Travel questions, answered

The main dry season runs from late June to October and is the most popular time for both safari and Kilimanjaro. January to mid-March is a second dry window, and it is when the wildebeest calve on the southern Serengeti plains. The long rains fall in April and May, and short rains in November. Green-season travel means fewer vehicles, lower rates and dramatic skies, at the cost of some rain most days.

Most nationalities do. A single-entry tourist visa is normally US$50, or US$100 for United States passport holders. You can apply in advance through the Tanzanian immigration e-visa service, which we recommend, or on arrival at Kilimanjaro International. Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your date of entry.

A yellow fever certificate is required if you are arriving from, or have transited through, a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission. Malaria prophylaxis is strongly recommended for safari areas and the coast. Please take advice from a travel clinic several weeks before you fly — we are not able to give medical advice.

Fitter than you think, but it is not a technical climb. If you can walk for six hours on consecutive days over hilly ground, you have the basic fitness. Altitude matters more than fitness: most people who do not summit went up too fast rather than being too weak, which is why we push longer routes.

It depends almost entirely on the route and its length. Eight-day Lemosho and the nine-day Northern Circuit have the strongest profiles on the mountain; short five-day Marangu climbs have the weakest, which is why we do not sell them. We will tell you honestly what a given itinerary means for your chances.

Yes. Every itinerary on this site is run as a private trip with your own vehicle and guide, and everyone gets a window seat. We do not put strangers together in a vehicle unless you specifically ask to join a group to reduce cost.

Toyota Land Cruisers converted for game viewing, with a pop-up roof, charging points, a cool box and drinking water on board. They are our own vehicles, maintained by our own mechanics, which is why they are not full of other operators' logos.

Tipping is customary and genuinely matters to crews, but it should never feel compulsory. As rough guidance, safari guides are often tipped around US$20 to US$25 per vehicle per day, and Kilimanjaro crews are usually tipped as a group at the end of the climb. We will give you a clear written breakdown before you travel so nobody has to guess.

We arrange internal flights, transfers and Zanzibar accommodation as part of an itinerary. International flights are usually cheaper booked yourself, so we leave those to you and plan around your arrival.

Children are very welcome, and we run family safaris regularly. Some camps have minimum ages, and long driving days are hard on younger children, so we build shorter drives and rest time into family itineraries. Kilimanjaro has a minimum age of ten.

Tanzania is politically stable and tourism is a major part of the economy. Normal city precautions apply in Arusha, Moshi and Dar es Salaam. On safari and on the mountain you are with your guide throughout.

Every climb carries emergency oxygen, a pulse oximeter and a stretcher, and guides are trained in altitude illness and first aid. Descent is the treatment for altitude sickness and we will not hesitate to bring you down. You must hold travel insurance that covers trekking and evacuation to 6,000 m.