FAQ

 

VACCINATION & IMMUNIZATIONS

We recommend you to contact your closest vaccination central as soon as you can to get proper treatment as several of them takes weeks to complete.

 

PASSPORT AND VISA

Speak to the Tanzanian embassy in your country to acquire a visa. This is highly recommended. You can also obtain it upon arrival at the airport in Tanzania. The cost is $50 per visa, except for U.S passport holder who pay $100.

 

CANCELLATION

If you have to cancel your trip for any reasons, contact us as soon as possible. You cannot receive back the deposit of $1,500. It's used to book vehicles, national park entrance fee, arrange equipment and food.

 

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Your insurance policy should as a minimum protect you against trip interruption and trip cancellation. If you have to cancel your trip due to circumstances such as sickness, emergencies or injuries - please contact us as soon as you can.

 

THE SITUATION IN TANZANIA

Tanzania is one of the safest countries in Africa but as usual when you travel to new countries, your common sense is a good guide line.

 

CURRENCY IN TANZANIA

The Tanzanian Shilling (shilingi) is the currency in Tanzania, but use of U.S. dollars is accepted.

 

CLIMATE

The climate around Kilimanjaro is often warm during the day and a little bit colder during the evening. It's not unusual to feel cold if you're sitting outside having dinner in shorts. This is not the case in subtropical Zanzibar.

 

TIME ZONE

The Time zone in Tanzania is UTC/GMT +3 hours.

 

LAGNUAGE - SWAHILI

Swahili is the most widespread language of the 500 bantu languages in Africa. Its origin is the coast line of Kenya and Tanzania as well as Zanzibar island. Swahili is also the language used in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Somalia.

 

WATER IN TANZANIA

It's not good for your health to drink the tap water in Tanzania. However, we provide you with bottled water during the trip. You can also buy bottled water in hotels and shops.

 

ACCOMMODATION

We cooperate with the following companies: 

Mount Meru Hotel

Ngurodoto Mountain Lodge

Kibo Palace Hotel

The Arusha Hotel

Moivaro Coffee Lodge

 

FITNESS LEVEL

We recommend everybody who doubt their fitness level to start training for their Kilimanjaro Expedition. 

The best training is to hike during the day. Start off with a backpack with nothing inside of it and start adding weight after a few hikes. It's also beneficial to add leg exercises, in the gym or outside/at home as well as core training. 

For the best possible training program, hire a personal trainer who can set up a good program for you. Tell them that you are going to trek Kilimanjaro. 

If you live in New York, United States we recommend you to pay GetUpNGetFit LCC a visit.

 

EXCESS LUGGAGE

You can leave excess luggage at your hotel but valuables should always be carried with you at all times.

 

TIPPING

 

To show satisfaction and appreciation, tipping is commonly used in Tanzania. It's a sign of good service and part of good manners when climbing Kilimanjaro. If the service was of high quality, we encourage you to give a generous tip; if the service did not meet your expectations, please adjust your tip accordingly.

 

Peponi Expeditions Kilimanjaro's staff are paid a fair and proper living wage – no one relies on tips as their only income source. However, it provides valuable relational benefits and additional financial assistance.

 

Kilimanjaro Climb

 

How much do I tip?

 

You can either choose to gather your total tip amount in a pool with rest of the climbers which we later divide evenly to the crew, or if you would like to have control over who's receiving what, you can give your tip from an individual to an individual. 

 

As a guide line, we advice each trekker to calculate their total tip offering as: 10 – 15% of the total climb cost OR $60 – 75 for each day on the mountain. This amount is close to the following tip ranges divided to each crew member position: Porters receive $8 - 10$/day, cook(s) receive $15-20$/day, assistant guide(s) receive $20-30$/day and trip leader/head guide receives $50-60$/day. 

 

When do I give my tip?

 

Peponi Expeditions And Safari knows that a successful climb of Kilimanjaro is built on team work and support of all climbers, guides and crew. To appreciate this team effort, the tip is given the last day of the trip after we have celebrated. 

 

The Arusha Safari

 

Each group of 4 clients on the Arusha Safari will share one vehicle with a naturalist/driver. Camping safaris include one camping crew and one cook.

 

How much do I tip?

 

The following tip ranges are recommended for safari:

Camping Crew:$6-$10 per day per vehicle (camping safari)

Cook: $10-$15 per day per vehicle (camping safari)

Naturalist/Driver: $20-$25 per day per vehicle

 

BEFORE YOU GO

 

There's alot to think about before your visit and we recommend you to go through the following list. We recommend you to pay extra attention to checking your passport and your vaccinations. 

  • Go through the program and save the telephone number to David Ayumwi Lyimo at Peponi Expeditions And Safari+255 718 442 953
  • Save the telephone number to your accommodation.
  • Inform your close ones about how they can contact you.

Bring the following items:

  • All travel documents as well as airplane tickets and make copies of them that you store separatley.
  • Make a copy of your passport and make sure it's valid for atleast six months
  • Make a copy of your visa if it was acquired before arrival.
  • Yellow Fever vaccination record
  • Personal medications
  • Your proof of valid travel insurance, can usually be ordered from your insurance company.
  • Cash in U.S dollars to pay for the rest of your booked expedition, safari och zanzibar visit as well as extra cash for the accommodation, tip and other expenses.
  • Save the telephone number which you should call if you credit card gets lost or stolen.
  • Save your accommodation address, needed to acquire a visa at the airport.

Additional items:

  • Small knife – good for cutting water melons and other exotic fruit.
  • Flashlight
  • An extra pair of glasses. Avoid contact lenses due to the risk of infection.
  • Sunglasses.
  • Small microfibre towel
  • Baby wipes for general hygiene
  • Toilet paper for a variety of emergencies
  • Hiking treats like energy bars and comfort food.
  • Camera and battery charger as well as an extra battery or memory card.
  • Driver's license.
  • Gifts for children at the orphanages like pens, baloons, second-hand clothes and shoes.
  • Toothpaste, toothbrush, dental floss, tampons etc.
  • Ear plugs for the airplane.
  • Mobile phone – or buy a cheap unlocked one and use a Tanzanian SIM.
  • Binoculars.
  • Padlocks for your suitcases.
  • Small backpack (camera, valuables, water etc)
  • Sunblock.
  • Sun hat or cap.
  • MP3 player.
  • Mosquito repellent.
  • A good mood :-)

For Trekking: check at the bottom of this page