Dear
readers,
The
Kilimanjaro is with 5895 meters above sea level the highest mountain in Africa and
the highest free standing mountain in the world. Around the city Moshi a lot of
tourists gather to pursue their goal on climbing to the roof of Africa. I have
to say that it was never a dream of mine or something that I once wrote on my
bucket list. I like hiking in general but it had never occurred to me to climb
the Kilimanjaro before this summer. A week before I left for Tansania I already
started riffling through some hiking experiences of the Kilimanjaro in general.
In most blogs people account of their long term preparations, special training
programs, the gigantic costs of up to 6000 dollars and huge checklists what to
buy before this adventure. At that point I was not quite sure if it would be
possible to do this track without preparation of any kind. After some
consideration I decided to book nothing in advance, buy no equipment at all and
gather my own impressions in regards to the pricing once I reached Moshi.
Picking a
proper tour operator:
I read in
an article that up to 90 % of all the Kilimanjaro tours are booked overseas.
That basically means that a big chunk of the money that is spend goes directly
to the companies that resemble the middle man in that deal and often are
located outside of Tansania. Most of them offer a complete package that includes
accommodation, transfers and flights. It is self explanatory that these
packages can mount up to high digits and do not constitute the most cost
effective version.
I can only
recommend that if you can afford a day or two (which is perfect for
acclimatization anyhow) to arrange everything from Moshi (1 hour drive from the
Kilimanjaro airport). The multitude of companies on site is enormous. The
Kilimanjaro is the biggest attraction in Moshi and there will always be a
company that can arrange the whole adventure within one or two days.
What is a
proper price?
I went up
and down the Kilimanjaro in a total of 6 days. I idiotically booked for 7 days
without realizing that the 7th day is not an additional day for
acclimatization on the way up but is actually for a stop on the way back down,
which wouldn’t have been helpful for me at all. Once I was up on the mountain
all I wanted and especially needed was to go down as fast as possible.
It is important
to know that the entry fees of the park alone surmount to 825 dollar for 6
days. Additional costs include the salaries for the crew and money for the
food. It is also necessary to know that tips for the whole crew is expected and
in any case desperately needed.
Due to the
history of exploitation, especially in regards to the porters (people that
carry the entire equipment – up to 30-40 kg each) there are official programs put
in place that look after fair treatment as well as working conditions. If you
want to make sure that your operator treats his employees well you can make
sure that these guidelines apply to your operator.
So to pick
a price you can justify for yourself you should consider the points above and
consider the toll that the whole crew is taking upon themselves just to provide
you with a successful summit.
Which route
to take?
There are a
couple of routes to choose from which vary in their scenic views, the sleeping
arrangements and in the difficulty of the climb. I decided to take the popular Machame
route which is one of the more scenic ones that also entails camping in a tent
on the way up. It felt to me like the obvious choice due to its level of
adventure.
Preparations:
Hence I
only brought one long sleeve, one long trousers and hiking boots with me I had
to rent the entire gear. That wasn’t a problem at all. Most tour companies have
all the necessary things in storage and actually know best what is needed.
Before the track I was still staying at the “We travel hostel” in Moshi (one of
the best hostels I have ever been to). It was a little bit annoying that I met
so many people the days before that had just done the hike. Hearing for the 10th
time how tough the summit night is and what other equipment you definitely need
to bring wasn’t really helpful in getting mentally prepared. I think in general
that comparisons with other people are not quite helpful but drawing a
comparison with an endorphin pumped stranger who just returned from the Kili
and of whom you basically know nothing about can be quite off putting.
Medication:
A really
popular choice among hikers is the med “Diamox”, which can be taken as a
prophylaxes during the hike. It helps the body to keep more oxygen within your
system and can be quite helpful for the adventure. I don’t know exact numbers
but it seemed to me that the majority of hikers take it in advance. Nonetheless
I decided against taking it. First of all I wanted to use this opportunity to
test my body and see how I will be able to deal with the elevation differences.
Another good reason for not taking it as a prophylaxes is the fact that if you
still get the “acute mountain sickness” (AMS) despite taking the Diamox you
basically robbed yourself of the most efficient treatment of the AMS. Of course
there are other options out there but risking the most promising cure just out
of precaution seemed like a unnecessary risk to me.
The track
itself:
We started
at an elevation of 1500 meter and our goal was to reach the peak of 5895 meters
after six days. I was accompanied by Michelle from the USA and our complete
team entailed two guides, one cook and six porters for carrying the gear. We
decided to travel as light as possible and refrained from bringing to many luxury
items.
The general
plan is to climb high and sleep low. That means that on most days we walked up
to a certain elevation, stayed up a little while and then went back down to
have a good night rest at a lower elevation. That way the body has enough time
to adapt to the elevation changes and makes it less likely that problems occur.
Another key
factor for a successful summit is to go as slowly as possible. The famous “Pole,
Pole” saying (slowly, slowly) resembles the whole approach to this experience.
The guides lead the way with a slow trot which took me while to adapt.
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| of to Kilimanjaro |
The hiking
experience:
On the
first two days we passed the thick rainforest which made the climate quite
pleasant. We weren’t able to spot wildlife along the way but the whole
atmosphere of this vivid landscape resembled a complete contrast to what was lying
ahead of us.
 |
| Rainforest |
 |
| First camp |
 |
| Mount Meru in the back |
Due to the
popularity of the Machame route at peak season the route was quite frequented. Usually
there was always a queue of porters in front of us. At some days it was a
little bit annoying to always be enclosed in a queue of people but the scenic
views make up for the traffic jams.
 |
| first clear view of the Kilimanjaro |
After leaving
the rainforest behind the vegetation grows slimmer by the day. Especially in
the tundra rocks and small bushes are basically the only element of variation.
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| our guides: Amadeus and Hunter |
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| the whole crew |
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| this part was the most fun for myself - it involved some real climbing |
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| ramp into the clouds |
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| Hunter, Amadeus and Michelle |
The
beautiful sunsets above the clouds:
What made
this trip so unforgettable for me were the amazing sunsets above the clouds. I
think the pictures speak perfectly for themselves.
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| Once again Mount Meru |
 |
| the fog made this impression unforgettable |
Loosing
appetite on higher elevation:
Another
thing every hiker warned me about was the fact that a lot of people lose their
appetite on higher elevations. That didn’t really happen to me. Albeit my
stomach got upset due to the food after the first day which made me lose my
appetite for that particular dish, which unfortunately was served every single
day …
Also quite
remarkable was the taste of the oranges. These were basically the only sweet
food we got served in these six days and they tasted simply fabulous. I will
probably never have such good oranges in my life ever again.
 |
| so tasty |
The Base camp:
The Barafu Camp lies at a elevation of 4673. Here we had a short nap of 4 hours before we prepared for the summit.
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| winter is cuuumming |
 |
| Barafu Camp |
 |
| here we started the summit in the night |
The summit
night:
 |
| one of the few pictures |
Despite my
upset stomach I didn’t experience any other problems on the first four days. Luckily
I was in decent physical condition before I left for this hike and the altitude
started to affect me only on the last day. Therefore I decided to describe the
last day in a little bit more detail.
At 11 p.m.
we woke and got ready for the toughest part of this journey. We started from
the base camp (4673 meter) and the goal was to reach the Uhuru peak (5895 meter)
shortly before sunrise. After putting on two layers of socks, 5 layers of pants
and 6 layers of tops I felt ready for the summit. It was an amazing experience
to start the steep summit in the middle of the night with headlamps providing
the only element of orientation.
The summit
went well for the first couple of hours. We were trotting at our usual sloth
like pace but the air was much harder to breath. The increasing altitude and
the degrees up to – 15 did their part on that behalf.
At the
elevation of approximately 5300 meter I started to experience the first
symptoms of the AMS. The days before I drank at least 4 liters of water each
day to prevent myself from getting headaches but on that day this technique didn’t
really help. We paused for a short while, drank the sweetest ginger tea you can
imagine and then continued our quest. The headaches released a little bit but suddenly
I felt a intense tingling sensation in my whole body. I do not kid when I mean
whole body. From that moment on I began drinking water like a lunatic. The
headaches grew nonetheless. At an altitude of 5400 I felt dizzy and
disoriented. I was still able to think properly but I couldn’t form clear
sentences. I was still able to pronounce some simple words but finishing one
whole sentence was just not possible anymore. After tripping over a couple of
times I decided to sit down for a while. I requested some oxygen out of the
tank and waited for nearly 20 minutes. I was still not feeling much better but I
was starting to get really cold. It is not the smartest thing to sit down that
long. I lost a lot of heat.
My memories
of the next hours are not quite complete. My condition basically grew worse
with each meter. I remember how depressing it was that the body itself felt
strong enough to climb higher but on the same time it seemed nearly impossible
to speak out one complete sentence.
At that
time I decided that I will walk until “Stella point” – 5756 meter elevation and
start my descent once I reached that part. The complete summit would have been
until 5895 but in this condition I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the view from
up there anyways.
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| luckily this picture was taken by my guide - wasn't able to look up in the camera anymore :D |
Also there
are no pictures of that last night/day. Once I started my descent I walked
quite fast and didn’t make a stop until I reached an elevation of 5000 meters.
It is unbelievable how fast the body adapts to the altitude once again. The dizziness
and disorientation were completely gone. The headache was still pounding but
not as intense as before. It baffled me at that moment how big a difference 500
meters of elevation can make.
I took a
one hour nap (the headaches didn’t allow more) and walked straight down towards
the main gate. I finished my descent of the Kilimanjaro at 18 p.m. In total I was
nearly 17 hours on my feet that day.
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| all happy to be back at normal altitude |
Conclusion:
Looking back
I have to say that I would instantly chose to do this hike again. I would even
do it if I would know that the AMS would hit me this hard again. It was most
certainly not pleasant at that moment but it was immensely valuable to have made
this experience. The decision to not go completely for the summit seemed quite
obvious at the moment I crawled up to Stella point. But it felt so weird to go
down 500 meter and practically feel fit enough once again to go back up. Having
that thought at that time was actually quite tough. Nonetheless I still think
that I made for myself the right decision.
As soon as we
reached Moshi in the evening, we said our goodbyes to our amazing crew. It is
really remarkable how they are able to carry all that stuff up the mountain. One
porter even got sick on the hike and had to go back. The others had to carry
even more weight.
Arriving at
the “We travel hostel” I took my first, well deserved shower after one week. On
the Burning Man I once went without a shower for nearly one week but the dust
basically served as a preserver back then. This time the shower felt even more
amazing!
On my next
and final post I will write about my experiences on Sansibar.
Until then,
take care and best wishes,
Vince
