By Jeff 
Why Do You Need to Bring Snacks for Kilimanjaro?
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are taken care of. However, in reality, expect to actually enjoy two of those three meals. The packed lunches given by the trekking companies are fine, but not spectacular. A hard boiled egg is great for protein, but the “sandwiches” you’ll likely receive won’t be enough to satisfy your hunger. As you will be using tons of calories each day by walking – especially at altitude, where your body is working even harder – you need more than a slice of white bread to sustain your energy throughout the day. The snacks you bring supplement the lunches, compensate for whatever breakfasts and dinners don’t whet your appetite, and give you a bit of familiarity in a place otherwise completely foreign. In short, if you are able to get them, snacks are necessary.
A Quick Note on Altitude, Food and Water
While you can do all of the training for altitude possible, there are other ways to mitigate and prevent altitude sickness. One of these is your diet on the climb. Remember that staying hydrated is of utmost importance, but the foods you eat should compliment that well. Because you will be using lots of energy very quickly (physical activity + altitude), you need constant quick groceries in to replace that loss. This comes easiest in the form of complex carbohydrates and hydration. In short, you want carbs, sugar, and water throughout the day. You do not want excessively fatty foods, anything that will dehydrate you (too much salt, caffeine, and alcohol), consumed all in one sitting. There’s lots more to be said on diet at altitude, but those are the points to remember!
What are the Best Snacks for the Climb?
Energy Bars & Granola Bars
A hiker’s staple: the energy bar. Yes, these are fantastic snacks for Kilimanjaro too. Honestly, energy bars are subjective, so choose whatever bars you love! I will always recommend that you seek out products with natural ingredients. My go-to on the climb was LARABAR (peanut butter please and thank you), as they have an ingredient list with only items I can pronounce. Clif bars are tasty, KIND does some good stuff, and on a budget I’m always a fan of Nutri-Grain and Crunchy Nature Valley bars. Again, totally subjective.
IMPORTANT INTERJECTION
Get a variety of flavours, brands, and tastes!! While your favourite bar might be appetizing at home or in the store, you never know what altitude will do to your appetite and taste. Therefore, when you are browsing the aisles, make sure you pick up a variety of bars and snacks. Apple cinnamon? Sure! Coconut? Maybe! The worst thing would be to bring 10 chocolate flavoured bars and discover on day one that chocolate seems repulsive on the mountain. Theoretical, of course.
Is GORP & Trail Mix Okay?
Sure, bring a bit of GORP (Good Ol Raisins n’ Peanuts) if that’s what you love. Just be careful not to put back too many nuts at once, or to rely exclusively on nuts to satiate your hunger. While they are delicious and nutritious, they are a fatty food that shouldn’t be eaten in excess at altitude. This is because fat requires more oxygen for metabolism than carbohydrates do, and we’re already running low up in thin air. You’ll use more energy digesting a fat-forward diet. Instead, balance it with carbs and you’ll be good to go!
Jerky, Vegan Jerky & Pepperoni Sticks
Trail snacks tend to be sweet. This is mostly great, because sweet things are nice and you need the sugar on the mountain. However, it can be wonderful to break that up with a bit of salt. Splurge a little on some jerky – you will thank me later. It’s a high protein snack that tastes delicious, will promote more water intake (always good), and keeps well. Here, jerky is preferred over pepperoni sticks. This is again due to the fat to carb & fibre ratio. My favourite vegan jerkies are Noble Jerky and Primal, and my top meat products are McSweeny’s jerky and Grimm’s pepperoni sticks.
Gummies, Energy Gummies, Candy & Chocolate
Ah candy: the lifeline of the hiker. Go ahead, bring candy up Kilimanjaro. That sweet reward at the end of the day’s hike (or as dessert after breakfast, because why not) will give you the sugar you need to keep on walking. Note that chocolate will freeze at the low temperatures, so either consume it all on the first day or be ready to let it melt in your mouth! Gummies are my lifeline on any hike, and Kilimanjaro was no exception. They are easy to pop into your mouth, are for some reason super appealing on the trail – maybe it’s the texture? – and give you a quick jolt of energy.
What do I Eat on Summit Night?
If you’ll be summiting cLa Cloche Silhouette Trail in Killarney Ontario at the crack of dawn, you’ll be walking in the middle of the night. Most groups follow this schedule to enjoy sunrise at the summit. Waking up at midnight after a full day of walking is tough enough: now you have to climb higher than you’ve been for hours on hardly any sleep in the middle of the night. This, one might argue, is not the recipe for success. However, it’s been tested and tried, and you can do it – food will help. Your body will not be used to eating in the middle of the night, and you likely won’t have an appetite. It’s bloody cold up there, and getting colder the higher you go. Yet, somehow, you have to keep on taking step after painful step towards the summit. With what energy, you ask? Quick energy, my friend.
Energy Chews and Gels are Your Friend
The night I summited Kilimanjaro was the night I fell in love with energy chews. I had but one pack of Pink Lemonade Honey Stinger Organic Chews. Honey Stinger, you are the reason I reached the summit of Kilimanjaro. Since your appetite is tiny and the temperature is too, all you can really stomach (and manage) is a little candy or liquids. Energy chews or gels have the necessary sugar & carbs. Coincidentally, those granola bars will be frozen solid. Plus, good luck unwrapping that bar with numb fingers! The Stingers are delicious, but there are lots of similar products such as the Gatorade Gel Blocks, the GU chews, and the CLIF Bloks. The rest of my team relied heavily on GU gel – mmm salted caramel!! – to keep their eyes on the prize and feet on the ground. While these things may seem repulsive now, they just might make the difference at 5800m.
Viva la Juice & Gatorade Powder!
If you can’t even stomach gummies, you still need to get that energy somehow. Hydration is paramount, but you can get two birds stoned at once by adding sugar & carbs to your water. Try lemonade powder, Gatorade powder, or ideally some of the hydration/electrolyte specific products like nuun. The water flavourers/enhancers can be used throughout the climb up Kili to encourage you to keep drinking water while getting those extra calories if your appetite disappears.
How Much / How Many Snacks Should I Bring?
Budget enough food to nearly replace a meal per day. This probably works out to be 1-2 bars per day, a pack or two of jerky, a few packs of gummies and a couple of energy gels. Bring enough juice crystal packets for at least 2L/day. While all of this is ideally supplementary, you’re better off having too much than too little. Pro tip: bring an extra bar per day to share with your porters & guides. They will be beyond appreciative. You will be surprised and happy to see something so small go so far.
Kilimanjaro Snacks Packing List
- 1-2 bars per day
- Few packs of jerky and pepperoni sticks
- Few packs of gummies, candy and/or chocolate
- Energy chews & gels for summit night
- Enough juice crystals for 2L+ per day
- Extra snacks for porters & guides
Snacks for Kilimanjaro: An Overlooked but Critical Part of Your Kilimanjaro Experience
So, there you have it: a guide to snacking on Africa’s tallest mountain. Of course, this snack guide applies to pretty well any hike or climb, especially at altitude. At the end of the day, however, no magic bar is going to take you to the top. To climb Kilimanjaro takes will power and mental fortitude in careful combination with physical ability. Climbing Kilimanjaro starts with your mind telling you you can. Take the leap, set the goal, and climb that mountain! You can do it, and snacks will help!