Hi Viktoria, I was young and stupid when I did this. I didn't train at all because I was 22 and thought I was invincible, and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. Our guide had to practically drag me the last 1000ft of the summit hike. I'd highly recommend getting some hikes in before, and strength training. If you don't have access to steep hiking, go to the gym and crank the treadmill on an incline, or do the stair master. The one thing you really cannot prepare for is the way your body handles the altitude. I hiked with soldiers that had been stationed at 17k feet in Afghanistan, and with a girl from Aspen. They said the extra 2-5k feet felt like a LOT. My new Aspen friend didn't summit. With that said, we were broke, so we did the fastest and cheapest route. If I were to do this again, I would add an extra day to acclimatize. I think it took us 5 days going up, and a day and a half going down. I plan on doing this again when I am older, and that's the plan I will likely follow! Overall, I would highly recommend. It was the most beautiful, tough, and rewarding thing I've ever done :)
This was a great article. I have long held the same view. Traveling has made all the difference. :)
So insightful 👏👏 Btw, did you have any special training before climbing Mount Kilimanjaro? Would love to do the same one day
Hi Viktoria, I was young and stupid when I did this. I didn't train at all because I was 22 and thought I was invincible, and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. Our guide had to practically drag me the last 1000ft of the summit hike. I'd highly recommend getting some hikes in before, and strength training. If you don't have access to steep hiking, go to the gym and crank the treadmill on an incline, or do the stair master. The one thing you really cannot prepare for is the way your body handles the altitude. I hiked with soldiers that had been stationed at 17k feet in Afghanistan, and with a girl from Aspen. They said the extra 2-5k feet felt like a LOT. My new Aspen friend didn't summit. With that said, we were broke, so we did the fastest and cheapest route. If I were to do this again, I would add an extra day to acclimatize. I think it took us 5 days going up, and a day and a half going down. I plan on doing this again when I am older, and that's the plan I will likely follow! Overall, I would highly recommend. It was the most beautiful, tough, and rewarding thing I've ever done :)