Good news first—reaching the top of Africa is relatively easy. You will have porters carrying all your stuff (except your daypack, but you could even pay a small extra fee to have that carried as well), setting up your tent, fetching and boiling water, even carrying and cleaning a portable toilet. You will have a cook and waiter serving you breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. You will have a lead guide and at least one assistant guide to lead you up the mountain, watch out for any AMS symptoms and take care of you in case of any emergencies. You may have people bring you hot water to wash your face in the morning and evening. I’ve even read about hikers literally being carried up to the top by their guides because they couldn’t have made it on their own. I don’t think this is good practice, neither on the part of the hiker (doesn’t it feel like cheating?) nor on the part of the guide (wouldn’t it be better to send their client down the mountain as quickly as possible if they can’t handle it anymore?), but it seems to happen nevertheless. The point being, hiking Kilimanjaro is not comparable to real trekking where you actually have to carry all your stuff and take care of yourself.
Choose a responsible Kilimanjaro tour operator.
