How to train for a Kilimanjaro charity trek
You've signed up, the fundraising page is live and everyone's sponsoring you. Now you need legs that can get up Africa's highest mountain. Here's how to train for it from the UK, around work and fundraising.
By Nathan Gee, BSc Sports Science · 7 min readYou don't need to be an athlete. You do need a plan.
Kilimanjaro is a walk, not a climb. No ropes, no technical skills. But it's a long walk, day after day, finishing with a summit night that tests everyone, and an altitude your body has probably never been to.
The good news is that the training is simple. Walk a lot, get your legs strong, practise long days back to back, and start early enough that you're not cramming. Unfortunately, setting up a JustGiving page doesn't count as a training session. Believe me, it would be nice if it did.
Why charity treks need their own plan
The mountain is the same for everyone. What's different about a charity trek is the people and the circumstances.
- 1
Lots of first-timers
Plenty of people on charity treks have never done a multi-day hike. That's fine. It just means you have more to build, so start earlier than you think you need to.
- 2
The date is fixed
You can't push the trip back a month because work got busy. Your training has to work backwards from a departure date that won't move.
- 3
You walk at the group's pace
Kilimanjaro is climbed slowly anyway (you'll hear "pole pole", slowly slowly, a lot). But you'll also be on your feet for long days on someone else's timetable, with less control over breaks.
- 4
Fundraising eats your evenings
Bake sales, quiz nights and sponsor emails all take time. The training plan has to fit around that, not compete with it.
What Kilimanjaro actually asks of your body
Four things decide how your trek feels. Train for all four, not just the uphill bit.
Long days on your feet
Most days are several hours of slow walking, day after day. Comfort over hours matters more than speed.
Summit night
The big one. You usually set off around midnight and walk uphill in the cold and dark for hours, then descend a long way the same day. It's commonly a 12 to 16 hour day.
The descent
What goes up comes down, steeply and on tired legs. This is where knees and quads complain, and most training plans ignore it.
Altitude
The summit, Uhuru Peak, is 5,895 m. Fitness helps you cope with the effort, but it doesn't stop altitude sickness. More on that below.
A 16-week plan that fits around real life
Here's how I'd approach it for someone new to hiking. If you already walk or play sport regularly, you can start at week 5. For the full session-by-session detail, use our 12-week Kilimanjaro training plan.
Build a routine you can keep
Consistency beats heroics. Get three sessions a week happening, even short ones.
- 2 brisk walks of 45 to 60 minutes
- 1 strength session: squats, step-ups, lunges, calf raises
- A weekend walk of 2 to 3 hours
Add hills, stairs and your boots
Start climbing, and wear the boots you'll trek in so you find the blisters in the UK, not in Tanzania.
- 1 stair or hill session a week
- 2 strength sessions, adding slow step-downs
- Weekend walk of 3 to 5 hours with a light daypack
Back-to-back days
This is where charity trekkers gain the most. One long day proves you can do one long day. Kilimanjaro asks for six or seven.
- Long walk Saturday and Sunday, 4 to 6 hours each
- Practise eating and drinking on the move
- One early-morning or evening walk to rehearse walking in the dark
Rehearse, then ease off
One proper rehearsal weekend with full kit, then cut back so you arrive fresh, not tired.
- Rehearsal weekend: two long days in full kit
- Last two weeks: shorter, easier sessions
- No new kit, no new boots, no heroics
What a week looks like in the middle of the plan
| Mon | Rest, or an easy 30-minute walk |
|---|---|
| Tue | Strength, 40 minutes (gym or home) |
| Wed | Stair or hill session, 45 minutes |
| Thu | Rest, or fundraising night off your feet |
| Fri | Easy walk, 45 minutes |
| Sat | Long walk, 4 to 6 hours with daypack |
| Sun | Second walk, 3 to 4 hours on tired legs |
Busy week? Keep the strength session and the weekend walk. Those two do the most for you. Feeling unusual pain rather than normal tiredness? Back off and get it checked by a physio.
Training for Kilimanjaro in the UK
You don't need a mountain on your doorstep to train for one. You need climbs, descents and long days, and the UK has more of those than people think.
Got hills nearby?
Brilliant. Use them every weekend you can. The Peak District, Lake District, Brecon Beacons, Eryri (Snowdonia), the Pennines and the Scottish hills all give you proper climbs and, more importantly, proper descents.
Live somewhere flat?
Very doable. Stairs in a tall building or a stadium, a treadmill on a steep incline, and step-ups with a daypack all build the climbing legs. Plan a few weekend trips to real hills for the descents and the long days.
Training through a UK winter?
Dark evenings and rain are actually decent practice for summit night, which is cold, dark and long. Get a head torch, layer up and go anyway. Just stay safe and sensible on wet, icy ground.
Flat-lander? Our guide to training for a multi-day trek without mountains and the stair workouts will do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Five mistakes charity trekkers make
- Starting with eight weeks to goCharity sign-ups often happen a year out, and training starts in a panic. Start four months out, minimum, if you're new to hiking.
- Only training uphillStairs are great. Walking back down them slowly is just as important, because the Kili descent is long and steep.
- Brand-new boots on the mountainBreak them in over many weeks of UK walking. Blisters end more treks than fitness does.
- Thinking fit means safe at altitudeVery fit people get altitude sickness too. Your itinerary and how you feel on the day matter more than your parkrun time.
- Letting fundraising replace trainingRaising money is the point, but your legs don't know how much you've raised. Protect three sessions a week.
A straight word on altitude
Training makes the walking easier, and that leaves you more in reserve. But no amount of training stops altitude sickness. It can affect anyone, however fit.
Ask your charity or trek operator which route they use and how many days you'll spend on the mountain, because more days generally means more time to adjust. Speak to your GP or a travel clinic before you go, listen to your guides, and tell them early if you feel unwell. Our Kilimanjaro altitude guide explains more, and how to train for altitude covers what training can and can't do.
Kilimanjaro charity trek questions
Can a beginner do a Kilimanjaro charity trek?
Yes, plenty of beginners do. You don't need to be an athlete, but you do need to be comfortable walking for several hours on consecutive days, so give yourself at least 16 weeks to build up.
How long should I train for Kilimanjaro?
If you're new to hiking, aim for around 16 weeks. If you already walk regularly or play sport, 12 weeks is usually enough. Our main 12-week plan has the full detail.
Can I train for Kilimanjaro in London or somewhere flat?
Yes. Use stairs, a treadmill on an incline and weighted step-ups during the week, then get to real hills for a few long weekends, especially to practise descents and back-to-back days.
Does being fit stop altitude sickness?
No. Fitness makes the effort easier, but it doesn't protect you from altitude sickness. A longer itinerary gives your body more time to adjust, so ask your charity or operator which route and how many days they use, and speak to your GP or a travel clinic before you go.
Which Kilimanjaro route is best for a charity trek?
That's usually set by the charity and their operator. Longer itineraries give more time to acclimatise. If you have a choice, more days on the mountain is generally the kinder option for your body.
Organising a charity trek?
You're welcome to share this guide with your trekkers, link to it from your event pages or include it in your welcome pack. It's free, and so is the readiness check below. If you'd like something tailored to your group, see how we support charities.
The free readiness check takes a few minutes, shows your biggest gap for Kilimanjaro and suggests where to start. Want a full plan? Trek Ready is eight weeks of structured training built around the mountain.
