Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro Day 1

When you plan to climb mount Kilimanjaro, you plan to do a trip of a lifetime. Many can only dream to achieve this remarkable journey.

Peter Leonard and Daniela Radley hiked up Mount Kilimanjaro in late December 2008.

The first thing Dani said to me whilst giving me the run down for this article, is that you need to travel in the shoes that you will be climbing with.

Dani mentioned that if you loose your luggage en route, its the shoes that you will not be able to replace. Everything else is replacable.

The Jouney before the climb:

Dani and Peter took the train from Cape Town station to Johannesburg. They said it was an awesome thing to do and comes highly recommended. (celebrated the entire 2 days travelling to johies)



Then they flew from Johannesburg in South Africa, to Tanzania. (loads of celebration took place on the flight)



A toyota hi-ace bus is the standard form of taxi transport, which takes you direct to your hotel.



Once the two travellers checked in, they head straight for the bar and enjoyed a local beer. Celebrating their arrival. (Pisscats actually, but we will keep it low-key! - Ed.)



Dani mentioned that the accommodation was not as good as they were promised.



Meeting the guides and one other travel partner:
(from left to right:)
Stuart Hoy (hiker), Elipokea Mosha (guide), Peter Leonard (hiker), Frank Malisa (guide) and Daniela Radley (hiker).



After spending one night in the hotel, they headed towards the challenging mountain. Which by the way, they had still not seen. It was covered in clouds almost all the time.



Day 1 officially starts at dawn with a bus drive from Moshi to the Machame village (1500m).



This board explains the estimated times of arrival from one point on the route to another.



Once the porters, guides and hikers are ready, they head up onto the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.



The first part of the hike is a long walk through a very dense rain forest.



Soon the hikers go above and outside the rain forest ...




Late that afternoon the party arrived at the Machame Hut (3000m). The porters errect the tents, provide some hot water for a washing up, and start preparing supper.




Soon the temperature starts to drop below freezing.



Dani and Peter were pleasantly suprised by the awesome meals which were prepared for them throughout the duration of this trip.



(Day 2 soon to follow...)

Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro Day 2

Early am at Machame Hut (3 000m). Its cold and the porters are preparing for breakfast and the meals of the day.

Most of the path on this route is in good condition with occassional rock scambling.

Video of Shira Camp:

The temperature drops to below freezing at night and sleeping becomes more uncomfortable.

Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro Day 3

Its not often that the hikers can see the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro because of the endless misty cloud cover...

Here Dani gets a glimps of the peak early on the morning day 3 from the Shira Hut / Camp (3 840m)



After breakfast the hikers set of for a 6 hour hike to Barranco Hut (3 950m). This next camp is only 100m difference in altitude, but for the hikers to acclimatise they have to hike up to the Lava Tower (4 600m) to get their bodies prepared for the altitude changes in the next 2 days.






Video: After leaving Shira Hut, the hikers reach Shira Plateau (3 950m)

Video: Getting closer to Lava Tower...

The Barranco Hut is located in a valley below the Lava Tower.

These giant plants create dense forests so high up on the mountain. The leaves are designed to not fall off, but rather just collapse ontop of one another to protect the bark from the extreme temperatures.

Video: Arriving at Barranco Camp (3 950m)

Peter said that he felt snug like a bug in a rug with his First Ascent sleeping bag and it comes highly recommended.

After supper the hikers head for the comfort of their warm bedding and their second last night ontop of the Kilimanjaro mountain.

Hiking Mount Kilimanjaro Day 4

This is the second last morning for the hikers and they have a very steep hike ahead of them (having to climb the Barranco wall).



Video: Early morning of day 4 at Barranco Camp (3 950m)


This is Peter commenting on the unusable frozen face cloths. Bathing on this hike is a luxury not many dare to attempt. Wet wipes and face clothes is about as good as its gonna get.






The almost verticle Barranco Wall takes you up to about 4 200m.

After reaching the top of the Barranco Wall, the hikers descend down into Karranga Valley.

The Karranga Valley is the last possible stop for fresh water. Hikers are urged to fill up here and ensure they have enough water for the rest of their trip to the summit.



Its vitally important that the hikers continue to drink no less than 3 to 4 litres of water per day. This helps to keep the right amount of oxygen in the bloodstream and therefor avoiding the dreaded altitude sickness.

Dani took this picture to remind herself of the difficult slate rock which she had to climb over on this route.




Video: climbing up to Barafu Hut (4 600m)

Video: Barafu Hut (4 600m)... Peter shows us the views from the camp and the route for the last part of the climb.

Next step, get to bed very early, and start the final climb at midnight ...

Hiking Kilimanjaro Day 5

This is by far the most difficult part of the climb. The hikers wake up at midnight to start the climb. They have a special summit pack and leave the rest of their gear behind at the camp.

The temperature is extremely cold and the air very thin. The altitude causes for head aches, servere shortness of breath and nausia.

Hikers walk on tiny step at a time. Like they would say in swahili: "pole pole"



The first award for this momentus morning, is the most beautiful sunrise you have ever seen!



The time you spend on Uhuru Peak will depend on the weather conditions. More often, the hikers spend an average of 30min here, before they head back down again.






Video: At the top of Mount Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak 5 895m)

The route back down is almost a straight path. Descending from this ultitude in one day is not a problem for the body to adjust to at all.



The hikers return to their camp, collect their gear and head straight down as quick as they can. One needs to be prepared for wet conditions when you go back down through the rain forrest.



A very proud moment for Peter and Dani, receiving their official certificates for reaching the summit!

Well done to both of you and thank you for sharing your awesome experience with us!