The short answer
On a Trust Tours climb, your mountain cook prepares three fresh meals a day at camp: a hot breakfast, a cooked lunch and a three-course dinner with soup, plus hot drinks morning and evening. The menu is built around carbohydrates and fluids for energy at altitude.
Eating well is one of the most important things you can do on Kilimanjaro. Appetite often drops at altitude, so the food has to be warm, tasty and easy to eat. Here is the full menu from one of our 8-day Lemosho Route climbs, exactly as our cook served it.
See the 8-day Lemosho climb →How meals work on the mountain
Your mountain cook and the porters carry fresh food up the mountain and cook every meal at camp. Each morning starts with hot water, milk, ginger tea, coffee and hot chocolate. On walking days, lunch is served hot at a rest stop or packed for the trail, and dinner is three courses in the mess tent.
The menu leans on carbohydrates for energy and on soups and hot drinks to keep you drinking, which matters at altitude. Your guide will encourage you to eat even when you're not hungry.
Our 8-day Lemosho menu, day by day
| Day and camp | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1: Mti Mkubwa Camp | Fruit, scrambled eggs, sausages, toast and porridge; pancakes | Leek soup; spaghetti with minced meat, chapati and salad; fruit | Cucumber soup and popcorn; beans, boiled potatoes and fish fingers; banana fritters and fruit |
| Day 2: Shira 1 Camp | Fruit, eggs, sausages, toast and porridge; pancakes | Cucumber soup; fried chicken, macaroni bolognese, vegetables and salad; fruit | Tea and nuts; bhajia, rice, beef stew and vegetables; fruit |
| Day 3: Shira 2 Camp | Fruit, eggs, sausages and toast; hot chocolate | Minced meat, mashed potatoes and vegetable sauce; fruit | Courgette soup and popcorn; fried chicken, Russian salad and spaghetti; biscuits and fruit |
| Day 4: Barranco Camp | Porridge, boiled eggs, pancakes and sausages; fruit | Cucumber soup and bread; beef burgers, vegetable sauce and bhajia; fruit | Carrot soup and bread; chicken wraps, potato and leek salad and mushroom sauce; fruit |
| Day 5: Karanga Camp | Millet porridge, fried eggs, sausages and toast; fruit | Carrot soup and bread; chicken and chips, chapati and vegetable sauce; fruit | Pumpkin soup and bread; brown rice with chicken or beef stew; fruit |
| Day 6: Barafu Camp (summit night) | Millet porridge, boiled eggs, toast, bhajia and sausages; fruit | Vegetable pie; French toast, chicken sauce and vegetables; fruit | An early dinner before the summit: spaghetti with minced meat and vegetable sauce; fruit |
| Day 7: Summit, then Mweka Camp | Hot soup, ginger tea, cashew nuts, popcorn, biscuits and chocolate for the climb | Hot soup and pancakes; fried chicken, bhajia and vegetables; fruit juice | Hot soup and tea; rice with yellow lentil sauce; fruit |
| Day 8: Mweka Gate | Carrot soup and tea; eggs and yellow lentil sauce; fruit and peanuts | Hot soup and tea; banana stew with beef sauce; fruit | At your hotel |
Special diets and allergies
Tell us about any dietary needs, allergies or foods you don't eat when you book, so our cook can plan and buy for you before the climb. Bring a few favourite snacks from home too: familiar food can be welcome when your appetite dips.
Frequently Asked Questions
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See the 8-day Lemosho climb →
Written by
Ombeni — Founder & Lead Guide
Ombeni founded Trust Tours & Safaris in Arusha in 2008 and has personally guided hundreds of Kilimanjaro climbs and Tanzania safaris. TALA-licensed Tourism Agent (Class A). More about Ombeni →
