Adventures of Joanna & Geir

Climbing Kilimanjaro

Last Updated (Sunday, 11 January 2009 18:15) Written by Wednesday, 09 April 2008 17:16

Kilimanjaro - Africa's highest point, 5895m. A great mountain that can be climbed without too much effort. Although altitude sickness is a real danger at this height.

Day 1

We stayed at Keys hotel in Moshi. Average hotel, but OK. You can leave surplus luggage here while climbing the mountain. After an early breakfast we (a group of 10) drove to Marangu gate, at 1970m. A big group of guides and their crew was waiting for us, and took our big backpacks and started to carry them to the first hut. Ourselves we just had to carry small backpacks with water, camera etc. Then we were off at a leisurely pace (pole! pole!) for a 3-4 hours walk up to the first hut, Mandara hut at 2700m.

The Mandara huts are actually a group of huts, and after arriving we got served dinner (made by our crew).

As starter we got popcorn (as we would get very accustomed to) without salt. You can buy water bottles at all the huts, prices start at USD1 at the lower hut and increasing with USD1 per bottle for each hut upwards. Not unreasonable prices at all, considering the effort carrying it up. After dinner our blood oxygen level was measured. This was standard procedure each evening, and we would see our oxygen level drop quite a lot with altitude. Most of our group were taking Diamox to reduce risk of altitude sickness. The side effect of this medicine is constant calling from mother nature. Drinking loads of water all the time doesn't help either...

Day 2

After an early breakfast we were ready to proceed to Horombo hut, at 3700m. It takes about 6 hours walking through the last of the rain forest, before emerging into open landscapes. The walking is easy, but the guides constantly slow our pace - its tempting to walk fast, but that is very unwise. We could see the summit in a distance. We arrived at Horombo hut (well, it was actually a small village!), and got assigned to a small hut. Our luggage was waiting for as usual. It  was still early afternoon, so we got some time to wander around a little. We spotted some striped rodents running between the bushes. In the evening a nice dinner was served, and blood oxygen measured. Temperature was dropping in the night, a warm sleeping bag comes in real handy!

Day 3

This day was an acclimatizing day. We hiked a few hours up to a place called Zebra rock. Its name is quite obvious when we got there - a white and black striped rock. We approached 4000m height, and the air was definitely thinner. We ate lunch while admiring the great view of Kilimanjaro. After lunch we went back down to Horombo. A nice dinner was again served, and we prepared ourselves mentally for the challenge next day. In the evening a guy was brought down from Kibo hut on a stretcher - he was in bad shape, but got better in lower altitudes. Outside our hut, a Japanese woman was puking all over - altitude took its toll.

Day 4

We left Horombo hut in the morning, heading up for Kibo hut, which is about 6 hours walk. Vegetation got scarcer as we entered brown red lava landscapes. We walked very slowly and daink lots of water. The height was noticeable but not a problem yet. The landscape was barren and lifeless, except for luggage crews zipping past with our luggage, and more or less half-dead tourists on their way down from the top. Kibo hut is located at 4700m, and is the last stop before going for the top. We would eat dinner here and rest for a few hours in the hut before preparing for the summit climb at midnight.

Day 5

Summit day (or night rather)! We were waken up at 23:00. We tried eating some food and prepare ourselves to start walking at midnight. We were not the only ones...about 160 people went for the summit this night. The path was steep zig-zagging up a loose gravel path. It was quite a sight to see 160 headlamps bobbing around in a long snake up the mountain slope! Going was slow, and we passed people with various problems, spontaneous nose bleeding, vomiting, exhaustion etc. After about 5 hours we reached Gilmans point, at 5685m, just before dawn. Many people turned around here. But the real peak is further up. We took a short break before going on. It was a slow rise to Uhuru peak. Walking was easier there, and dawn lifted the spirit further.

1.5 hours later we finally made it to the top! Great view around us! But it was freezing cold and our guide wanted us to turn around and go down. We did some photography before starting on our way back. Going down was easy, and temperature was rising fast. In the morning sun we got really hot, considering we were wearing woolen underwear and fleece. Down at Kibo hut we got some food and drink and a little rest. But we soon keept going down towards Horombo hut where we would spend our last night. We arrived at Horombo at around 16, exhausted after walking for almost 16 hours. After dinner we droped dead in our sleeping bags.

Day 6

Next morning we said goodbye to our guides and crew, and thanked them for a great trip. We walked down to the gate. A long trip on tired legs, and the temperature rose quickly with lower altitudes. Back at the gate we lined up in a queue to get our official diplomas for having been at the top, before we had our lunch packs. Finally we drove back to the hotel for a well deserved shower and rest.

All in all it was a fantastic hiking trip in spectacular landscapes. Of our group 8 of 10 made it to the top, which is pretty good.