| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 89 | 73 | 0.93 |
| Feb | 90 | 74 | 0.97 |
| Mar | 90 | 75 | 1.28 |
| Apr | 88 | 75 | 4.08 |
| May | 85 | 73 | 6.80 |
| Jun | 83 | 70 | 2.73 |
| Jul | 82 | 68 | 1.95 |
| Aug | 82 | 68 | 1.76 |
| Sep | 83 | 69 | 1.35 |
| Oct | 85 | 71 | 3.37 |
| Nov | 87 | 73 | 2.92 |
| Dec | 89 | 74 | 2.30 |
I stood at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, breathing the thin air of a crystal blue sky. Below me stretched the flat plain of Tanzania, almost overwhelming in its vastness. I looked in vain for the tiny spot, thousands of feet down, where our climb had begun.
Days ago, we stood at the mountain's grassy green foot, surrounded by chattering monkeys and grazing hoofed game; the elevation where we now stand was not even visible. We hiked the Barranco Valley, into the "Garden of Senecias," with its prehistoric-looking plants and feisty white-necked ravens. Days ago, we were below the clouds.
Today Mawenzi Peak, blanketed in snow and ice, towers to the right, while Kibo seems just out of reach. From a distance, these gigantic geologic features appear indistinct. But, as we have come to understand, this mountain reveals her nuances one step at a time. Lava stones, crumbling clumps of foundation and sheer rock work together to form Kilimanjaro's commanding presence; we've clenched the mountain in our hands and felt it skidding under our boots.
Now our bodies have acclimated to the altitude and thinning oxygen. We continue our climb, our eyes constantly seeking Kibo's peak, one final day's effort away.
Dismass Mariki is a 30-year-old, licensed guide who has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro 176 times. He became inspired by the "White Mountain" while in secondary school, and paid for college by working as an assistant guide on the mountain. In 2003, he completed intensive training with Kilimanjaro National Park to become a head guide.
You are welcomed at Kilimanjaro International Airport by an A&K representative and transferred to Mountain Village. Set in the flowered gardens of a coffee planter’s farm house and surrounded by rolling groves of wax-green coffee bushes, Mountain Village offers wide timbered decks with panoramic views over Lake Duluti and Kilimanjaro, and a selection of rondavels (traditional-style round dwellings), each one thatched with banana stems and adorned with native carvings.
Mountain Village LodgeArusha National Park is an outstandingly beautiful area lying between the peaks of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru, and an ideal environment in which to adapt to the demands of higher altitudes. Set out on an acclimatizing hike through the forest, accompanied by an armed ranger. The forest contains a wealth of birds and other animals, including Cape buffalo, giraffe, waterbuck, warthog, baboon, and a wide range of birds for the bird enthusiast. Stop in the forest for a pre-packed lunch. Later tonight, debrief on the days hike and review the upcoming days itinerary with your expedition teammates at a welcome dinner.
Hiking Time: Approximately 3 hours, Arusha National Park
Mountain Village B L DAfter breakfast, drive approximately three hours from your lodge to the Lemosho Glades at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. Here your team registers for your climb at the Londrosi Gate. After registering, drive for another hour to reach the trailhead. Here you see the Shira zone of parasitic lava cones extending along to the north of the road.
Taking a pre-packed lunch with you, hike for about four hours through dense rubber and juniper trees, St. Johns flowers, giant fig and dense forests up to the camp. As you make your way up through the forested terrain, you may see colobus and blue monkey, as well as abundant birdlife.
Hiking time: 5 hours (Trailhead to Forest Camp)
Forest Camp (elevation 9,000 feet) B L DAwaken at 6:00 a.m. for a hot breakfast. Shira offers magnificent views of the Great Rift Valley, and as the crew breaks down the camp, you may catch a glimpse of the great horseshoe-shaped Shira Ridge, a steep rise reaching some 1,300 feet above the plateau. The southern ridge of the Shira Plateau has two dramatic peaks called Cathedral and Needle.
With abundant bird life all around you, trek out of the forest and up into the hagenia zone through a savannah of tall grasses and bearded heather. Stop for lunch at the halfway point between the forest camp and Shira Camp, at a secluded spot with beautiful views of the Shira Ridge. The highlight of today’s hike is the ghostly landscape of volcanic lava, caves and foamy streams framed by giant groundsels. Your destination is the Shira Caldera, a high desert plateau, from which the summit of Kibo is visible on clear days.
Hiking Time: 7 hours (Forest Camp to Mt. Ngare, 4 hours; Mt. Ngare to Shira 1 Camp, 3 hours)
Shira 1 Camp (elevation 12,000 feet) B L DWake this morning with a breathtaking view. Keep an eye out for signs of wildlife, including eland, buffalo, duiker and jackal. After breaking camp, hike for approximately four hours through the immense alpine heather zone, approaching Kibo massif from the west and moving steadily upward to Shira 2 Camp, where you have lunch and spend the night. Here you may ask your guide to show you the new Shira 2 weather station, donated by Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy to help monitor climate change on Kilimanjaro. Your afternoon is otherwise at leisure to rest and adjust to the increasing altitude.
Hiking Time: 4 hours (Shira 1 Camp to weather station near Shira 2)
Shira 2 Camp (elevation 12,535 feet) B L DLeave camp this morning and hike up to the Lava Tower, a three-hour trek. Of the many deep gorges (barrancos) carved into the soft rocks and ashes of Kilimanjaro, the most impressive is the Great Barranco below the Western Breach (15,100 feet above sea level). Here you are dwarfed by the immense size of Lava Tower, a freestanding weathered rock measuring 325 feet in height. You may attempt to climb the tower, or simply relax and take photos of the Western Breach while you stop for lunch. Descend the valley to Barranco Camp, situated below the Great Barranco Wall. Hiking Time: 5.5 hours (Shira 2 to Lava Tower, 3 hours; Lava Tower to Barranco Camp, 2.5 hours)
Barranco Camp (elevation 12,959 feet) B L DThis morning finds you growing ever closer to your goal. The wind is stronger in Barranco Camp and the temperature colder. With good weather, the whole Western Breach and Mt. Meru is visible below you on the western side. After breakfast, acclimatize with a hike up to the Great Barranco Wall, a journey of about two hours. Continue to Karanga Camp for rest and lunch. After lunch, a three-hour hike brings you to Barafu Camp, where you spend the night.
Hiking Time: 7 hours (Barranco Camp to Karanga, 4 hours; Karanga to Barafu Camp, 3 hours)
Barafu Camp (elevation 15,091 feet) B L DFrom your campsite this morning, you may see nearby peaks of the Great Rift Valley revealed in gaps in the cloud cover: Mt. Meru, Longido, Kitumbeni and Oldonio Lengai. Your climb is even more challenging at this stage, and every hour of hiking is followed by 10 minutes of rest. Pause for lunch, then continue for another two hours until you reach the Crater Rim at Stella Point, 19,000 feet above sea level. Descend several hundred feet to the crater floor, where your camp is set up and waiting for you. Spend the remainder of the day resting or exploring nearby; the area offers spectacular views of Furtwangler and Gredner Glaciers. Kibo Peak towers close by, the outer rim of its craters leading to Uhuru Summit, your goal for the next day’s climb.
Hiking Time: 6.5 hours (Barafu to lunch, 4 hours; lunch to Crater Rim, 2 hours; Crater Rim to Crater Camp, .5 hour)
Crater Camp (18,832 feet) B L DToday marks the final stage of your assault on the mountain — the day you summit. Begin the ascent from Crater Camp in the early morning. This last, arduous phase of the climb takes approximately an hour and a half and confronts you with frigid temperatures and gale force winds. Your guide shows you the proper way to time your steps and your breathing, and watches the team closely for signs of exposure or altitude sickness. The steep winding path leads you to the bottom of the scree slope; after a brief rest you will continue to the summit – Uhuru Peak, 19,325 feet above sea level.
At the summit, pause for photographs and to savor this unique achievement: you are standing at Africa’s highest point, and few people are privileged to look upon the spectacle laid before you.
Leave the summit and begin your descent, passing through the loose scree marking the beginning of the familiar ghostlike alpine desert landscape. As you progress down the mountain, the Rebmann and Decken glaciers appear ahead of you in the distance. Your descent takes you down through all the zones of the mountain: from the moorland, where birdlife reappears, to the dense grasslands of heather and hygenia. Headaches are common at this altitude and the twisting trails often strain the ankles and knees. Hike down through Barafu Camp and Barafu Valley to lunch at Millennium Camp, then proceed to Mweka Camp, where you spend the night.
Hiking Time: 7.5 hours (Crater to Summit, 1.5 hours; Summit to Barafu Camp, 3 hours; Barafu to Millennium Camp, 1.5 Hours; Millenium Camp to Mweka Camp, 1.5 Hours)
Mweka Camp (10,170 feet) B L DIn the morning you wake to warmer temperatures in Mweka Camp, along with the chatter of colobus and blue-faced monkey. Continue your descent towards Mweka Gate through the Montane Forest filled with age-old trees, flowers, birds and butterflies. Sign out at the main gate and collect your climbing certificate. Beyond the gate, you are welcomed by a driver guide and transferred to Mountain Village Lodge, where you have a hot lunch on the shore of Lake Duluti, a beautiful green crater lake. Afterward, transfer to the airport for your return home.
Hiking Time: 3 hours, Mweka Camp to Main Mweka Gate
Mountain Village Lodge (Dayroom) B L
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