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"All foreigners from non-Commonwealth countries are required to have a valid visa and passport unless their countries have agreements with Tanzania under which the visa requirement is waived." You can purchase as you enter Tanzania or beforehand by contacting the embassy at http://www.tanzaniaembassy-us.org/. We purchased the Visa at entry with no difficulty
ESSENTIAL ITEMS FOR KILIMANJARO Anti-bacterial wipes (toiletries) Large Hat, sunglasses and Good Sunscreen Petzl or good quality LED headlamp American Chocolate, what you don't eat your Porters will appreciate. Disposable Camera (your fancy camera can fail) 0 degree sleeping bag Clothing like you would carry on a Winter hike, warm waterproof jacket with hood, hat, gloves, synthetic layers Prescribed Medications, Diamox, etc. and pain relievers Sneakers or Sandals for around camp Medium-Large Duffle Day-pack with waterproof cover Immunizations, Yellow Fever cert required. Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio (boosters), Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, Cholera and Meningococcal Meningitis and anti-malarial medication are recommended Passport and Visa Determination and Mental Toughness
If you are interested in a climb of Mt Kilimanjaro there are multiple websites you can visit. We chose to use Zara Tours for outfitting and guides. They were excellent for the mountain portion of this trip and I would highly recommend them.
We drove past small villages where most of the houses that lined the road were marked with a large red X. Fitz explained that these people had built their homes too close to the road and they were supposed to be demolished. These tiny villages were built right into the side of the mountain and on every square inch of their property was some sort of cash-crop. Because of the rich volcanic soil these Shambas (farms) grew coffee, banana, skuma, spinach and papaya in abundance.
Somehow the bus made it up the narrow and winding muddy road past sleepy Machame village and up to the gate without getting stuck. This is the dry season here in east Africa but in the rainforest it’s always a bit muddy. It was a zoo getting all our gear sorted. We signed in at the gate, showed our passports, etc…the red-tape seemed to take forever. We started hiking at noon, elevation was about 5,900 feet.Many hikers, porters and guides had either just left or were getting ready to take off.
The path has been relocated recently because of erosion and the park workers have transported tons of crushed volcanic rock. This was our footing for the first few kilometers (crunch-crunch-crunch.) Our guide Mohamed caught up with us in 20 minutes as the forest grew more and more exotic the higher we climbed. Thick vines hung down from huge trees, it looked very much like how I pictured an African jungle from reading Tarzan as a kid.
We were passed by dozens of porters as they went on ahead to set up camp for all the parties climbing to Machame camp on this day. They each carried 20KG (44 pounds) on their head and moved very fast despite the burden. It was warm but not too hot and surprisingly humid at this elevation.
We hoped to see monkeys during the first day and at about 7,500 feet we came across a troop of Colubus monkeys with several adults and two babies. They looked like big tree skunks to this New Englander; color was very much the same. High up in the canopy they jumped across wide spaces from branch to branch, we also got to see them fairly close up as they passed over the trail. Anne attempted to take a picture with the telephoto lens but on her first picture the camera made a funny noise and then stopped working. It remained broken for the entire trip. My digital doesn’t do well with far off shots so I didn’t bother.
At 8,000 feet we took our lunch (as the African’s say it), the hike so far had been pretty easy, similar to hiking Edmunds path or Garfield trail back home. We unpacked our boxed lunch with typical Tanzania food, piece of chicken, small roll, banana, orange, boiled egg and very sugary passion fruit juice. Anne and I sat on a huge log in a sun splashed area and after 20 minutes or so I could already feel the intensity of the sun. I quickly moved into the shade.
The path beyond our lunch-stop was a little more slippery and steeper. We passed a small hollow with a waterfall and a strange little shrub Mohamed called Lobelia which was conical and sort of looked like a big green pineapple. Near here we got our first view of Kilimanjaro through the trees. Fortunately Anne had a back-up camera and we brought some disposable ones also, this one below was from my digital camera.
After hiking steadily now uphill for some time we reached a large hollow and saw tents set up all over the place, some in grass, and others on dusty ground. Personally I hoped for grass. Before going to find our campsite we had to sign in at the ranger hut. They put a bucket of iced coke and beer on the table as you filled in all the information. The coke was tempting (I love it in those big glass bottles) but I’d stick with water for now. Mohamed led us to our camp on the other side.
Our tents were set up in the powdery brown dust and pretty near a Cho (outhouse) on a little rise beyond. It wasn’t quite as far downwind as I would’ve liked it if you know what I mean….ughh. By 6pm we stowed our packs, set up sleeping bags and changed into more comfortable footwear. The sun set right at 6:30, went down very quickly and then it got colder, we were sitting at 9776 feet. The hike had covered 18 kilometers (11 miles) and around 4,000 feet in elevation gain.
Pretty soon after dark, one of our porters (Sabi) came and called us for supper. They'd set up a large tent, plus our tents and cooked supper! I was amazed they could do all that in a short time. Anne, Fitz and I sat in the mess tent comfortably with a table, chairs and even a candle for illumination. We were given a thermos with hot water, glass mugs and a choice of Chai (tea), Milo (hot cocoa) or instant coffee. Nido (powder cream) and a bowl of unrefined cane sugar were set out also. Sabi brought a pot of steaming cucumber soup with bread which was excellent. It was followed by a hearty meal of beef and potatoes. Dessert was fresh pineapple, bananas and papaya. Not bad except for the fruit, oh well I couldn’t expect chocolate cake could I?
We cleared out early because the mess tent also served as sleeping quarters for our porters. Temperature was around 40 degrees and getting colder, we piled into our tents and fell asleep quickly. I woke at midnight to visit our nearby cho and looked up to see an amazing array of stars. It was a new phase of the moon so it was very dark and you could see details up there that you just can’t see back home. The stars looked very different but I remembered we were in the Southern Hemisphere.
I awoke at 6:30 to a bustling camp, there were many groups at Machame camp, some small and some large. After some tinkering Anne’s camera was still not working so Fitz offered her his camera body and they just switched lenses. She loves to take pictures and had been disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to use her long lens, thank you Fitz! I find myself liking him; he has a quiet confidence and is so sure of his faith.
Mohamed at last nights briefing told us that the hike today would be steeper as we pass over an area called Shira Cathedrals on the way to Shira plateau. Breakfast was porridge, toast, eggs and hot dogs along with the usual Milo and Chai. Our 1.5 liter water bottles were refilled with boiled water, we had two each.
We climbed out of camp steeply with no switchbacks over a dusty trail. Each step brought up a plume of fine brown powder. It reminded me of climbing false peaks on a ridge; you’d reach the top of one and see the next one a bit higher ahead. The trail was lined with paper dry white flowers and stands of Erica shrubs. We stopped at one point and Anne played around on a rocky spire.
We were above the jungle which ended somewhere just below Machame Camp. Now we were hiking in what they call the Moorlands. We ate lunch in a hollow between the highest of the cathedrals (12,300) and the base of the final slope before Shira plateau. It was amusing to find a table and chairs set up just off the trail with a plate of popcorn and biscuits. The usual Milo and Chai were followed by a hot lunch. The landscape here was amazing, alien looking plants (Stoebe Kilimandsharica) and shrubs called Erica Arborea (SEE PHOTO ABOVE) plus huge black rocks. Ever present ravens with their white chest patch circled around looking for something to steal.
We’d been told that other animals could be found at Shira, buzzards and larger mammals like African hunting dogs, Eland and Cape Buffalo. Lions and Elephant are rarely seen at Shira plateau. We were happy enough not to see any of them. Knowing that Lions are nocturnal made the midnight trek to the Cho interesting to say the least.
We were treated all day to fine weather and ever present and changing views of Kibo. It was nice to see our objective, it seemed close but we knew it was far away. Mohamed kept us moving pole’ pole’(“slowly-slowly”), the sun was brutal in the early afternoon.
By 2:30 we arrived atop Shira Plateau, my altimeter said 12,440 but it was reading a bit low, we were at 12,598. I knew day two was considered the easiest and we took full advantage of lollygagging in the warm afternoon sun. We picked up some volcanic glass from around the area and washed some of the dust out of our eyes and noses. Once again our tents were on the dust but we had a quieter location away from the main group. I walked with Mohamed over to the ranger hut a mile or so away which was on the Lemosho route. We all felt good with no effects of the altitude.
The sunset over Shira peak was absolutely stunning. Words could never describe the stark beauty. As it set, Mt Meru appeared magically as the haze around it cleared. The stately 15,000 foot high peak seemed huge and very far away. Once again when the sun vanished it grew much colder and we retreated to the mess tent for some hot Milo and popcorn followed by dinner. Mohamed stopped by to brief us on the next day when we’d head to Barranco camp on Shira route. We were prepared for a long day.
As we settled into our tent one of the assistant guides from a nearby group came over for Anne. By now many knew she was a nurse. Jenny (Ginnie?) was having trouble; she’d clearly gotten too much sun. Her companion Jeff also was badly sunburned. Anne checked her temp and then gave them both Tylenol. The guide was even considering taking her down the mountain. I had a great night’s sleep on the plateau, nothing like snuggling into a warm sleeping bag on a cold night. By morning our tent was frosted over.
We got a little earlier start, all of us slept well except for the usual midnight run to the Cho… (well the thought of lions at night kept me from going all the way to the cho, I watered some sedge near the tent.) Once again I paused to look up and see the stars and saw a couple of meteorites flash by. We had our usual breakfast of porridge, toast with blue band and peanut butter (Tanzania PB is SOOO good!) We left Shira plateau under cold but sunny skies and like a snake wound our way across that first ridge.
The trail was much flatter this morning; it almost seemed like one of the rare flat ridges in NH, we were completely above the trees. We were entering the desert zone; we still saw the dry white flowers (which seemed to grow out of sedge grass clumps) and a few small Erica shrubs.
All morning it was a steady mild uphill walk, no ups and downs like yesterday. We could now see the great Western Breach above Arrow Glacier but Lava tower was still hidden by a ridge. The area looked like canyon country to me, similar to that of Texas or Arizona. Jagged formations of lava rock spilled out the sides of the huge mountain. The scope of the mountain is hard to describe but I felt like an ant, it’s much bigger than any mountain I’ve ever seen. They say McKinley is huge too but I’ve never been there.
Mohamed set a good pace, by now he’d judged our fitness and was hiking at a rate that we could manage. We passed several groups, even the big British group. The sun again was BRUTAL! My floppy green hat served me well and kept most of the sun off my neck and face. The majesty of this great mountain unfolded as we gently rose over one ridge after another. The trail was well laid out so you could look around and soak it all in without falling flat on your face.
By 11:00am we arrived at lunch stop, a big black table rock…looked a little like pride rock in the movie “The Lion King.” We were there before any of the other groups and enjoyed lunch of grilled cheese, popcorn and passion drink in relative quiet. I’ve eaten my lunch above 14,000 feet before but never sitting in comfort at a table (with tablecloth) and a thermos of hot water and a freshly cooked grilled cheese!
Near Lava Dome at close to 15K
We left just as others were arriving. As we came around the corner, Lava tower came into view. The paths split, Mohamed explained that the one to the right was Porters route and we went left. We descended and then rose to our high point of the day, 4,600 meters (15,000 feet.) We relaxed for a good hour, Anne climbed part of the way up the dome of rock just playing and feeling great. I took pictures and like Fitz, just relaxed.
So far the elevation hadn’t affected us very much. I stupidly ate some ground nuts at Shira which had made me somewhat sick. I just can’t eat nuts at altitude! As I wrote, one of the hikers the previous evening had some symptoms of altitude sickness. It might’ve also been too much sun, they had looked pretty toasted that morning. Jeff said they’d slept well though thanks to the Tylenol.
From Lava tower we descended a long gradual slope into Barranco valley. Anne stopped and took lots of pictures, it was beautiful country. Fitz and I were patient with her, we enjoyed the leisurely descent. Senecio Kilimanjai grew here in abundance; they were a strange looking tree/shrub some 20 feet tall with spiky brown bark and leafy green tops. They were completely alien to the trees I’m used to back home. Some have described them as “Dr Seuss” cactus trees.
We took our time and arrived at camp around 4:30. Fitz went off to take a shower under a waterfall. I sat and wrote some and took in the huge imposing face of Kilimanjaro. The glaciers reached far down the mountain; we had a good view of Decken glacier and the Southern ice-field. Barranco wall rose steeply above us; we’d be climbing that tomorrow!
For now we rested at 12,959 feet, Fitz returned from his cold shower just before the sun set and we sat for dinner (fried eggplant and macaroni.) The sun seemed to sink allot quicker up in that valley and it got cold very quickly. Ginnie and Jeff who Anne had treated for sun exposure and altitude sickness the previous night finally arrived after dark. They seemed to be feeling better but she was clearly exhausted.
Today we began even earlier and soon ran into a traffic jam on Barranco wall. The large group from France had left just before us and there were a couple of tight spots, very steep where we couldn’t pass. Finally we did get around them and then had to wait as the porters quickly zipped by. We topped Barranco wall just after the group from England at 13,600 feet and barely paused at all. We felt great, very fit and strong. The trail descends a little into an unnamed valley at about 13,500 feet and gradually back up to a ridge that overlooks Karanga valley.
This was the day I’d read about, I knew what lay ahead and had planned for it. Our training in the White mountains of home had been long and strenuous to prepare physically. I’d climbed something like 14 different mountains that spring and summer for endurance. My two trips to Colorado in 2000 and 2001 also had prepared me for dealing with higher elevations. Fitz had climbed Africa's second highest peak, Mt Kenya 3 times and was very fit. I felt good about our summit chances.
We dropped steeply along a good trail losing about 600 feet in elevation. We arrived at lunch-stop first and surrendered our nearly empty bottles. It was the last place for reliable water; we’d fill them up and Sabi would boil it later. I had 2 bottles filled and hoped my last 1.5 liter of boiled water would last the afternoon. We ate lunch a little above a brook which cut Karanga valley in two. We were at 12,900 feet and I knew Barafu (ice) camp was at 4,600 meters (15,100 ft.) About 2,200 feet of elevation gain still lay ahead.
Lunch was great and we broke camp first again, other groups straggled in just as we left. We climbed Karanga wall fairly quickly and all of us felt strong as we scrambled up the 600 foot high barrier. We could see the trail ahead as it snaked up a long ridge. The landscape here was stark and barren, truly desert-like.
In the early afternoon we saw a bleached white skull and some bones that Mohamed said were Rhino. We were now above 14,000 feet, I couldn’t imagine a huge animal like that being up there. I’d heard there were some elephant bones up there (from the Imax film "Kilimanjaro") but Mohamed was sure they were Rhino.
By now it was pretty hot and we moved slowly, nobody was taking pictures and relaxing today. We topped that long ridge and then descended slightly into a small valley. Now we could see our final climb of the day, Barafu wall. My altimeter read 14,400 and I told Anne we were higher than the summit of Mt Lincoln in Colorado which we'd climbed in 2001.
I enjoyed a little bit of a rest as we climbed down but knew the final 600 feet of the day would be pretty hard. The wall was easy at first, no scrambling but it got steeper. A couple of places you had to use your hands like on Barranco wall. With our heads down we climbed the final parts and then started to go up the spine of the huge ridge. We saw campsites but not ours and continued on up and over the top of Barafu and then down to our small camp on its right flank.
It was an incredibly rugged place but somehow they found places for our tents between boulders and we all headed in to relax. Sabi came a half hour later so Fitz and I went to the mess tent to have some tea and Milo with the usual popcorn and biscuits. It seemed like there were even more tents here than at Barranco but most of the parties had yet to arrive. My altimeter was reading a bit low again at 14,920 but I didn’t bother to re-calibrate.
Anne headed to the tent but Fitz and I went to the mess tent. The hot sugary liquid tasted great, the popcorn was cold and unappealing as you can imagine. My stomach was a little unsettled but nothing I couldn’t handle.
We were tired but feeling good about our summit attempt at midnight. Anne got a little nap before supper which was pretty unappealing. Eating at 15K plus is not much fun. I suppose if we remained an extra day we would’ve been acclimatized to it. Mohamed came to brief us at dinner, said he was confident we’d all make it to Uhuru. He told us to be careful around camp; several had died from falls here. We seemed to be on the flatter side of the ridge and I didn’t plan on wandering around anyway.
At around 7pm we got into our sleeping bags and tried to get some sleep. In 4 hours we’d have to get up. I mostly lay down and rested, I tried to sleep but it was hard. Both Anne and Fitz had the same struggles. I made sure our boots were covered up and put most of my clothes in the bag to keep them warm. Sabi was there as promised at 11pm to make sure we were awake. We sloughed off our warm sleeping bags. Ugh, it was cold!
It took us nearly 40 minutes to get dressed. We all wore synthetics next to our skin then a layer of fleece followed by parka and thermal pants. Two pairs of fleece socks followed then two pairs of gloves, balaclava and hat. Putting our boots on was the last thing and then we emerged into total darkness. We looked up onto the ridge as a large group set off with headlamps blazing.
A thermos of hot chai was at the door of the tent and a plate of biscuits. We ate what we could. My stomach felt OK but I wasn’t about to push it. Just before midnight we headed off moving very slowly. It was cold, probably below freezing but we were comfortable enough. Once we reached the top of Barafu again we had to tackle a steeper section just beyond. The footing was great and we had no problems.
At around 1am we were at 15,500 feet, moving very slowly, not at all like the 1,000 feet an hour we do at home. By 2am my altimeter said 16,000 and we had passed several groups. We stopped so Anne could remove an extra layer, she was getting hot. I looked up and saw some of the groups that left at 11:30 well above us, their lamps were small dots on the mountainside.
At 3:30 we were trudging slowly, heads down, breathing hard and just pushing upward. Anne needed to stop; she was falling asleep on her feet. She resorted to talking to herself to try and stay awake, once or twice she stumbled and I had to grab onto her pack. It seemed to get colder the higher we climbed but we were comfortable enough. Mohamed decided to split the group, Fitz and I were doing OK and he suggested we join Lameik while he stayed with Anne.
I didn’t like the idea of leaving Anne, she was suffering at that point and needed every ounce of encouragement I could give her. So Fitz and Lameik went on ahead while I tried to get Anne to eat some chocolate and drink some water. My altimeter read 17,000 feet and I knew Stella point was at about 18,600 or so. At the pace we were going that meant about 6:30….we were moving much slower. The footing was gravelly, and it seemed to be getting steeper. My headlamp had winked out, instead of replacing the batteries I put on my backup lamp.
We passed a guide who was sitting with a German climber, he was crying softly. I’ll admit there was nothing I’d ever done that could prepare me for climbing up a steep slope in pitch black for hours and hours at high altitude. It played with your mind; it played terribly with Anne’s. That guide said 1-1/2 hours to Stella, it was 4:30am, perhaps her was trying to encourage his client. My altimeter said 17,600, I did the math, it was 2 hours at least.
By 4:45 Anne got very sick and nearly lost consciousness. She was staggering and we both had to grab her as she was falling and help her sit down. Less than an hour and a half to daylight but it was as black as pitch and the terrain ahead seemed to be steeper. I looked at Mohamed and then shined her flashlight into Anne’s eyes. She was terrified and saying something about dying on the mountain. Then she was violently sick and I knew her hike was over.
The German hiker and his guide were coming up behind us then. I told Mohamed we’d better get her down and he agreed. He said, “Why don’t you join up with this guide and I will take Anne down.” I’ll admit it was very tempting, my altimeter now said 17,800 feet and I could see one of the glaciers just off to our left. I felt fine, no headache, no nausea and my legs were still strong.
But I looked at Anne, she was scared and we’d have to climb down that scree slope in total darkness and I was worried she’d keep stumbling. So they left and in a minute or two we started down the mountain. She actually did better than I did coming down, my second headlamp failed and now we only had her Petzl lamp and Mohamed’s weak flashlight. At 5:15 we met one of the hikers in our group, Jeff. He was discouraged to see us coming down.
Anne said, “Why don’t you join Jeff and go ahead, I’m OK now.” But that half hour of climbing down in the dark had taken it’s toll on me, all I could think was climbing back up to reach the point where we turned back, could I do it? I didn’t want to slow him down. Again, most of this climb is mental and I will admit I was defeated by then. So he continued on up alone. By 5:30 we were moving quickly, Anne’s spirits lifted as we saw the brightening of the sky east over the spine of Mawenzi.
Below us we could see two bright lights, I thought they were camp but when Mohamed yelled something in Swahili I knew something was wrong. It was in his tone of his voice. He told us in English that somebody was heading down the wrong trail, that path ended at a cliff. We were surprised when we saw it was the woman Anne had helped days before and her guide.
She was leaning heavily on him and staggering by the time they climbed back up to the point where we were. I had one chocolate bar left and Anne took it and fed her some small pieces. We were at 16,500 ft and the sun was coming up. The sunrise was at 6:30, one of the most beautiful I have ever seen
We reached Barafu at 7:15am, Anne and I went to our tent and she fell asleep instantly. I stayed awake and wrote some about our night before blacking out myself. Sometime around 9am we woke, Fitz was getting into his tent. He and Lameik had been to the roof of Africa. We didn’t bother him with too many questions, they could wait, he needed sleep.
At noon they got us up and tried to feed us lunch. We ate sparingly but drank allot of tea and Milo and by 12 we were packed up for the hike down Mweka trail. We felt OK; Fitz was more tired of course. He described the 7 hours to Stella and then Uhuru as the hardest thing he had ever done (he’s climbed Mt Kenya 4 times.) He’d been sick just below Stella and had thoughts of turning back but Lameik had pushed him to continue on.
He told us of the cold and lack of oxygen and how at many points he was just dragging his feet to move on. He said reaching Uhuru was a huge relief, just took 10 pictures and then headed down. When he reached Stella point again he saw a hiker who was having trouble breathing and was being rushed down the mountain. Fitz said the trip down was easy from there; it only took 2-1/2 hours.The trip down Mweka from Barafu was also easy, the trail well placed and in great condition. We reached Mweka camp after descending over 4,000 feet. When we re-entered the upper jungle it was raining lightly which felt refreshing and cut some of the ever-present dust. It was about 5:30pm, we washed up and had our last dinner on the mountain. We all slept great that night.
Sabi woke us up; Mohamed had wanted to get an early start so we could sign out without having to wait too long. There was a large number of people at camp, we quickly ate breakfast and started down the mountain. It was a lighthearted walk out, we were happy to have spent 5-1/2 great days on Kilimanjaro. Hopefully I’ll be back to revisit the mountain again. The only bad thing about this last day was working our way past the people hawking every kind of t-shirt, stick knife, curio, etc. I don’t know how many times I said, “I don’t have any money!”
We signed out at the gate, didn’t have to wait too long and then we were off for Moshi and a hot shower and swim in the hotel pool. We spent the next two days at Lake Manyara and Ngorogoro National Parks, HIGHLY recommended!
I suppose as I sit here and write this I’ll always wonder if I should’ve joined Jeff early that morning after Anne felt better. I know I did the right thing in staying with Anne. No summit is worth your life, ever………….
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