Zanzibar after a safari or a climb

Many people reach the top in their forties, fifties and sixties, and plenty are not athletes. What decides it is time and preparation, not youth: choose a long route (seven or eight days), train with hills and long loaded walks for at least two or three months, and walk slowly on the mountain. If you have a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition, see your doctor before you book.

Climbers who write trip reports often say the eighth day made summit night feel more manageable, because you spend an extra night near 4,000 m. If you are nervous about altitude, are older, or have spare days, take the eight. If you are fit, have recent altitude experience and are short of time, seven works.

It helps. Around a full moon the trail is visible without a head torch for much of the climb, and it feels less lonely and less cold. It also means more people choose those dates, so book earlier. Check the moon calendar for your month; you can still summit on a dark night with a good head torch.

Ask for the company's Tanzanian business licence and TATO membership, check them on the official register, and read recent reviews on more than one site. Ask how many people are in the crew and how porters are paid and equipped. A fair operator answers these quickly and writes the answers down.