Kilimanjaro Trek

KILIMANJARO Roof Of Africa

Highest peak in Africa Highest free standing mountain in the world

Kibo Crater 1.5 miles wide Stratovolcano at 3°4’ S, 37°21’ E

7 day climb 5 day ascent to 4600m (2 days with no height gain) Summit on day 6 Descent on day 7, back to hotel pm

Uhuru Peak – 5895m

7 days, 120 kms, 5 habitats 4157 metres total ascent for climbers

Kilimanjaro has lost most of it’s iconic snows but it still has permanent icefields on the summit

Moshi town is the starting place, forty minutes from Kilimanjaro airport.

The mountain is visible from everywhere.

Breakfast view of Kilimanjaro From Keys Annexe Hotel

In the hotel grounds there are separate buildings each with 6 rooms.

TV, AC, wifi as standard. Swimming pool.

Secure compound with central courtyard for meals and large gardens.

Morning departure at 8am.

1.5 hour drive through cultivated farmland to the park gate.

Signing in at the gate.

Main bags carried by porters.

Porters have a maximum load of 18 kgs which they carry on their head.

Make sure your bags are waterproof.

Day 1 Park Gate to Machame Camp Through montane forest 5 hours Easy path Ascending to around 3000m

Mostly Tshirts, shorts.

It’s a warm walk.

2 person tents supplied with mattresses.

Bags go in the ‘porch’.

Day 2 Machame Camp to Shira Plateau 3850m Still in the forest, moving onto more open ground – 6 hours.

Fairly steep uphill for first 2 hours, then easy gradient.

Open forest, alpine heath

Clear views of the central massif of the mountain.

Our route circles the base of this massif all the way round to the other side.

This ‘sleep low’ approach is the key to success and low chance of altitude sickness.

Shira Camp on day 2 is a volcanic plain, quite a lot colder than in the forest.

Mera Peak in the distance is the only other mountain in the area.

This famous face was first climbed by world renowned mountaineer Reinhold Messner in the 1960s.

It is now closed because the retreat of the glaciers has caused the rock to become loose and dangerous

Day 3

Shira Plateau to Barranco Hut (3950m) via Lava Tower

High alpine desert; open ground, more exposed, colder – 6 hours Net ascent only 100m; but going up and down is good for acclimatisation

Barranco Camp – Day 3 3950m

Day 4 Barranco Camp to Karanga Valley (3900m) 4 hours, no net height gain Rocky terrain Climb the ‘Barranco Wall’, Followed by crossing two valleys

Mostly easy scrambling at altitude, depends on the weather.

These giant lobelia are common on Kilimanjaro but the lack of water now means that plant life is gradually failing.

Waterfalls like this one are now few and far between.

Karanga Valley Camp, 3900m

Day 5 – Karanga Valley Camp to Barafu Camp (4600m) Easy open ground, higher altitude, 4 hours

On a good day it can still be warm enough for shorts, but expect this to be cold enough for fleeces and shells.

Barafu Camp, 4600m

Final camp before the summit.

Barafu means ‘ice’; there is none now, but it’s still cold.

Here it is vital to rest and rehydrate for the next day.

Camping is much harder here and the altitude is high.

From here the summit is still another vertical ascent of 1295 metres.

Day 6 – early start at midnight for the summit 4600m up to 5895m and all the way down to 3300m

Steady ascent on open rock and scree, this is a 12 hour day Half of it is in the dark so bring headtorches.

It is very cold and often icy underfoot so warm clothing is essential.

The path is not difficult or precipitous but it will be hard going and challenging.

The test is one of personal willpower and also team play.

Reaching the Crater rim or ‘Stella Point’ – 5795m

Looking across to the Summit 5895m

Remaining permanent glaciers on the crater

2005 1990on onthe thecrater crater

Final 100 metres to the top

From the summit, view across the Rebmann Glacier Meru Peak in the background

Millennium Camp – 3300m From the summit it’s a 5 hour descent down to the forest line again.

Day 7 – Millennium Camp to Park Gate, 4 hours Normally arrive at hotel by mid-afternoon.

All our staff work solely for Adventure Alternative and are well paid and given training in first aid and specifically high altitude medicine.

Castro Capelo AA operations manager Moshi

Meals are fresh every day, sometimes outdoors but also in mess tents.

The company in Tanzania has now been established since 2001 and we still have the same staff.

Code of Conduct •We have first hand knowledge of living standards on the ground and provide acceptable wages for the job.

•We also provide for our staff food, accommodation, equipment, insurance & mountain training and first aid certificates.

•We have provided nearly twenty years of financial investment in the local company in Tanzania

= Corporate integrity Responsible tourism Host country development

Flight to 1) Kilimanjaro Int Airport or 2) Nairobi & 6 hour coach.

Visa – bought on arrival or beforehand from Tanzanian Embassy.

Hotel - Keys Annexe, Moshi

Additional costs: Flights to Tanzania Travel insurance Tips – around £60 per person given to Castro in local currency Meals and personal expenses in Moshi Visa - $50 - $100 depending Travel to/from airport unless previously agreed ATM in Moshi – Visa, Mastercard Hotel takes credit cards Mobiles work with roaming on the mountain, but no data First aid kit on mountain with guides Trekking kit is for hire through our website or locally

Trip of a Lifetime