Kilimanjaro. Alex Stewart
by KLM (www.klm.com), Ethiopian Airlines (www.ethiopianairlines.com) and Precision Air (www.precisionairtz.com). Precision Air is now partnered with Kenya Airways (www.kenya-airways.com), so you can fly Kenya Airways to Nairobi daily and then onwards to Kilimanjaro with Precision Air. Qatar Airways (www.qatarairways.com) operate a daily service and are a good bet if travelling from Asia. Turkish Airlines (www.turkishairlines.com) offer some of the lowest fares but also some of the most antisocial arrival and departure times. Air Tanzania (www.airtanzania.co.tz) currently aren’t operating any flights to Kilimanjaro Airport although they regularly announce that they may start up.
Kibo (photo: UbjsP/Shutterstock.com)
When flying into Kilimanjaro airport from the north, try to sit on the left-hand side of the plane so that when arriving by day (if it’s clear) you will be able to have fantastic views of the mountain. If you are unlucky and end up on the right-hand side of the plane, content yourself with views of Lake Turkana in the north of Kenya. Lake Turkana is the world’s largest permanent desert lake and is about an hour’s flight north of Kilimanjaro.
The cheapest time of year to travel to East Africa is typically between January and May. Flights tend to be heavily booked and occasionally sold out between late June and late August. If you wish to travel during this time, make sure that you book your flights well in advance.
Once you have arrived at Kilimanjaro Airport or Dar es Salaam, there are a number of bus connections that you can take that will shuttle you to Arusha or Moshi, from where you can commence your climb. Alternatively, your outfitter may arrange for you to be collected and transferred to the foot of the mountain. From Kilimanjaro Airport there is a shuttle bus for Precision Air passengers; other arrivals must wait for the shuttle services from Nairobi to Moshi that come via Arusha and the airport, or take a taxi into Moshi, which takes about 45mins (expect to pay around $50). Alternatively, pre-arrange a transfer with your hotel or tour operator. (For information on travelling on from Nairobi to Arusha or Moshi see the ‘By land’ section.)
If you are flying out of Tanzania, you will be required to pay departure tax. The tax is only levied on flights, not overland departures from the country, and is usually incorporated into the price of your ticket.
From the UK
Currently, the only direct flights from the UK to Tanzania are with British Airways (www.ba.com), who fly from Heathrow.
There are however a number of one-stop options that detour via various European, Middle Eastern and African cities. Emirates (www.emiratesairline.com), Ethiopian Airlines (www.ethiopianairlines.com), Kenya Airways (www.kenya-airways.com), Egyptair (www.egyptair.com), South African Airways (www.flysaa.com), Gulf Air (www.gulfair.com) and Swissair (www.swissair.com) are all worth comparing.
The cheapest direct flights to Nairobi are also currently with British Airways. Kenya Airways also run comparably priced direct flights. Alternatively, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Egyptair and Gulf Air offer one-stop flights.
From Ireland
If you are flying from Ireland to Dar es Salaam or Nairobi, British Airways (www.ba.com) will sell you a through ticket from Belfast or Dublin. There are also convenient through-connections from Dublin to Nairobi with KLM (www.klm.com).
From North America
There are currently no direct flights from North America to East Africa. To reach Tanzania from North America you must change planes and possibly even airlines. The quickest route is to fly from New York via London with British Airways (www.ba.com). Otherwise, fly from New York via Amsterdam with North Western (www.nwal.ca) and KLM (www.klm.com). Regardless, the total journey time is still going to be over 20 hours. Fares for these routes are universally expensive.
The alternative to these routes is to fly to a different African destination, such as Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines, www.ethiopianairlines.com) or Cairo (Egyptair, www.egyptair.com), and then continue your journey from there.
A jacaranda tree towering over shacks on a street in Arusha
From Australia and New Zealand
If travelling from Australia or New Zealand to Tanzania you will have to stop over in Asia, Southern Africa or the Middle East. The best deals are usually to be had either with Gulf Air (www.gulfair.com), who fly via Singapore and Bahrain, Egyptair (www.egyptair.com), who fly via Bangkok and Cairo, or Emirates (www.emiratesairline.com), who fly via Dubai, although none of these options are cheap. It is quicker, but more expensive, to fly with Air Zimbabwe (www.airzimbabwe.aero) via Harare. Alternatively, fly to Johannesburg with Qantas (www.qantas.com) or South African Airways (www.flysaa.com) and pick up a connecting flight to Dar es Salaam from there.
By land
An alternative and easy way of accessing Kilimanjaro is to fly to Nairobi and then travel overland to Arusha or Moshi in Tanzania. The shuttle bus service is cheap and reliable. There are a couple of companies plying the same route, most of them operating 20-seat buses and offering a twice daily service from their offices in the centre of Nairobi. The companies will often offer to collect you from your hotel or from one of the main hotels in town, usually the New Stanley or the Norfolk. The buses cross the border at Namanga and then travel to Arusha, where they pause at the Novotel Hotel and where you may have to change bus, before continuing on to Moshi via Kilimanjaro International Airport. The journey to Arusha takes between five and six hours and the onward trip to Moshi, via the airport, takes a further one and half to two hours – potholes, punctures and breakdowns allowing. A single ticket costs around US$35.
The border crossing at Namanga is straightforward enough, although it is usually slow and time consuming. The crossing has been cleaned up considerably over the years and is now much safer and less hostile to pass through. The large numbers of beggars, sellers, charlatans and thieves that used to congregate here have been dispersed. There are still a number of Maasai that loiter, but generally the crossing is hassle free.
At the border you will need to queue for a visa stamp and to have your baggage checked. You only ever need to pay for the visa. There are no other border fees or payments to be made, no matter what anyone tells you at the time.
In addition to the regular public buses that are run by the bus company Akamba and depart from the hectic River Road area of central Nairobi early in the morning, there are some companies that operate shuttle runs