Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro without a guide
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro without a guide: Having a full staff to lead the climb, carry the supplies, and do camp chores leaves some feeling like they are “glamping” and being overly pampered. They want to endure all the hardships that come with climbing the seventh summit peak. They want to feel like they have completely earned the summit. And they are somewhat embarrassed by the four-star treatment they get from a large team of porters, cooks, and guides. Second, some climbers choose to go it alone to save money. The cost of a Kilimanjaro adventure is expensive. Even though park admission prices make up the majority of the running costs, employee salaries come in second. It would make financial sense to completely get rid of the mountain team.
It is not good that it can’t happen for you to climb the Kilimanjaro Mountains without a guide, and thus you will need to hire a guide to be able to climb the Kilimanjaro Mountains, which is extremely interesting and wonderful. Kilimanjaro cannot, regrettably, be climbed without a guide.
The Kilimanjaro National Park Authority and the Tanzanian government revised their stance of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro without a guide in 1991. All hikers must, in essence, be accompanied by a registered and licensed guide, per the requirements. Before starting their journey, hikers must register with the Parks Authority, and they must sign in at each camp along the path they have chosen.
A licensed tour operator must also employ the guide or have another connection with them. The organization with the authority to buy park permits is the tour operator. Therefore, a freelance guide who lacks proof of affiliation with a legally existing company is ineligible to apply for permits. The neighborhood guides and rangers are quite familiar with one another and can spot an outsider. The mountain is a crowded area with many eyes. If you are found rock climbing without a certified guide, you risk being fined, jailed, or deported. And you’ll most likely get caught. Avoid taking that risk.
Hikers must not use bivouacs or caves as shelter; they must stick to designated Kilimanjaro routes. Additionally, wood fires are forbidden. The latter two rules demand proper camping with sufficient cooking and camping equipment. Due to this, the usual Kilimanjaro hike involves not just a licensed guide but also porters to carry supplies such as food, fuel, and tents. As a result, it is impossible to climb Kilimanjaro without porters without appropriate planning and authorization.
The typical trekker-to-support crew ratios are 1:4, 2:8, 3:12, and 4:16. When support personnel are few and trekkers are obliged to carry more of their equipment, several tour operators offer light versions of their tours (up to 12kg). Hikers must also pay a costly park admission fee to climb Kilimanjaro. The cost ranges from $800 to $1200, depending on the route taken and the number of days spent on the mountain (including the 18% VAT tax). The normal 7-day Kilimanjaro climb costs between $2,000 and $3,000 because of the necessity of traveling with a guide and their complete support team, which includes a cook (incl. transfers). Trekking companies who charge less than $1,500 are probably using shortcuts and underpaying their employees.
What about simply hiring a guide? This is permissible legally. Regulations only mention having a certified guide with you. Porters and other support employees are not mentioned. However, several significant obstacles render this project unfeasible for the majority of people. First, the guide himself will need at least one or two porters to carry his stuff. If it’s not necessary, he doesn’t want to spend days carrying food, fuel, tents, and other supplies up the mountain. He does not share your beliefs, even though climbing without assistance may be your ambition. It would be comparable to someone ordering you to intentionally make your job enormously harder and you give in. As a result, expect your guide to
The availability of water is another major problem. To ensure that our clients have access to enough water for drinking, cooking, washing, and flushing portable toilets, a crew of porters departs from camp each day to get water in five-gallon buckets and bring them back to camp. When the water source is nearby, fetching water in this manner is manageable at lower heights. However, it becomes extremely difficult at higher altitudes. Above 13,000 feet, there is no stable water supply. At a height of about 15,400 feet are the high camps of Barafu, School Hut, and Kibo Hut.
Therefore, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro without a guide, you would also need to carry all of your other equipment and enough water to last you until you reached 13,000 feet. In other words, for the most challenging portions of the climb, your pack weight may exceed 70 lbs. It is therefore impossible to climb Kilimanjaro without porters, even if it may still be possible in principle. Thus, you need to know that it is very hard for you to climb the Kilimanjaro Mountain without a guide, and thus, make sure that you come while planning for the guide fee as you enjoy the Kilimanjaro Mountain, which is known as the highest mountain on the African continent.
