Kilimanjaro Food & Water

Food

The menu on Kilimanjaro is designed to ensure your food intake matches your level of exertion. It will provide you with a good balance of protein, carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables. When you are at altitude you could start to feel nauseous and your appetite may be suppressed, so the meals prepared at high altitude usually contain more carbohydrates and less protein to help you to digest you food.

Your meals will be prepared by your cooks on Kilimanjaro and the food will be carried by your porters. The menu will consist of a mixture of western and African style dishes. You will receive cooked breakfasts, with tea or coffee. A packed lunch or cooked lunch at camp, (depending on the length of the days walking). Afternoon tea on arrival at camp; usually popcorn or biscuits with tea and coffee. For dinner you will usually start with soup, followed by meat or vegetables in a sauce, served with either potatoes, pasta or rice and salad. There will also be fresh fruit available for most meals.

A typical day’s menu will include the following:

Breakfast                                            

  • Porridge
  • Toast
  • Pancakes
  • Eggs
  • Smoked sausages
  • Fresh fruit (pinapple, melon or oranges)
  • Tea / Coffee / hot chocolate

Lunch

  • Sandwiches
  • Fresh fruit
  • Hard boiled eggs
  • Biscuits
  • Fruit juice

Dinner

  • Soup
  • Pasta / Rice / Potatoes
  • Chicken / Beef
  • Vegetables
  • Salad
  • Fresh fruit

Snacks
You may wish to bring your own snacks to provide well deserved treat, or energy boost! Chocolate is generally the best answer and if it has nuts in then even better, but whatever you choose make sure it is a favourite treat and not a ‘power bar’, or ‘energy gel’. If you are suffering from altitude sickness then your appetite may be suppressed and these snacks may become a good supplement to your meals, so make sure it is something that you enjoy eating! A powdered energy drink such as lucozade sport is also a good source of energy and will help with the taste of the water if you have been using iodine tablets.

Water

You will need to consume more water on Kilimanjaro than you would normally drink on an average day at home to keep properly hydrated. This is due to the physically exertion of walking between  4 – 8 hours per day and the effect of being at high altitude.

Remember to drink at least 4 litres of water ever day when above 12,000 feet.

Water is provided by the porters who will fetch water from the streams near the camps on Kilimanjaro. The water is then boiled by the porters, which should be fine for drinking. However you may wish to bring additional water treatment methods such as; water filters or Iodine tablets if you have a particularly sensitive stomach.

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