Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in the continent of Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. It’s roughly 5895 metres, or 19,341 feet high. The mountain is in fact a stratovolcano composed of three volcanic cones. The summit area is on the dormant volcanic cone Kibo, it hasn’t erupted in thousands of years.

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The mountain is walkable right to the top, you don’t need any technical climbing, but it is challenging due to the altitude. The easiest way to counteract against the altitude is to, as they say on the mountain, go Pole Pole – slowly slowly. We made the mistake of completing the climb in 4 days. I would highly recommend doing it in at least 5 days. This could be the difference of making it to the top and also really enjoying the experience when you do get to the top.

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The other challenge is the temperature at the top. The final part of the climb is done during the night so you get to the summit for sunrise. Layers and really good quality gloves are essential. They will make the whole experience so much more enjoyable.

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There are seven official routes to get to the top, each offering slightly different landscapes, views etc. We chose to do the Marangu route because it’s the only route where you stay in cabins each night rather than tents. The Marangu route, nicknamed the Coca-Cola route because historically you could buy soft drinks in the huts on the way up. It consists of three stopping arears – Mandara, Horombo and Kibo.

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We stayed our first night in Mandara, our second night in Horombo (if you are doing it in more than four days you will stay an extra night or two here climbing some of the way up each day to get more used to the altitude). The final night you sleep in Kibo, waking up in the middle of the night to complete the climb to the summit. The summit is known as Uhuru Peak, meaning “freedom” is Swahili. You’ll learn lots of other fun mountain words as you climb such as one we all know Hakuna Matata – no worries.

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Kilimanjaro is located in the beautiful country of Tanzania, in the north east, near the town of Moshi. Interestingly there is a myth that the mountain used to be in Kenya and that Queen Victoria decided to gift the mountain to her nephew the Kaiser of Germany Wilhelm II. The boundary actually resulted from treaties such as the 1886 partition where Britain and Germany divided East Africa, with the port of Mombasa being a key factor in securing the peak for Germany.

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Of course there are many other reasons to Visit Tanzania. We started our trip with a safari in the world famous Ngorongoro Crater where we were lucky to see a whole host of incredible animals including zebras, giraffes, lions, buffalo, leopards and many more.

After our climb we then went to stay on the beautiful island of Zanzibar for four nights. An incredible place to rest, recuperate and have some fun.

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We flew into Kilimanjaro International Airport as that is the best location for being close to Kilimanjaro, and to Ngorongoro and Serengeti if you choose to go there too. I would recommend about two weeks in Tanzania to maximise your experience. Like I said at the beginning I would take at least 5 days to climb Kilimanjaro and ensure you have good gear.