Food and Drinks During Kilimanjaro Climb

You will be amazed at the variety, quality & quantity of the food we serve to you whilst you are on your Mount Kilimanjaro climb. As you are trekking for between 6-9 hours a day (before summit night) you’ll be burning a lot of calories – and as you are at altitude – even more than you would at sea level.

Ensuring that you are well fed – and fully fuelled for climbing Kilimanjaro is paramount – so you’ve enough energy to get to the top. On all of our Kilimanjaro climbs you will be fully supported by a team of chefs, and cooking porters whom will cater for every dietary requirement and you will have 3 hot cooked meals a day – plus a plentiful supply of water and hot drinks.

The menu on Kilimanjaro is designed to ensure your food intake matches your level of exertion. It will provide you with a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables. When you are at altitude you could start to feel nauseous and your appetite may be suppressed, so the meals prepared at high altitude usually contain more carbohydrates and less protein to help you to digest you food.

Your meals will be prepared by your cooks on Kilimanjaro and the food will be carried by your porters. The menu will consist of a mixture of western and African style dishes. You will receive cooked breakfasts, with tea or coffee. A packed lunch or cooked lunch at camp, (depending on the length of the days walking). Afternoon tea on arrival at camp; usually popcorn or biscuits with tea and coffee. For dinner you will usually start with soup, followed by meat or vegetables in a sauce, served with either potatoes, pasta or rice and salad. There will also be fresh fruit available for most meals.

Each day you will be served different menus whilst on the climb and the below is a guideline to what type of food you can expect on Kilimanjaro:

• Breakfast – porridge (oats or millet), toast, eggs, sausages, cereal & fruit, Tea, coffee, cocoa, juice, Peanut butter, jam, honey
• Lunch – soup, rice, vegetables, chicken, casserole, chips, sandwiches 
• Dinner – soup, breads, stews, pasta, rice, vegetables, chips
• Snacks at camp – on arrival into camp there will be salty snacks & biscuits
• Each stop there will be purified water, hot water for teas, coffee & hot chocolate!

Snacks

You may wish to bring your own snacks to provide well deserved treat, or energy boost! Chocolate is generally the best answer and if it has nuts in then even better, but whatever you choose make sure it is a favourite treat and not a ‘power bar’, or ‘energy gel’. If you are suffering from altitude sickness then your appetite may be suppressed and these snacks may become a good supplement to your meals, so make sure it is something that you enjoy eating! A powdered energy drink such as lucozade sport is also a good source of energy and will help with the taste of the water if you have been using iodine tablets.

Water

You will need to consume more water on Kilimanjaro than you would normally drink on an average day at home to keep properly hydrated. This is due to the physically exertion of walking between  4 – 8 hours per day and the effect of being at high altitude.

Depending on your physiology you will need to take in between 3-4 liters of water each day of Kilimanjaro trekking.

Which is a lot of water…

So many people find that taking electrolytes or flavoured cordial helps to keep the taste buds excited. There will also be hot drinking water at the camp eat morning/ evening as well as the lunch stop with a selection of teas, coffee and hot chocolate.

Water is provided by the porters who will fetch water from the streams near the camps on Kilimanjaro. The water is then boiled by the porters, which should be fine for drinking. However you may wish to bring additional water treatment methods such as; water filters or Iodine tablets if you have a particularly sensitive stomach.

Dietary Restrictions? No Problem…

Remember to inform us if you have any special dietary requirements – Our chefs are also able to accommodate almost any dietary restrictions so that vegans, vegetarians, gluten and lactose intolerant and those with restrictions due to their religious beliefs are all accommodated. Just make sure you let us know in advance of any dietary restrictions you may have

Also if you’ve any questions or concerns about the food whilst on the challenge feel free to speak to our team and we can give you more information!