Communication and staying in touch while hiking up Kilimanjaro

Most of the hotels and lodges offer free Wi-Fi in the reception area (and some in the rooms as well). When hiking up Kilimanjaro, mobile reception on Kilimanjaro is almost non-existent at most places. However if you bring your mobile phone and wish to utilize it while hiking up Kilimanjaro, there are certain points on the mountain with Kilimanjaro mobile reception. It is possible to get 3G or 4G data connection even at higher altitudes. We recommend speaking to your guide and let him show you which areas on Kilimanjaro you are likely to get Kilimanjaro mobile coverage.

We recommend purchasing a local sim card because local mobile providers charge much less for data and calls compared to the international roaming charges your own mobile provider will charge. You will however need to visit the mobile operator shop in person and in advance to get one since biometric registration is required. The process is normally quick and easy, however you will need to arrange it a day before your hike ensure visiting the shop during their opening hours.

Please note mobile signal strength is inconsistent in Tanzania and you may experience outages or dropped services depending on your location.

Please note that there are no charging facilities on Kilimanjaro, if you plan on taking your phone along on the hike, we recommend that you bring a power bank along to recharge. Another way to increase the battery life of your phone is to switch it off when hiking from camp to camp. If you plan on using your phone as a camera, we recommend putting it in flight mode when hiking from camp to camp. This save power, as it will prevent your phone trying to search for mobile signal all the time.

We are able to offer Kilimanjaro facebook updates on our facebook page. If you agree to facebook updates, will the guide take photos of your group and share them with us. We will then post on our facebook page so friends and family can track your hike on our facebook page. Please note however that this will be dependent on mobile coverage on Kilimanjaro.