Climbing Kilimanjaro was the best thing I have ever done, and also the thing I was least prepared for in all the ways that actually mattered. Not the kit or the training, I had read about all that. The things that caught me out were quieter and bigger. So here are the five things I genuinely wish someone had sat me down and told me before I set off

Ask ten people why they climbed Kilimanjaro and you'll get ten answers, and they're nearly all right. The achievement, the scenery, the summit, the good it does, and the real reason underneath them all.

One of the world's greatest adventures sits a short flight from Dubai, and most people here have no idea how close, how doable, or how comfortable it can be. Your guide to Kilimanjaro from the UAE.

I didn't climb Kilimanjaro for my mental health. But what the mountain did for my head took me by surprise. The honest version of what a climb like this can do for your mind.

Not fit enough, too old, dodgy knees, no experience, scared of heights, skint? Here are the six reasons people decide Kilimanjaro "isn't for them", and why each one is probably wrong.

It is the question we are asked most: can I actually do this? The honest answer is more encouraging than you would think. Here is what really makes Kilimanjaro hard, and how to give yourself the best possible chance of the summit.