Climbing Kilimanjaro, Africa's Mega-Mountain
In early April of 2015 I undertook two memorable treks with Kilidove Tours and Safaris: (1) A 3-day safari to Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater; followed by (2) a climbing expedition to Mt. Kilimanjaro. In both instances, I would strongly recommend using the services of Kilidove. Their professionalism - whether it be measured from the standpoint of expertise, reliability, competence, customer service, or integrity - was second to none.
One invaluable service rendered by the company - ever mindful that accommodations have become as important as the trek itself - was their choice of Outpost Lodge on Serengeti Rd. in Arusha. Having just returned from a 3-day safari, my son and I appreciated the hotel's ambiance - notable for its friendly and hard-working staff. Our unit had two comfortable beds, TV, fan - with an adjoining bathroom never short on towels, soap, hot water nor electricity . Unforgettable were the lush grounds and communal poolside restaurant-lounge where free breakfast always included fresh-squeezed juices.
With a plane to catch before noon the next day, my son was promptly picked up at 8 a.m. at Outpost Lodge and whisked to the airport. Because of prior business commitments, he regrettably would be unable to accompany me
up Mt. Kilimanjaro.
At 10 a.m.that Sunday morning it was my turn to be picked up Kilidove - and by none other than the guide himself, with his driver. It was a distinct pleasure for me to meet Paul, a man around thirty years of age in whom I would entrust my life.
To my delight, Paul was not an inexperienced certified guide - but a very knowledgable alpinist of high integrity,
having leadership skills, discipline, patience, compassion, and a deep understanding about the human character. Over a ten-year period he had ascended Kili countless times - initially in the capacity of a porter, then as a cook, and finally as a guide.
Without missing a beat, he immediately insisted that we first go to my room to determine what proper clothing and mountain gear I already had available in my suitcase. Only then would we actually drive downtown to a reputable outfitting shop in Arusha to rent everything else.
As it turned out, I had enough suitable clothing such as socks, warm-ups, baseball cap, undershirts, jerseys, light windproof jacket, and heavy windproof jacket. However, at the outfitting shop Paul needed to find me a pair of comfortable-sturdy climbing boots ( out of a dozen types to choose from, only one was satisfactory for me!), an
appropriate backpack and sleeping bag, a winter hat, a head-lamp, thick gloves, 3 plastic water canteens, gaiters, a puncho, waterproof trousers, 2 adjustable hiking poles. Then at a convenience store, my guide had me buy high-energy snack bars, sun-screen, and strong sunglasses.
But there was still one critical item missing for my trek: a high-altitude camera. Yet this problem got resolved when George Joseph - Director and Owner of Kilidove - obligingly lent me his very own Nikon camera.
DAY 1: By 8 a.m. the following morning Paul and his driver swung by to pick me up at Arusha Lodge in their LandCruiser. (Interestingly, the company's experienced staff has access to a large fleet of LandCruisers - allowing for maximum efficiency, flexibility, and reliability.) En route to Kilimanjaro National Park (a World Heritage Site) we stopped in the city of Moshe to pick up our crew of four porters and cook, as well as necessary supplies. Thus by 11a.m. we had reached the Park's main entrance at Marangu Gate to sign in. It was here that the Marangu Trail (a/k/a the "Coca-Cola route") began - being the easiest and cheapest of the 6 routes up the mountain.
About 65 climbers a day were departing on the Coca-Cola route, which, since the path's renovation, has been the best on Kili. Even though the first day would be a gentle 4-hr. climb through the rainforest from the Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut camp sight (9,020 ft.), Paul repeatedly had one bit of advice for me in Swahili (although he was perfectly fluent in English, Tanzania's second national language): "pole pole" (poly poly) "slowly slowly." Perhaps he knew that I was 68 years old and therefore had to conserve my energy going up this mega-volcano (the highest peak in Africa, and the world's tallest free-standing mountain). At any rate, I slowed down and maintained the same slow pace that he did, imitating his every move and becoming his shadow.
Another piece of advice was to KEEP DRINKING FLUIDS throughout the ascent to avert cramps and other dehydration problems. My guide insisted that I carry 3 full canteens of water in my backpack at the outset of each climbing day.
As we walked through the jungle habitat, Paul identified two mammals for me: the Blue monkey (who spends most of its time in the trees, feeding on leaves, fruits, seeds and bark) and the fiercer Banded mongoose (who is
truly omnivorous, eating lizards, rodents, birds and fruit).But interestingly, my guide told me to be especially vigilant about ants on the trail; fearsome columns of army ants that march single-mindedly along the forest floor, ready to attack anything that gets in their way. (Snakes, on the other hand, tend to be shy of humans - whose approach they can sense through seismic vibrations along the ground.)
That night we slept inside A-frame huts. These sheltered us from the elements. Moreover, not needing tents, porters had less to carry - and therefore, porter expenses were less.
Paul's leadership skills were demonstrated upon arriving at each and every camp sight. Everything had to be coordinated and unfold like clockwork: registering at the camp office and making certain all 7 members of the expedition had a designated bunk bed in one of the A-frame units; holding the 4 porters accountable for their payloads and assigning them other tasks that needed to be done; making sure I received my duffle bag and that all supply payloads were properly distributed to Pita, the cook, so that he could adequately prepare a meal in the space of an hour for the crew - and having my portion brought over to the dining hall; and, in general, resolve any
personnel issues that might arise.
While I was waiting in my unit for the meal to be prepared, I can still remember Robert, one of the porters, always bringing me hot tea to drink - together with some toiletries: face cloth, bar of soap, and a large metal bowl
containing hot water. Afterwards - when announcing the meal was ready - he would graciously pick up all thee items.
At the dining hall itself, Robert would bring over a wholesome , nutritious meal for me and Paul; Pita likewise would stop by to inquire whether his cooking was up to snuff. And my guide would always make sure to discuss the next day's with me - what to anticipate, what to wear, and if i myself had any questions whatsoever to ask him.
DAY 2: As scheduled, Robert woke me up at 7 a.m., and told me Pita would have breakfast ready for me in half an hour. In the meantime, I should get dressed and pack up my duffle bag for a 9 a.m. departure. He'd return around
8:30 with my canteens filled with purified water, and also to pick up my bag.
Breakfast itself included an assortment of items: fresh-sliced pineapples; fruit juice; tea, hot chocolate and coffee; cold cereal with milk; toast (with optional jam and butter); eggs with potatoes; pancakes with syrup. Once again, the meal was intended to be filling and sufficiently nutritious.
Early the second day, one emerged from the rainforest ecozone onto an alpine meadow extending to Horombo Hut camp sight (12,530 ft.), with superb views of the peaks and plains below on a clear day. Typical "Heath and Moorland" vegetation appeared with giant heathers blooming with red, yellow and daisy-like flowers. On the moorland lobelias reached 10 ft. high among tussocks of grass; and interestingly, these cactus-like trees could endure sub-zero conditions at night simply by closing their spiked leaves.
Unfortunately, noted my guide, it was within in this lovely eco-zone that the effects of altitude were known to kick in - from an imperceptible shortness of breath, to a minor headache, to actual nausea. Consequently, all Kilidove expeditions (unlike some other tour groups) have refrained from climbing to Kibo Hut camp sight the very
next day. Instead, it was more prudent not to rush things, but to acclimatize at Horombo Hut by staying there for 2
nights.
DAY 3: It seems a person could actually double their chances of scaling the summit by acclimatizing for a day -
preferably by walking at altitude in the immediate region. Thus the next morning Paul, Robert and I proceeded to hike up for only 800 ft. more to Zebra Rocks ( a beautiful rock formation with zebra-like striations) before returning
to camp for lunch and relaxation. Needless to say, during our short trek, there was ample time for taking group photographs with George's camera.
DAY 4: The ascent at 9a.m. from Horombo Hut to Kibo Hut (15,430 ft.) entailed 7 hrs. of walking over a distance of
10km. into progressively ever thinner air. Yet this didn't deter me - since Paul was my master pace-setter, and I was his shadow; he deliberately maintained a shorter stride that always would be comfortable for me, thereby preventing dangerous fluid build-up in my lungs; the ultimate goal was to reach the summit, while expending the least amount of energy possible in doing so.
After climbing for less than an hour, my guide signaled that we stop briefly for five minutes to look around out in all directions. Things had quieted down: Those huge black ravens that had intermingled with us near Horombo Hut were nowhere in sight. Now at slightly more than 13,000 ft., commented Paul, we had crossed into an "Alpine Desert" habitat: An arid, semi-desert zone that had no trees and few plants; sage grass, moss and thistles were common.
Around 1 o'clock we had a box lunch (breast of chicken with vegetables, fruit juice, cookies and apple) at a designated Park rest area. Also had time to observe colored lichens clinging to lava rocks and free-rolling moss balls wrapping themselves around clumps of soil. Obviously plants had to adapt when temperatures ranged between sub-zero at night to104 F by day.
At still higher elevations, the fourth day brought spectacular views of Mawenzi Peak, before ascending to Kibo Hut camp sight. (Astoundingly, Paul explained that Kilimanjaro is really a stratovolcano consisting of 3 distinct volcanic cones: Kibo, the highest; Mawenzi at 16,893 ft.; and Shira, the shortest at 13,140 ft.).
By 4:30 p.m. we had reached base camp at Kibo Hut (at an elevation comparable to the summit of Mont Blanc)
and our entire support team of cook, and four porters greeted us at the camp registration desk - especially congratulating me for having gotten this far (true camaraderie, to say the least). But everyone knew that there were still 3,500 ft. to go, and that Paul and I alone were the only two persons who would attempt to reach the summit.
In preparation for the final ascent, my guide insisted that I retire to my room for a cat nap. In the meantime, Pita would prepare supper (with help from all the porters), and Robert would have the meal brought to my room by 7p.m.
Even though I was not hungry (a typical phenomenon at higher altitudes), it was imperative for me to eat as much as possible, stipulated Robert and everyone else on my support team. Consequently I forced myself to eat -
thereby building up my strength - and was also told to drink tea (rather than coffee), for a more balanced metabolism.
After supper, Paul conferred with me one more time about proper clothing and accessories necessary to venture into an "Arctic" eco-zoneat elevations of 16,400ft. or more (a habitat characterized by intense sunlight,
thin air, heavy snow and ice): Must wear strong sunglasses and suncream with a winter hat; heavy windproof
jacket; thick gloves; 5 layers of clothing; 2 warm-ups underneath windproof trousers; gaiters; 2 pairs of socks with
boots; use 2 adjustable climbing poles; bring head-lamp, and pack high-energy bars and water inside backpack.
DAY 5: The quest for the summit began just after midnight while the scree was still frozen, first climbing to Hans Meyer Cave, after which the scree slope became extremely steep. Unfortunately, at about 17,000 ft. the "thin air" barrier suddenly confronted me like "the wall" at mile 17 of a marathon race. I quickly needed to revert to my inner strength and modify how I was going to exert myself physically (thus expending the least amount of energy possible). For climbing Kili, that meant adopting a very necessary and basic formula: take 22 steps forward, then stop for 2 minutes (to regain my breath); then start all over. Paul, of course, very much understood my predicament - by constantly encouraging me on, and patiently waiting by my side, whenever I had to stop.
However, suddenly - to our mutual delight - I no longer had to revert to my improvised drill. Instead - after only about 20 minutes - my body completely rejuvenated itself and I could walk normally.
It took at least seven hours to cover 6 km. from Kibo Hut to Gilman's Point on the crater rim. Although this was acknowledged to be the top, time permitted us to continue around the crater rim to Stella Point and Uhuru Peak (19,344ft.). My guide and I had therefore successfully reached the summit of Kilimanjaro! But then -with snowflakes blowing around our eyes - we had to immediately start our descent to Horombo Hut and get there before nightfall - to rest and rejoin our support team.
DAY 6: On the final day we proceeded to Marangu Gate - where I ecstatically received my Gold Certificate of Completion from Paul - before returning to Arusha.
THANK YOU, Kilidove, for everything. It was absolutely wonderful learning about Tanzania first-hand, truly the Land of Superlatives!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It started in africa
Fantastic semi-luxury camping honeymoon safari. We had the perfect choice of itinerary (7 days with Tarangire, Serengeti Central and North, Ngorongoro and Lake Eyasi). Plenty of wildlfie and amazing guide, always available for our questions. We saw a lion attacking a gazelle.
We always were served great food in generous portion sizes :) We completely recommend It Started in Africa to all our friends.
Informative Agricultural Tour
I did a 6 day agricultural safari and was able to visit and learn about small-scale and industrial farming production for both domestic and international market consumption. I was provided a packet of information so I could read about the significance of sites visited. This definitely isn't your average tour company that shuffles tourists between National Parks. Highly recommended for any traveler wishing to delver deeper and understand the countries ancient past and modern evolvement.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip to Tanzania in May!!!
We went on an amazing holiday to Tanzania in May 2015 thanks to Intent on Safari! Looking to comfortably travel and see as much as we could in a short space of time ( 14 days), Intent on Safari was able to plan us an incredible trip including Safari's in the Ngorongoro Crater, Ndutu area and Tarangire National Park, ending with a couple of relaxing days on the beaches of Pangani. The Ndutu location was specially suggested by Intent on Safari as the migration had returned to the area after heavy rains that month! What an amazing experience!!!
Everything was superbly organised for us, from transfers to and from Kilimanjaro Airport, a large safari vehicle with an amazing driver/guide who accompanied us on our safari, bookings in amazing lodges and a flight trip to the coast and back!
Attention to detail regarding my girlfriends gluten intolerancey must also be mentioned, we were able to enjoy our meals care-free!
Contact with Intent on Safari was very comfortable and personal, not to mention quick responses to our inquiries! If we ever come back to Tanzania, Intent on Safari is the way to go for us!! Thanks so much!!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing trip to remember.
The seven days we spent with Shaun, as he took us around both Cape Town and Kruger, were incredible. He brought us to the most spectacular places around the city and shared stories along the way, so every moment felt fun and educational.
The real magic, though, was on safari. Animals are animals, and you can't control what you're going to see - we knew this the whole time. But as soon as we drove into the park, we were stopping for giraffe, zebra, warthog... and that was just the beginning. The Nyeleti camp is quiet and serene, and the whole time we felt like we were the only people for miles and miles. Because the place isn't packed with other vehicles, we were able to take our time on sightings, staying with a pride of lions or a pack of wild dogs for over an hour at a time. I can’t believe how lucky we were to experience Kruger this way.
Shaun is an expert on animal behavior, and is really good at explaining things in layman's terms. He is also an expert on native plants, and told us all about how the plants and animals interact, and the subtle adaptations that make different forms of life support each other in the bush.
Shaun’s sparkling personality made our trip unforgettable. I cannot emphasize enough how awesome it was to travel with this hilarious, fun-loving expert of a guide. We laughed our way through South Africa, experienced the incredible landscape, and learned a whole lot in the process. And in the end, we left with more than just awesome pictures and great memories, but we made a great friend. We’ll be back, Shaun!
We were most impressed by the efficiency with which our safari was arranged.
Prior to our safari Ute was very helpful with making suggestions and answering my questions. During our stay we found that everything ran like clockwork. We would like to have been contacted by her during our stay just to confirm that we were happy with everything and that all was going well but it must be said that when I needed to e-mail her I received a reply very quickly.
The safari itself lived up to all expectations. It would have been improved by our not being thrown together with our lodge neighbours all the time - at all meals and all drives, which is too much since some people don't necessarily get on with each other too well.
Food and drink was plentiful and lodge staff were pleasant and helpful though the whole culture of giving prescribed tips to particular members of the team was rather mercenary. We couldn't help feeling that our ranger and tracker gave all their attention to the (obviously) wealthy couple we were paired up with - presumably in anticipation of a larger tip.
The manager made up for this, however, with her kind concern when I was ill. Overall a very enjoyable safari.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent and fantastic!! Safari with Budget Africa safari.
I work in UNEP,offices based in Nairobi Kenya.After several busy schedule time in office. I and two of my colleagues were to go for on Easter holiday, making a travel arrangement was successful through Budget Africa safari. Having found this company online.They responded to our mail very faster and always in professional way. Our safari was to start on Friday and end up Tuesday for the 4 days masai mara lake Nakuru.The amazing representative of Budget Africa safari picked on good time and we embark for journey toward masai Mara. We were with cheerful, friendly and experience driver Joseph, who stop anywhere we needed to take photos. Our stay at masai mara tented camp was good and also in Nakuru we stayed at Golden palace resort. We saw a lot of wild animals including the” black manned lion” which was my first time to see it on the real Africa savanna. meals was good prepared and every one of us was fully satisfied.
Overall this was an extremely good experience and I will recommend Budget Africa safari to my friends as a trust worthy, well priced, good value and services!!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Budget Safari the Best Safari for Africa
I found Budget Africa safari on Google, i was always dreaming in safari adventure in Masai mara. we booked safari with other 4 friends of mine. The 7 days safari for masai mara, lake Nakuru and Amboseli. The safari departed in Nairobi at by 0830 hrs, we met other holiday makers in our tour,The safari was amazing,memorable and amazing, we saw a lot of big five and other animals, the tented camp was clean and hot showers was provided. our driver Peter was experience and knowledgeable about park and its fantastic nature of wild animals! we highly recommended Budget Africa safari for great planing and good services..
RO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great people for an unforgettable experience!
We were three girls in this safari and we felt safe and pampered for the 4 days we were together with Jackpot Safaris. The driver and the cook provided great services and were always considerate of our needs and the manager made sure we got to experience the best of Tanzania's natural parks even on a tight budget. We totally recommend it for whoever feels like enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime experience in an authentic way!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
worth every penny
we are very happy we chose wild dogs Safari for our tour. they are very well organized our reservations were made online communication was excellent and everything was easy as can be as far as booking goes.they picked us up for our tour exactly at the time they said they would be there. Our guide was excellent. Elias is very knowledgeable and he's very excited about his job. he just could not share enough of his knowledge with us. they allowed us enough time at each sighting to view the animals we never felt rushed. The meals were absolutely excellent very tasty and a great variety. I can't say enough about this company they are a class act. my only suggestion would be for them to offer bottled water during the trip. It stated drinks were supplied but that's only with your meal. we drove for hours and its very hot. the brochure should make it more clear that you're only provided water with your meals.