On Kilimanjaro, there are primarily two ways to sleep. Any route other than Marangu will require you to stay in tents on the mountain. These will be provided by your operator or agency, and your porters will bring them up. Do not be tempted to sleep somewhere else, such as in any caves along the route, as the park authorities insist that you pitch your tent only in designated campsites.
Campfires are not permitted along the Marangu Route. Instead, every trekker stays in a hut along the way to sleep. At first, it might seem a little strange and even intimidating to spend the night in a big room full of strangers. However, the majority of people adapt to the experience very quickly.
These huts typically have dormitory-style sleeping arrangements with four to twenty beds per room. Although there are campers along this route, they are hikers who ascension on the Rongai Route and are now descending on Marangu.
By the way, despite the fact that many of the campsites on Kilimanjaro are actually referred to as “huts,” there aren’t any sleeping huts there. The green shacks that are present in these campsites and which the rangers occupy while working there give the area its name. Trekkers used to be able to sleep in these huts as well, but that is no longer the case.
In conclusion, tents are allowed only at designated campsites elsewhere, but huts are allowed on the Marangu Route.
However, depending on the ranger’s disposition and the amount of room available, porters and guides do still occasionally sleep in them.
The restrooms are the only other structures you might come across along the trail. These all have a similar layout, which consists of a small wooden hut with a hole in the floor. Some people are in better shape than others. We will only say that some people have poor shooting skills and that other latrines must be urgently cleaned out before their contents rise to become Kilimanjaro’s fourth peak. Because of this, choose your latrine wisely and, more importantly, use it with extreme caution. You don’t want to be wearing its contents when you’re posing for pictures at the summit.
On this, the verdict is still out. But I believe that it is much warmer to take off your clothes before getting into your sleeping bag, and my colleague David shares this opinion.
I am aware that it is unpleasant to disrobe in the cold and that, logically, getting out of your clothes may seem improper. Because, logically speaking, the more clothing you wear, the warmer you will be. And that holds true both inside and outside of the sleeping bag.
I must admit, though, that I believe the opposite to be true. Naturally, the bag feels colder when you first get in, but your body heat quickly warms it up. If your body heat is impeded by your clothing, it takes much longer for the bag to warm up. I don’t claim to be an expert in the field. Just my personal experience. So, if you want to get a good night’s rest while climbing Kilimanjaro, I would suggest taking off as many layers as you can before climbing into the bag. You’ll be happy that you did.
