Do I Need Travel Insurance?
Trip deposits are non-refundable and balance payments are only partially refundable. Therefore, it is prudent for you to protect your investment against trip cancellation, interruption, delays and unforeseeable expenses. Standard travel insurance provides coverage for:
- Trip cancellation
- Trip interruption
- Missed connection
- Travel delay
- Baggage delay and personal items lost
- Hurricane and weather
- Employment layoff
- Emergency medical
- Medical evacuation and repatriation
At a minimum, the insurance should protect you against trip cancellation and trip interruption, should you need to cancel your trip due to circumstances such as training injuries or sickness, or emergencies.
Your travel insurance should cover hiking up to 6,000 meters to be eligible for rescue by helicopter rescue (used in the most extreme cases only) – a private company that provides medical support and helicopter evacuation. Without a client’s verified travel insurance with this specific coverage, the helicopter will not initiate a rescue operation on the mountain. This is not to be confused with coverage for “mountaineering” or “mountain climbing,” which most insurance will not cover. Being a non-technical trek, Kilimanjaro is classified as a hike by insurance companies.
For our customers residing in the USA, we recommend that you obtain Travel Guard’s Silver, Gold or Platinum plans, which provide coverage for high altitude trekking, trip cancellation, interruption and delay; lost, stolen and damaged baggage; medical expenses and emergency medical evacuation; and luggage delay, for a low cost. You can compare the Silver, Gold or Platinum plans and purchase online through Travel Guard.
For our international customers, we recommend that you obtain travel insurance through World Nomads.
Climbers are strongly advised to obtain travel insurance immediately after booking their trip. Travel Guard insurance covers trip cancellation due to pre-existing conditions only when insurance is purchased within 15 days of booking. Clients must be able to provide proof of insurance to staff upon request. Clients who fail to obtain travel insurance will not be allowed to climb.
Where Do the Kilimanjaro Climbs Begin?
Our climbs originate in Moshi, a coffee-producing gateway town to Mount Kilimanjaro. Moshi is located at the base of the mountain to its south, at approximately 3,000 feet. Moshi is a short 25-mile drive from Kilimanjaro International Airport (airport code: JRO). If you fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport, we can arrange for transport from the airport to the hotel. Transfers are available at any time, including early morning or late evening, and take about 40 minutes.
KLM flies from the USA and UK to Kilimanjaro International Airport regularly. KLM flights typically arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport in the evenings. Most people choose not to take a rest day and will begin climbing the following morning. But it is a good idea to take a rest day to recover from a long flight, adapt to the new environment, and get your things ready for the trek. It is a good safeguard in case of missing luggage or a missed connection.
We do not recommend flying into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (airport code: NBO) in Nairobi, Kenya or Dar es Salaam International Airport (airport code: DAR) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Although flights are cheaper than flying into Kilimanjaro International Airport, getting to Moshi from Nairobi requires an overnight stay in Nairobi, the purchase of a Kenyan visa, and a 7 to 8 hour bus ride (Riverside Shuttle) with a border crossing. In addition, Kenya is considered an “At risk country” for Yellow Fever, while Tanania is not. Therefore any stay in Kenya over 12 hours would require a Yellow Fever vaccine (which needs to be given several days in advance of entering Tanzania). Getting to Moshi from Dar es Salaam also typically requires an overnight stay and a 10-hour bus ride.
Arusha is about 50 miles west of Moshi. We can arrange a private vehicle for pick up and drop off in Arusha if needed at an additional cost. However, taxis and shuttles are readily available between Moshi and Arusha. It is a 90-minute trip. A taxi would cost approximately $100 USD one way (taxis do not expect tips in this country).