dossier
Kilimanjaro Ascent
The Set Up
Both these compact Kili tours canbe booked up for virtually any date that you want to travel (we advise againstApril to mid June due to the wet season). As long as there are two or more ofyou then all you need to do is get your gear together (list provided in our pre-departureinfo), book flights, get a Tanzanian Visa, Yellow Fever jab (and any others youmay need), take out insurance and take out with you the US $475 park feesneeded when you enter the Kilimanjaro National Park. Then all you have to do ismake sure that you have some fitness for this big mountain and to enjoyyourself!
How the Trekking is Organized
On trek you should expect to carrya daypack containing your immediate needs. Porters will carry the main luggage,food, and cooking and camping equipment. Accommodation while on trek is in twoperson tents. Normally you will start fairly early and after breakfast theporters scurry on ahead very rapidly (they are well acclimatized!). You will begiven a packed lunch and then you will walk with your guide to the nextlocation, where the tent should already be erected. You then will usually begiven soft drinks and soon the main, cooked meal will be served. Peoplenormally retire at dusk after the guide has explained what will happen thefollowing day.
Grade D
This trek encounters considerableextremes of both altitude and temperature and is thus graded D. Many people whoattempt Kilimanjaro fail to reach the summit due either to lack of physicalpreparation or because they cannot adapt quickly enough to the altitude. This10-day tour is about the shortest length of time that you really could hope toenjoy the tour and to avoid the more serious effects of altitude. After yourlong flight into Tanzania there is an acclimatization day on arrival and thenthere is an “easy-ish” day to start on both tours. However, as on any highaltitude trek, there can be no guarantee that you will not have acclimatizationproblems. If you experience adverse effects to altitude, you will have todescend and remain at a lower altitude until recovery. In the interests of safety and your wellbeing, you should talk to the guide if you are feeling poorly. This trek ismost likely to be enjoyed by those who already have had some high mountainwalking experience. You have a much greater chance of success on the mountainby going slowly but steadily!
Our Base - Springlands Hotel
Our safaris and mountain climbs inNorthern Tanzania are based at “Springlands”, our hotel near Moshi. This is asmall modern, family-run hotel located just outside of town. It has pleasantgardens; fine views of Kilimanjaro and a pleasant covered dining area in thegardens. There is also an indoor restaurant and small bar. En-suiteaccommodation is available in the main building with showers, mosquito mesh inthe windows, fans and very clean borehole water. A large swimming pool has beenrecently completed together with a new dining area. If you have some spare timein the hotel we recommend a morning guided walk in the nearby forests wherethere are many troops of monkeys to be seen including Vervet and the lesscommon black and white colobus monkey. A wide variety of bird life is also tobe seen on this walk.
Before you arrive all transport,guides, porters, huts or camping and all food necessary for your climb orsafari are arranged by the hotel and are inclusive in the cost (lunches, excepton trek are not included). The hotel staff will brief you before you depart foryour trip. All that remains for you to do is enjoy it!
Climate
Weather in the high mountains isnever totally predictable and East Africa is no exception especially as it hastwo wet and two dry seasons per year. The best seasons are mid December -February and mid June to September. You can do this tour anytime of year, butwe would advise against April to mid June, as this is the period of LongRains. October to mid December is theperiod of short rains and the trail can be slippery under such conditions. Thenights on trek will be cool to cold (below freezing higher on the mountain) anddays cool to warm. UV is very strong at all times. On the Summit day a veryearly start can be expected and although this is steep, the traverse betweenStella point and the actual summit of Uhuru peak is exposed to winds which arebelow freezing, often –10 C to –25 C with wind chill; so good warm walking gearis essential. Driving up towards Kilimanjaro across the plains and in the gameparks it can be quite hot (up in the 30s C/90s F).
Equipment & Clothing
All communal camping and cookingequipment is provided. Each person mustprovide their own sleeping bag (suitable for 3- 4 seasons use) and personalequipment. This should be of high quality, especially the sleeping bag, warmclothing and boots of at least 3-season grade (plastic boots, crampons and Iceaxe are not required under normal conditions, but ski poles will be useful andthere is no harm in bringing a walking axe if you have one, but it willnormally be of limited use). A detailed list of recommended clothing andequipment will be sent to each member shortly after confirmation ofbooking.
What’s Included
All road transportation asspecified in the itinerary. Bed and breakfast and dinner (half board) accommodationat Springlands; (ie: Lunches are not included) all meals when on trek; servicesof guides, cook and porters, when out on trek; transfers to/from the mountaingate. (The tour price is based on a Land Only package but FlightsLondon/Kilimanjaro International return can be arranged on request, pricesdepend on both the time of year and the operator involved).
Not Included
Drinks, bottled water, clothing orhire of any equipment, tips, personal toiletry requirements, insurance and allitems of a personal nature Passport, insurance, visas, immunization fees,airport taxes (allow $20 for the taxes).
Tipping: Porters and guides on Meruand Kilimanjaro see tipping as a very important part of their income, althoughwe admit that this situation can be awkward, especially if you do not come froma tipping environment, it has become part of the culture and can lead toawkward scenes if too little is paid. Part of the problem has been expectationfuelled by the excessive one off tips given by some walkers filled witheuphoria having completed the climb! Tipping is at your discretion, but theadvice is currently $5 (US) per day for each porter per group and more for theguide + cook. On this basis each porter will get around $35, a guide / cookanything up to $50. This may seem excessive, but divided between two or morepeople it is not too bad especially if the staff have done a good job. You willhave at least the satisfaction of seeing the money hopefully going into thelocal economy. Most of the porters especially will have ‘shambas’, or smallpeasant holdings, where they will farm during the low season, or when illnessor other reasons keeps them away from the mountain. It is sobering to realizethat although some of the guides do quite well out of the industry (as long astheir health holds) most of the porters do not earn a cash income for longperiods during the year and although if they have ‘Shambas’ they will be selfsufficient to a degree, life is still hard!
Books & Maps
Lonely Planet guide to “Trekking inEast Africa,” by David Else. A well researched, well written book whichincludes a wealth of practical information on walking in E. Africa includingtopographical maps and plenty of background information on the countries. Highly recommended.
“East African InternationalMountain Guide”, by A. Wielochowski. Though the emphasis is on climbing, thisauthoritative guidebook contains valuable information for trekkers.
“East Africa”, by J.R.Yogerst. Anexcellent overall guide from Lonely Planet.
There are also the Climbers “Guideto Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro,” by Ian Allen, which contains notes on thewalks as well as climbing. This is a neat little momento being pocket sizedwith a weather resistant cover. This is printed by the Mountain Club Of Kenya.
You can also purchase a map toKilimanjaro, originally by Mark Savage should be available from Stanfords ofCovent Garden, London or Cordee.
Outline Itinerary
This itinerary is intended as aworking guide only and may be subject to variation as a result of localconditions, weather and how you make progress.
We reserve the right to alter (lengthen or shorten) any trek at any time.
Day 1: Arrive Kilimanjaro Airport, Tanzania. Flighttimes vary depending on the operator.
Day 2: Arrival at Kilimanjaro International airport and transfer over toour hotel for two nights irrespective of whether you arrived in the evening ofDay 1 or the morning of day 2 (depending on the airline), for a rest and aacclimatization day. There is a pool, restaurant, bar and some woodland walks.
Day 3: A 45 min drive through to Machame village and then on to the National Park Gate to handover your your Park fees (unless already requested at the hotel). Parkformalities dispensed with it is about 5 hours walking today. Porters will beseen arranging their packs containing food, water, firewood and otherequipment. Make sure you have all your daypack items with you because theporters travel fast. The guides will assist with any additional informationthat you need. From the park gate, there is a wonderful walk up through therain forest on a winding trail to the first hut which is located at 3048m. Continue onto the Machame hut. Wherewe make camp, rest, enjoy our dinner and overnight (3100 m).
Day 4: (About 4 hours walking) after breakfast we leave the lastof the rain forest behind and ascend, walking along a steep rocky ridge,covered with heather to the ridge end. We then turn west into a river gorge andonto the Shira Hut campsite, dinner and camp. (3840m).
Day 5: (About6 hours walking) From the ShiraPlateau we continue to the East then our direction changes to South Easttowards the Lava Tower, called ‘The Shark’s Tooth.’ Shortly after the tower, wecome to a junction, which brings us up to the arrow glacier. We reach analtitude of 4876 m. But to aid acclimatization we now continue down to theBarranco hut at an altitude of 3950 m here we rest, dine and camp.
Day 6: (About 8 hours walking) After breakfast we leave theBarranco hut and continue on a steep ridge passing the Barranco wall passingthrough the Karanga valley and the junction which connects with the Mwekatrail. We continue to the Barafu hut which is located at an altitude of (4600m) Here we make camp, rest, enjoy dinner and overnight.
Day 7: (about 11 hours walking, thehardest day) Early morning start to make the most of walking steeply over frozen volcanic screes.And to get you to the summit for the sunrise; we continue our ascent to StellaPoint (5745 m) between the Rebmann and Ratzal glaciers. The last section beforethe rim can sometimes be snow-covered and a ski pole or an ice-axe, is usefulfor balance, on our way to the summit (Uhuru Peak 5895 m, this part of theclimb takes about 6 hours) We have now reached the highest point in Africa,giving fine views of Kilimanjaro’s crater, stepped glaciers and Mount Meru.Mount Kenya may appear as a black pimple far to the north. From the summit wenow make our descent continuing straight down to the Mweka hut campsite (3100m). This part of the descent takes about 5 hours. Later in the evening we haveour last dinner on the mountain and a well-earned sleep.
Day 8: After breakfast continue the descent down to the MwekaPark gate and then drive back to Moshi and transfer to the hotel. Night andevening meal at the Springlands Hotel (you maybe forgiven for drinking too muchin celebration!).
Day 9: After Breakfast or lunch(depending on the time of flight departure) transfer to KilimanjaroInternational Airport for departure.
SafariExtension
After the climb, there is the opportunityof a wildlife safari tour extension.Here there is the possibility of viewing the big five and many other species. Ask for Dossier ASF.
Health Matters & Documents
You should carry a reasonablycomprehensive medical kit with you as the First Aid supplies on the mountainsmay be a limited, we don’t mean things like traction splints, but basicdressings (including burns dressing), Asprin, Ibuprufin, antihistamine cream ortablets, antiseptic cream, skin closures, Iodine Tincture solution and yourMalaria tablets. You do need to have a valid certificate of vaccination forYellow Fever, but this is rarely checked.