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You’re keen! Didn’t the previous
pics scare you off? Did you really need to find out HOW much I suffered or
are you after the details because YOU
want to be on the top of Africa too? No
matter what your reason for being here, following, you will find my personal
(and honest) view of my most recent adventure, do’s and don’ts, tips and
recommendations…
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If you’ve ever considered climbing Kilimanjaro and had
a look at the various options, you’d agree, picking the right route for you
isn’t the easiest of options and picking
the right operator/tour guide can be even more daunting!
Totally confused – and somewhat in a hurry to decide,
book and get on the first plane – I decided on the ‘Kilimanjaro Rambler – 6
day Marangu route’ option offered by Gecko’s
Adventures, an Aussie company that I have used in the past (China 2005). More about the
company a bit later…
Affectionately known as the "Coca-Cola route",
Marangu is by far the most popular (i.e. busiest!) route to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro, but
also the least expensive route, probably because it is possible to cover it
in 5 days, thereby getting to the summit one day earlier than on the
Machame route.
My tour did include an extra acclimatization day on the
mountain (at Horombo Hut, 3700m). This extends the route to a 6-day hike,
increasing your chances of success (I take anything that helps!). The other
main difference on the Marangu route is hut accommodation - the ‘luxury’ of
being able to sleep in huts along the entire route – rather than camping,
and they even sell beer (Kilimanjaro brand!), mineral water, soft drinks
and chocolates at all the camps! Decadent? Call it what you want but you’ll
certainly be paying a large price for those goodies!
All our equipment and supplies were portered and a cook
prepared all our meals. For the three climbers, we had a support team of 11
- consisting of 8 porters, a cook, the assistant guide, Emmanuel
and our tour guide, Justo.
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Day 1
- Thursday, 18/01/07:
Arusha
– Moshi
I was staying at the Equator Hotel in Arusha, a
comfortable, centrally located hotel with great gardens, a good restaurant
and a very helpful (and German speaking!) manager, Patrick.
After the safari through Arusha
National Park the previous day and the prospect of pushing myself to
the limit over the next couple of days, I opted to take it easy! A
leisurely walk around Arusha turned into a bit of a hassle. After leaving
the safe surrounds of the hotel, it took a full 3 seconds and I was being
mobbed by touts! Somehow they must have figured out that I was a tourist!
Everything that I could possibly want (or not) - they had it! Tours of the area, safaris, trips to far-flung corners
of Africa, every newspaper under the sun;
their must-see local crafts and souvenir shop offering the BEST deal ever. So,
a couple of lies, excuses and sprints later, I decided to limit my morning
activities to confirming my onward flights for after the climb and to check
my emails before retiring to the (safe) hotel gardens. A word of advice for
the internet addicts here: ‘Pole pole’ (slowly, slowly). That goes for the
download rates too, (I don’t think broadband has made it to Arusha yet!).
Back at the Equator Hotel I met my fellow climbers,
Jimmy (20) and Chris (25), two medical students from Melbourne. The 1.30pm shuttle bus to the
Impala Hotel, where we’d be collected by the Nairobi - Moshi shuttle, picked us up on
time! The 2pm shuttle left just before 3pm for the 1 ½ hour drive to the
Keys Hotel in Moshi, which is at the foot of Mt Kilimanjaro. That
gave us some time to sort through our gear in preparation for the climb,
rent forgotten gear and make some last minute purchases, such as a bottle
of Kilimanjaro beer, (to celebrate at the summit), and pack extra gear to
be stowed at the hotel. Later on in the afternoon, we met the local Wild Frontier
representative and our tour guide for the next 5 days, Justo,
for a full trip briefing. Excited and hungry we opted for an early dinner before
we retired to our – air conditioned (thank God) rooms!
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Day 2
- Friday, 19/01/07:
Marangu
Gate (1970m) - Mandara Hut (2700m)
Hiking
time: 3 hours
Distance:
8 - 11 km
After an early breakfast at the hotel, we were met by our
guides and chef. After a luggage weigh-in, (to ensure we were within the 12
kg limit per person, to be carried by the porters), we headed off in a van
to the Marangu Gate, - the
Marangu trail head at the National Park headquarters on the lower slopes of
the mountain - about an hour away. After signing in at the Rangers Office
we commenced the assault on the summit, passing through a number of
different landscapes. We only carried our essentials things, (such as rain
gear, camera, food and plenty of water) in our day packs, everything else
was carried by the porters, (such as
food, water,
cooking gas and most of our equipment).
Today’s walk took us through luxuriant rainforest/montane
forest, (which apparently can be very wet at times) up to Mandara Hut (2700m). It was a
gentle climb in a rather lush forest with lots of small colorful flowers
and beards of moss hanging from the trees. The path followed a stream for
most of the way. The porters were using a different, more direct and - no
doubt – steeper route for the first part of the day. A bit past the halfway
point, the lunch spot, (complete with tables, benches and – here it comes –
a proper toilet) couldn’t have come at a better time,. I was starving! The
packed lunch from the Keys Hotel did the trick! After a short rest we
carried on, pushing towards the hut. We covered around 11 km and
arrived at the hut mid-afternoon. We got there just in time to miss the
afternoon rain shower – just as well, as it was truly bucketing down! Mandara Hut was a group of wooden
A-frame buildings, situated in a rain forest clearing. Each hut sleeps
between 4 and 8 people, with the total camps capacity around 60 climbers
(plus about 200 porters and guides). We saw some black and white
colobus monkeys playing in the trees around the camp as well as
baboons. After getting set up for the night, afternoon tea - biscuits and
popcorn, (a daily routine we’d get used to) was served in the communal
dining hut. Dinner followed around 7pm - Chicken noodle soup, followed by
spaghetti, meat sauce and potatoes. Carbs galore! And fresh mango and
oranges for desert. Justo then gave us a brief overview of the next day’s
leg and a time schedule. With that, and probably due to the lack of
alternative nightlife options, we all headed back to our A-frame hut for an
early night.
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Day 3
- Saturday, 20/01/07:
Mandara
Hut (2700m) - Horombo Hut (3720m)
Hiking
time: 5 hours
Distance:
11 – 17 km
It wasn’t the most relaxing sleep I had that night. Crammed
in a tiny (short) top bunk (that will teach me for rushing in to pick the
best spot!), listening to people snore and cough - a sign of things to
come? One of our porters woke us early for a quick wash before breakkie was
served. Fried eggs, toast and the dreaded porridge. By 9am, fed, packed up
and day packs ready, we headed off again. After passing quite steeply through
a further section of lush rainforest, the scenery changed dramatically. The
rainforest gave way to open moorland, bisected by small streams in a
landscape that featured stunted trees, giant grevilleas, lobelias and other native
flora. Mist and fog added to the effect. In clear conditions occasional
views may be had of the objective – the main summit - rising above
grass-covered ridge lines; however, not today. Two days into our adventure,
we were still waiting to see the mountain we set out to climb! Today we saw
the first climber being carried off the mountain – not the kind of thing
you need to see! (Especially since the guy was about my age!). At our lunch
spot, some white-necked
ravens were hanging out for some leftovers – as if! The steady climb
continued after lunch towards the Horombo, where we arrived around 2pm.
Horombo Hut is at least twice the size of Mandara Hut,
probably because a number of climbers stay here two nights, allowing for an
additional acclimatization day, but also it is the hut where one stays on
the night after the summit attempt. A good spot to swap some successful (or
not) summit attempt stories. Today's walk covered approximately 17 km
and we ascended 1000 meters before reaching Horombo Hut, at 3720 meters. After tea and popcorn, the clouds
started to lift, revealing first Mawenzi peak and then, finally, Mt Kilimanjaro, which
was now starting to look tantalizingly close. The sunset was spectacular -
only to be outclassed by the stars and Milkyway of the crystal clear night
sky, and a view of a thunderstorm above Moshi later on! As the previous
evening, we retired early, this time to our very own A-frame hut!
Drinking 4 - 5 liters of water a day has a rather
annoying side-effect that will make sure you won’t get a solid 8 hours
sleep… unless your bladder is out of this world!
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Day 4 -
Sunday, 21/01/07:
Horombo
Hut (3720m) – Acclimatization Day
Hiking
time: 3 hours
Distance:
approx. 7 km
After yesterday’s climb of almost 1000 meters, the plan
for the day was to take it easy. Today’s hike aimed at assisting the
climber with acclimatization to the high altitude. It took us to Zebra Rock,
a rock formation colored like – no prizes for that one – a zebra. Keen to
get as much altitude gain under our belt, we carried on along the eastern
path towards 'The Saddle', to the lower slopes of Mawenzi Peak.
The Saddle (at 4280m) is a desolate,
flat and incredibly beautiful plain between Kibo and Mawenzi peaks,
apparently offering great views of both peaks and Kibo Hut… not today! The
clouds that had been moving in for the better part of the morning made sure
of that. Then the heavens opened up. I don’t think I’ve ever had my rain
gear out that quickly! Within minutes the temperature dropped a good 10
degrees as we started to make our way back down towards Horombo Hut. In the
evening we set out on the hunt for some insider information, tips and
tricks and just some good old stories from the descending hikers that had
attempted the summit early this morning. We were greeted with a
rollercoaster of emotions: “Hard
work”, “It’s f***ing cold up
there”, “Never-ending, relentless climb in the dark – and did I mention
never-ending?”, “The worst thing ever – makes child birth seem painless”.
You get the idea! Others still high on adrenaline from the successful climb
said, “You’ll get there, take it
slowly”, “Well worth the pain” , (you sick bastard!) or “You can’t miss it, just follow the
trail of puke” (nice!). With these images in our minds we headed for
some much needed rest as we wouldn’t get much the following night. Another
piece of advice to fellow climbers (compliments of Jimmy): If you use your
thermos bottles to warm up your sleeping bag, make sure they are properly
closed otherwise you will have wet dreams!
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Day 5
- Monday, 22/01/07:
Monday
Horombo Hut (3720m) - Kibo Hut (4700m)
Hiking
time: 5 hours
Distance:
11 – 15 km
A glorious morning, a pleasant change to the cold rain
of the previous day! The snowy mantle of Kilimanjaro was in clear view
today, towering above us. There was no holding back, and the porridge went
untouched. Heading off towards Kibo
Hut, the landscape became increasingly barren as we moved up on to the
great volcanic saddle, which separates the main peak from its slightly
lower partner, Mawenzi. This is alpine desert – surely this is what it must
look like on Mars too! There are two paths that can be taken. The left fork,
(Western path) gradually gains height as it passes the 'Last Water Point'
where the highest running water on the mountain can be found. From here, ‘The Saddle’ beckons until the
paths rejoin at a point called Jiwe
La Ukoyo, or 'pointed rock' at
4394 meters. After a brief rest here we had just two hours left to trek
for the day. If you are looking for a less traveled route, the right fork
from Horombo Hut (Eastern path) is steeper, more stony and eroded but still
walkable. It will take you via Zebra Rock to Kibo Hut (see Day
4 for part of that route description).
Once past the saddle, tonight’s destination, Kibo Hut, can be seen nestling on
the shoulder of the main peak, at
4700 meters. It took us about 5 hours to cover some 15 km
today, again ascending 1000 meters.
You start to really notice the altitude here. The
guides ‘Pole pole’ (Swahili for slowly, slowly) starts to pay off. Kibo Hut
isn't like the other huts, it's just one building, with several large bunk rooms!
There are pit toilets outside (finally, how far does one need to walk to
get away from the luxury of a flushing toilet?!) I was feeling grand,
excited, but a bit nervous, whereas Chris and Jimmy weren’t a 100%. After
an early afternoon tea we got ready for the next days ascent. Thermal gear,
gloves and head-lamps came out as Justo took us through the ‘plan of
attack’ before we hit the bunks. The lucky people got some much needed
rest, the rest of us just lay there, listening to the Italian guy snoring
his head off and an international farting concert – or was it a contest? If
it was, my two Aussie mates sure did well, the Norwegian competition was
strong! In hindsight, they should have held onto that air as they sure
needed it for the climb!
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Day 6
- Tuesday, 23/01/07:
Summit Day: Kibo Hut (4700m) – Uhuru Peak
(5895m) - Mandara Hut (2700m)
Hiking
time: 14 hours
Distance
38 – 48 km
Technically still Day 5, but for some of our bunkroom
partners, the day started earlier, (at least the snoring stopped!) They
headed off at 11pm. Indeed, we had a long, hard day ahead of us! Leaving
Kibo Hut at 0:30am, a bit later than expected, we began our final ascent in
the dark, with the aid of head torches. Leaving the hut in the middle of
the night had the added advantage of making the walk up toward the summit
safer and less strenuous. At this time the snow on the path was still
frozen. Just as well it was dark as I didn’t want to see how far we had to
go. The stars and the lights of the head torches of the other climbers
ahead of us blended into one. All I focused on was the heels of Jimmy’s
boots ½m in front of me… one step at a time… while REM’s ‘It’s the End Of
the World And I Feel Fine’ played on my mp3 player. Whatever! The path from
Kibo zigzags up the scree past Williams
Point (5000m) - are we there yet? Then on to Hans Meyer Cave Point (5182m), where after 2½ hours we break
briefly. The water in my pet bottle had started to freeze, but it was too
hard to get the thermos out of my backpack. As long as I could walk with my
hands in my pockets, I was fine! From here the gradient steepeneds… and we
slowed down. I didn’t think I could take any smaller step! This required a
great mental and physical effort! I had to stop every couple of steps to
catch my breath, do the Kili shuffle and move slowly. Jimmy was driving me
nuts, he wanted me to sing along and chant. I could hardly get enough air
to stand still while I was catching my breath! Chris is struggling too, and
he starts ‘marking’ the path. “‘How far to Gilman’s Point?” he kept asking.
“‘Nearly there…” We could hear people scream (of joy) when they made it to
the crater rim, but in the dark, it was impossible to say how far ahead
they were. An hour? Maybe two? Gilman’s Point became the Promised Land. For
the past couple of hours, people had been coming down - they hadn’t made
it. They looked exhausted and disappointed. Some had given in while others
were still trying to justify their turning back. For crying out loud, make
it or not, to have come this far is a great effort, something to be proud
off! Rather turn around to tell the story than being carried down by others.
Then, all of a sudden, climbing over some more boulders, we had reached the
crater rim! Gilman's Point (5680m)
is the destination and climax of the trip for many walkers, although many
make the extra effort of about 1½ - 2 hours to walk around to the actual
summit, Uhuru Peak, at 5895 meters. (Might as well!). Gilman’s Point offers a remarkable
view as the sun rises to the East, finally providing some light, and giving
incredible views of the snow-filled crater. Across the spectacular steeped
cliffs of the Eastern Ice fields, back down to The Saddle and Mawenzi,
and along the edge of the crater rim! This was where Justo
saved my life! A cup of hot, sweet tea! That was the energy boost I needed
to carry on to Uhuru Peak.
We were all struggling, but at least I was not feeling nauseous or puking
my guts out. Working my walking sticks, (and freezing my digits off in the
process) I headed towards Uhuru. There was no holding back now! I made it
to the top at 7:31am - at an imperious 5,895 meters (19,336 feet) –
exhausted, but knowing that I had ‘knocked the bastard off’. Unlike Bono,
whose ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I Am Looking For’ was playing – I have! The
rest of the group followed a bit later. After the summit pics and time
savoring our achievement, we headed back towards Kibo hut for lunch and
then continued right down to Horombo Hut for a well-earned dinner – well,
that was the plan anyway.
The descent was heaven-like after the tough climb up.
Returning along the same ice-capped path we reached Gilman's Point in 60
minutes, and then another two hours to Kibo Hut for lunch. No more
zigzagging, straight down it went! The steep mountain side, aided by lose
stone scree made for a fun time going down (but it was rather hard on your
thighs). Honestly, if I had seen where I was going last night, I would have
thrown in the towel! With Chris and Jimmy now both feeling the effects of
the climb, I left the group behind heading towards the hut. After lunch, we
decided that we would attempt to walk out of the park that day, rather than
overnight at Horombo. A rather crazy plan, considering that we had been
hiking for the last 10 hours and were looking at covering a further 40km +.
We made it back to Horombo Hut (3720m) in good time –
arriving just after 2pm. Without much rest, we carried on towards Mandara
Hut, where we considered the option of going all the way to Marangu Gate or
spending the night at Mandara Hut. I arrived at Mandara at 5pm, just after
our ‘flying’ porters. (In my defense – they slept in and didn’t climb
Kilimanjaro today). The rest of the group followed 45 minutes later. We
then decided – due to the Park Headquarters closing at 6pm - that we will
stay at Mandara Hut for the last night on the mountain. Today we ascended
1200 meters and descend 3200 meters over a period of 16 hours!
Now, some clown tells me that there’s a summit log book
at Uhuru Peak to be signed… It wasn’t there,
maybe covered by snow or someone must have taken it (and no way, I am NOT
going back to sign it!)
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Day 7
- Wednesday, 24/01/07:
Mandara
Hut (2700m) – Marangu Gate (1980m) – Moshi
Hiking
time: 2 ½ hours
Distance:
8 - 11 km
After an early start, we retraced our steps back down through
the rain forest to the park gate where the Keys Hotel vehicle (with lunch!)
was waiting to take us back to the hotel. We signed our names and details oin
the register (that’s the successful attempt register of course!) and bid
farewell our porters at the gate and made our way back. We couldn’t wait to
hit the showers at the hotel! Unpacked and refreshed, Justo and Emmanuel
presented us with the Summit Certificates – issued to those climbers who
reached Gillman's Point (green certificates) and those who reached Uhuru Peak (gold certificates). Afterwards
we headed into Moshi for a few celebratory drinks of Tusker, Safari and
Kilimanjaro beer and some serious souvenir shopping!
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Day 8
- Thursday, 25/01/07:
Moshi
– Kilimanjaro
International Airport
Imagine getting up at 3:30AM… imagine getting up at
3:30AM after a short and rough night’s sleep, after you’ve just climbed
Kilimanjaro less than 48 hours ago. I was still feeling the effects of the
few celebratory jars of Safari, Tusker and Mt Kilimanjaro beer we’d had at
the local pub in Moshi and over dinner, nicely complementing the tasty goat
and the local dish of the day!
My driver to the airport was definitely more awake and
on a mission to break the African land speed record. For everyone else’s
sake, I was hoping that they were still asleep… which was confirmed about
15 minutes later when we rocked up to – the still dark – airport. Precision
Air kindly advises to check-in (at least) 1½ hrs before the 6:00AM take off.
Obviously no-one told the guys at the airport. Security and Check-in staff
woke up around 5ish, Immigration a bit later. The last opportunity to get
some local art work! As it turned out, the airport shops must have been the
cheapest place in Tanzania
to buy souvenirs (or else, the guy on the early morning shift didn’t really
care!) Soon enough the flight to Nairobi started boarding and all 8
passengers were herded onto the empty plane, (Precision Air management
should take note in order to avoid an African version of a Swissair or Air
New Zealand debacle).
Heading off to the North, the flight path took us
between Mt Kilimanjaro
and Mount Meru,
providing perfect sunrise views of the volcanoes! What a way to finish the
great Kilimanjaro adventure! The rest of the trip to Nairobi
and then onto Edinburgh, via Amsterdam was a bit
of a blur as the physical work of the days gone started to sink in.
The good news is, a week after returning to Scotland, I stopped dreaming about waking up
at Kibo Hut on Summit
day… talk about nightmares!
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Some
useful information:
What
is the best time of year to climb Mt
Kilimanjaro?
I believe it doesn’t matter much, since Mt Kilimanjaro is so
close to the Equator. Days and nights are always the same length, and they
don't have Summers or Winters. However, they have two wet seasons (the ‘short
rains’ in October and November, and the ‘long rains’ in March, April and
May).
If you are going to combine a Mt Kilimanjaro climb
with wildlife viewing in Tanzania
or Kenya,
like most people, you may wish to avoid the rainy seasons. The reason is
that when it is dry, it is easy to find the big game animals as they head
for the waterholes. When it’s rainy, they could be anywhere. Also, most of
the roads in the game parks (and a lot of them elsewhere) get very muddy in
the rainy seasons.
That, at least, is the conventional wisdom. Weather
patterns appear to be changing. I was in Tanzania in January and it was
very green. They said that they haven’t had that much rain in at least 15
years.
Need a
place to stay?
Equator Hotel, Arusha – contact Patrick
Mutua.
Impala Hotel, Arusha - email
Booking
a tour?
Don’t bother using Gecko’s
Adventures! Whilst I have used them in the past, the service provided
by the UK
office was rather disappointing! There’s no value for money and any
additional items such as hotels, transfers etc are a rip-off! They don’t seem
to realize that the internet provides transparency, so, why pay more? I
suggest you cut out the middle man and get in touch with the guys! I am
happy to provide you with more details or please refer to the local guides below! Email
Justo
Mtui who will happily organize the tour, climb or safari YOU want! Justos Tanzania Adventures!
If you feel more comfortable booking through an agency,
check out Wild
Frontiers for a wide range of African adventures! Check out Kili Man
option! Anyone keen for this?
Want
go on a safari?
Due to limited time, I only did a one-day safari to Arusha National Park –
one of the smaller parks. Next time, I’d definitely include visits to
Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti
National Park. This
time around, I traveled with Classic Tours & Safaris. Check them out at
www.theclassictours.com.
Need
more information about climbing Mt Kilimanjaro?
There are many sites available. The Kilimanjaro
climb certainly is a popular hike! Check out the following ones to give you
an idea:
http://7summits.com/kilimanjaro/trips.php
http://www.tanzania-adventure.com/kilimanjaro-information.htm
Visas
for Tanzania?
Don’t worry paying an agency to sort that out for you –
you can get them on arrival for US$ 50.
Need a local tour guide for your climb or
safari?
Email our tour guides Justo
Mtui (Justos Tanzania Adventures) or Emmanuel
for further details – they will be happy to sort you out!
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Alternatively, you can check out
all my Tanzania
holiday pics on  .
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