Pulpit Rock, or Preikestolen in Norwegian, is a site so improbable it looks man-made. This flat slab of granite is an almost perfect square, jutting out of a mountainside 604 metres (1,982ft) high, and providing a postcard-perfect view out over the Lysefjord in southwestern Norway.

The cliff was carved out by glacial activity at the end of the last Ice Age...

The plateau of Pulpit Rock measures roughly 25m x 25m. It’s the end-point one of Norway’s most popular day hikes, located 25 miles (40km) from Stavanger, the nearest city. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever find yourself alone at Preikestolen. This is the busiest and best-known of the three icons of Lysefjord - the others being the Kjeragbolten boulder, lodged between two cliffs, 1,000m (3,380ft) high, and the 4,444 wooden steps up Flørli. But, for those in the know, here are back-routes up the mountain to Pulpit Rock for a bit more peace en route.

However you get there, this is a place where the beauty of the Norwegian fjords is fully on show - dramatic cliffs, layering mountains, water twisting out of sight.

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What is Pulpit Rock? Preikestolen, explained

Pulpit Rock is a granite ledge which looks out over Lysefjord in southwestern Norway. It’s a dramatic beauty spot, and the unusual, square nature of the ledge is a particularly fascinating geological feature. The cliff was carved out by glacial activity at the end of the last Ice Age, and today it’s one of the most recognisable images of Norway - a flat-topped ledge with a full vista of the fjord below.

The name, Pulpit Rock, comes from the shape of the rock. A pulpit is a raised platform in a church where a clergy member might stand to deliver a sermon. The parallels in shape are obvious, and there’s also something spiritual about this site, hovering 604 metres (1,982ft) above the water of the fjord. There is a deep crack (or fissure), roughly half a metre wide and several metres deep, which runs along the top of the cliff, though geologists deem the rock stable.

How hard is the Pulpit Rock hike?

The Pulpit Rock hike is moderately challenging for fit hikers. Being a popular tourist spot, the walk is often undertaken by people with little to no experience, and predictably, the route is much more challenging for such visitors.

The route traditionally starts from the Preikestolen visitors centre. From here, it’s a 2.5 mile (4km) walk taking two to four hours one-way (double that return). The trail is steep, starting on a gravel path, then turning into a mountain trail.

There are some stone steps and boardwalks but the natural areas, paved with stone, are the most beautiful, looking out over woodland and water. You’ll pass through a marsh and cross bridges, looking out over little lakes. The second part of the trail is particularly scenic, with far-reaching views of the surrounding mountains, deep and dramatic, covered in forest. Soon, you’ll emerge out to Lysefjord, staring right down the barrel of the fjord. Pulpit Rock is just beyond, coming into view only when you’ve reached the very end of the trail.

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The last stretch of trail to Pulpit Rock is on a trail which is entirely exposed on one side, with the fjord and a sharp drop on your left. It can induce vertigo. The trail signage uses Pulpit Rock and the Norwegian Preikestolen interchangeably.

It begins with a short paddle across a lake, before using a little-known path to Neverdalsfjellet. There's a series of scrambles and rocky viewpoints before you reach Preikestolen...

On our Hike the Norwegian Fjords trip, our guides lead you to Pulpit Rock by a hidden route that sidesteps the busy main trail. It begins with a short paddle across a lake, before taking a scenic path to the peak of Neverdalsfjellet (706m). There's a series of scrambles and rocky viewpoints before you reach Preikestolen - the square plateau above the fjord. This is a tougher route than the tourist trail, but it’s also quieter and more rewarding. This route will have you hiking for between six and seven hours, including the descent.

How to get to Pulpit Rock from Stavanger

You can reach the trailhead for Pulpit Rock from Stavanger by taking a 45-minute express bus or by driving. Since the opening of the Ryfast subsea tunnel back in 2019, buses are direct and no longer require a ferry connection. If you’re driving, be aware that the parking fills up quickly, so you’re best to arrive as early as possible. There are campsites near Pulpit Rock, and wild camping is legal in Norway thanks to the Allemannsretten, Norway's famous right to roam.

When to hike Pulpit Rock

The best months to hike to Pulpit Rock are from May to September, when the trail is clear of snow and ice and the sunlight provides long, bright days, ideal for walking. June, July and August are the busiest months of the year here.

During winter, experience of hiking in icy and snowy conditions is a necessity. While it is still possible to hike to Pulpit Rock in winter, crampons and other winter equipment may be required. The days are also significantly shorter, with only a brief window of daylight in which to hike. The route can be slippy, extra challenging and ultimately quite perilous. This rules it out for most people.

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Regardless of when you hike the route, pay close attention to the weather forecast, which can change rapidly. While this is a popular hike, it is still a high-mountain route in a wild area, with all the dangers that entails. If you're weighing up when to go, our Hike the Norwegian Fjords trip runs from May to September - so the best hiking window and the bookable windows are the same dates.

Kjerag and Kjeragbolten: the boulder in the sky

The cliffs of Kjerag rise more than 1,000 metres (3,380ft) above the water of the fjord. On top of those cliffs sits Kjeragbolten - a boulder wedged between two rock faces, which has become one of Norway’s most photographed spots.

To get to the Kjeragbolten trailhead, you’ll need to drive up the famous Lyseveien Road - one of Norway’s most spectacular roads, with a full 27 switchback bends on the way. The hike is a six-hour, 6.8-mile (11km) walk with 850 metres of uphill and downhill. After a steep ascent from the trailhead, the route continues across smooth, granite slabs and a mountain ridge to reach Kjeragbolten. From here, you’ll walk on across the clifftops with panoramic vistas of the fjord.

To get to the trailhead, you’ll need to drive up the Lyseveien Road - with a full 27 switchback bends on the way.

There are some light scrambling sections (and some steep, strenuous sections with chains you can hold onto), but it is mostly gradual, consistent uphill. The clifftops have some vertigo-inducing moments, but none more so than Kjeragbolten itself. Some brave souls choose to stand on the boulder to get a photograph. It goes without saying that this is a risky undertaking, with potentially grave consequences. If you do so, you do it at your own risk. The boulder is five cubic metres and hangs 984m (3,228ft) above Lysefjorden.

Kjerag is walked on Much Better Adventures' Hike the Norwegian Fjords trip.

The Flørli 4444 steps

Flørli is a hamlet with no roads, meaning it is reachable only by ferry or on foot. The hamlet sits deep into Lysefjord and famously, it provides access to a 4,444 staircase - as steep as you get - which leads from the edge of the water up the mountain face. This is the longest wooden staircase in the world, running alongside an old hydroelectric pipeline. You’ll want to take a few pauses to catch your breath and take in the views along the way. When you reach the top, wander through a forest and past waterfalls, before heading back down.

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Flørli is walked on Much Better Adventures Hike the Norwegian Fjords trip, reached as part of the itinerary rather than as a puzzle you have to solve.

Lysefjord: the fjord at the heart of it all

The Lysefjord is the 26-mile fjord that connects Pulpit Rock, the Kjerag and Kjeragbolten walk and the Flørli 4444 steps.

The fjord is 45 minutes in a car from Stavanger in southwestern Norway, and it is a sublime, stunning site of natural beauty which fits all the stereotypes you might have of a Norwegian fjord. Here, the granite walls rise sheer and straight out of the water, reaching heights of over 1,000 metres (3,380ft) at times.

Moving roughly from west to east, Pulpit Rock is the square, granite lookout point above the fjord’s outer reaches. Flørli is deeper into Lysefjord, partway along it and reachable only by boat, and Kjerag rises in the innermost stretches of the Lysefjord, near Lysebotn. Visiting each of these sites on one trip gives you a real sense of journeying through the Lysefjord, and discovering the full site.

Our map of the Norwegian fjords puts the location of Lysefjord into context.

Hike all three Lysefjord icons on one trip

If you'd rather not plan three separate hikes, three separate transfers, and have three separate logistical headaches, our Hike the Norwegian Fjords trip does it for you. Over 6 nights, and from £1,823pp, departing May to September, local guides will lead you across Preikestolen, Kjerag and the Flørli 4444 steps.

You'll take a guided ascent of Pulpit Rock timed to beat the crowds, visit the fixed-chain sections of Kjerag with someone who's done it before, and reach the boat-access-only climb at Flørli. It's a small-group trip, with like-minded people.

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This trip also goes beyond these sites, into Jenafjell and the highlands (near the protected habitat of the world's southernmost herd of wild reindeer), and on the Lysfjord panoramic trail, climbing to the 406m Hatten for a pinch-me view.

Pulpit Rock FAQs

How long does the Pulpit Rock hike take?

Most hikers complete the classic Pulpit Rock hike in between four and eight hours, depending on fitness and the time spent at the top. The trail runs five miles (8km) out and back. It’s a half-day hike for most experienced walkers, but can be longer if the trail is busy. The walk on our Hike the Norwegian Fjords trip takes a different route, and six to seven hours.

Can you hike Pulpit Rock without a guide?

Absolutely. The route is well-marked and well-maintained. The majority of the 300,000 people who hike the route each year do so independently, without a guide. Where a guide earns their keep is their ability to guide you onto lesser-visited, quieter trails, and combining the tougher, further-flung icons of the fjord (Kjerag, Flørli) in one trip - handling the logistics and adding local flavour.

Is Pulpit Rock dangerous?

There are no barriers at the edge of Pulpit Rock, and there is a long drop on the other side, but the walk is not inherently more dangerous than any other hike. The trail - in good summer conditions - is not particularly demanding for those with good fitness. The biggest dangers come from bad conditions, such as fog, rain, ice or snow requiring winter equipment, or from underestimating the terrain. Wear suitable footwear and treat the outdoors with respect.

Pulpit Rock or Trolltunga: which should you hike?

Pulpit Rock and Trolltunga are in different places, around 137 miles (220km) apart. Trolltunga is a much longer, tougher hike (around 10-12 hours). It also leads to a spot of immense beauty, but the wonder of Pulpit Rock is that you can then combine it witha trip to Kjerag and the 4,444 Flørli steps after.

Hike to Pulpit Rock on our Hike the Norwegian Fjords adventure!

Norway is a country of glacier-carved fjords, of powerful waterfalls, sprawling forests and towering mountain peaks. It's also one of the few places in the world where you can wild camp without having to hope that nobody notices - because it’s a legal right. Allemannsretten (“everyman’s right”) means that you can pitch a tent on uncultivated land almost anywhere in Norway, free of charge, without having to ask for anyone’s permission.

There are a few caveats to this. The land you camp on has to be uncultivated, and you have to be more than 150 metres from houses or cabins. In areas of high visitor footfall there may be local restrictions, and of course, people should practise responsible access and leave no trace. But this is a right that runs deep.

Fjords, forests, mountains and coastlines are not just beauty spots in Norway. They're an inherent part of being.

The playwright Henrik Ibsen coined the term friluftsliv (“free-air life”) in the 1850s. It's a term intertwined with Allemannsretten, and it captures how central the outdoors are to national identity here. Fjords, forests, mountains and coastlines are not just beauty spots in Norway. They're an inherent part of being.

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Allemannsretten, by extension, is emblematic of the connection between people and wild places here. It shows that the land belongs to everyone - and no one. It views nature as a fundamental human need and preaches responsibility and co-existence. So it’s fair to say that the significance of the right to roam goes beyond practicalities - even if it’s also safe to say the practicalities are pretty remarkable.

In practice, Allemannsretten is a tent pitched on the edge of a fjord after a long paddle, while dinner is cooked over a fire a few steps from the water (without a fence in sight). It is waking up to the sound of birdcall in a forest, and not having to worry about being caught camping and told off, simply for seeking solace in the outdoors. Here’s a little guide to the Norwegian right to roam.

You may hear a seal swimming up to the campsite, or you may hear an eagle in the early morning.

Jan Neilsen is a kayak guide who had led hiking, camping and kayaking trips on the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord for over two decades. "On an overnight trip, we stay out," he says. "We get the calmness of the fjord. The ferries stop moving. You may hear a seal swimming up to the campsite, or you may hear an eagle in the early morning, you may even hear an owl at night. The campfire conversation always leads somewhere - and those talks often revert back to the environment."

Can you wild camp in Norway? Allemannsretten, Norway's right to roam, explained

Yes, thanks to Allemannsretten, you can camp on uncultivated land in Norway, for free. The principle has existed as customary practise for centuries, and it was written into law in the Outdoor Recreation Act of 1957, created “to protect the natural basis for outdoor recreation and to safeguard the public right of access to and passage through the countryside and the right to spend time there.”

Norway is just the perfect place for kayaking. We have a lot of water, we have a lot of lakes, we have a lot of rivers, and the mountains provide protection for the wind.

The right to roam applies to utmark - uncultivated land, examples of which include forests, mountains, moorland, most of the coastline of Norway and the shorelines of fjords. What it does not apply to is innmark - cultivated or private land, such as agricultural fields, household gardens, farmyards or the areas immediately around someone’s house. That’s the crucial distinction at the heart of the right, and one many visitors misunderstand. If it looks like private land, you can’t pitch up on it. If it’s open countryside, you’re generally good to go.

There are a few practical rules to follow, even when pitching in utmark:

• Pitch at least 150 metres away from the nearest inhabited house or cabin.
• In lowland areas, you can stay up to two nights in the same spot without asking the landowner; whereas in mountains, moorlands and more remote areas, multi-night stays are generally acceptable.
• Do check for local restrictions on top of the national rule before you go, especially if you’re visiting a heavily touristed area.

The beauty is that wild camping in Norway is not a tolerated inconvenience, it’s a right with a 70-year-old legal history behind it, built on a cultural ideology going back much, much further. There are even government-run gear libraries, where anyone can borrow kit to go camping for free. So when you camp, permissions are less of a focus than behaviour. It’s crucial you behave responsibly and treat the land with respect. That idea is as in-built in Norway as the right to roam.

"One of the things that makes Norway special is that we generally don’t allow motorised vehicles in wilderness areas, without a special permit," says kayak guide Jan Neilsen. "That leaves a lot of areas really unspoilt. We have a relaxed approach to the outdoors here. That is provided to every citizen by law - the Allemansratten. This creates a responsibility for us as tour operators. There’s a lot of beauty here, that we want to share. But we have to share it responsibly."

Is it legal to wild camp in Norway?

Yes. Wild camping is legal in Norway under Allemannsretten, the right to roam written into the 1957 Outdoor Recreation Act. You can pitch a tent on uncultivated land for up to two nights in one spot, as long as you stay at least 150 metres from the nearest house and leave no trace.

Can you camp in Norway for free?

Yes. As part of Norway’s right to roam, you can camp for free on utmark, uncultivated land, including mountains, forests and much of the fjords shoreline. You can stay for two nights in lowland areas, or for longer in remote mountain areas, leaving the site how you found it. You can also hike and kayak.

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"Norway is just the perfect place for kayaking," says Neilsen. "We have a lot of water, we have a lot of lakes, we have a lot of rivers, and the mountains provide protection for the wind. Kayaking is such a peaceful way of travelling."

What happens if you get caught wild camping in the wrong spot?

Wild camping rules in Norway are based on trust, respect and an engrained culture. So if you pitch a tent too close to a private house, or on cultivated land, the most likely outcome will be a polite request for you to move on - possibly accompanied by a suggestion of where to do so. If you deliberately ignore local restrictions or leave litter, though, there can be fines. Camp on uncultivated land, follow the 150 metre rule and leave no trace. Then you won’t have a problem.

What wild camping in Norway is actually like

There's a deep sense of serenity that comes with falling asleep under the shadow of huge fjord walls, and a real awe that comes with unzipping the tent in the morning to see them light up again , in the cool chill of morning air. Here’s some more feedback - based on over 1,800 unbiased reviews of people who’ve spent a few nights with on the fjords. We’ve picked out the frequently recurring points.

We were so lucky to see dolphins swimming alongside us and had wild goats following us along the fjord edge.

The loos are primitive (if they exist at all, which is no guarantee) and understandably, there are no showers on the side of a fjord. So, the fjord itself becomes your morning wash. It can be bracingly cold to jump into the water, but it’s really refreshing to do so. As one reviewer, Rebecca, put it in August 2025, jumping off the rocks into the water became “the evening entertainment”. Dinner also tastes 10 times better when it’s grilled on the side of a fjord.

Be sure to pack an eye mask. The midnight sun in summer doesn’t care what time your body clocks thinks it is. If you like your comfort, bring a travel pillow or a thicker sleeping mat too. The ones provided can be thin - but remember, it everything you bring must be carried in and out.

A few more review quotes?

• “The wild camping was great fun and waking up to the fjords each morning was beautiful.”
• “The meals were amazing, sleeping was cozy in the tents [...] We were so lucky to see dolphins swimming alongside us and had wild goats following us along the fjord edge.”
• “The camping location was dreamy”
• “Brilliant trip if you embrace camping, the simple life and no issues with getting stuck in!”

This about sums it up, wherever you camp. Wild camping is not the height of luxury - but it offers something deeper than even a comfy mattress; the chance to truly connect with nature. We've written a first-person account of our hike, kayak and wild camp the Norwegian fjords trip, which you can read on site.

The best places to wild camp in Norway

Whole books could and have been written about the best spots to go wild camping in Norway, but we have a bit of expertise ourselves. The fjords are the benchmark for beauty in Norway and beyond, and if you ask us, the Nærøyfjord is the pick of the lot. It’s too narrow for big cruise ships to sail down it, meaning that you’re unlikely to see anyone else at all as you paddle along it, and when you do pick a camping spot, you’ll have peace and quiet day and night.

As Jan says: "Once you visit a place like this, you build up a great appreciation for what we have [in our world]. You come away with this deeper appreciation."

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Beyond the fjords, the beaches of Lofoten - a remarkable archipelago in the Arctic Circle, in Nordland - offer the chance to trade the grey fjord walls for white sand beaches and a dreamscape, where mountains jut out of the water, while in-land, there are endless mountain plateaus - Hardangervidda National Park, for example, which give you the chance for longer stays.

Wherever you wild camp, leave no trace. For more on the fjords, see our Norwegian fjords guide, or if you’re pairing camping and paddling, our guide to kayaking in Norway covers the routes that work well.

Wild camping kit list for Norway

This is the packing list built from what expert guides and 1,800+ reviews say you actually need. Remember, as the Norwegians say, "Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær" - "there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes."

• Tent
• Cooking gear and crockery
• Sleeping bag and sleeping mat
• Rucksack with waterproof cover
• Waterproof jacket with hood
• Warm clothes for evenings at the campsite: long trousers, fleece, warm jacket
• Base layers
• Worn in waterproof hiking boots or hiking shoes
• Hiking socks
• Swimwear and/or rash vest
• Flip flops/sandals or light trainers for camp
• Thin gloves
• Beanie
• Sunhat
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Small travel towel
• Refillable water bottle
• Toiletries
• Personal medication if needed
• Antihistamines/bite relief if you are allergic
• Head torch
• Personal snacks

Optional:

• Sleeping bag liner (recommended)
• Gaiters
• Waterproof trousers for hiking (recommended for early/late season departures)
• Walking poles (recommended, lightweight and collapsible)

Wild camping vs campsites in Norway

Although wild camping is legal in Norway, there’s also an excellent network of campsites around the country. These offer the obvious benefits of a campsite - proper facilities including showers, toilets and campsite shops. They still offer a semi-wild experience, but of course, they will be busier than a remote wild camp spot. This can make for a sociable experience, but the benefits of wild camping remain obvious. It's the ultimate way to connect to the nature around you.

Guided wild camping trips in Norway

If Allemannsretten has you keen to get your tent out but you’d rather an expert picks the pitch, we have a range of wild camping adventures in Norway:

• Kayak and Wild Camp the Norwegian Fjords in a Weekend
• Hike, Kayak and Wild Camp the Norwegian Fjords in a Weekend
• Hike, Kayak and Wild Camp the Norwegian Fjords in a Week
• Kayak, Hike & Wild Camp the Lofoten Islands
• The Ultimate Norwegian Fjords Adventure

On our adventures, tents and sleeping gear are provided, and you'll be led by an expert local guide with an oustanding knowledge of the local area and flora.

Inspired? Check out our full range of adventures in Norway now!

I will never forget the look on my French landlord's face when I ‘jokingly’ announced, on the first day that I moved into my new rental flat, that I was going to kill all of his cats. In my defence, ‘tuer’ (to kill) and ‘nourrir’ (to feed) sound ever so similar when you’re a nervous Erasmus student.

I watched as his expression shifted from confusion to horror in slow motion, and I remember thinking 'how did I get this so wrong?' My friend and I then spent the next hour grovelling, after our landlord told us in no uncertain terms that he no longer wanted us to live there. Language errors really can be life lessons.

A language doesn't just translate words, it hands you the version of a place that only opens up to people who have the courage to ask...

That moment will forever be etched into my memory. You’d think that growing up in Italy until I was a teenager would have prepared me for linguistics mishaps. If anything, it has made me more reckless. When you’ve spent your childhood switching between languages, you develop a dangerous overconfidence that you can –  mostly – wing it in any Latin-based language.

Spoiler: you cannot.

But there are upsides you might not expect, too. Getting a language ‘wrong’ is often the moment a travel adventure can begin. A wrong bus stop becomes an unplanned bike ride through a town you'd never have otherwise visited; and a mangled sentence becomes the reason a stranger warms up - and points you to the trail locals actually use, instead of the one in the guidebook. I've ended up on hikes I never planned to take, and discovered coastlines and bays ideal for scuba diving and snorkelling that I had barely heard of, all because a conversation went slightly sideways in a language I barely knew how to grasp. Language doesn't just help you get around, it changes the shape of the adventure you end up having.

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Living between languages

I was five years old when my family moved from England to Italy. I spoke exactly zero words of Italian. I remember my first day at the local school in a small hillside town in southern Lazio. I was being dropped into a classroom where the teacher's rapid-fire instructions, which were mostly in the local dialect, were just noise to me, and I had no clue what my classmates were trying to tell me. When I was asked a question, I just stared back, my face burning with the shame that you feel when you're out of your depth and lost.

For months, I was terrified – of getting things wrong, looking stupid, that I'd never understand. I'd go home exhausted from the mental effort of trying to understand and fit in. Because, when you don’t speak the same language as the people you’re surrounded by, it really does feel lonely.

But children are like sponges when it comes to learning language and, within a year, Italian had woven itself into my brain alongside English. I started dreaming in both languages. It’s crazy how your subconscious can have a mind of its own.

Growing up bilingual in Italy gave me an early lesson in how language shapes identity. Within another year, I spoke Italian without even thinking about it, fully immersed in an Italian-speaking school. However, I was still very much la Inglesina to my classmates. I'd sometimes slip up, and I would pepper my Italian with English idioms that made no sense in translation. To be honest, I can still be guilty of doing this now.

I grew up in this odd in-between space, never quite fully Italian, but no longer entirely English either. And so, this linguistic limbo became ‘home’ for me. Languages, I soon learned, aren't just tools for communication, they're entire ways of being.

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In Italian, I gestured more and spoke with my hands. It’s just what you did. When I moved back to the UK when I was 15, I had to relearn how to be English: how to say ‘sorry’ for things that weren’t remotely my fault or to get someone’s attention; how to queue; how to navigate the dynamics of secondary school classroom settings, which felt so wildly different to the ones I had been accustomed to.

What I didn't expect was how much I'd miss being multiple versions of myself. So, when it came to it, I decided to channel my linguistic abilities and study Italian, French and Spanish at university in the UK. The prospect of spending a year overseas for my Erasmus year was appealing, and I was convinced that my bilingual childhood and classroom learnings would make me practically fluent once I landed in France. How hilariously wrong could I have been.

The joy of getting it wrong

Fast forward a couple of decades, and I'm standing at a bus stop in Girona with my partner, asking an elderly local, with a very thick local accent, for directions. I thought my Spanish was decent enough for this; it clearly was not.

The woman gestured expansively, pointed down the street, then made a sweeping motion that could have meant anything. I nodded, certain I'd caught the essentials. More than half an hour and several wrong buses later, my partner checked his phone and delivered the update I really didn't want to hear: we'd been waiting at the wrong stop entirely, because I'd been too proud to admit I hadn't understood a word of it.

We hired bikes and spent the rest of the day cycling the coast road and the quiet lanes...

So, we did what any sensible pair of travellers would do: with no more buses scheduled to run for the next few hours, we found a taxi and let the itinerary rearrange itself. We ended up at Cala Illa Mateua, a picturesque pebble beach in l'Escala on the Costa Brava, and gave the day over to it entirely. We hired bikes and spent the rest of the day cycling the coast road and the quiet lanes behind it, before pitching up by the shoreline to swim and snorkel around the caves, the water so crystal clear and just so worth it.

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None of it would have happened if I'd understood those directions properly. A fluent version of that morning would have had us exactly where the timetable said, on schedule, seeing precisely what we'd already decided to see. Instead, one badly understood sentence ‘knocked us off’ the plan we didn't know we were following. The joys of getting the language wrong.

Permission to be Vulnerable

For many travellers, the notion of learning a language can often can get tangled up in myths of fluency and confidence, when actually it’s the trying that truly counts.

And the research backs up my experiences. The British Academy –  the UK's national academy for humanities and social sciences – attests to the fact that having competence in languages gives people windows into other worlds, broadens mental horizons and makes them more likely to be curious and respectful when encountering other cultures and languages.

As adults, we rarely put ourselves in situations where we're genuinely bad at a basic skill.

Having access to that ‘window’ really is less abstract than it sounds. It's the difference between following a mountain trail because an app told you to, and following one because a farmer flagged you down to explain where it leads and why locals still walk it. It's the difference between paddling a stretch of river because it's marked on a map, and paddling it because someone in the village mentioned, in passing, that this is where they learned to swim when they were younger. A language doesn't just translate words, it hands you the version of a place that only opens up to people who have the courage to ask and engage with it.

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Perhaps what I love most about travelling to a country where you don’t know the language well, or at all, is the permission it gives you to be terrible at something. As adults, we rarely put ourselves in situations where we're genuinely bad at a basic skill.

There's a particular kind of courage required to speak another language (or attempt to), badly, in public. To cobble a sentence together while strangers listen in; to watch confusion spread across their faces as they try to decode what you've just said. Being able to get involved and take part, even just a little, can give so much more context than a photo or an Instagram caption ever could. Like when you order the wrong thing off the already-limited menu in a mountain refuge and discover your new favourite dish by accident, then end up learning its name properly so you can ask for it again. None of that shows up in a carousel of photos afterwards, but it's the part of the trip you actually remember.

To cobble a sentence together while strangers listen in; to watch confusion spread across their faces...

This doesn’t mean language learning has to be a big, intimidating project. Some of the most rewarding exchanges I’ve had were with just a sentence or two: a greeting, a compliment, an attempt at a local phrase. These small efforts can really shift the energy of an interaction.

There’s also something about imperfect language that draws people in. Locals often respond not just to what you say, but to the fact you are trying at all. Even when your grammar is terrible and your accent is laughable, the effort itself is a gesture of respect. It says: I didn't just come here to take photos and leave. I came here to understand, even if not very well.

So yes, you'll make mistakes. You'll confuse verb tenses and potentially mortally offend someone that holds the keys to your accommodation, but you’ll also contribute something to the places you visit. And that is the real adventure.

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Komodo National Park has the kind of beauty which moves you to silence. The park, which was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon, and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, sits in Indonesia, within the Lesser Sunda Islands. And as the blade of your paddle cuts through the improbable blue water of the sea here, it’s difficult not to feel utter serenity.

Limestone islands rise like tiny continents from the water, which shifts between turquoise and indigo depending on how the current moves. Manta rays glide beneath kayaks. Komodo dragons - the world’s largest species of lizard - patrol the shoreline of the eponymous Komodo island. This is, by almost any measure, one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline on Earth.

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For years, though, if you wanted to explore this seascape by kayak, the person you would be hiring to lead you through the waters would almost definitely not be a local. Despite being an archipelago, and the indigenous use of canoes dating back millenia here, there has not been a tourism structure in place championing Indonesian kayak and canoe guides - until now.

Wicked Adventures are adventure travel experts, and partners of Much Better Adventure, who have been crucial in creating the infrastructure to allow Indonesian kayak guides to thrive.

By creating training opportunities and engineering career paths, they are challenging the narrative that tourism here has to be Western-led - and sculpting a new future as they do so.

“This is our future; our careers,” says Romy, one such trainee, who is a native of Flores, an island off the east coast of Komodo, and who is also now a trained, professional kayak guide.

The Turning of the Tides

Wicked Adventures have trained over 50 divemasters since they were founded, including the first female divemaster in Indonesia - Sary, a Komodo local, who began as an intern at Wicked. A big part of the company's work is organising internationally-recognised training programs that allow individuals to go away, train others, and grow the community.

It’s my career, and getting the certification is my legacy for the future

This Spring, Wicked ran an intensive kayak guide training block in Labuan Bajo, a bustling port town on the western tip of Flores, which is also the gateway town to Komodo National Park.

The course was designed to certify a new generation of Indonesian kayak guides under the OSIS framework – a Southeast Asia–specific training and certification system built from international sea‑kayak standards and best practice. It spans three progressive levels, from Recreational Paddler through to Inshore Expedition Leader & Rescue, and has been developed by industry professionals drawing on established global guide frameworks.

Komodo Kayaking, who delivered the training, will be moving further into this framework once their senior guides complete their instructor certifications. From that point, they will offer structured OSIS courses to guests who want to gain formal recognition for their paddling skills, trained by experienced Indonesian guides and furthering their careers in the paddling world.

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10 candidates trained at 1-Star level, three at 2-Star, and six went all the way to 3-Star, learning everything from bracing and capsize drills to marine navigation, radio protocols, group rescue and towing systems. The structure was designed to be self-sustaining. Instructors trained and certified 3-Star leaders first, who then helped teach and assess one and two star candidates. The programme also reached beyond guiding, drawing in members of Indonesian Waste Management, Search and Rescue Labuan Bajo, the local dive community and students - building capacity across the whole community, not just one company.

“I’m excited and proud”

Historically, natives of Flores have had to leave their families to work in palm oil plantations, or to travel to Java or Bali for work. Jobs in the local area have been hard to come by, and tourism roles tended to be in low-paid, seasonal jobs, with few ending up in management.

For Flory, a Manggarai native who came through the training as a Certified Senior Kayak Guide, the significance runs deep. "It’s my career, and getting the certification is my legacy for the future," he says. "I am the kayaker now - a real kayaker - and people who want to come kayaking with me can come." It's a small line alluding to a bigger idea. A skill once imported from abroad now belongs, formally and permanently, to the people who call this coastline home.

“My feeling? I’m excited and proud,” Flory says. “It’s important, so tourism is not just western people meeting western people. Now western people can come and meet locals - who know the area, and who has more knowledge about the area. I can show people areas they have never seen before. Very beautiful areas, and I’m able to communicate that to [them].”

A 2022 study estimated Indonesian tourism leakage rates (the amount of tourism money which leaks out of the area, to external economies) at between 50% and 80% - so this shift is crucial.

They get the history of Manggarai, including Komodo National Park, and the information around it - not just a kayak.

The economy of Flores has historically been agricultural - tough work farming rice, bamboo, bananas or working with livestock. But if a trained tourism guide works 25 days in a month, they can get seven times the minimum wage - a huge amount more than they would earn otherwise.

Programmes like this one are designed to break the pattern of low paid work, turning adventure tourism into a genuine career path with progression, qualifications and status attached.

Romy, another Certified Senior Kayak Guide from Flores, puts it plainly. “I think it’s really important to have local guides to lead these trips in Komodo, because we know the situation here - and this helps local people to have a job as well.”

He’s still working on his kayaking roll. “It’s challenging! But I keep trying,” he says - a reminder that even certified guides are lifelong students of the water they work on.

Romy notes that local leadership enhances the experience for visiting travellers, too. “Guests get a kayak experience, but also a cultural experience,” he says. “They get the history of Manggarai, including Komodo National Park, and the information around it - not just a kayak.”

Discover Komodo

That authenticity is what travellers will find on our Hike and Kayak Indonesia's Remote Islands trip, just one itinerary these newly certified guides could lead.

It's a journey that earns its name: cycling past 11th-century temples in Kintamani, hiking down through the waterfalls and jungle pools of Sambangan's "Secret Garden," trekking into the volcanic caldera village of the indigenous Wae Rebo people for one of Indonesia's great homestay nights, then boarding a liveaboard to sail, snorkel and kayak through the Coral Triangle - home to manta rays, turtles and over a thousand species of fish - before tracking Komodo dragons on foot with a local guide at your side.

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Asked what he'd tell young people from Flores considering a life in tourism, Flory doesn't hesitate: "Keep learning and then love your area,” he says. “It's very important. Labuan Bajo or Komodo National Park; everything is here."

Romy's advice is to start early, and stick at it. “Start practicing kayaking now, because it’s really a big potential for the future, and for a career,” he says. “Now people are coming to visit Komodo - but there are also a lot of other beautiful places that we can explore with a kayak.”

Indeed, Indonesia comprises over 17,500 islands. Who better to discover them with than the people who grew up in the coves, and call these waters home

Inspired? Check out our full range of adventures in Indonesia now!

The final 62 miles (100km) of the Camino de Santiago run through the forests, farmlands and countryside of Galicia in northwestern Spain. These are amongst the most storied and iconic pilgrim paths in the world - the Camino being one of only two global walking trails to hold UNESCO World Heritage recognition (along with Japan’s Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trails).

The Camino takes hikers through the fauna and folklore of Galicia. Think ancient oak forests and chestnut groves, historic hidden chapels, stone bridges curving over quiet streams and rural farmland. It is a route alive with history and community, building to the emotional payoff of arriving at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the reputed burial place of Saint James the Great.

The Camino feels like a place where time slows down and personal connections once again become the most important thing...

“Without a doubt, the Camino de Santiago is the most popular route in Spain,” says José Miguel Real, an expert in hiking tourism in Spain and a Camino guide. “Not only for practising Catholics, but also for the general public. It’s an icon - one of those experiences you should do at least once in your life.”

The Camino de Santiago is actually a network of various pilgrimage routes, with over 1,000 miles (1,600km) of waymarked walking in total. “Many people return to complete the different routes,” explains José. “The traditional and most famous route is the Camino Francés, but the Camino del Norte, which follows the northern coast from Irún to Santiago, is also extremely popular, as is the Camino Portugués, starting in Porto, and the Vía de la Plata, beginning in Seville.

“Most of these routes converge around Sarria and Melide, making the final 100km especially emotional as pilgrims from all the different Caminos come together on the final stretch to Santiago.”

100km to Santiago de Compostela

Galicia is a place that glows with soft green hills, lush woodlands and dramatic rivers. The Camino runs through this idyllic environment on a mixture of well-maintained tracks and quieter stretches of asphalt, making it suitable for anyone fit enough to walk it. “The scenery passes through small traditional Galician villages, with their iconic hórreos,” José says. These are elevated granaries and buildings perched on stilts to keep them safe from rodents. “They’re often surrounded by oak and chestnut forests, mixed with eucalyptus woodland.”

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While trekking experience is always useful, the terrain itself is not demanding.

Pulpo a la gallega, is probably the most iconic dish pilgrims try on the route. Try local wines such as Albariño or Ribeiro...

“There are no major technical difficulties,” says José, adding that walkers may be more comfortable in a good pair of trail runners than heavy hiking boots.

From Sarria, you'll begin the walk to the city of Santiago de Compostela. On the Camino Francés (The French Way), you'll pass through a typical Camino landscape of forests, farmsteads and stone bridges. First, it's a 13.6-mile (22km) walk to Portomarín, where you can visit the Romanesque Church of San Nicolas.

Until 1962, Portomarín sat on the banks of the Río Miño, when the valley was flooded to create the Belesar reservoir - leading the whole town to be relocated to higher ground. The Church of San Nicolas was actually disassembled, stone by stone, and rebuilt on the new site. On stage two of your walk, you'll continue 15 miles (25km) onwards to Palas de Rei the next day, deep in rural Galicia. The name of the town - "Palace of the King" - relates to Witiza, the last Visigothic king to rule Spain, who reigned from 700-709 and was anointed here at the age of 14.

The route continues on to Arzúa, after an 18.6-mile (30km) walk through woodland and through small settlements. Well known for a creamy, DOP-protected cheese, Arzúa marks the point where the Camino del Norte coastal route and the Camino Frances merge. The final two days take you to A Rua (a shorter 11.8 miles/19km) via eucalyptus forests, open countryside and oak groves and then 12.4 miles (20km) on to Santiago de Compostela.

Just before pilgrims reach Santiago, they will crest a hill now called Monte do Gozo (Mount of Joy) - named because it was the spot where pilgrims would first set eyes on the towers of the Cathedral, after months of exhausting walking.

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Accommodation is a mixture of small hotels and guesthouses. After long days of walking, pilgrims recover in rural Galicia - and indulge in local delicacies.

“Food is a very important part of the Camino experience,” says José. “Especially in Galicia, where gastronomy is deeply connected to the culture and the way of life. Pulpo a la gallega (Galician-style octopus), is probably the most iconic dish pilgrims try on the route. You will also find excellent cheeses, cured meats, homemade soups, empanadas, and traditional stews.

“For many people, one of the highlights of the route is stopping at a small rural bar during the walk for a coffee, a cold beer, or a glass of local wine while chatting with other pilgrims. And of course, in Galicia, food is almost always accompanied by good wine. Pilgrims will often have the chance to try local wines such as Albariño or Ribeiro, as well as traditional drinks like orujo (pomace brandy), a strong local spirit sometimes served at the end of dinner.”

Tired Legs, Open Minds

The solidarity between pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago is legendary. It's inevitable that you'll get to know other walkers along the way.

Conversations become slower, deeper, and more genuine. That feeling of simplicity, connection, and shared purpose is what many pilgrims remember most vividly long after the walk itself is over.

“In today’s world, where everyone seems to be rushing and constantly distracted by social media, the Camino feels like a place where time slows down and personal connections once again become the most important thing,” says José.

“People from different countries, with different lives, concerns, expectations, and personal stories, suddenly come together.

“They walk side by side, talk calmly, share emotions, worries, dreams and experiences, and gradually open up to one another in a way that rarely happens in everyday life. “

From the first day of your walk, you’ll begin to recognise familiar faces.

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“People staying in the same villages, stopping at the same cafés, sharing meals, or simply walking at a similar pace. Little by little, conversations start naturally. One moment you are discussing where someone comes from, and the next you are talking about life, family, dreams, fears, or the reasons why each person decided to walk the Camino.

Everyone shares the same simple daily routine: walking, eating, resting, and reaching the next village together.

“On the trail everyone becomes equal. It does not matter what job you have, your age, or where you come from. Everyone shares the same simple daily routine: walking, eating, resting, and reaching the next village together. There is a beautiful sense of mutual support. Pilgrims encourage each other during difficult moments, share advice about blisters, recommend places to eat and celebrate arriving in Santiago together. Conversations become slower, deeper, and more genuine. That feeling of simplicity, connection and shared purpose is what many pilgrims remember most vividly long after the walk itself is over.”

The Moment of Arrival

Arriving in Santiago de Compostela is an incredibly emotional moment, José says. “Often far more emotional than people expect before starting the Camino.”

After days of walking, and shared experience, “the Camino slowly becomes a small world of its own,” José explains. So, reaching the finish line comes with mixed emotions. “Happiness, pride, relief and excitement, but also a certain sadness because the journey is coming to an end.”

The simplicity of daily life on the trail, and the friendships formed along the way leave a lasting mark...

Santiago de Compostela is a tremendous city in its own right - the capital of Galicia, it is home to a stunning medieval old town; a mish-mash of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassicist architecture dating back to the 11th century. This is a city built on legend, not certain fact. It's said that the remains of the apostle St. James (Santiago) were discovered here in the early 9th century by a hermit following a field of stars. Indeed, "Compostela" is a word often linked to the Latin campus stellae, "field of stars". The end of the Camino is in the Plaza del Obradoiro, in front of the Baroque western façade of the Cathedral.

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“Some laugh, some cry, some sit silently looking at the cathedral for a long time, trying to process everything they have experienced,” José says. “The spirituality of the journey, the simplicity of daily life on the trail, and the friendships formed along the way leave a lasting mark for the rest of your life.”

The cathedral has a huge incense burner inside which once flew like a wrecking ball, masking the smell of exhausted pilgrims. This is one of three cities, along with Jerusalem and Rome, recognised by the Catholic Church as a "Holy City" - and the pilgrimage book was the driving force behind what is often called Europe's first "tourist guidebook", inside the 12th-century Codex Calixtinus manuscript.

Wander the atmospheric streets of this fine city, and treat yourself to a final plate of pulpo - and a zesty glass of Albariño - as the sun sets over the cathedral.

Inspired? Walk the final 100k of the Camino de Santiago in Spain!

“I’m terrible at directions” are four words that I, like many women, find myself saying on a regular basis. I use Google Maps to retrace even the simplest of routes, unconvinced that I can simply go back the way I came or look up and around to figure out how to get to where I want to go.

Many women claim to lack an internal compass, particularly when it comes to navigating through wild spaces. But is it holding us back from reaping the full benefits of outdoor activity? Getting outside allows us to (literally) touch grass: to reconnect with nature and, in turn, escape from the hustle and bustle of our fast-paced, screen-focused society. Open water swimming, trad climbing, or off-road biking; you can’t do these with a phone in your hand, right?

It also keeps you in the moment, makes you present and you actually take in your surroundings a bit more.

But as modern technology has become further integrated into our lives, so has it become part of the adventuring experience. Whether it’s logging a hike on Strava, tracking your route with a virtual map or even filming the odd video to edit into a TikTok compilation, our phones – the things we’re often seeking respite from – are hard to disconnect from the experience.

There are, of course, very real safety concerns that mean people want their phones near while out in the wild. This is particularly relevant for women. But there is a way to have both: to know the technology is there in case of emergencies, without relying on it. It requires that women learn the skills that will allow them to find their own way outdoors, gaining confidence in themselves and their instincts in the process, too. When someone professes to have a poor sense of direction, it tells others that they do not have that self belief.

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Alice Keegan is the founder of The Adventure Girls Club, and runs a beginner’s course in navigation, where she constantly hears comments like mine from attendees. “[They’ll] say sometimes, ‘Oh, my partner says I wouldn't be able to find my way around a supermarket,’ and I'm just like, why is your partner saying that to you?” she says. “It's just these stories that we've told ourselves, that we've got no sense of direction. A big part of it is believing that you can do it. I just don't think it's a thing that people have no sense of direction. You learn that skill. It's just that women, I think, have that mindset that there’s no hope for them.”

Self belief, Keegan says, comes from learning the skill in a way that works for you. In her two-day navigation course for women and non-binary people, which is run in partnership with Ordnance Survey, Keegan takes a more holistic approach to map-reading. Her “storytelling”-inspired method is worlds away from the “confusing, numbers-based” technique that she first learnt from ex-military men, she tells me. A trained mountain leader, Keegan waits until the second day to have the attendees get their compasses out. Instead, the focus is on the “visual language of the map”, as well as their observational skills.

This instinct-based method of navigation is crucial for encouraging women to look up at the world around them and grow in confidence that they can figure out their location from context clues. “As you're walking looking around, you [can ask], am I walking along a wall? Am I going downhill? Am I in a forest?” Keegan says. “You're constantly looking around you and then applying that to what's on the map and seeing if it matches, and then you can figure out if you're in the right place or if you're going in the right direction.”

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While GPS features can make your phone seem like a safer option than traditional maps, Keegan points out that “we know that learning to read a map is going to be safer. It's not going to die or you're not going to run out of signal”. This is something Hetty Kingston, an outdoor adventure leader and researcher, notes too. On longer trips, she’ll take a separate camera and turn her phone off. “I'm trying to save battery,” she says.

It's just these stories that we've told ourselves, that we've got no sense of direction – a big part of it is believing that you can do it.

For Keegan, relying on navigation skills rather than technology allows her course attendees to stay “mindful” and more observant of their surroundings. “[It] not only helps keep you safe and know where you're going, but it also keeps you in the moment, makes you present and you actually take in your surroundings a bit more, rather than just doing the walk for the sake of doing the walk and then getting that selfie at the top,” she says.

The mental health benefits from nature are something Kingston has found in her research project Fostering Inclusive Action Sports (FIAS). Women are going outside to get a break from our chaotic world. Putting phones away “requires a bit of discipline, but it's definitely beneficial and helps your mental wellbeing”, she says. An enthusiastic trail runner, bikepacker and trad climber, Kingston too is an advocate for map reading and reducing reliance on technology.

Kingston’s research has also found that outdoor adventure can give women many of the things we’re actively seeking out on social media, like a sense of community, resilience, and self esteem. “Motivation comes from knowing your autonomy, knowing what you’re doing; competence, feeling competent that you can do it; and also connectedness, so that sense of belonging,” she explains. “It's a full circle [where] going outdoors gives you the sense of belonging, but because you're doing something and you know what you're doing, and you chose to do it and over time, you feel competent, you then get more motivation, so you keep doing more of it.”

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Of course, nobody is suggesting women leave their phones at home entirely. In case of an emergency, having a device that can allow you to reach help is crucial (although signal in wid places is by no means guaranteed). Kingston likes to keep hers within reach – “somewhere that's easy just to check it,” she says – but not in her chest pocket or where she might reach for it without thinking. Plus, she points out, when you’re out in nature and are stimulated by everything around you, “be it reading a map bit, looking at all the different things, being mindful of where your feet are, you have less pull to look at your phone” anyway.

Outdoor adventure can give women many of the things we’re actively seeking out on social media, like a sense of community, resilience, and self esteem.

Learning the relevant skills helps women confidence in themselves and their instincts when it comes to the outdoors. But there are other ways to be prepared: keeping a separate list of key phone numbers to hand in case of emergencies, carrying cash or cards in your wallet or taking photos on a digital or even film camera. In day-to-day life, we likely rely on our phones to do all these tasks for us. But in outsourcing them, we give ourselves a mental break from screens, while also saving vital battery power, should we actually need it.

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Having a phone is important for safety. But the benefits of learning to adventure the old fashioned way are momentous, says Kingston. “We all know that being active is good for our mental wellbeing, and we all know that the outdoors is good for our mental wellbeing, and we all know that things like problem solving can also be a good form of mental stimulation,” she says. “If you combine all that together and take away the phone, you've got a really, really good scenario.”

Women learning to navigate, or preparing to head out into the outdoors without relying solely on their phones, do so in an attempt to reconnect with both nature and their natural instincts. Ultimately, there will always be variables they can’t control, Keegan says: “But if you can get all of the other bits: be good at navigation, get the right kit, know how to read the weather, and feel confident with that… then you can feel more confident to go out on your own, knowing that you've done everything that you can to keep yourself safe.”

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Do you need a guide to climb Kilimanjaro? Yes, and not because it's recommended, but because Tanzanian law requires it. This has been the case since 1991, when the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority (KINAPA) introduced rules that required anyone climbing the mountain to have a minimum support team consisting of - at the very least - a certified lead guide, an assistant guide, a cook and porters.

Since 1991, independent trekkers have not been allowed on Kilimanjaro.

Climbing Kilimanjaro is a serious feat. The mountain is 5,895m (19,341ft) high, and these rules are designed to keep climbers safe.

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There are rangers on the mountain, and if you attempt to climb Kili solo, you will be expelled from the national park and face severe financial fines. You could have gear confiscated, and even be deported and denied future entry to Tanzania. When you climb Kilimanjaro, you have to register with KINAPA before going, and sign in to each camp along the way. Wild camping is forbidden.

With that in mind, the real question isn’t guided vs. independent on Kilimanjaro. Rather, it’s what operator to go with, and how to choose the right route and trip for you? We’ll also have a detailed look at why, exactly, these strict rules exist.

Guided vs "independent" Kilimanjaro: an honest comparison

There is no comparison to be made here, since hikers are not permitted to climb Kilimanjaro alone. So instead, we'll explore how to choose the right operator, and detail what a good guide is able to add to your experience on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Why the Rules Exist: Guiding on the Mountain, and the Essential Kili Team

These rules were introduced for the safety of hikers, to protect the environment which has a strict “leave no trace” policy, and to benefit the local economy.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is achievable, but it is extremely challenging. One of the biggest challenges along the way is dealing with the altitude - something that low-level hiking training nor general fitness conditioning can help you with.

• How Hard Is It to Climb Kilimanjaro? An Honest, Route-by-Route Answer

The fatality rates on Kilimanjaro are extremely low, but that is (at least in part) down to these rules, and to the expert teams of guides keeping people safe on the mountain and descending with them if they are struggling.

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You are legally required to hike with the following team on Kilimanjaro:

• Lead guide: Your lead guide is responsible for the overall safety and success of your climb. They will check in on you regarding altitude, carry emergency oxygen (which you must descend if you use), and coordinate evacuations if needed. They will set the pace on summit night, manage the porter team and navigate on the mountain. Additionally, of course, they’ll bring the place to life - telling you all about the fauna and flora en route.
• Assistant guide: Supporting the lead guide and keeping an eye on the climbers, the assistant guide typically sweeps at the back of the group, providing an extra layer of safety monitoring and helping trekker ascend the mountain. They are also an additional source of information.
• Cook: Responsible for preparing hot, nutritious meals and drinks on the climb, your cooks will also be climbing Kilimanjaro. Staying properly fueled is a key part of acclimatisation and keeping your energy levels up.
• Porters: Carrying the bulk of your equipment, your impressive porter team will haul your tents, food, cooking gear and group kit up the mountain. There is a welfare recommendation that porters don’t carry more than 20kg of group gear. Porters move faster than the group, in order to have things set up by the time the group gets there. How an operator treats their porters is a good indication of whether they are a responsible operator.

The benefits of booking through an operator also go beyond this, to sorting out:

• Your permits for the climb
• Your park logistics and fees
• Equipment such as tents
• Accommodation either side of the Kilimanjaro climb
• Transfers
• Group briefings
• Emergency expertise
• Booking platform and logistics etc.

A licensed guide will help you get the most out of your climb on Kilimanjaro and ensure you stay safe - providing advice if you feel acute mountain sickness or other ailments, and giving you the best chance of reaching the summit.

Generally speaking across all operators, the summit success rates on Kilimanjaro sits at 65%, but because of good guiding and preparation (both from guides and our customers), the summit success rates for Much Better Adventures climbs on Kilimanjaro are much higher; around the 95% mark.

What Makes a Good Guide on Mount Kilimanjaro?

A good guide on Mount Kilimanjaro is primarily there for your safety. Your guide will watch you as you trek and get to know you as well, so they’re able to keep you safe. Jim Eite is a former Kilimanjaro guide with more than 50 summits.

"You understood the poeple and they also understood you."

“To me it was about getting to know people,” says Jim. “Everybody was going for different reasons. Some people wanted to walk, some people did it for charity, but a good guide always got to know the clients on the first couple of days because then you could read how they were feeling when you got closer to the summit. I always made sure that over the first two days, I had a good period of time walking with everybody individually, getting to understand why they'd come to Kili, understand a little bit about them, how they'd slept, whether they were eating etc.

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“You had to build those relationships, so that when you got to the tougher end of the trip and to summit day, you understood the people and they also understood you - and would listen to you when you said 'you need to do this now’ because you'd built up that relationship already.”

Of course, your guide will also be able to tell you about the five distinct ecological zones as you the climb up the mountain - the cultivation zone, the montane forest zone, the heather and moorland zone, the alpine desert and the Arctic summit. They'll bring the walk to life with stories and information.

Not All Guided Climbs Are Equal: Choosing a Safe, Ethical Adventure on Kilimanjaro

Deciding to climb Mount Kilimanjaro opens the door to a lot of other questions.

There are various different routes to choose from on Mount Kilimanjaro, for starters. There are different levels of service that you will get on the way, too. Some operators use better tents than others, while some include accommodation in nearby towns before and after the climb, and some don’t.

Ask if the porters on your trip are being treated properly.

If you choose a shorter itinerary, you will pay less in park fees as you’re on the mountain for less time, but your summit chances could go substantially down as a result - as you have less time to acclimatise.

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We’ve done a full breakdown of the costs of climbing Kilimanjaro elsewhere, comparing prices and what they mean for your experience. Key differentiators you should look for before booking a guided Kilimanjaro climb include:

• Porter welfare: Ask if the porters on your trip are being treated properly. Operators should have a readable policy in their FAQs or elsewhere which confirms that porters are being paid fairly and treated well - meaning they have maximum weight-loads they can carry. Porters should be provided with three meals a day, have proper shelter, sleeping and hiking equipment, and their salaries should be paid promptly after each climb.
• Guide numbers: There should be an appropriate guide-to-climber ratio. The cheaper the hike, the more likely it is you’ll have a large group (13-20 climbers), and not enough guides to give everyone on that hike the attention they need and deserve. You don't want your guides spread thin.
• Guide training: Are the guides on your trip certified First Aid Responders and CPR trained, and do they have the appropriate experience?
• Success rate and route choice: Longer routes may cost more, as you will pay more park fees for the more days you’re on the mountain (as well as food, wages etc.), but shorter routes have worse success rates, as there is less time for hikers to acclimatise - leading more people to abandon.
• Sleeping and toilet conditions: What tents are being used on the trip, and is a portable toilet being carried?
• Park fees: Are park fees included in the price that you’re seeing?

Why are Cheap Kilimanjaro Climbs Risky?

Cheap Kilimanjaro climbs raise questions. The park fees on Kilimanjaro make up the bulk of the climb - are there is no way to get away from paying them - so you should ask, if a price is unusually cheap, what is being sacrificed? You want to make sure that it’s not porter welfare or wages or emergency medical supplies.

The most common reason for a Kilimanjaro climb to be cheaper is for it to be a shorter itinerary. Spending less time on the mountain means paying fewer park fees, fewer crew wages and there is less food and drink to account for. The trade off, as aforementioned, is that the less time you spend on the mountain, the lower your chances are of making it to the summit. More days means more acclimatisation, so the longer the itinerary, the better the chance of success.

• How Much Does it Cost to Climb Kilimanjaro? The Full Breakdown

How to Choose Your Kilimanjaro operator: a Checklist

• Group size: Does the operator have a group size limit?
• Route: Do they sell the Kilimanjaro route that suits you best?
• Day count: Is the operator rushing itineraries or pacing for success?
• Guides: How many guides will be on your trip?
• Park fees: Are they included in the advertised price?
• Porter welfare: Does the operator have a porter welfare policy?
• Medical: Do they carry emergency oxygen, to be used if descending?
• Summit rate: What is the average summit rate for a climber?
• Pre-and-post climb: Do they supply accommodation post and pre climb?

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Do be sure to browse our full range of adventures on Mount Kilimanjaro. We have trips available to book on the Rongai, Lemosho and Machame routes.

FAQs

Can a beginner climb Kilimanjaro?

Yes, Kilimanjaro is not easy, but it is achievable for hikers with no technical climbing experience. It's a multi-day trek, not a climb. The altitude is a real challenge. Strong aerobic fitness, trekking preparation, and choosing a longer route to allow acclimatisation will improve your summit chances.

What's the fatality rate on Kilimanjaro?

The fatality rates on Kilimanjaro are extremely low. Though KINAPA doesn't release any specific figures, the rates are estimated at around 3-10 deaths per year from roughly 40,000 annual climbers. Most deaths are attributable to altitude-related illness. Having a well-trained guide who monitors your health throughout the climb is the key safeguard against serious risk.

Is Kilimanjaro harder than Everest Base Camp?

Both are demanding. Everest Base Camp (5,364m) involves more cumulative distance and days of trekking, while Kilimanjaro (5,895m) reaches a higher altitude with a faster ascent profile. This means altitude sickness can hit harder.

Can you climb Kilimanjaro without porters?

No, Tanzanian law requires all climbers to hire a licensed support team, which must include a certified lead guide, assistant guide, cook, and porters. Attempting to climb without them will result in removal from the national park, heavy fines and potential confiscation of equipment.

How much does a guided Kilimanjaro climb cost?

Expect to pay roughly $2,500-$3,500 (£1,900-£2,700) for a quality, professionally-organised climb on the mountain - depending on route, operator, group size, and itinerary length. Park fees alone make up a significant portion of the total cost. Be cautious of climbs cheaper than this. They often cut corners on porter welfare, itinerary length, or emergency medical equipment.

Inspired? Check out our full range of adventures on Kilimanjaro now!

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro - the African jewel in the Seven Summits crown - is the experience of a lifetime. The most obvious reason that so many people decide to climb Kilimanjaro is the fact that it's the highest mountain in Africa (5,895m), and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

The lore of climbing Mt Kilimanjaro for many goes right back to Hans Meyer, who became the first European to reach the summit in 1889. While less have heard the story of Sheila McDonald, the first woman to summit Kilimanjaro (and drink champagne on the top), it's arguably even more inspiring. You may want to experience a mountain that has varying ecosystems and weather conditions, from rainforest and alpine desert zones all the way up to Arctic. Or it could just be the allure of an African adventure, like those read in John Henry Patterson’s diaries.

But the real beauty of a Mount Kilimanjaro climb lies in the subtleties. They begin before you even hit the base of the mountain, arriving into the rural sections of Tanzania. Here you become acquainted with the Swahili people; their positive attitude and relaxed pace only serve to enrich the journey that awaits you. The word ‘safari’ means a journey in Swahili, and in a literal and metaphorical sense, a journey is what Kilimanjaro provides.

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You don't just climb Mount Kilimanjaro to climb a mountain. You climb it for the experience and the people. From the campfire songs and soul-polishing laughs to the gentle evening farewells of “lala salama” (sleep peacefully) as you snuggle into your sleeping bag. Under the watch of the mountain, you will fall in love with Tanzania, before you even begin your climb.

For those who have never climbed Mount Kilimanjaro before, the process of organising a trek can be daunting. Our beginner's guide to climbing Kilimanjaro will help simplify the process, answer some of the most commonly asked questions, and give you a helping hand in planning the trekking experience of a lifetime. We also have a guide on how hard it is to climb Kilimanjaro, featuring insight from Jim Eite, a guide who has climbed Kili more than 50 times.

“I always avoided short itineraries,” he says. “Taking longer on the mountain was always beneficial for people.”

Where is Mount Kilimanjaro?

Kilimanjaro is located in the northeast of Tanzania, near the Kenyan border. It lies around 140 kilometres south of Nairobi (the Kenyan capital), and 500 kilometres northeast of Dodoma, Tanzania's capital.

Getting to Mount Kilimanjaro

To get to Kilimanjaro you need to fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), in the Hai District of Tanzania.

At the time of writing (June 2026), There are several direct flights from Europe (from Amsterdam, Brussels and Zurich) to JRO, as well as from the Middle East (Doha, Istanbul). Otherwise, chances are you'll need to fly via another African destination first. Dar es Salaam, Addis Ababa and Nairobi are your best bet.

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A hike up Mount Kilimanjaro will typically set off from one of two towns: Arusha, to the south west of the mountain, or Moshi, directly south.

It takes around an hour to reach Moshi and 80 minutes to reach Arusha from JRO. The most common method of transportation is via taxi or a prebooked shuttle – in many cases, however, your tour operator will meet you at the airport.

Routes Up Kilimanjaro

There are seven main routes up to choose from. The particular route you choose will largely depend on your level of experience, fitness, budget and time frame – as well as your personal wants. It's well worth looking at each of them to pick the best way to climb Kilimanjaro for you – we've gone into more detail in our article on the different routes up Kilimanjaro.

1. Marangu Route (70km / 5–6 Days)

Considered the easiest route up Kilimanjaro, it's also the busiest. It's the only route up Kilimanjaro with accommodation – dormitory style beds in rustic huts. It has a lower success rate though, as it can be more difficult to acclimatise to the altitude on this route.

2. Machame Route (61km / 6–7 Days)

A tougher climb than Marangu, Machame is known for being one of the most scenic routes. You descend on a different path to the ascent, giving you a great diversity of scenery. Good acclimatisation options; higher altitude days with lower altitude camps. One of our recommended routes.

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3. Lemosho Route (67km / 7–8 Days)

Lemosho was created as an alternative Mount Kilimanjaro hike to the Shira Route, with a much better success rate. It's more scenic and starts at a lower altitude. Less crowded than Machame and Marangu, but it takes longer to drive to the start point. One of our recommended routes.

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4. Rongai Route (74km / 6–7 Days)

The only approach from the north – you'll see less rainfall. Gentle ascent, in a more remote area. This improves your chance of seeing wildlife, but makes for a longer drive to the start point. Climbing Kilimanjaro by the Rongai route is one of our recommended routes.

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5. Shira Route (58km / 6–8 Days)

Shira starts at 3,600 metres, increasing your chance of altitude sickness. Links up with Machame on day 3. More expensive than Machame and Marangu (due to a more remote start point) and has largely been replaced by the Lemosho Route.

6. Northern Circuit (88km / 8–9 Days)

The Northern Circuit begins along the Lemosho Route, crosses the Shira plateau and then circles around the northern slopes rather than the busier eastern approach. It's very scenic, but due to its length is the most expensive option.

7. Umbwe Route (48km / 6–7 Days)

Umbwe is considered the shortest, steepest and most difficult route by many. This is a serious Kilimanjaro mountain climb. The first day involves some very steep hiking. It has one of the lowest success rates.

The Best Time to Climb Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro sits in Kilimanjaro National Park. It's 300km south of the equator – and Tanzania is iconically tropical, with wet seasons and and dry season variations laid over a hot muggy climate.

So when is the best time to climb Kilimanjaro? Let's take a look at the seasons and Kilimanjaro climbing season.

Tanzania experiences two rainy seasons: a short one in November to mid-December and the long rainy season from March to May. The routes on Mount Kilimanjaro can be wet and muddy underfoot during these seasons. If you care less about monsoonal weather and more about solitude, then you may prefer these times to climb as there are far fewer people. Although expect to get very damp.

July to October is peak time on the mountain, especially as it coincides with European summer holidays. This window of time is dry and cooler than the Christmas months, but prepare for some cold nights.

If you want to enjoy similar weather, but with far fewer people, then Mid-May to June is an optimal time for you. It’s just before the holidays, but still peak climbing season. December to February are much warmer and have good visibility. The short rainy season can run into December though so it may still be wet. These months also coincide with the Christmas holidays so it can still get busy.

Safety and Altitude on Mount Kilimanjaro

Altitude is the great equaliser on Kilimanjaro. You can be as fit as you like, but if you rush up the mountain, you are likely to be stopped by altitude along the way.

Acute altitude sickness impacts people above 2,500m (8,202ft), and is by far the main factor in lowering success rates. The longer you spend on the mountain, and the slower you walk on the way, the more time your body will have to acclimatise, and so the higher your chances of reaching the summit will be.

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The key is walking, as your guides will tell you, polepole - meaning slowly, slowly in Swahili. The slow pace stops you from using up excess energy and gives your body the time to adapt. Staying hydrated throughout your trip is also key.

The death rate on Kilimanjaro is extremely low. Though exact numbers are not known - as they are not release by the national park authorities KINAPA, they are believed to be around 3-10 in 40,000 or 50,000 - so very roughly 1 in 4,000.

The most commonly-cited cause for death on Kilimanjaro is altitude.

If your guides believe that you are suffering from severe altitude sickness (for example, HACE, HAPE or a severe form of AMS) then you will descend from the mountain for your own safety, taking emergency oxygen as you go.

Your guides are experts, and are there not just to maximise your summit chances, but also to look out for your safety as you ascend the mountain.

How to Prepare for Climbing Kilimanjaro

We would sincerely recommend you prepare adequately for your expedition. Plan and execute a training programme that will help improve your fitness, strength and endurance. Consider climbing a few smaller mountains in the run up to the expedition – check out our list of the best hikes in the UK for some inspiration!

If you live in a city, you can hit up the local gym. The stairmaster will help you build endurance and strength. And there’s always the stairs in your house. We worked out that Kilimanjaro is around 24,915 stairs high!

If you’re going to be carrying most of your own gear, then practice hiking while carrying a weighted backpack – it really does make it much more difficult.

Here's what ex-Kilimanjaro guide Jim Eite, who has been up to the summit of the mountain over 50 times, told us about training.

"I found that while people went out and did training walks, they never did back-to-back training walks. It's that cumulative fatigue that people struggle with. If you're in the UK, you can take one of your concerns out by making sure you're fit enough. Wear your boots, go and do some long walks, and get yourself feeling confident in your own fitness."

Multi-day hikes where you're doing back-to-back days of walking are the best way to prepare. That, and time on Kilimanjaro to acclimatise to the altitude.

Clothing and Equipment

Although Kilimanjaro is considered a 'walk-up mountain', don’t be fooled into thinking it’s easy. Preparation is key, especially if you are on a shorter time frame or harder route. Porters can carry the food and cooking implements as well as your sleep system. Most trekking companies have plenty of spare equipment if you are in need, but as always, tried and tested personal gear is priceless. Pack as you would for any long multi-day treks at altitude, including the following:

• Good waterproof and breathable hiking boots and plenty of thick socks. These should be tried and tested before the hike begins as finding out they are unsuitable and uncomfortable two days in is the last thing you want.
• A good waterproof backpack and hydration sack – one big enough to hold your personal items (camera, head torch, clothes and the food you are given for the day).
• Thermals for the cold nights (and some days) hiking.
• Waterproof/windproof pants and shell, even if you are hiking in the dryer seasons – the weather can become cold very quickly.
• Quick-dry hiking clothes and trousers. Zip-off trousers are great for the first and last days of the treks.
• Fleece/down jackets are needed for when the temperature drops. It’s easy to forget these items whilst sweating at the base of the mountain in a tropical country. The summit can be as cold as -30 degrees Celsius.
• Beanie and gloves.
• Sunscreen and sunglasses is one most people forget. You can be very exposed some days and you don’t want to be burnt for your time on the mountain.
• A warm change of clothes for the nights is a great idea. They help you stay cosy and break up the amount of time you need to spend in your trekking clothes.
• As with any trek, bring basic toiletries like toothbrush and toothpaste, but not so much that you struggle to carry the weight you’ve packed.
• A head torch for the evenings and summit night.
• Hiking snacks – and lots of them! Energy bars are a lightweight, high-calorie option.
• A small medical kit with essentials like plasters and second skin can be very handy. Blisters are the last thing you need!

Here is the full kit list that we recommend for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, as taken from the Kit List section of our nine-night hike up the Lemosho route:

What's included?

• Tent
• Foam mattress

What can I hire?

• Walking poles
• Headtorch (you will need to bring your own AAA batteries)
• Sleeping bag
• Day pack (with or without waterproof covers)
• Duffel bag
• Nalgene water bottle/water bladder
• A range of clothing (fleece pants, waterproof pants, walking trousers, windbreaker/ski trousers, waterproof jacket, light fleece jacket, heavy fleece jacket, down/ski jacket, hat, thermal top & bottoms, scarf, sunglasses, thin glove liners, thick ski gloves, hiking boots, gaiters, poncho, socks). Pricing ranges from $5-$50 per item for the whole trip. Please request any items you would like to hire with your host via your booking prior to departure for confirmation of pricing and availability.

What do I need to bring?

• Waterproof jacket (good quality, breathable with hood)
• Weather rated insulated jacket (synthetic or down, with hood)
• Waterproof trousers (breathable)
• Hiking boots (warm, waterproof, broken-in with spare laces)
• Fleece or soft-shell jacket
• Long sleeved tops (lightweight, moisture-wicking fabric)
• Short sleeved t-shirts (lightweight, moisture-wicking fabric)
• Hiking trousers
• Fleece/thermal trousers
• Shorts
• Knitted beanie hat
• Buff/balaclava/bandana (for face/neck coverage)
• Warm gloves (waterproof recommended)
• Something to sleep in (warm layers for camping at altitude)
• Underwear (moisture-wicking fabric recommended)
• Sports bra
• Socks (thick - wool or synthetic)
• Sock liners (tight and thin - worn under socks to prevent blisters - synthetic)

Other:

• Duffel bag (for porters to carry your clothes and equipment-see related FAQ for guidance on weight)
• Backpack to carry your personal gear during the day (25-35 litres)
• Backpack cover (waterproof)
• Sleeping bag (warm, four season rated)
• Trekking poles (highly recommended)
• Waterproof gaiters/trail gaiters (highly recommended to prevent loose gravel and sand)
• Water bottle (Nalgene recommended) AND a water bladder (CamelBak type) - must have 2-3 litres combined; please note that disposable plastic bottles are not allowed on the mountain due to National Park regulations
• Headtorch with extra batteries
• Sun protection (Sunglasses, Sun hat/cap, Sunscreen - SPF 35+ recommended))
• Lip balm
• Hand gel
• Mosquito repellent (for Moshi - not usually needed on the mountain)
• Trip receipt
• Mobile charger
• Universal plug adaptor
• Personal medication and first aid kit
• Earplugs
• Power bank
• Book/Kindle/playing cards, for downtime
• Passports (and visas)
• Travel insurance documents

Optional:

• Lightweight trainers/sneakers (to wear at camp - optional)
• Sleeping bag liner (for added warmth - optional)
• Liner gloves (thin, synthetic - worn under gloves for added warmth - optional)
• Poncho (during rainy season - optional)
• Towel (lightweight, quick-dry - optional)
• Pee bottle (to avoid leaving tent at night - highly recommended)
• Stuff sacks or lightweight dry bags (various sizes, to keep gear dry and separate - highly recommended)
• Hot water bottle for the night (optional)
• Swimwear (there is a pool at the accommodation in Moshi - optional)
• Extra water purification tablets (water will be purified by your trek team so this is optional)
• Extra energy bars and snacks - read our article on Best Hiking Snacks

FAQs

How Long Does it Take to Climb Kilimanjaro?‌

There are seven routes up Kilimanjaro, each of which takes between five and nine days. However, it’s very important not to rush the ascent as it could lower your success rate. The reason for this is because you need to ensure time for your body to acclimate to high altitude. Read our guide on when to climb Kilimanjaro.

How Hard is it to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro?

Kilimanjaro may be considered a manageable hike, but it's still a 5,895m mountain. It isn't a technical climb, but you'll be hiking for six to seven hours a day, over multiple days, at very high altitudes. Check out our extensive guide on how hard it is to climb Kilimanjaro for a more detailed look at the topic.

Can You Climb Kilimanjaro Without a Guide?

In 1991, the Tanzanian government and Kilimanjaro National Park passed a regulation that all trekkers must be accompanied by a registered and licensed guide. Trekkers need to register with the Parks Authority before setting out, and sign in at each camp – they are forbidden from wild camping or using caves for shelter. Read our full feature on guided vs. independent Kilimanjaro hikes.

Do I Need a Permit to Climb Kilimanjaro?

You need a climbing permit to climb Kilimanjaro. This includes park entrance fees, conservation fee, a mandatory fee for potential mountain rescue and a hut fee (depending on your route). You can expect to pay around £600-£800 in park fees, depending on the duration of your trek. This needs to be provided to the park authorities in advance through your tour operator, rather than independently.‌

How Much Does it Cost to Climb Kilimanjaro?

Climbing Kilimanjaro often costs between £1,500 and £3,500, depending on the length of your route and the tour operator you use. This includes national park fees, guides, porters and other support staff, plus accommodation (in huts or camping) and food. Decent guides will keep you safe and increase your summit chances. Read our full guide on how much it costs to climb Kilimanjaro.

Read more:

• Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro: What Route to Chooose
• What to Do After Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
• How to Prepare for a Mountain Climbing Adventure
• Climbing Mount Kenya: A Guide

Inspired? Check out our Kilimanjaro adventures – you can even go on safari afterwards!

Long before I set foot on Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, the mountain lured me in. It loomed over the horizon whilst we sat around a campfire in Serengeti. Later that night, I watched a lightning storm completely illuminate the western face in a glorious display of nature’s power. It was strange to see such a mountain stand alone, devoid of the company of a range. It even created its own weather. That night I decided I wanted to stand on the summit, and a month later I did.

Five years later I summited it again, only this time I had rushed my ascent on a harder route and felt the full wrath of altitude sickness bear down upon me. This, combined with some crippling blisters from untested footwear, taught me a valuable lesson about preparation and planning.

If you plan on climbing Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, one of the most important aspects of your planning will involve choosing a route to pick. In this article, we take a closer look at the seven main routes to the summit, to help you choose which is the best Kilimanjaro route for you.

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How to Choose the Best Kilimanjaro Route

There is perhaps not a more important choice when trekking Kilimanjaro than the route you choose. There are at least seven options. The main ones are:

1. The Marangu Route (known as 'the tourist route' and the 'Coca Cola Route')
2. The Machame Route (the 'Whiskey Route')
3. The Lemosho Route (generally considered the 'most scenic')
4. The Rongai Route (the only approach from the north)
5. The Shira Route (a high altitude approach from the left)
6. The Northern Circuit (a route circling the northern slopes)
7. The Umbwe Route (the most direct route to the summit)

Each route has its own benefits and drawbacks, as the table above shows. The Marangu Route is most popular with beginner trekkers, as it is less steep and takes the shortest amount of time – but you'll also find it busier than some of the other routes, as well as more difficult to acclimatise. The Umbwe Route is one of the most difficult, shouldn't be undertaken unless you have mountaineering experience, and we'd advise making sure you acclimatise to the altitude elsewhere first (for example, by climbing Mount Meru).

When you come to choose your Kilimanjaro route, there are several factors you need to take into consideration. The first of these is acclimatisation – some routes climb more steeply, making altitude sickness more of a risk. The next is the difficulty of the route, in particular the summit night – its success rate gives you some indication of this. The accommodation options and how busy the route is are something to take into consideration. Then, there's how scenic the route is – a decent view really enriches the hiking experience.

We’ve provided a detailed breakdown of each of the Kilimanjaro routes to help you make the right decision for your trek.

How Long Does It Take to Climb Kilimanjaro?

Most climbers will spend between five and nine days on the mountain, depending on which route they choose. The absolute minimum is five days (for Umbwe or Marangu), but this is not recommended. While it may reduce costs (because you will pay less in park fees, crew wages, food and so on), the more days you spend on Kilimanjaro, the better the acclimatisation - and so the better your chances of actually reaching the summit of the mountain.

As a rule of thumb, it can be worth adding at least one extra day to the minimum for any route you attempt. The cost difference is small, whereas the difference in success rate can be significant. We'll look at each route in detail below, but there's a quite introduction to each route and the days required to climb them:

Why does the extra day matter?

Altitude sickness is the number one reason that climbers turn back before the summit of Kilimanjaro. Your body needs the time to produce extra red blood cells and adjust to the reduced oxygen - and you simply can't rush that process.

The "climb high, sleep low" principle (taken from the Himalayas) helps with this on routes like Machame and Lemosho. Where it is, you'll ascend to a higher camp during the day, then drop back down to sleep at a lower elevation, giving your body a daily acclimatisation boost. The Northern Circuit's exceptional success rate (the highest of all seven routes) comes almost entirely from this. Nine days on the mountain gives your body more time to adapt than five ever could.

A note on altitude sickness

With altitude sickness, it is important to seek advice from your own doctor before deciding to medicate, as there are side effects. It is advisable to make this decision long before you step on the mountain as the medication has an adjustment period that can throw off your whole journey… trust me, it’s not a fun experience!

The risk of altitude sickness can greatly be reduced through proper acclimatisation methods and time frames. One easy preventative measure is to steer clear of tour operators offering trips up Kilimanjaro across fewer days – they won't have built in as much time for acclimatisation.

The Kilimanjaro Routes

Here is a Mount Kilimanjaro map, showing the various routes up the mountain.

1. The Marangu Route

• Perfect for: Those who don’t want to camp, or those on a budget
• Distance: 70km / 5-6 Days

This Kilimanjaro route option is considered to be the tourist route – around 50% of climbers use it. Marangu is the only route that doesn’t involve camping; instead it offers small hut accommodation throughout the journey. It is from these huts that Marangu draws its nickname, the “Coca-Cola Route”, as the huts sell bottled Coke as well as a few other bits and pieces. The huts themselves are by no means luxurious – they are basic with a dining hall and beds with mattresses and pillows – but they are more comfortable than a tent.

The Beginner’s Guide to Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

The word ‘safari’ means a journey in Swahili. In both a literal and metaphorical sense, a journey is what Kilimanjaro provides.

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You begin your trek at the south-east Marangu Gate. This gate is close to the town of Moshi, a haven that sits underneath the mountain in the Kilimanjaro region. This proximity is one of the contributing factors that make it a popular choice for trekkers.

The ascent and descent follow the same trail, which means you only see a limited section of the mountain whilst sharing the trail with returning trekkers, making the route one of the busiest. The climb is not a steep one and is the preferred choice for inexperienced trekkers – however, the ascent on summit night is steep. The route can be completed in five days but it is recommended to do it in six for better acclimatisation. That said, the huts are only 1000m elevation apart, which is not ideal for acclimatising while you sleep – hence the low success rate of this route.

A few factors make it a cheaper climb: the proximity to Moshi, the short length of the climb and the lack of camping equipment needed.

Despite being billed as 'the easy route', Marangu has one of the lower success rates. This is partially because it is underestimated – many people who embark on it haven't trained properly. It is also because there's a spike in elevation on summit night that carries with it a risk of altitude sickness. Prepare properly and take the six day option to improve your chances of a successful summit.

This Kilimanjaro route is also not as scenic as others, but you will still stand on the mighty summit 'Uhuru Peak' the same as everyone else. You will also grab some awesome views of one of Kilimanjaro’s three volcanic cones, Mawenzi. As you return the same way, the sights are limited to what you have already experienced on the previous days, albeit with added elation and sense of achievement.

If you’re pushed for time, on a tight budget, hate tents and harder treks then Marangu is potentially the route for you.

2. The Machame Route

• Perfect for: Diverse scenery, and those who want to 'trek high and sleep low'
• Distance: 61km / 6-7 Days

If Marangu is known as the 'Coca-Cola route' then it’s no wonder that Machame is dubbed the 'Whiskey Route'. It is a tougher climb that certainly isn’t for the unprepared. After Marangu it's the busiest Kilimanjaro route on the mountain, but is very different to it.

You begin your trek in the rainforest zone at the Machame Gate to the south of the mountain. This is a beautiful route as it moves through many ecosystems and five different climactic zones. There's a stunning view as you arrive into Shira Camp on the plateau of the Shira volcanic cone. As you leave the Shira Plateau, it’s a steeper, more undulating climb than some of the other Kilimanjaro routes, but this affords you the opportunity to trek high and sleep low, which is an important part of acclimatisation.

This route can be attempted in six days (meaning you will attempt the summit in the early hours of the fifth day). However, there is a much higher success rate of those that stretch it out to seven days as this gives you a short day before the summit push.

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Machame is a camping route; there are no huts to sleep in. This is where good gear and guiding is essential. To attempt the summit you should be well rested and well fed. A perfectly placed hot chocolate, bowl of salty cucumber soup and warm sleeping bag are so welcome at the end of a long day. Camping is an incredible way to experience the mountain and the views from Shira Camp will reinforce this beyond belief.

This route also takes you around the Lava Tower and over the Barranco Wall, an obstacle that looks much more difficult than it is.  You’ll head onward to the summit base of Barafu (the Swahili word for ice) Camp. It’s cold here and there is 50% less oxygen than at sea level.

Most summit attempts begin just before midnight so you can summit at sunrise. It is one of the most beautiful sunrises you will ever see as you pass Gilman’s Point, Stella Point and move onto Uhuru Peak – it's also one of the easiest climbs. Machame descends along a different route down to Mweka Camp, which sits back in the rainforest zone. The songs around the campfire are loud and spirits high.

3. The Lemosho Route

• Perfect for: getting off the beaten path and wildlife spotting
• Distance: 67km / 7-8 Days

A route that was created as an alternative to the Shira Route, and is generally considered the most scenic path to the summit. It was made as a lower set off point for those attempting Kilimanjaro from the west. You'll begin at Lemosho Gate, and have more time to gradually adjust to the altitude.

The western side is more remote, making it a further drive to the start point (two to three hours) and more expensive. This creates some great positives though as the first few days will have far fewer trekkers on the route. You are also more likely to see larger wildlife on this route, including the mighty tembo (elephant).

The Lemosho Route joins the Shira Route on Day 2 and then the Machame Route the day after. It’s a longer trek that spans between seven to eight days. As with Machame, climbers need to be comfortable with camping.

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4. The Rongai Route

Perfect for: those seeking a milder ascent on a remote route

Distance: 74km / 6-7 Days

The Rongai is the only Kilimanjaro route that approaches from the north. You register at the Nalemoru Gate and then head through to the start point on the Kenyan side of the mountain. As with other more remote set off points you get similar benefits: it is less busy and has higher chances of seeing wildlife.

This side of the mountain gets less rain than the southern section, so there is a higher potential to stay dry (great during the wet season). It is also a milder ascent with flatter sections than other routes. This is great for exertion but not amazing for trek high, camp low acclimatisation.

The Rongai route can be attempted in six, seven or eight days. As with any of the climbs, it’s important to give yourself enough time to acclimatise.

The descent goes down along the Marangu Route. It is a beautiful and gradual route. If budget isn’t a consideration then this route is a great contender.

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5. The Shira Route

• Perfect for: experienced high-altitude trekkers
• Distance:  58km / 6-8 Days

This route is difficult, not because it is technically challenging but because the altitude at which you begin your climb is much higher. The Shira Gate sits at 3,500m: nearly 2,000 metres higher than the Machame Gate.

This is a massive altitude spike if you are coming from the towns below, which is accentuated by the fact that you are driven up to the Shira Gate, giving you even less time to acclimatise to the altitude. Because of this, the Shira Route has largely been replaced by the Lemosho Route. The Shira Route joins up with the Lemosho Route on the second day anyhow, and then with the Machame Route on Day 3.

The western side of Kilimanjaro is further away from Moshi, and therefore is more remote and expensive to reach. It has fewer climbers until it links up with Machame at the Lava Tower.

If you are a confident hiker who has trekked at altitude before then Shira shouldn’t present any significant problems. It can be done in six days but is usually stretched to eight days, which helps improve your chance of a successful summit.

6. The Northern Circuit

• Perfect for: those summiting for a second time and seeking pastures new
• Distance: 88km / 8-9 Days

The newest of the Kilimanjaro routes begins at the Londorossi Gate in the west. The Northern Circuit follows the Lemosho Route and is the same all the way up to the Lava Tower.

This is where the trail differs from Lemosho, Shira and Machame. Instead of heading down to Barranco Camp, which is nestled under the Barranco Wall, the track moves in a different direction. Here the Northern Circuit earns its name, heading north to Moir Hut (shared by the Shira Route) before circling north-west around the northern slopes to join up with the Rongai Route variation at Third Cave.

Most summit via School Hut and descend along the Mweka Route, rejoining most other routes on their journey back. However, as with most routes, this can be customised to change the summit set off point and the descent along Marangu.

Due to the 'climb high, sleep low' opportunities, this route has the highest success rate of all the Kilimanjaro routes. However, as one of the longest, it's also one of the more expensive options.

7. The Umbwe Route

• Perfect for: experienced trekkers seeking a challenge
• Distance: 48km / 5-7 Days

For the first couple of days, Umbwe is the least crowded route. There is good reason for this though, as it is also considered to be the hardest, with the most direct route up to the summit. After registering at the Machame Gate you begin in the rainforest and make a steep trail north.

It can be done in as little as five days (six or seven is recommended) and is a pretty steep climb on the first couple of days. There isn’t as much time to acclimatise on this route and it has a low success rate. Climbers attempting Umbwe should be comfortable with altitude and steep trekking.

Most guides link the route to Machame on the evening of the second day, where traffic picks up. This means you’ll summit from Barafu camp. The route used to summit via the Western Breach and Arrow’s Glacier but changed when some climbers were killed by a rock fall in 2006. The Western Breach is open again and is the most challenging ascent to Uhuru Peak. This route is not for tourists and those considering should have a bit more technical knowledge of mountain climbing before seeking a guide who will accommodate you.

When Is the Best Time to Climb Kilimanjaro?

There is a close link between route choice and when is best to climb Kilimanjaro. The mountain can be climbed year-round, but the two dry seasons offer the most reliable summit weather. Here's when they take place:

• January-March: Clear skies, cold temperatures and fewer crowds. The best window for crisp views from the summit.
• June-October: The most popular season on Kili. Warm days, stable conditions, and high footfall on routes like Marangu and Machame.

The two wet seasons (April, May and November) bring heavier rainfall on the southern slopes. Routes like Marangu and Machame feel this most. The Rongai Route, which approaches from the drier north, is the best option if you're climbing during the shoulder months. The longer your route, the more exposure you'll have to unpredictable weather. So if you're hiking the Northern Circuit over nine days, for example, you would be bes to avoid the peak rainy months.

For more detail, read our guide to the best time to climb Kilimanjaro.

Conclusion: Which is the Best Route up Kilimanjaro?

Each route up Kilimanjaro has its benefits and drawbacks. Your choice will very much depend on what you're looking for.

If you're climbing Kilimanjaro for the first time, we'd recommend either the Machame, Lemosho or Rongai routes. They are less busy than the Marangu Route, have higher success rates, and they ascend and descend via different routes.

We'd likely steer clear of the Umbwe Route, due to its difficulty level and risk of altitude sickness, but ultimately, the choice is up to you.

FAQs

What are the different routes up Mount Kilimanjaro and how do they vary?

Mount Kilimanjaro has seven main routes: Marangu, Machame, Lemosho, Rongai, Shira, Northern Circuit, and Umbwe. They vary by scenery, acclimatization, difficulty, and duration. Lemosho and Northern Circuit offer better acclimatization, while Marangu is the only route with hut accommodation.

Which Kilimanjaro route has the best summit success rate for first-time climbers?

The Northern Circuit has the best summit success rate for first-time climbers due to its longer duration and gradual acclimatization. Its nine-day itinerary improves altitude adjustment and overall chances of reaching the summit safely. It’s closely followed by the eight day Lemosho route.

Do I Need a Guide to Climb Kilimanjaro?

Yes. Since 1991, Tanzanian law has dictated that a guide and team is required for any ascent of Kilimanjaro. Independent trekking on the mountain is not allowed.

Which Kilimanjaro route offers the fewest crowds and the most wilderness feel?

The Rongai Route and Northern Circuit routes offer the fewest crowds and the most wilderness feel on Kilimanjaro. These routes approach the mountain from less-travelled sides and feature remote landscapes with minimal foot traffic.

What’s included in a Kilimanjaro route package with a reputable operator?

A Kilimanjaro route package with a reputable operator includes guides and support staff, including cooks and porters. Meals and accommodation (in huts or tents) are included, as are all permits and emergency support. Packages often cover airport transfers and gear rental options, ensuring safety and comfort during the trek.

Machame vs Marangu: which is the best route up Kilimanjaro?

The main difference between Machame and Marangu is that Machame offers more scenic variety and better acclimatisation, while Marangu is easier underfoot and uses huts instead of tents. Machame is better for success rates and views; Marangu is more suited for comfort and simplicity.

Read more:

• The Beginner's Guide to Climbing Mount Kilimanajro
• How to Prepare for a Mountain Climbing Adventure
• What to Do After Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro
• A Guide to Climbing Mount Kenya

Feeling inspired? Come with us to Climb Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho, Rongai or Machame Route or check out all of our Kilimanjaro tours and treks here.

Mount Kilimanjaro is not a technical climb, but it is a genuinely hard one. At 5,895 metres high (19,341 feet), climbing Kilimanjaro is a serious test of fitness and mentality. Hikers will need to cope with extreme altitude over multiple days of trekking to reach the summit.

From the plains of Tanzania, Kilimanjaro looks impossibly large. A behemoth, dormant stratovolcano, it is composed of three distinct volcanic cones and is the fourth highest peak in the world in terms of topographical prominence. The snow-capped massif rises thousands of metres above the surrounding savannah. So big is this mountain that it has its own weather system, its own clouds and its own colds - something people often underestimate, particularly come nightfall.

Most people who reach the summit crater at Uhuru Peak are ordinary (often first-time) hikers without an abundance of hardcore, multi-day trekking experience. But while the climb is achievable, prior experience is always likely to increase your summit chances. And although the terrain won't stop you - the altitude might. The lack of oxygen high on the mountain sucks your energy away.

Suddenly that warmth from the sun comes over the horizon, and you can see the curvature of the Earth. It’s a special moment.

Still, there's a reason this climb is so popular.

“That feeling on the summit crater at sunrise and summit day can have an emotional element,” says Jim Eite, who guided on Kilimanjaro for four years and has more than 50 summits. “You’ve been walking through the night and suddenly that bit of warmth from the sun comes over the horizon, and you can see the curvature of the Earth. It’s a special moment.”

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While you might not be able to prepare for the altitude, there are things you can do to maximise your chances of reaching the summit of this mighty mountain.

How Hard is Climbing Kilimanjaro, Really?

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is hard but achievable. Good fitness is required, and as with any mountain climb, you'll need to have weather conditions on your side.

Trekkers are not legally permitted to climb this iconic mountain without a guide. The Tanzanian government and Mount Kilimanjaro National Park (KINAPA) authorities long-since banned independent trekking on the mountain, and since 1991, all trekkers have been required to travel with a tour operator. The upshot of that is that you'll always have an expert with you.

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This is the world’s tallest free-standing mountain, and getting to the top will mean hiking for around six to nine days through five distinct climate zones.

You’ll go from farmland to dense equatorial rainforest dripping with moss and teeming with wildlife, up through heather moorlands to the high alpine desert, before reaching the Arctic summit zone - a dry, freezing cold area which has half the available oxygen that you have when you’re at sea level.

The fact that the trip was paced by expert guides, that the route allowed trekking high and sleeping low, and the amazing crew who ensured we were well fed and hydrated throughout, meant that I found any ill effects were kept to a minimum...

It is the multi-day demands of the hike, and the thin air and altitude, that make this climb so tough. The average summit success rate sits at around 65% - although our success rate at Much Better Adventures, due to good guides, route and trip choices and customer preperation, means ours is around 95%.

Generally, though, that means one third of climbers across operators don’t make it to the top. To give yourself the best chance, you need to give your body time to acclimatise, which means taking it slow and steady up the mountain.

Kirsty Holmes, climbed with Much Better Adventures on the Machame route, and said: “For me, the potential difficulty came from the altitude," she says. "But the fact that the trip was paced by expert guides, that the route allowed trekking high and sleeping low, and the amazing crew who ensured we were well fed and hydrated throughout, meant that I found any ill effects were kept to a minimum. Although summit night is a long slog, it was very doable with the support of our experienced, local team."

The Summit Rates on Kilimanjaro: Route-by-route

At Much Better Adventures, we do everything we can to give you the best chance of summiting Kilimanjaro successfully and safely. From the route we choose to the care and food provided on the mountain, our guides are well placed to get you to the top. Because of this - and the training our customers put in - Much Better Adventures has an average summit success rate across routes of 95%.

Kilimanjaro Routes: Which is the Best Route Up Mount Kilimanjaro?

So, you’re considering climbing Kilimanjaro? We discuss the 7 best routes up the mountain, helping you decide which one to take!

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The broader headline figure is that - across routes and operators - there is roughly a 65% summit rate overall for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. But that’s a figure which conceals variants. Trekkers on longer routes (with more time to acclimatise) have a summit rate of 85% or higher, while five-day routes (often deemed to be rushed) have a lower than average rate - around 50%.

Much Better Adventures has an average summit success rate across routes of 95%.

Here are the approximate summit rates for each route on Kilimanjaro.

These are not our internal stats for our trips, but rather, a rough average across all tour operators. As stats are scattered, they are not 100% accurate, but do give you an indication of the percentages involved. The wide range of percentages for each route indicate the different summit chances you have should you spent longer doing the route in question, maximising your chances:

• Marangu Route (Coca-Cola): 50-70%
• Umbwe Route: 60%
• Rongai Route: 65%-85%
• Machame Route: 85-92%
• Lemosho Route: 85-98%
• Northern Circuit: 95%-98%

The summit rate you’re quoted by an operator is less important than the way you approach the mountain. Which route are you going to choose up Kilimanjaro, and how many days are you going to walk it in? What operator are you travelling with, and are they cutting corners with guides? What training and preparation will you do? Have you done other multi-day treks, or ever experienced high-mountain altitude before? What pace will you walk at? Will you stay hydrated?

The most decisive factor in summitting Kili is how you approach the climb.

What Makes Kilimanjaro Hard to Climb? These Four Challenges

First thing's first - this mountain is big. Do not underestimate that. Ever heard people talk about how much a slog, and difficult day on the legs, climbing Ben Nevis can be? Ben Nevis is 1,345m (4,413ft) high. Kilimanjaro is 5,895m (19,341ft). On the most basic level, it is simply exhausting to spent days and days hiking up a mountain - and that's without taking all of the below into account.

1. Handling The Altitude

Altitude sickness is the main reason that people do not reach the top of Kilimanjaro. The altitude hits at different points for different people - and some are altogether fine with it - but it usually starts to impact people above 2,500 metres (8,000ft) or 3,500m (11,480ft).

The NHS list the symptoms of altitude sickness as:

• a headache
• loss of appetite
• feeling or being sick
• feeling tired or exhausted
• dizziness
• difficulty sleeping

And they note that “sometimes, the symptoms can develop into more serious symptoms that can be life-threatening.” On Kilimanjaro, the higher you get, the harder your body has to work just to stay warm, digest food and to think clearly. Altitude sickness is not related to fitness, either. A marathon runner can suffer from altitude sickness just as badly as a first time hiker. It’s hard to predict.

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If you feel altitude sickness on the mountain in any sort of serious way, you will likely end up descending down the mountain for safety. It's the guides call.

The best way to avoid altitude sickness is by spending more time acclimatising. You should ascend slowly, taking your time as you walk, and taking as many days as you can to climb the mountain. Let your body acclimatise to the altitude, walk at a slow tempo as you progress, and you’ll have a good chance.

• How much does it cost to climb Mount Kilimanjaro?

“I always avoided short itineraries,” says ex-Kili guide Jim Eite. “The ‘walk high, sleep low’ principles from the Himalaya are hard to do on a conical volcano, so you’re just gradually going up. So always, if people had the time - and of course, it does make it more expensive because of park fees and things like that - then taking longer on the mountain was always beneficial for people.”

2. The Summit night

To reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, you’re going to have to walk through the night - and the difficulty of this can take people off guard.

Let’s say you walk the Lemosho Route. By the time you reach summit day, you’ve already been hiking for around six days. Then, with head torches, you have to get up in the middle of the night for the toughest stretch of the trek yet. You’ll walk through rocky scree to Stella Point on the crater rim, on to Uhuru Peak - the highest point on Kilimanjaro - and then after celebrating, you’ll start the long descent back down, over dusty volcanic terrain, winding all the way from 5,895 metres down to around 3,800 metres. That’s 11-12 hours of hiking.

It can be freezing cold, and it’s just the sort of thing you don’t practise.

“Depending on how people have acclimatised, there’s a lack of oxygen up there, and some people won’t have eaten brilliantly for the last couple of days, or slept well,” says Jim. “And then you’re getting them up at anything from 11pm to midnight to walk through the night in the pitch black.

“It can be freezing cold, and it’s just the sort of thing you don’t practise. Nobody will go out for a [training] walk in the Highlands or the South Downs with a head torch, and plod along slowly. It’s a big thing for a lot of people - and that makes it harder than just the physical exertion.”

Summit day is a physical and mental challenge - regardless of experience.

3. Multi-day fatigue

Kilimanjaro takes six to nine days to climb, and with each day you spend on the mountain giving your body a better chance to acclimatise - you also add to your hiking fatigue.

When I was guiding, the biggest thing people struggled with was that although they did training walks, they didn’t do back-to-back training walks...

In the rainforest zone, you can end up sodden and wet. In the moorland, things can get windy. In the summit zone, it is seriously cold. You’ll find that at altitude, you don’t sleep as well, and that sleep isn’t as restorative. Your appetite will diminish, despite your body needing fuel. And then there’s the regular strain of a multi-day hike - the wear and tear on the feet and the legs.

Jim Eite points to this as one of the most consistent gaps in preparation he witnessed over his years on the mountain. “When I was guiding, the biggest thing people struggled with was that although they did training walks, they didn’t do back-to-back training walks,” says Jim. “They never went out to walk for six days, so a lot of people struggle with the cumulative fatigue.”

This is one variable within your control. Hiking experience is valuable.

4. The mental challenge

Any challenging adventure comes with mental demands.

How are you going to deal with the poor sleep at altitude? How will you react when you are awoken in the night for the summit push? How will you manage the fatigue as the days pass and your body begins to move slower, with more strain?

The guides know that this moment is coming, and they’ll pace you and encourage you as you go.

Good guides spend the early days learning about their group, so that when they need encouragement, they’re there to give it. “A guide guide to me always got to know the clients on the first couple of days,” says Jim. “Because then you could read how they were feeling closer to the summit. You had to build those relationships, so that when people got to the tougher end of the trip and to summit day, you understood people, and they’d understand and listen to you.”

But ultimately, the hiker is always going to have to work hard to summit Kilimanjaro - even when it's cold, dark or damp. It’s not easy.

How Fit Do You Need to Be to Climb Kilimanjaro?

If you can comfortably walk for six to eight hours on consecutive days, then you are physically capable of reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. You can, of course, train for this. “Take one of your concerns out and make sure you’re fit enough,” says Jim. “Wear boots and go and do some long walks so you’re feeling confident in your own fitness.”

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People do climb Kili without previous multi-day trekking experience, and it is a mountain that is popular with charity hikers. You don’t necessarily have to be a runner or climber to summit - but you do need to be willing to be uncomfortable for a sustained period of time, and have the desire to push through.

The great equaliser, though, is acclimatisation.

Doing everything slowly - polepole - is the cliche, but it helps.

The best training is back-to-back days of walking with a weighted backpack. And then when you reach the mountain, taking it slowly - polepole, Swahili for slowly, slowly - to allow your body to acclimatise.

“When you walk, if you exert yourself, there’s less oxygen, and you start to gasp,” says Jim. “So doing everything slowly - polepole - is the cliche, but it helps."

Slow is the strategy.

The second point to remember is hydration. "Your body is much more effective at getting oxygen around your system when you stay hydrated," Eite says.

People resist this at altitude - it's cold, the appetite for water diminishes, and nobody wants to leave a tent at 2am when it's freezing outside. But it's important to stay hydrated day and night, so that your body is in shape to climb.

Can a Beginner Climb Kilimanjaro?

Yes. A lot of people who summit Kilimanjaro are beginners - at least, in the sense that this will be their first mountain summit over 5,000 metres.

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A lot of people who take on Kilimanjaro are true beginners, in the sense that it will be their first multi-day trek, or their first mountain climb above 2,000 metres. This is because a lot of people climb Kilimanjaro for charity, or to mark a birthday milestone, for example. And there are no technical sections on any of the standard routes, so no ropes or harnesses are required.

If you are going to climb Kilimanjaro, however, you should absolutely have some prior mountain climbs and trekking experience.

The more experience you have of altitude and multi-day treks, the better your chance of success. The one big variable beyond that is acclimatisation time. That’s a variable that doesn’t depend on mountain experience.

Is Kilimanjaro Dangerous? The Death Rate and Risks, Honestly

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is a demanding task, and as with any mountain trek or high-altitude environment, it comes with risks.

The death rate on Kilimanjaro is hard to pinpoint, as statistics are scarce and reliable sources lacking. The one body who know the exact statistic would be KINAPA, but they do not release the figures for fear that they would negatively impact on the amount of people who want to climb Kilimanjaro.

A study by Markus Hauser, in a paper called 'Deaths due to High Altitude Illness among Tourists Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro' found that between 1996 and 2003, 25 people died. That's across eight years. The causes concerned altitude.

The figures generally cited beyond that  - across all operators and all summit attempts - state that between 3 and 10 people die per year, across roughly 40,000 annual summit attempts. That’s approximately 1 in 4,000 trekkers.

We are not medical professionals, but, again, the most commonly cited causes for deaths on the mountain are linked to altitude illnesses (primarily HACE or HAPE) or to pre-existing cardiac conditions. To expand on those risks:

• Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS): The mildest and most common form of altitude sickness - headache, nausea, fatigue, poor sleep. Most trekkers experience some degree of this above 3,500m. This can be managed by slow ascent, rest, and hydration - or if worse, by immediate descent.
• High Altitude Cerebral Oedema (HACE): This is severe, life-threatening form of altitude sickness that causes brain swelling due to oxygen deprivation. It's rare. Symptoms include ataxia and confusion. Treated by immediate descent.
• High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPE): This is another life-threatening form of altitude sickness where fluid leaks into the lungs. This is rare but serious. Breathlessness at rest is a warning sign. Treated by immediate descent and, if available, supplemental oxygen.

Your guides will monitor how you’re doing as you climb, and check in often. They’ll have emergency medical supplies - including oxygen and a pulse oximeter, and should make the call to descend long before things are critical.

Please note: The authors of this article are not medical professionals, and readers should consult a doctor for proper medical advice before climbing if they are keen to get professional advice on the risks they may face on Kilimanjaro.

FAQs

Is Kilimanjaro the easiest of the Seven Summits?

Generally, yes. Kilimanjaro is considered the most accessible of the world’s seven summits (the highest peak on each continent) because the others demand mountaineering experience. The word ‘easiest’ is relative here, though. Kilimanjaro is still a serious, high-altitude undertaking and it is a tough climb.

What level of difficulty is Kilimanjaro?

This is a strenuous, but non-technical climb. We’ve rated our Kilimanjaro trips as challenging/tough due to the consecutive days of around 6 or 7 hours trekking with plenty of elevation gain at high altitudes. The summit day is a long and physically demanding day at high altitude. Trekking above 3,000m is more demanding on the body than walking at low elevations.

Which is harder - Machu Picchu or Kilimanjaro?

Mount Kilimanjaro is tougher by a considerable margin. The Inca Trail, for example, peaks at around 4,215m (13,828ft). Kilimanjaro's summit is 5,895m (19,341ft). Kilimanjaro also takes much longer, involves more ascent, and carries a substantially higher risk of altitude illness.

Is Kilimanjaro safer than Everest?

Considerably so. Climbing Mount Everest has a historical death rate of around 1% and requires technical mountaineering experience at extreme altitude (8,849m/29,032ft), plus weeks of acclimatisation. Kilimanjaro's death rate is approximately 1 in 3,500 guided attempts. They are fundamentally different undertakings, despite both being the high points of their continent.

Do you need oxygen to climb Kilimanjaro?

No. The vast majority of trekkers summit without supplemental oxygen. Many operators carry emergency oxygen in case of severe altitude illness, but it isn't used as a routine aid, and if you find yourself needing it, the correct response is descend the mountain, not keep going.

Can you fail and turn back?

Yes, and around 35% of trekkers who set off to summit Kilimanjaro end up turning back and descending the mountain. That percentage is even higher on shorter routes. Turning back is often the right, medically-sounding decision. Most descents happen on summit night, between high camp and the crater rim.

Inspired? Check out our range of climbing trips on Kilimanjaro now!

Cycling UK have launched their first ever Scottish gravel bikepacking route - and it runs 205 miles (330km) through the idyllic rolling hills of Dumfries and Galloway.

This is a part of Scotland often overlooked by visiting cyclists. That's despite the rolling country roads which are ideal for road cycling, and the world class gravel in Galloway Forest Park, which at over 300 square miles is the largest forest park in Britain. Tucked away in southwest Scotland, most tourists simply overshoot the area - heading on to either the Central Belt or the drama of the Highlands.

"Despite being the closest part of Scotland to England, the area remains largely overlooked and undiscovered," says Guy Kesteven, the route designer who, along with Kieran Foster, built the trail. "It's somewhere you can experience the wild solitude of Scotland's dark sky parks, whilst also taking in deep history, delightful towns, villages, remote farms and stunning scenery at every turn."

This circular multi-day route begins and ends in the town of Dumfries - Scotland's 'Queen of the South' - and heads into a forest park with internationally-renowned gravel routes (which host the annual one-day Gralloch festival, a major stop on the UCI Gravel World Series). The route takes you through winding coastal back lanes, quiet lochs and picturesque hill terrain, threaded together by quiet history and a landscape where you’ll often feel entirely on your own.

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If you're pitching a tent on the way, you can do so in Galloway International Dark Sky Park - shielded from light pollution by its remote location and geography - and sleep beneath over 7000 stars and planets, visible to the naked eye.

This route wastes no time making an impression.

From Dumfries, riders drop into Mabie Forest, where traffic-free gravel winds through the trees, with the Solway Firth glittering below and the Lake District fells on the horizon across the water. The unspoilt coastline at Rockcliffe gives way to the granite trails of Dalbeattie Forest before the route swings south to Balcary Bay - once a smugglers' haunt which is now all sea and silence.

You’ll reach Dundrennan Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian ruin sitting in a quiet valley that sheltered Mary Queen of Scots on the last night she spent on Scottish soil before fleeing to England.

The Solway Firth glittering below and the Lake District fells on the horizon across the water...

From there the route rolls into Kirkcudbright, a picturesque fishing town with artistic connections and cafes aplenty for you to restock on caffeine.

After the volcanic coastline south of Kirkcudbright and the famously picturesque Gatehouse of Fleet, the route climbs into Galloway Forest Park, one of Europe's most remarkable Dark Sky Parks.

At Glentrool (pictured below), the landscape turns dramatic. Here, Robert the Bruce - outnumbered and exhausted in the spring of 1307 - ambushed an English force by rolling boulders on them from the hills above, turning the tide of a campaign that would eventually lead to Bannockburn. A granite boulder now marks the spot. Beyond, Loch Dee sits in a bowl of moorland, and the Raiders Road - an ancient drovers track - carries riders back downhill with kites overhead.

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These are areas already well known to enthusiastic cyclists in Scotland. Mabie, Dalbeattie and Glentrool are part of the 7 Stanes network, a network of world-class mountain bike trail centres, Castle Douglas has hosted a finish line for the Tour of Britain before, and much of the Kirkpatrick C2C, an excellent road cycling route, also passes through a lot of these towns, albeit on tarmac rather than gravel. But cycling tourism still doesn't come in its masses.

Guy Kesteven knows how to build a cycling route.

"We've worked hard to create a moving story of an adventure that takes in traffic-free paths and quiet back lanes, linking trail centres, craggy coasts, smugglers coves, seemingly endless forests and wild mountainscapes," says Kesteven. "In short, it really has been the perfect biking area to build a route in."

At over 200 miles (330km), with 4,002m (13,129ft) of climbing, the numbers are a little daunting. But the designers have been deliberate about keeping gradients manageable - and the route is split into three routes, each of which can be ridden independently. The route is best suited to a gravel bike or a hybrid bike.

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"Cycling can be the best way to truly experience a place, because you're travelling slowly enough to take everything in but fast enough to cover great distances," says Katie Hammond, Commercial Director at Cycling UK. "Multi-day routes also offer a much greener and healthier way to travel. You get to see incredible places that are often inaccessible by car."

Cycling UK has been creating long-distance routes since 2018, each designed to open up a lesser-known corner of Britain, and generate a ripple in the local economy. We've also reported on their West Kernow Way, in southwest England, and on the Royal Chilterns Way - a multi-day route near London.

Gallovidian Gravel follows the same model - though a crucial difference is that, being in Scotland, wild camping is legal, and so an option, on this route.

"We guarantee even the shortest ride in Galloway will grab your heart and make you want to return as soon as possible," says Kesteven.

The route GPX is free to download from the Cycling UK website, ready to load onto a cycling computer or smartphone.

This route looks a brilliant way to discover Scotland’s south-west corner.

Inspired? Check out our full range of cycling adventure holidays now!

My partner opted out of travel this spring, but I had my heart set on a trip, and Much Better Adventures provided me with exactly what I was looking for: e-biking along the Atlantic Coast of Portugal on the legendary Rota Vicentina. It would be six days of off-road cycling alongside clifftops, beaches, through forests and fields. You can’t get that on a tour bus!

While the terrain could be challenging, the e-bikes made steep climbs a breeze.

I had been nervous about the trip since the morning I left Canada. It was my first solo trip, my first time in Portugal and my first time, since university, rooming with a stranger. My adventure began at 7am (2am Toronto time!) when I touched down in Lisbon. I opted to make my own way to the hotel and walk to the beach before others arrived. Sunshine and exercise wards off jet lag, right?

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One of our group had arrived at the hotel by the time I returned and I was greeted with a big hug. I knew right then these were my kind of people.

The others soon arrived with smiles and laughter in tow, immediately brightening the room. We sized our bikes shortly after and went for a ride before gathering for dinner. As I headed back to my room, I laughed, realising I had been up for over 30 hours without a thought of sleep, my smile refusing to fade.

I honestly can’t say what my favourite part of this trip was. Was it experiencing the huge waves crashing against the shore as we cycled along the cliff’s edge or was it cheering each other on as we navigated yet another body of water? It rained heavily the week before we arrived, providing loads of obstacles to test our skills and endurance. We traversed swollen creeks, large puddles (small lakes!) and slippery, muddy trails. One missed photo opportunity was all of us, with bare feet, enjoying a beer on the patio while our shoes and socks lay drying in the sun.

Our group were all experienced riders so we quickly settled into our comfort zones with Alex as our guide. We generally rode close enough to each other hear the chatter and laughter, unless distracted by a nesting stork or other not-to-be-missed photo opportunity.

One such time James and I continued riding while Alex stopped with the others.

We had been riding for a bit when we came to a fork in the road. We waited… and waited. Finally Alex appeared in the distance. “Did you enjoy the view along the way?” he asked. “Yeah, it was great,” we responded. “Perfect, you’ll see it again on the ride back. You missed the turn!” he laughed, and led us back from whence we came.

Off-road cycling often takes travellers to places cars, buses and trains can’t access. Our adventure did just that. The route offered us a vast array of landscapes and a multitude of surfaces to e-bike on; winding dirt roads, sandy beach trails and narrow walking paths.

Our group travelled as friends would; laughing, chatting, listening, learning and watching out for one another.

Who knew Portugal was the fourth largest rice producer in the EU? Not me - until our path took us through a huge rice field. My posted photos had friends asking if my trip had been extended in order to tick China off the bucket list!

Yep, this is me (below) in all my glory. Who wouldn’t be elated with a view like this; a path leading us along this wild Atlantic way; and what a great group of people to share my adventure with. Our group was small: four riders, our guide Alex and travel support Rodrigo. The local team were on the ball – exceptionally attentive, responsive and enthusiastic.

Travelling with a local crew has its rewards. We learned the region's history and traditions and benefitted from great food recommendations. We tasted wild asparagus along the trail and learned about cork harvesting while riding through the cork forest.

Off-road cycling takes travellers to places cars, buses and trains can’t access. Our route offered us a vast array of landscapes and a multitude of surfaces to e-bike on.

Our group was also introduced to medronho, a fruit liquer locally known as fire water. We tried it both at a distillery and at our morning coffee break where shot glasses had been left on the table. It’s served with coffee to ‘kick-start the day’ we were told, as a shot of medronho was served up with coffee and a pastry.

We met for breakfast and were on the road by 9am each day. Behind the scenes Alex and Rodi organised the day and prepped the bikes. I never felt rushed or impatient to get moving; Alex set a pace that worked for the group. There were stops for photos, unique finds and historical tidbits but the planned breaks were usually paired with refreshments and a killer view.

While cycling alongside the wild coastline, I recall thinking, "this is, without a doubt, a Much Better Adventure than I could have imagined," pun intended.

Seriously though, the coastline views were awe-inspiring. Some of the beaches we visited stretched on as far as the eye could see with no buildings in sight, others were nestled alongside small villages or framed by soaring cliffs.

The route often kept us on paths surrounded by nature and travelling in spring meant there was an abundance of wild flowers and very few tourists. While the weather was nothing less than perfect for our entire trip, evidence of the previous week’s downpours was all around us. While we can’t predict the weather when we book, we are guaranteed that every trip will be unique based on it. In our case it became a chant, "Can’t go over it, can’t go around it, gotta go through it – do it! Do it! Do it!" With laughter ensuing from everyone.

The coastline views were awe-inspiring. Some of the beaches stretched as far as the eye could see, others were nestled alongside small villages or framed by soaring cliffs...

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Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. The accommodations, meals, route, and distances travelled each day were all on the mark. We cycled on bike paths and dirt trails; along-side cliffs and sandy beaches; through creeks, cork forests, and rice fields; we experienced a Portugal few visitors see.

Our group, including Alex and Rodi, travelled as friends would; laughing, chatting, listening, learning and watching out for one another.

While the terrain could be challenging, the e-bikes made steep climbs a breeze. I have many fond memories of my first solo adventure and high expectations for those that will follow.

Inspired? Check out our e-biking adventure along Portugal's Atlantic Coast.

When I was planning a sabbatical - 12 weeks away, mostly solo - it came at a good time. I’d just turned 40, had been in the same corporate job for over a decade (the last year turning decidedly sour) and despite a promising new relationship, I had itchy feet for ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ outdoor destinations like Patagonia, Easter Island and Malaysian Borneo.

I’d come out later in life, and by the time I discovered ‘gay travel’, I found it all a bit... predictable. The same imagery, destinations, brunch, beaches, nightclubs, and a rotating cast of identikit characters. More fundamentally, that wasn’t how I travelled. I’d always felt more comfortable up a mountain than sipping margaritas.

I’m Coming Out… Again

Despite the freedom I’d always found outdoors, I had a habit of editing myself when I travelled.

I’d always felt more comfortable up a mountain than sipping margaritas.

It showed up in small ways: laughing along when a guide in Almaty offered to show us the “most beautiful girls in town”, not even raising an eyebrow when a Roman mosaic of Hadrian and Antinous in Turkey was described as depicting “good friends” (because emperors famously built temples to their platonic mates), or defaulting to a simple “no” when asked if I had a wife, rather than explaining I had a wonderful partner, Paul.

Straight people often assume coming out is a one-off moment – rip off the bandage and celebrate your true, authentic self. In reality, it’s a rolling decision. As a traveller, you can make that call multiple times a day. Each question becomes a quick calculation: is it easier to be honest, or easier to let it pass?

Most of the time, I chose the latter. To misquote Wicked: I might be flying solo, but I wasn’t exactly flying free.

The Queer Calculus

That hesitation doesn’t come from an abstract paranoia.

Recent research found that nearly three-in-five LGBTQ+ travellers have experienced active discrimination while travelling. This context is why we second-guess ourselves in our travel choices. Where to go, what to disclose, how to respond.

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There’s no particular ‘right’ answer but the caution reflects reality. Whilst LGBTQ+ travel is big business (worth $320m in 2024 and projected to double in the next decade, according to Business Traveller), 62 countries still criminalise same-sex relationships, including popular tourist destinations like the Maldives, Morocco and, ah yes, Malaysia. One of the focal points of my trip and a country that had been in the news for threatening to jail travellers wearing a rainbow-coloured watch for up to three years.

Against this context, it had always felt easier to go along with the heteronormative script than risk disrupting it. Even if the watch did look pretty cool.

Reclaiming History

The early part of my trip was, in many ways, the easiest. Patagonia’s landscapes are so vast - the size of the UK and France combined, with a population barely bigger than Glasgow - they make most personal anxieties seem faintly irrelevant.

Practising openness came easily. You see the same faces on trails and in bars, and conversations follow. Hiking with an Argentine-German lesbian couple to Mount Fitz Roy (yes, that one from the Patagonia logo) felt like a watershed. They were unapologetically themselves. Looking out over a landscape that had changed little since the last ice age, I decided, perhaps optimistically, that I’d stop second-guessing and just be open about who I was.

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A few days later, on Easter Island, I saw the benefit.

Our guide, Atamu, a proud eighth-generation Rapanui, was a treasure trove of stories. At Ahu Tongariki, the most iconic of all Mo’ai sites, conversation drifted towards personal lives. I mentioned my partner, noting to myself this was by far the most remote place I’d ever come out.

He grinned and reached for his phone, showing images of the mahu, Polynesia’s traditional third gender, who traditionally held important cultural status. He went on to speak about efforts to reconstruct Rapanui history, including known histories of same-sex relationships. Like so many things on Easter Island, evidence is fragmented but Atamu wasn’t deterred.

"Our history is like this big jigsaw," he said. "Everyone has a piece, we just need to find them all."

"Everyone’s The Same Up Here"

Moving back to solo travel in Borneo felt different. I arrived ready to revert to old habits. In reality, I barely had time, having committed to climbing Mount Kinabalu within twelve hours of landing.

He told me he’d guided same-sex couples before, and initially hadn’t known what to ask for fear of getting it wrong. That felt familiar, a mirror image of my own hesitation.

Kinabalu is relentlessly uphill, climbing 2,200m over two days. Most of my energy went into putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to resent the hikers cheerfully descending past me.

My guide, Johnny, and I fell into an easy rhythm. When he did pause at a rest station, he asked the inevitable question about my wife. Without thinking - oxygen deprivation has that effect - I corrected him, explaining that Paul might object to that title.

He paused and grinned.

"Ah, no wife? Sometimes that sounds easier," he said, before listing the habits his own wife of 17 years still found irritating.

He told me he’d guided same-sex couples before, and initially hadn’t known what to ask for fear of getting it wrong. That felt familiar, a mirror image of my own hesitation.

The final ascent up Mount Kinabalu is done under moonlight, over sheer rock, until the mountain opens into a wide plateau.

"Our government says one thing," he shrugged. "But up here, we’re all the same. Everyone gets tired. Everyone struggles. Slow and steady, I tell everyone. Doesn’t matter who they are."

With that, he set off again, reminding me, pointedly, to do exactly that.

After that, conversations became easier. At the guesthouse, I shared dinner with a group from Sandakan on the world’s most extreme work team-building hike, swapping stories about partners and travel. The next morning, a solo hiker from Singapore struck up a conversation over a 2am breakfast, keen to talk about the emerging gay scene back home. One of the more surreal conversations to have at that time of morning.

Learning To Fly Free

The final ascent up Mount Kinabalu is done under moonlight, over sheer rock, until the mountain opens into a wide plateau. At dawn, the peaks catch the light in outrageous streaks of orange and pink.

After the obligatory summit photo, Johnny led me to a quiet reflecting pool. Quietly, he asked if I wanted him to record a video message for Paul. I nodded, trying and failing to suppress a huge smile.

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Looking out over one of the most serene landscapes I will ever come face-to-face with, I realised how much of my travel had been shaped by anticipation, of potential reactions and of awkward discomfort, rather than the reality of each encounter.

I remain very aware I travel with privileges not available to many queer locals, and that being a guest requires awareness and respect, to avoid exactly the awkwardness that Johnny and I had learned to cast aside.

But I’d spent years quietly self-censoring before I’d even arrived somewhere - and on this bright morning at 4,000m up, I realised that loss was mine. Perhaps understanding begins with something as simple as a shared story, or a laugh over misunderstanding your ‘wife’s’ name.

Maybe that’s how we all get a little closer to flying free.

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I was volunteering with a wildlife conservation organisation in Malaysia and had just been turned away - from a meeting room where a PowerPoint I had made was about to be shown. By this point, it was hardly a novel experience. Of the thirty-something countries I have been to so far, I’ve been politely declined access to spaces, gatherings, conversations, meals and events in about half of them. The prohibiting factor is simply that I am, in fact, a woman.

Initially, this frustrated me. Travel, I thought, should be about exploration. About curiosity and embracing the unfamiliar with gusto and bravery. Being stopped at the foyer of certain spaces, from meeting rooms to outdoor cafés, felt like a barrier to all those glossy dreams.

It taught me that travel isn’t just about where you go so much as it is about who lets you in.

What I did not expect to learn was that by being turned away, I would be able to find a wholly new and unexpected adventure. Right next to those closed doors, I often found another world that opened to me precisely because I was a woman.

Just as certain canteens in Turkey or cultural events in Indonesia remained socially inaccessible, women warmly invited me into their spaces. In the Philippines and Morocco I was welcomed onto porches and into courtyards, into living rooms and gardens, to family meals and into community spaces.

What had initially felt like exclusion soon revealed a beneficial flip side: I had a different kind of exclusive access. To be frank, this access was deeper and more profound than anything I could have hoped for in the former. It taught me that travel isn’t just about where you go so much as it is about who lets you in.

In many parts of the world, gender roles shape the rhythm of everyday life in visible ways. It isn’t always direct so much as it is implied. In countries around the world, I have walked by spaces filled exclusively with men - from cafés or religious gatherings to social clubs - where women simply aren’t expected to sit.

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For travellers coming from places where these boundaries are less rigid, encountering them can feel jarring or, at the least, unexpected.

Respecting each culture’s own internal geography and social spaces is key to unobstructive travel. But finding the places where you can foster deep connection and be included in everyday life can lead to truly fulfilling travel.

Beyond the Guidebooks

I was slouched along the fringe of a road in Sumatra next to some brightly-coloured tropical plants, splashed with vibrant orange and red hues. The smell of woodsmoke and unfamiliar foliage hung heavy in the humid air.

My travel companion had been invited to share a hot drink with a group of men working in orangutan conservation, who we had been spending much of our time with. I wasn’t invited, and it was understood that women would not be welcome in the establishment they would be visiting. I was determined to make something of my day - and headed out into the heat with reproachful enthusiasm.

Walking down a dirt path, I was soon distracted by the high, standardised rows of palm trees on either side of me. Swatting at some abnormally persistent mosquitoes, I fell into step with a young girl who could not have been older than five years old. She began asking me questions and never really stopped. Eventually, we reached her destination: a small white house sandwiched between two others that looked quite similar. Her mother waited on the stoop of their porch, reasonably unwilling to yield her spot in the shade of a foliage awning. I introduced myself and she kindly asked me over for a cup of coffee.

In those moments, travel stops being purely observational and morphs into something closer to exchange.

Hours passed, coffee was poured and conversation flowed. We laughed and talked until the high noon heat had faded to a balmy evening. I was invited to join them the next day and, upon returning, found several other women sitting on the kitchen floor waiting to engage in light conversation with a foreign stranger. We ate a delicious meal of hot rice and rendang, and sipped a dark roast from small cups. I was passed babies to hold, learned which specific kids were trouble and of secret love affairs. I felt wholly absorbed into the life of the village.

The conversation moved from grievances to grief, from heartbreak to hilarity. I had clumsily stumbled past the postcard façade - one of endangered species moving through tropical rainforests, and pristine beaches - and into something that most travellers never see: what people’s lives were actually like.

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This revelation has impacted every subsequent trip I have taken. Since, I have been privileged enough to be invited to cafés and community events and religious festivals by women around the world. Being a woman has actually increased my ability to blend, to gain insight and to contribute to communities.

In Morocco, I ate couscous tfaya in the living room of a friendly family, while the female head of household spoke about her favourite places to visit in the Atlas Mountains - the jammy onions and cinnamon are still fragrant in my memory. In Vanuatu, I was welcomed by a kind island mother to bear witness to a village discussing its next rightful chief. In Vienna, I drank sweet wine with other women in a secluded artist’s studio.

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Travel guides tend to focus on the visible highlights of a destination: the major landmarks and historical monuments, the brightest lights and most sweeping landscapes. They tell you where to hike, what to eat and which markets to visit. The porch or the kitchen floor rarely make it onto the page.

For women travelling the world, those hidden spaces can become the most memorable part of a journey. Inside new friends’ homes and courtyards, stories emerge that might never surface in public settings. You might talk about holiday or birthday traditions, about children and work, about marriage and independence, about the small details of life that rarely appear in travel brochures. Most likely, you will be asked questions about where you are from, if you have children and what your experience has been travelling so far.

In those moments, travel stops being purely observational and morphs into something closer to exchange. True relationships form easier on that kitchen floor than they ever could on the cold tile of a museum.

What We Gain By Looking Sideways

Anthropologists often describe culture as layered: a network of public and private worlds that overlap but don’t always intersect. Public spaces offer one version of a place. Private spaces reveal another. As a woman, you might find yourself able to move between those layers in unexpected ways.

The very restrictions that seem limiting can also act as quiet guides, redirecting you toward parts of life that many visitors never experience.

Every person moves through the world with their own lens shaped by identity, background and circumstance.

Instead of sitting in a crowded café watching the world go by, you might find yourself helping prepare dinner for a family you met an hour earlier. Instead of observing a ceremony from the front row, you might sit in the back beside a woman who explains its meaning as it unfolds. These moments are rarely planned. And of course, they cannot be guaranteed or expected. They happen through trust, curiosity and acts of generosity that connect across cultures.

There’s also another reason these encounters happen. Around the world, women often recognise something familiar in each other’s lives.

Even when language barriers exist, conversations quickly drift toward common themes of family expectations, independence, work, relationships and the changing roles of women in different societies.

None of this means gender restrictions are easy, or that they should simply be accepted without question. Towing the line as a guest in another country means respecting the sociocultural boundaries of a place while finding ways to shift perspective. But what might initially feels like a barrier can sometimes redirect you toward experiences you might never have sought out yourself.

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For me personally, being turned away from spaces no longer feels like the end of the road. Instead, it often signals the beginning of another path. One that leads into conversations that unfold slowly over shared meals. And when this doesn’t happen, I no longer slouch down paths, bemoaning my exclusion. I am able to feel grateful for the depth of life that I am privileged enough to witness and am happy busying myself on a solo adventure or enjoying some time taking photographs or writing. Exclusion is no longer an irritant in the way it once was.

Travel is often framed as a search for freedom; that ability to somehow visit a place and experience everything without ever seeing the full picture. Every person moves through the world with their own lens shaped by identity, background and circumstance. For women travelling into new communities, that magical lens sometimes reveals hidden corners of everyday life invisible to others. Strangers become hosts. Observers become participants. Travel becomes something more intimate than sightseeing: it becomes connection.

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