Things To Expect Climbing Kilimanjaro
What To Expect Climbing Kilimanjaro?, One of Kilimanjaro’s main draw-cards is that you do not have to be a mountain climber to conquer it. You can be a secretary, farmer, Grade 10 learner, pensioner or a professional runner. Whoever you are, you do not need a single piece of mountain climbing equipment or any prior climbing experience to summit the highest mountain in Africa.
With smart hiking boots and determination, you can make it to the top.
But that’s by no means to say climbing this astonishing natural wonder will be a walk in the park. It is a grueling climb under often trying weather conditions, on uneven terrain while being exposed to the elements. But we can assure you that the sense of achievement and the view from the summit will be well worth all the hard work.
In the meantime, here’s what to know along the way.
Arriving
You will be welcomed at the small Kilimanjaro International Airport by Kilimanjaro-Experience drivers who take you to your hotel. There will be a thorough pre-climbing briefing by one of our operations managers or climbing coordinator and Kilimanjaro-Experience’s team will check your gear to see whether you are sufficiently equipped with what you have or if you need to rent anything from us. Arriving at least a day before the climb will ensure enough time for the briefing, getting equipment in order and a good night’s sleep.
Your group on What To Expect Climbing Kilimanjaro
There are scheduled group departures every Friday, and scheduled departures on Lemosho route every other Thursday. Kilimanjaro-Experience also offers treks on other days of the week, for private or larger groups or for tailor-made routes.
A ‘scheduled departure’ is a confirmed departure date for a specific route with, on average, between five and ten people. This is the most economical option and also a good way to meet and bond with new people. If you want to be on your own – just you and a partner or your family – it is best to book a private departure. Then you trek in your own time and will not be mixed with other hikers.
You might want to book a trip up Kilimanjaro for a company, as a team building adventure, or for charity or fund-raising purposes. We would arrange this as private tour. Your group can consist of a minimum of one person up to groups of 35 to 100.
Kilimanjaro-Experience offers scheduled group departures for Marangu, Lemosho and Machame routes and can guide private groups on any of the other routes.
On the mountain (What To Expect Climbing Kilimanjaro)
There are no hotels on Mount Kilimanjaro. There are no cable cars to the top, no paved paths and no running water.
For people who have no camping experience, it might be a new adventure to sleep in tents on sleeping mats and in sleeping bags. Only on the Marangu route will you stay in fixed huts. However, the other routes are camping routes and porters will set up the tents before you arrive at the next campsite. In fact, porters carry the bulk of the heavy stuff, not only tents.
There are no taps or flush toilets. It can be wild and wonderful to wash your face in a pan of warm water, ‘bath’ with wet wipes and keep your balance at the long drop toilets.
You can await for severe variations in temperature. Be prepared for hot and humid conditions in the forests and for below-freezing conditions, ice rain and wind at the higher altitudes. You should wear thermal underwear and hiking boots, warm thick gloves and good quality, thermal socks.
Five Distinct climate zones on the Kilimanjaro mountain.
In total, you will pass through five different climate zones on the mountain, including lush rain forest, low moorland, alpine desert and the famous arctic summit. Kilimanjaro is feted for its incredible biodiversity.
Some routes up to the summit are more remote and less frequented, but the most popular routes can be busy and you will certainly see other groups along the way and at camp. Having said that, it’s a big mountain and it never feels too crowded.
Your body might do strange things. The altitude will can put stress on all your systems and you might doubt your sanity in attempting this stupendous daring exercise. It might be too cold to change clothes or wash. Your head might hurt on summit night and your lungs will yearn for oxygen or a cigarette. You will have to walk very slowly, keeping a slow rhythm.
“Pole pole”, slowly slowly, as they assert here in African nation.
This will be your mountain mantra.
Breathe and carry on. Slowly. It will be worth it.
We recommend to bring your own sleeping bag, though they can be rented from us if necessary. We ensure our bags are washed (and dried) after each trip. If you bring your own sleeping bag make sure it is suitable for temperatures of -12°C or less or bring an inner for extra warmth.
Sturdy three-person tents and sleeping mats are supplied and included in our rate. We use the three-person tents for two people only so as to allow plenty of space for your gear and a good night’s sleep after a long day. Porters will set up the tents and you will arrive at your overnight stop with tents ready. Kilimanjaro-Experience use mostly VAUDE tents.
Eating and drinking
Porters and cooks carry all catering supplies and food. You can bring your own snacks. This is advised to help combat fatigue and symptoms of altitude sickness. High sugar, high fat and high energy snacks are best, such as chocolate bars, energy bars, peanuts and biscuits. We recommend you bring at least two snacks for each day spent on the mountain.
You will eat well. All meals are catered for by cooks and porters who carry utensils, pots, food and gear. You will drink well. Porters will fetch water from streams whereafter it is filtered and boiled to purify and served as tea, coffee or hot chocolate. You will have to drink at least three liters of water a day to stay hydrated enough to reduce symptoms of altitude sickness.Cold drinking water for the day will also be provided by the porters each morning.
For breakfast you will be served eggs, sausages, porridge and bread. Extras include jam, peanut butter and margarine. Lunch is usually a packed affair including a boiled egg, a sandwich or roll, a piece of chicken, biscuits, fresh fruit and a carton of juice. Supper is a hot meal consisting of soup, meat, vegetables, starch and fruit. We provide a mess tent with table, chairs and proper cutlery. We don’t serve alcohol but every meal is accompanied by tea, coffee and hot chocolate. Vegetarians and those with food allergies can be catered for with advance notice; we can cater also for Kosher and Halal diets. A designated waiter and his assistant will cater to all your needs at meal times.
Ablutions
There are no showers on Kilimanjaro and the water in the streams is refreshingly cold. Each morning and evening you will be provided with some warm water to wash your face and hands. The toilets are very basic. These ‘long drop’ toilets are housed in wooden structures at each campsite. On private departures on camping routes, mobile toilets are included in the cost. Toilet paper and wet wipes are essential for personal hygiene.
WAKE UP AROUND MIDNIGHT
sunrise-summit day Summit day begins the night before. You start with an early dinner and go to sleep early. You will wake up around midnight to prepare for the summit attempt. After a light snack, your ascent will begin. The summit day is a tough, 11 to 16 hour day of hiking. This difficult feat is what makes climbing Kilimanjaro a monumental achievement. The guides—based on how the group has climbed so far—time their trekking party to reach Stella Point near sunrise. That means you will be hiking in the cold, and possibly windy, darkness for at least 6 hours. These climbing conditions are extremely difficult, especially in the dark as you make your way up a very steep slope on loose rock.
STELLA POINT
Stella-point After several hours, you will reach Stella Point.
There is a symbol visible from many meters away, you’ll want to focus on it despite your burning legs and light-headedness.
Don’t worry, it is easier after this push. Once you reach Stella Point. you can take a break and take in the stunning views. You are standing on the edge of the crater and have 360° views of the mountain, Mt. Mawenzi, Mt. Meru and the rain-forest clouds below you.
ALMOST THERE (What To Expect Climbing Kilimanjaro)
summit of Kilimanjaro From here you only have 40-60 minutes left to the summit. The trail is much more gradual from this point on. You will pass by the majestic Southern Ice-fields and will have amazing views of the glaciers. And finally, once you reach the summit, a short time is spent celebrating and taking photos, before returning to high camp, either Barafu or Kibo Hut.
There, you eat lunch and regain your strength before continued the descent to a far lower camp.
The long descent immediately following the summit is where most people feel very tired. This is due to the partial night’s sleep, the energy required to reach the top and the long distance covered that day. This fatigue is completely normal.
UNABLE TO SUMMIT (What To Expect Climbing Kilimanjaro)
In addition, it is common that during the trek, someone may have to turn around on the mountain due to altitude sickness, exhaustion or a variety of other issues.
Each cluster can have a lead guide, variety of assistant guides counting on the party size, and lead porters—all of whom are able to escort climbers down.
If a person cannot continue the ascent, one of the staff members will accompany this climber back down while the lead guide continues on schedule with the rest of the party to the summit. Renting ALTOX can help prevent Altitude sickness.
You Will Hike Very, Very Slow (What To Expect Climbing Kilimanjaro)
“Pole, pole,” they will say. That means, “slow, slow,” in Swahili.
For speed-freak hikers like ME, it can be torturous to trek like a tortoise.
But honestly, it is for the best.
At the slow pace we tend to hiked, for the first few days on the mountain, I barely even broke a sweat.
I was ne’er exhausted and ne’er out of breath.
That all modified on summit morning, but altitude is a different story.
In general, before that, it was easy! And I think the guides know that.
They want it to be easy for you when you start out. Not only will going slow give you more time to acclimatize, but it will conserve your energy and give you a much better chance at successfully reaching the summit. Along the way, you’ll also have your heart rate and oxygen saturation levels checked with an oximeter.
Going slow can facilitate keep each of those numbers wherever you would like them to be.
Kilimanjaro-camp-1
So prepare to take it slow. “Pole, pole.” (What To Expect Climbing Kilimanjaro)
You Will be Pampered
Every climb I’ve ever done previous had been self-supported.
Just some friends and that i with crazy plans, unwavering optimism, and pure determination.
No guides and no porters. This time was different. Way different!
You can’t climb Kilimanjaro while not going with a target-hunting expedition company.
That is unless you’ve got Red Bull or sort cutting through the procedure to offer you special permission to speed-climb to the highest and avalanche it
in a Zorb ball or something. Generally, you will go with a guide company. It’s a good thing really.
The mountain is healthier controlled and stays abundant cleaner that method.
And these guys have it dialed in!
What a crazy expertise it had been having most taken care of on behalf of me on the mountain tho’.
Literally, all I had to deem was sleeping and hiking.
The rest? Done.
Kilimanjaro-picnic
Round the corner on a path and a picnic table awaits, complete with tablecloth, place settings, sandwiches, and avocado salad.
At 6:30 AM we’d be woken up to steamy hot mugs filled with ginger tea. At every camp we arrived to, our tents, sleeping pads, duffel bags, and even a personal camp toilet had already been set up.
We’d leave camp, the porters would break it all down, they’d hike past us along the way, and it would all be set and ready by the time we got to the next camp!
I don’t grasp if each rise team received this level of support, or if it was just the crew from Miyar Adventures that rocked, but either way, it was an
amazing, and humbling experience.
I’m not complaining, but it felt very strange to be waited on so much in the mountains.
If I were hiking past ME, I’d be making fun of me.
And that’s not to say it’s not hard. It is!
But simply while not having to fret concerning the expedition supplying, it’s definitely easier.
Also, on a aspect note, bring way fewer snacks than you think you’d need!
If you’re used to packing your own food for climbs, you’re bound to bring too much.
The porter ready meals area unit therefore substantial that I solely had perhaps one Clif Bar every day otherwise whereas hiking between breakfast and lunch.
Take The Time To Learn
You’ll have a lot of time hiking. Use it to learn about everything! There’s no better way to pass time on the trail than asking questions, trading stories, and getting to know the people and place better.
Learn about your expedition mates if you didn’t apprehend them before the trek.
Ask questions and get to know your guides. How long has he been guiding for? Was he a porter prior? How many times has he been to the top? What is his family like? What motivates him and what are his future aspirations?
Our head guide, Aaron, had been trekking Kilimanjaro for 20 years and has reached the summit over 200 times, while assistant guide, Sunday, is also a Pastor and has dreams of climbing Everest without oxygen support. They appreciate being able to share their stories.
Learn about the mountain, its history, its six unique biomes.
The mountain flora that you’ll notice obscurity else within the world.
And learn Swahili too! That was my favorite part of every single day actually. Talking with Sunday and practicing words and phrases so that I could better communicate with the porters and other guides, not only from our group, but those we would pass along the way.
They’ll have a blast teaching and you’ll crack up making an attempt to find out it.
This was one in all the items that brought United States of America a lot of a lot of nearer with our ascent support team.
Kilimanjaro-miyar-fullteam
A favorite response to “how are you” in Swahili had to be “poa kichizi kama ndizi” – or, “cool and crazy like a banana.” It’s such a fun rhythmic language!
Don’t Forget…
I won’t go too deep into what to bring or to not bring as a result of I denote the complete packing list before feat for ascent Kilimanjaro…
kili-bags-packed
But! These are the definite things you DO NOT want to forget.
Solar charger – a requirement ought to keep the cameras operating.
Sunscreen – whereas your stuff is charging, make sure you’re not burning!
Sun hat – I forgot mine and had to grab one in city.
It was solely $5 from a present look however 100% price loads more!
Down jacket – The temperature swings on Mount Kilimanjaro Ar pretty brutal.
It gets very, very cold at night.
Make sure you’ve endowed in a very sensible down windbreaker.
Advil PM – This is a favorite of mine for high-altitude climbs because not only is Ibuprofen helpful with altitude related aches and pains, the PM part is basically sleep insurance.
And sensible sleep is crucial to a made climb!
Thermos – Yeah don’t just bring a Nalgene bottle. A thermos in addition is very helpful.
You’ll be drinking loads of tea, and sometimes will be too lazy to purify your water with tabs, so you just want to fill up on the boiled stuff.
Journal w/Pen – I forgot this too and grabbed one in the town of Moshi. Good to be able to scribble thoughts during your down time.
Like most of this diary post here, which was written at Shira Cave Camp.
Chapstick – Don’t let your lips fry and crack! It’s so damn dry up there…
Bandana – Failure for me.
I had a cap however that was solely sensible for the cold summit morning.
On most of the opposite days, it’s hot and you’re trekking through an alpine desert.
The dirt and dust that stirs up across the mountain is just unbelievable. And like me, without a bandana, you’ll be coughing for weeks after inhaling all of that.
Hard candies – Ethan brought these and that they were clutch on summit morning!
Anything from Jolly Ranchers to Werther’s to suck on can assist you on the ultimate climb.
It helps moisten your mouth when you’re breathing the cold, thin, dry air, gives you something else to concentrate on, and also provides a tiny boost of energy too.
What To Expect Climbing Kilimanjaro?
