Photo courtesy of John Holman

In the morning of the First Day of my climb I met my guide, Samuel, and our porters, Nechi, Avoit, and Reginald. That’s FOUR humans tasked with assisting me with my climb – Wow! As we drove around town collecting the final goods needed for our trek, I asked Samuel how long he has been climbing the mountain. With a big smile, he replied “22 years!” When he got out of the truck to buy some meat I saw that his calf muscles were carved from stone and I knew that it was true.

Traditionally February is the best time of year for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro - that said, I have seen snow storms that last for days. I have seen 10 days of rain in the middle of August, another dry month for climbing the mountain..

What does all this mean? Be over preprepared. Expect the worst - always. And if rains or snows on the mountain, at least you come both physcially and mentally prepared.

Since it's expensive to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, many inexperienced people climb the mountain in sometimes five or six days. The problem is, many don't make it to the top because they suffer from altitude sickness. The key to summitting Kilimanjaro is spending an extra day on the mountain - let your body acclimate, and you will have a much higher probability of making it to the top of Uhuru peak.

Yes, it's going to cost you some extra money - maybe $100 to $150 - but you have already made the investment of traveling to Tanzania, buying all your your tours, visas, shots, etc. A little extra money can the make the difference of not only reaching the summit, but actually enjoying yourself and not coming down with altitude sickness.

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This article, Bid To Preserve Tanzanian Heritage, on Mt. Kilimanjaro makes you understand the reasoning behind the increase. I am a firm believe that about 90 percent of the Tanzanian travelers go to the same three places - and that the rest of the country is way under utilized. Go climb Mt. Meru instead of Kilimanjaro, go on safari in the Selous, instead of Serengetti, and visit Pemba or Mafia Islands instead of Zanzibar. There are trillions of other places like this - the beauty of the country is the people, the landscapes and the animals. They don't all live in one spot!

It is made up of three extinct volcanoes: Kibo 19,340 feet (5,895 meters), Mawenzi 16,896 feet (5,149 meters); and Shira 13,000 feet (3,962 meters). Apart from its dramatic geological features Mount Kilimanjaro, it's the perfect destination for wildlife and plant enthusiasts. Kilimanjaro contains an example of virtually every ecosystem on earth - glacier, snowfields, deserts, alpine moorland, savannah, and tropical jungle, all of which found on the mountain. Some say, the descent from the summit to the mainland, is like walking from the North Pole to the Equator in just one day.

When you purchase your tickets from Scandinavian bus lines, you can purchase at their own terminal on Nyerere Rd. in Dar es Salaam or you can purchase tickets at the Ubungo bus station. It’s calmer and less chaotic if you purchase your ticket from their head office. If you purchase from the bus station, you do not need to go inside Ubungo bus station, only purchase tickets on the outside of the gates. Make sure you go into the correct office, as many people try to sell you tickets from other bus lines.

Purchase your tickets a few days in advance to guarantee reservations – and arrive 30 minutes before you bus departs. You can buy tickets the day of departure, but often times the bus is full. They usually have 3 departures per day to Northern Tanzania.

The bus will stop once during the day - for restroom and food breaks.

Here is Scandinavian's bus departure times from Dar es Sallam.

For mid-range, try the Boulevard hotel. It's a large hotel with lush gardens backing up to Nairobi river, right near the city center. It's has all the nice ammenties - swimming pool, tennis court, restaurants, bars, internet cafe and a store. It's around $90 per night for a double room.