Climbing Kilimanjaro is expensive, and the reason isn't profit. Most of what you pay leaves the operator before you reach the first camp.
The part nobody can discount
Tanzania National Parks charges a set of fees for every climber and every day: a conservation fee, a camping or hut fee, a rescue fee, and entry charges for the crew. They're published by TANAPA, they're per day, and they change from time to time, so we won't print a figure here that goes stale. Check the current schedule on the TANAPA site, and know that on a week-long climb these fees alone run into several hundred US dollars a head. Every operator pays exactly the same ones.
The crew
The second big block. A climb needs a lead guide, usually an assistant guide, a cook, and porters for tents, food, water and your duffel, which works out at roughly three crew per climber. All of them have minimum wage rates set for the mountain, and they all have to be fed and equipped too.
Everything else
Tents, sleeping mats, cooking gear, a mess tent, oxygen and a first-aid kit, transfers from Moshi or Arusha, the night before and the night after, and the food itself, which has to be carried up and the rubbish carried back down.
So why do quotes vary so much?
Three honest reasons and one dishonest one.
Days. An eight-day climb costs more than six because the park fees and the crew wages are per day. That's most of the difference between the cheap quote and the expensive one.
Group size. A guide and a cook cost the same whether they're looking after two people or eight, so the per-person price falls as the group grows.
What's in the tent. Two-person tents used by one person, a proper mess tent with chairs, thicker sleeping mats, a private toilet tent, better food. None of it gets you up the mountain, all of it makes the week more bearable.
And the dishonest one: an operator paying the crew less than the agreed rates, or sending fewer of them. See why cheap climbs are cheap.
What isn't usually included
Flights, your Tanzanian visa, travel insurance with altitude cover, personal kit, and tips for the crew. Tips are the one people forget, and they're a real amount of money rather than a rounding error, so read the tipping article before you build your budget.
What we'll tell you
We quote each climb individually, and the quote itemises the park fees, the crew, the equipment and the transfers so you can see what you're buying. If a line looks odd, ask about it. That's what it's itemised for.
Budget the trip, not just the climb
The climb price is the biggest line but it isn't the whole bill. Add international flights, the visa, a hotel either side, insurance with altitude cover, anything you need to buy or hire, and the crew tips, which run to several hundred dollars for a small group. People who budget only for the quoted climb get an unpleasant surprise in the last week before they fly.