Home About Us Kilimanjaro GPS Map Routes Prices Charity Climbs Dates How to Book Hotels & Arusha Safaris Contact

Minimum Requirements of Health and Fitness for Climbing Kilimanjaro

We give the following two simple minimum standard indicators for two reasons:

1. If you’re extremely unfit the expedition will only be a hard slog that you won’t really enjoy and you probably won’t summit.

2. If you’re extremely unfit there are very real dangers associated with the physiological demands of a high altitude environment that we would not be happy to expose you to.

If you do not understand what these requirements mean, or are in doubt as to whether you satisfy these criteria, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Body Mass Index: maximum of 29. Aim for 18 - 25

A person 5’7” tall should really weigh no more than 13 stone (185 lbs).

A person 6ft tall should weigh under 97 kg (215 lbs).

BMI is calculated as follows:

body mass in kg / (height in metres)²

Basic Fitness Test

Maximum best time of 15 mins 30.

This is a mile and a half run (2.4km), usually including only a very slight incline. However, we suggest you test yourself either on a treadmill at a gym, or by running 6 times around an athletics track.

Although no running is required on the expedition, nonetheless, a BFT is a good indicator of cardio-vascular output, a reasonable level of which is required on Kilimanjaro.

<<< Why Train for Kilimanjaro?

Mapping the Mountain >>>