) over a long day. Try different snacks, because some foods that taste good at home are hard to face when you are tired. If you plan to use a hydration bladder, practice with it. If you plan to use bottles, make sure you can reach them without taking off your pack.

Mental preparation: the part of Kilimanjaro training people forget

Summit night is as much a mental challenge as a physical one. You will walk slowly for hours in the dark, feeling cold and tired, and you will want to stop. It helps to have practiced being uncomfortable. Some climbers do a long hike in bad weather or start one before dawn to get a taste of it. Decide now why you are climbing, because that reason is what you will reach for at 3 a.m. Break the night into small goals, such as the next rest stop, rather than thinking about the summit.

Training for Kilimanjaro: your questions answered

The simplest way to prepare for Kilimanjaro

If you do only one thing, go for long hikes on back-to-back weekend days, with your boots and your pack. Add stairs or step-ups during the week. Then give the mountain enough days. Tell us how your training is going, and we will help you choose a route that matches.