It wasn't even on my top 10 list of travel destinations, but my friend's experience of climbing the Kilimanjaro in Tanzania was so tempting that I decided to challenge myself as well. It was definitely worth all the money and even the little suffering. If you're looking for an adventure and challenging your mind and body, this is for you!
Without much of researching, I decided to take the 7-day Machame route that seemed to have the highest success rate in reaching the top of the mountain. It was a beautiful route, and, in fact, I was afterwards a bit surprised how the whole Kilimanjaro business is so much focused on just reaching the summit, rather than on enjoying the gorgeous nature in the Kilimanjaro National Park and the lovely - when you're not suffering from the altitude sickness - path.
I booked the trek from Ahsante Tours according to my friend's recommendation and I was super happy with our guides (and the rest of the 18 people in the staff) as well as with my fellow trekkers, 2 Americans and 3 Australians. The experience wouldn't have been the same without this amazingly supportive and motivating group that never failed to keep up the positive spirit and confidence in ourselves: "We can make it! - We were born to make it!"
It's not really a technically demanding hike. The path is in good condition and at most times not even very steep. However, the altitude is something that you can't really prepare yourself for. It's quite unexpected how it will affect you; being fit doesn't mean that you will have easier time on the mountain.
So if 65 km in 7 days does not seem like a big challenge, it might be that when you go through it with a constant headache, stomach problems, and general weakness and dizziness. It is the altitude and the emotional and psychological stress that comes with it that makes the climb such an interesting and difficult endeavor. I was curious to see how I will react to it and what I will learn about myself on the way.
The first day we passed through a rainforest and on the second day we entered to a more alpine like vegetation zone.
The first two days of the hike were pretty easy as we climbed from the Machame gate (1800 m) to the Machame hut (3000 m) and then to Shira hut (3800 m). Obviously we immediately gained quite of a lot of altitude, but we did it "pole pole", meaning very slowly. And I mean very slowly, as grandmothers strolling forward in a sleepy village. But this was the trick to not to get exhausted or lose breath, and it worked perfectly for me.
We had great views of the second highest mountain of Tanzania, Mt. Meru (4600 m).
The sky wasn't always blue during the hike. On the first day we actually had a heavy rain around noon at which point I was feeling a bit desperate going through in my mind whether I have enough clothes for such weather conditions and whether I am able to dry my clothes during the rest of the hike.
Somehow my hiking boots were leaking so I was already imagining how my wet feet will freeze at the top of the mountain. Luckily, on the second day it only rained for a short while and for the rest of the hike we were spared of rain. Good rain gear is however a must on the mountain as it is quite impossible to dry wet clothes in the cold conditions and the weather is unpredictable.
Every day I had more and more wet and sweaty socks drying around in the tent (luckily I wasn't sharing), but it was quite desperate.
For me the third day of the hike was the most difficult one. The day started as a sunny one and we had great views of Kilimanjaro from the camp. Already at night, the moonlit snowcapped Kilimanjaro and the starry sky had amazed me. The most beautiful night sky I've ever seen. Purely magnificent! I don't know if it was already the altitude messing up with my brains or what, but this view made me want to cry and I could just feel deep gratitude of the opportunity of climbing this mountain. Even after the challenge of the third day, this was how I felt.
The challenge of the third day was to climb from 3800 m to 4600 m to Lava Tower and then descend back to 3950 m of Barranco camp. The first half of the day's hike I was feeling ok, just having a little headache. However, after 4000 m I was suffering of nausea and weakness; I just wanted to lie down and have a nap - and cry.
It was a pretty silent hike in general, my fellow-hikers were also feeling tired and the joyful chatter had broken off, all of us concentrating hard on the path. Finally at the cold and windy Lava Tower I bursted into tears out of exhaustion and desperation. "I will never make it to the top if I already feel so bad now", I was thinking. I had lost my appetite, which didn't make it any easier to continue and descend to the camp. Half-asleep, in some automatic walking mood I made it to the Barranco camp and felt better immediately after throwing up (oh, pineapple for breakfast)...
After the experience of the third day, I resorted to doping, that is, using Diamox, a drug that can reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness. I didn't have it with me, but luckily my Australian friends had, and it did the trick (or I just got acclimatized - who knows) as I wasn't suffering from nausea during the rest of the hike. We only took a half of a tablet in the evening as recommend by our guide. The only side-effect was the need to go to the toilet at night, which was a bit annoying with all the carefully prepared sleeping arrangements in the freezing tent. But waking up three times a night was still better than going through Day 3 again (and hey, gorgeous night sky!).
Rush hour at Barranco wall. We weren't alone in conquering Kilimanjaro. Around 70-80 other tourists were doing it with us, and probably around 200-300 staff members. I didn't mind the crowd, actually the atmosphere on the mountain was great; we were similar-minded people having the same objective. Something you rarely experience in "real life".
Day 4 consisted of climbing the Barranco wall, and for the first time there was a bit of technical challenge in the hike, but in a nice way. Our group was again full of energy and up we went singing and joking. On the top of Barranco wall with amazing views of the clouds below, we had a great photo session, and compared to the previous day, the feeling was fantastic. However, we had thought that the climb up to Barranco wall would be the challenge of the day, but afterwards we still had to hike down and up again, which really sucked the energy out of us - no singing during the rest of the hike. But the day's hike was beautiful and my favorite of the Machame route.
Porters carrying our stuff, food, tents, etc. were doing an amazing job. They carried the heavy loads on top of their heads and usually run in front of us to set the camp ready before our arrival. Something we all were highly grateful for every day.
The fifth day was a short hike from Karanga camp (3960 m) to the base camp, Barafu hut at 4600 m. The scenery changed and we were now up in the gravel zone with occasional mountain flowers. The hike took us only around 3 hours, and this is why some groups combine the hikes of the 4th and 5th day to make the Machame route in 6 days. However, making the route in 7 days gives more time for acclimatization and also helps you gather enough energy at Barafu hut before the hike to the summit. Suddenly, here we were at the base camp on the fifth day and the following night was our final trial, the hike to Uhuru Peak of Kilimanjaro, the highest point in the continent.
At Barafu hut we first had lunch and a couple of hours apart, already the dinner before trying to sleep at around 19h. The atmosphere at the camp was expectant and we got the last instructions from our guides. Enough clothes, Diamox, more clothes, trust in yourself, pole pole, and off we go. Hakuna matata! Shit! Why not beach holidays?
At 23h30 we set off to climb, a bit terrified. The starry sky and the full moon were shedding light on our way and we hardly needed to use our headlamps. The mountain looked massive ahead of us. It was massive. The wind was blowing like hell and the gusts were so strong I needed to stop to breath.
The first hour was a steep climb up, but at this point we still had energy. The worst part was the cold, my fingers were freezing for holding the walking poles and my nose was running constantly. We were among the first ones to leave the camp - I guess our guides had noticed that we take "pole pole" seriously... Some groups overtook us, but reaching the top is not a competition, so I was mainly focused on putting one foot ahead of the other. Walking slowly forward and up without even understanding what I'm doing, again in the sleep-walking mood. The hike to the summit was not about the path, it was about reaching the destination.
After reaching 5000 m, our silent group got weaker and each step became more difficult. We were walking like drunk, stumbling and hitting our toes on the stones. Leaning to our guides and trying to find refuge from the wind. Even those who hadn't felt the altitude sickness before were now suffering from headache and dizziness. We saw a few people descending before reaching the top. The privilege of going through the suffering voluntarily...
Our guides were pointing us the lights ahead of us: "Look, that's already the Stella Point, only a few more steps, you can do it!" The lights at Stella Point (5765 m) looked so far away and we reached many fake peaks before getting there. Desperate and tired at each fake peak.
The few last hundred meters I was clinging to Musa, one of our guides, more for emotional support than physical. I was thinking that it would be ok to stop at Stella Point, that I wouldn't need to continue to Uhuru Peak, a further 10o m up. This was the only time I was considering of giving up.
Once at Stella Point, after around 6.5 hours of walking, the sun started rising and the wind became weaker. A little bit of hot tea and a few bites of a Snicker bar (thank you multinational chocolate companies...) and walking up to Uhuru Peak (5895 m) seemed again feasible. Hand in hand with Musa, we walked the last 20 minutes to the ultimate peak. Surprisingly, I didn't cry, although I feel like crying just now when thinking of that moment. It was Christmas Day and we were on the roof of Africa. This was the best Christmas present ever (perhaps because I never got a dog).
The views from the summit were stunning (well, everything was stunning then!). Unfortunately, according to some predictions, the glaciers will have melted by 2030, so these are the last moments to witness the snow of Kilimanjaro.
The way down was easy, we were almost running in the soft gravel back to the base camp where we had a nap and a lunch (and many high-fives) before continuing for a few hours to the Millenium camp (3800 m) for the last night of relaxation and going through our personal experiences. Relief, celebration, exhilaration. We did it - and we did it together!
The last day was a long walk down to Mweka gate, being tough for the front thighs and knees, but it was liberating to walk fast and easily, and little by little removing layers of clothes. More importantly, no stress about reaching or not reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro. And ah, thinking of a shower waiting for us in the hotel.
Absolute musts for a comfortable trip:
-enough warm clothes, most of the time it is very cold (only on the first day I was wearing shorts)
-a real winter gear for the summit night (it can be -10°C and with the wind it feels much colder)
-another pair of shoes for the camps
-sun lotion and sun glasses (my lips were badly burnt, with the cold air, it's even worse)
-camel bag for water (I didn't have one, which meant that I wasn't drinking enough water as we didn't make many pauses during the hike)
-good rain gear (you don't dry anything on the mountain)
-enough warm socks (you want to have a fresh pair for each day)
-thermal underwear (this trip is not about looking good on the way)
-wet swipes for a little cleaning (you get a handful of hot water in the camp)
-Diamox for altitude sickness and painkillers
-diary to write down the day's adventure or what you feel grateful for that day
-head lamp and extra batteries
-enough money for good tips to the staff
-protein bars and snacks
-GoPro camera (I don't have one, but seemed like a great idea)
-positive energy, self-confidence, and team spirit
