“The past was always there, lived inside of you, and it helped to make you who you were. But it had to be placed in perspective. The past could not dominate the future.”
B. Taylor Bradford
I stood on Uhuru Peak in total darkness … total darkness around me and within me … It wasn’t the happiest period of my life. I was standing on the rooftop of Africa, and I wasn’t able to appreciate my achievement, to be honest until now I can’t find the excitement within me that I have from my other trips and experiences. Yes I did it, I completed my goal, but I would love to “re-do” it, this time carrying different energy with me and most importantly my freedom and peace! It was supposed to be a once in a lifetime experience which I would savour and celebrate for many years afterwards.
My Trip Itinerary:
Day 0 Arrival in Moshi Town
I was flying to Tanzania via Ethiopia with Ethiopian Airlines. The first day was a bit messy, as I was checked in to the wrong hotel, as the place that I was supposed to stay at was overbooked. The hotel was located further from the town centre, and the decor and surroundings were really dated, and not very clean. The swimming pool was half full or half empty, however you prefer to see it. It wasn’t an ideal start.
Day 1 Moshi Town
In the morning I was transferred to Kilimanjaro Wonders Hotel. I spent this day wandering around Moshi town, satisfying my curiosity about local culture, life of local people and in
general getting a vibe of the town. I wandered around by myself, and in general I felt safe, but of course I was approached a number of times, asked questions, offered tours and guiding services.
Places to eat:
- Pamoja Cafe
- El Rancho Kilimanjaro Restaurant
- Street Food (especially roasted chicken, and sweetcorn cobs – yummy)
Local dishes to try:
Pilau (rice, spices & beef), Samaki Rosti (whole fried fish), Choroko Nazi (Coconut lentil stew), Maharage (beans in a coconut sauce) – all dishes are usually served with either rice, ugali or chapati. Ugali is similar to polenta, it looks a bit like a maize flour porridge. And of course local fruits and beer 🙂
Day 2 Moshi Town to Lemosho Glades (2,389m) to Big Tree Camp (2,785m)
Altitude change from the starting point +396m. The day one began with a 3h drive from Moshi to Londrossi Park Gate (2100m) where we registered. The first day trek was a pleasant walk through a surreal – Avatar-like rainforest. After around 2h I arrived at the first camp at Mt Mkubwa (Big Tree) camp located at 2,785m
Day 3 Big Tree Camp (2,785m) to Shira Hut 1(3,504m)Today we started our day pretty early. At 5.45 am we were woken up by one of the guys, who brought us hot coffee and water for washing. O got ready, packed my backpack, and after breakfast we left the camp. The trail got steeper as we entered the grasses and wildflowers of the moorland zone towards the valley… The second camp of the trek – Shira Camp was located near a stream on the Shira Plateau, one of the highest altitude plateaus in the world. From the plateau you can see Kilimanjaro’s beautiful Kibo Peak.
Day 4 Shira Hut 1 (3504m) to Shira Hut 2 (3895m) + afternoon acclimatisation walk
A gentle hike across the plateau within the moorland meadow took us to Shira 2 camp, attitude change +391 m. As the hike was short, I had time to rest and chill in the tent . We had planned an acclimatisation walk which partly was the same route that we were walking the next day, but by spending a bit of time at higher elevation helped us to acclimate better.
Day 5 Shira Hut 2 (3,895m) to Lava Tower (4,627m) to Barranco Camp (3,986m)
Trekking time: 7h, Distance 11 km, Altitude change + 732, – 641 m
It was a really long day with an early start … We walked on high moorland, and later on an alpine desert. We stopped for lunch at high altitude @4,627m, just under the Lava Tower. We were lucky, we all felt good, no headaches, good moods. After an hour and half break we walked all the way down to Barranco Camp. Obviously we followed the mountaineering code of ‘walk high, sleep low’ to avoid altitude sickness. We were all knackered when we got to our camp, our tents were already set up so we “washed” and went to our tent to rest and maybe have an afternoon nap.
In the late afternoon I woke up and went for a walk around the Barranco Camp. The views were amazing. On one side you could see snow covered southwest of Kilimanjaro, on the other side different mountain ridges sticking out from between the heavy layers of the clouds. Around 6.30 pm our dinner was served, after which we had a briefing. When we left our canteen tent it was already really dark outside, the sky was full of stars.I just had enough energy to brush my teeth looking at this beautiful sky and I headed straight into my tent.
Day 6 Barranco Camp (3,986m) to Karanga Valley (4,034m)
Today I woke up at 5 am. I didn’t even wash my face. It was cold, my sleeping bag felt damp. I got ready quickly and at 5.30 am I was having my breakfast. On the walls of our canteen tent you could see some frost, it meant that the temp had to drop below 0 overnight.We are getting higher and it’s getting colder. After breakfast we packed our bags and got ready to start our day by descending into the start of the Great Barranco, a huge ravine. Soon after we arrived in front of the Barranco wall – called the Breakfast wall. It involves a bit of scramble over the rocks, when you reach the top of the wall you will be prised with a beautiful view. I was in heaven, above the clouds. Later we were passing underneath the Heim and Kersten glaciers, heading towards the Karanga Valley where we were camping overnight. Constantly we were walking up and down, we gained height only to lose it straight after.
Day 7 Karanga Valley (4,034m) to Barafu Camp (4,662m)
Finally we are here – Barafu Camp – the last camp before the summit! We reached the camp around noon. We were moving at a slow and steady pace, making sure we drank a lot of water. It was important, as we didn’t want to get sick at this stage. After quick registration and exploration of the camp, we went back to our tents for a well deserved and needed rest before our summit night. I couldn’t sleep,at this stage the altitude, excitement, adrenaline, mixed with being exhausted is not helping. I knew that I needed to catch some rest before tonight otherwise I would struggle, but how to force yourself to sleep, when it is still day outside. The dinner was served early and we were back in our tents, everything was packed and ready for tonight, so I just lay down and tried to relax my body and mind, and get as much rest as possible.
Day 8 Barafu Camp (4,662m) to UHURU PEAK (5,895m) to Millenium Camp (3,827m)
So it’s time, head torches ready, hand warmers in the pockets, bags ready.. As we were attempting a sun-rise summit, we needed to set off in the early hours. I was thinking that we will start our trek around midnight. But our guide decided that we will start earlier to give better chances of summiting the peak to all the group members.
At 10.30pm we set off, single file, pole pole… It was steep, the first hour involved walking over some boulders … at the beginning I felt warm, but higher we got it was getting colder and colder. We had to stop and put extra layers on, hand warmers, change the face coverings …
Conditions were icy and slippery, each step had to be carefully planned. We walked slowly but steadily. The total darkness, steep mountain hills, it was challenging physically and mentally, inner arguments were taking place. We reached Stella Point, but the climb wasn’t finished yet, quick break and we carried on.
Uhuru Peak – Mission Completed! I Conquered Kilimanjaro!
The last 140m from Stella Point to Uhuru Peak felt like a never ending walk. Eventually we were there! We reached the summit around 6 am, our group of four – It was still dark! Everything happened so quickly, quick photos, and we were on our way back. Our guide was rushing due to the weather condition. On our way down, we stopped for a cup of hot tea at Stella Point. The sun was slowly waking up, slowly rising and warming up covered in ice mountain ridges. It became brighter and I could clearly see the surroundings. We were all extremely tired. I can’t only speak for myself, at that moment I don’t know whether I felt happy or proud as the only thing that was going through my mind was to be back safely at the camp. We were back in our camp around 8.30 am. We had an hour and half to rest. After which we began our trek to the Millennium Camp, the last overnight stop before going back to Moshi town. OMG it was the best feeling ever to lay down in the tent after reaching the Millenium Camp. I ate and fell asleep straight away, I can’t even remember what I ate!
Day 9 Millenium Camp (3827m) to Mweka Gate (1633m) – Moshi Town
I have successfully climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro the Highest Peak in Africa – Uhuru Peak at 5,895m. Mixture of feelings, until years after I haven’t really appreciated what I have accomplished. But now looking at the pictures, thinking about the views, the mental, emotional and physical energy that this trip required from me I’m grateful for this life lesson.
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