A lot of my friends are still asking why I did it. I'm not a climber, I'm not even a casual hiker but I needed a challenge. I'm like most of us, a young professional trying to stay fit despite all the bad food in the office and the too many drinks opportunities that London has to offer. I needed something to keep me on track and a good story to tell.

I climbed the Kilimanjaro via the Machame route in September 2016 in 6 days, which is the shortest recommended time to still have a good acclimatisation. The first few days hiking were fine, beautiful sceneries, good atmosphere… but summit day and going down the Kilimanjaro was harder than I thought. Not because I underestimated the challenge but because I have never experienced such a level of exhaustion. You will really need to find the energy deep inside to keep walking. Was it worth it? Hell yeah, the feeling of walking on top of the Kilimanjaro was just out of this world. With its dramatic landscape and my brain low on oxygen I felt like I was the first man walking on the moon!

I will probably write an article just on the climb with tips on how to optimise your chance of getting to the top but I want to keep this post about the preparation of the trip so you can easily get an overview and cost of each steps.  Spoiler alert: It’s not cheap!

Step 1: Operator

From: £1,999

It's probably the most important step. Pick the wrong operator and your whole experience could be a disaster. The main risk is to climb with under paid Porters and guides who won't have the right gears and make you feel like a white colonialist. I have seen porters climbing with boat shoes at +4000m. The positive is that you will straight away stop feeling tired or sorry for yourself.

After deep researches I decided to contactKandoo Adventures. I read a lot of great reviews about them; they have all the certifications and extensive information on their website on the different routes and how to prepare for the ascension. My advice is to select at least 2 operators and send each few emails asking for information. You should be able to judge quickly based on the speed and quality of answer which one you feel will provide you with the right support. Kandoo manager “Rachel” was very helpful and made me feel comfortable with the whole process. I can’t say if they are the best or not but it’s a safe option as my experience with them was exceptional. They were very supportive throughout with even proactive email to make sure I understood what gear was needed, how to train, the risk of altitude…

People online argue about local operators versus international operators. Kandoo has the best of both worlds. It’s a British operator and they own the local agency as well. By controlling the whole chain you can be sure that what you pay is what you get and that they are responsible for the porters and guides well being.

Step 2: Flight

Cost: £750

You should use a flight comparator tool to find the best deal. I booked a return flight with Kenya Airways from London to Kilimanjaro airport with a stop at Nairobi.

Step 3: Gears

Cost: £500 - £800

It’s crazy how you can almost get emotionally attached to that jacket that kept you warm through the freezing wind at high altitude or those shoes that took you to the top. Having the right gears will definitely be a big factor influencing your chance of success. I will soon add the list of everything that I bought for the trip but that might take some time so for now here is what it looks like:

Step 4: Insurance

Cost: £30-£40

This is obviously not an option! Your normal insurance won’t be covering you above a certain altitude so you need to get a special one. I have used ttps://www.worldnomads.com because he had good reviews and wasn’t too expensive but I’m quite happy to say that I didn’t need to use so that has far as I can comment on this

Step 5: Visa

Cost: £40

Yes, you need a visa to go to Tanzania. It’s just a formality but you need to go to theembassy. It usually takes about a week.

Step 6: Vaccines & Medicines

Cost: £100

If you are coming directly from Europe you won’t need the yellow fever injection but you want to make sure the rest of your vaccines are up to date: Hepatitis A, Typhoid… Just go to your GP with your vaccines history and they will be able to advise.

You will need antimalarial tablets for before and after the climb but not during, as there are no mosquitoes on the mountain (they are not that crazy). I would highly recommended to order some high altitude tablet as well. It’s not mandatory and it’s not a perfect science as some climber still experience altitude sickness with it but you might want to put all the chances on your side. GPs usually don’t prescribe it so I got mine online atDoctorFox.

Step 7: Porters and Guides tips

Cost: £250

You need to plan in your budget about $300 (£250) tips for the porters and guides. Yes, the operator each time they climb pays them but it’s not enough. To be honest without the porters you wouldn’t be able to reach to the top and they are real force of nature so they deserve it.

I didn’t lie climbing Kilimanjaro isn’t cheap. If you add everything we are already at +£3750. Should you spend that much money to push your body to its limit? It depends who you are but for me it made sense and I’m now preparing with Guillaume to the next challenge: Mont Blanc…