Essential Travel Resources for Your Kilimanjaro Adventure: Visa, Packing, and More

Please inform our staff when you make a booking if you are interested and you can get your insurance coverage vouchers through us.

In case of a medical emergency, there will be one free air ambulance evacuation service from all Tanzanian wilderness areas to Nairobi Hospital. There is also a free 24-hour Flying Doctor’s Emergency Response telephone for medical advice.

AMREF, the African Medical and Research Foundation has been in existence for over 35 years as a non-profit making foundation. Headquarters are in Nairobi,
Kenya, and there are Tanzania offices in Arusha and Dar-es-Salaam.

Unutilized membership subscription fees go towards funding the work of AMREF Outreach and charity evacuations. In Tanzania, AMREF funds The AMREF Muhimbili Outreach program which flies out specialist doctors to rural areas to treat the less fortunate and train medical staff in those areas.

The costs are as follows:

• • 500 km radius from Nairobi (which includes all Northern Tanzania National Parks, Kilimanjaro, and Kenya) 15 US$
    p.p. for 14 days and 25 US$ p.p. for 2 months
  • 1000 km radius from Nairobi (which includes all Tanzania incl. the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia and Kenya) 30 US$ p.p. for 14 days and 50 US$ p.p. for 2 months.

All hospital costs, medical treatments, medicines, etc. are not included in this service, so it is strongly advisable that additionally to the AMREF membership, you hold adequate travel health insurance.

Please note that your contract for this service will be directly with AMREF, not with ZARA Tours. ZARA Tours is just an agent for AMREF. So please check all conditions and details on the AMREF website at http://www.amref.org.

The Society is a fundraising organization that has been in existence for over forty years, we raise funds specifically to finance medical outreach work in Africa. We do so by, among other things, selling membership and shop merchandise.
All our members are entitled to free unlimited air ambulance evacuations in case of a medical emergency while in East Africa and two ground ambulance evacuations in Kenya.
We coordinate all emergency calls and evacuation through our 24-hour radio room guaranteeing all our members a fast, reliable and effective evacuation response.

The costs are as follows:

• • 500km radius – covers – (Kenya, Tanzania northern circuit – including Mt. Kilimanjaro) $15 per person for 14 days and 25 dollars for two months
  • 1000km radius – covers – (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania Rwanda and Burundi) $30 for 14 days and 50 dollars for two months

Please see below the rescue sites suitable for helicopter rescue in Mount Kilimanjaro….

• • Barranco Camp 3960m
  • Horombo Hut 3700m
  • Karanga Camp 4035m
  • Kibo Hut 4700m
  • Kikelewa Camp 3630m
  • Mawenzi Tarn Hut 4310m
  • Moir Camp 4175m
  • Millenium Camp 3790m
  • Mweka Camp 3080m
  • Pofu Camp 4030m
  • Rongai 2 3000m
  • Lower Lava Tower 4640m
  • Shira Camp 3845m
  • Shira 1 Camp 3500m
  • Shira 2 Camp 3900m

For more details please check with Zara Tours and ask/get your Cover.

Busses between Dar to Moshi are around 50 US$ per person one-way and take 8 hours. They only depart in the morning. Domestic flights take around 1 hour and cost approx. 240 US$ per person one way. Safe hotels range from 70-150 US$ for a double room. We can assist you with hotel bookings and transportation from/to Dar es salam.

Time table of busses (To get to Moshi, choose the bus Dar-Arusha). We recommend Dar Express or Scandinavia Express. Please book in advance.

“The Riverside” bus shuttle connects Nairobi and Moshi. The cost is $40 per person each way and the shuttle takes approximately six hours, leaving Nairobi at 8 am every morning. Arrive at the shuttle 1/2 hour early to get your luggage loaded. These are 25, 35, or 55 person shuttle buses. The route is not the most comfortable (very bumpy and dusty) due to ongoing construction work, but it is a quintessential African experience. Excitement builds as you see African wildlife, Maasai villagers, Mt. Meru, and finally Kilimanjaro emerge in the countryside around you.

The shuttle stops at the Tanzanian border where all passengers must disembark and go through immigration. A visa is required to enter Tanzania. Luggage may also be removed and randomly inspected by customs agents. There is one bathroom stop on the Kenyan side of the border where you can also purchase refreshments. There is also a stop in Arusha to switch shuttles and get lunch. You will probably want to bring your own snacks and drinks for the trip.

If you take the afternoon shuttle, it only goes as far as Arusha. Zara can arrange for a private car to drive from Arusha to Moshi.

You can also you can also fly to Kilimanjaro international airport, which is located halfway between Moshi and Arusha, where Zara can pick you up (20 USD one way).

The third option is to take a private car from Nairobi to Moshi. The car fits 7-8 people or a mini-bus (20-25 people). You determine time and place of pick-up and we arrange the private transport for you. Price for a 7-8 people car is around 500 US$ one way.

The visa for Kenya is at least 50 US$ per person.

Flights to/from Mombasa are around 150 US$.

If you finish your Tanzania vacation in Zanzibar, you might also find international flights to and from Zanzibar. Domestic flights between Zanzibar (ZNZ) and Kilimanjaro (JRO) are around 240 US$ one way per person.