This review is focus on the climb itself, for a review of my (excellent) tour company "Kilimanjaro Brothers" please check the tour companies in Moshi. I'm a 47 year old female traveling solo. My trip didn't start too well and I was never so glad I had a 2 day buffer before my climb. I had a flight cancellation, 2 flights delay, arrived 2 days late and... without my luggage!
I landed in Kilimanjaro/Moshi around 08:30 am got into town to rent some equipment, buy toiletries and snacks in case my bag wouldn’t arrive and by noon I was on the bus with the crew heading for the mountain TIP#1...It's a good idea to get into town a day or two early to relax and have a buffer in case of airport or luggage delay, also in your carry-on luggage make sure you keep the most important closing you wouldn't be able to do without on the mountain, Warm gloves, boots, warmest layers. ( FYI I didn't get my luggage until the 3rd day of the climb and yes someone help them-self to a lot of my stuff including my second pair of shoes, lost about $500 worth of goods - a not so unusual thing to happen in Nairobi and Kilimanjaro airport)
I was on the Lemosho / 8 days hike and I was happy to find out that a 23 year old girl from Montreal would be joining me on the hike. It may not sound like a good pairing but it was, we shared a tent, laughed a lot and most importantly we walked at the same pace. We had a support team of 13 including 2 guides. TIP#2 ... when booking your trip if you're going solo no problem but if you’re joining a group I feel that's it's important to find a group that is match closely in physical ability and speed - If you're slower than most of the group you'll feel like you need to push yourself (not a good idea) and if you're faster you'll likely get frustrated waiting for your teammates, it will also mess up your flow/timing - Tip #3 - If they offer a private, portable bathroom, trust me and take it. The tourist bathrooms are not close to the tents, it's just a dirty hole in the ground, it's dark and most importantly it's freaking cold (below 0/32) at night.
When you arrived at the entrance gate you will have to sign up and pay the park fee yourself, about $1100.00 for 8 days, with a credit card ONLY -Tip #4 - Don’t forget to tell your credit card company that you’re traveling or you won’t be able to use it. Most tour companies prefer getting paid in cash if you want to pay with a credit card the fees will be passed on to you and expect to pay about 7% more. I paid cash and will tell you I wasn’t very comfortable traveling with that much cash on me and at the end it worked out well. I had $3700.00 with me to pay for the climb, safari, tips, visit to Zanzibar and little cash for souvenir and miscellaneous. Tip #5 – your cash should be new, clean bills, for the tour company use $100 bill they get a much better exchange rate with large bills, for the tips you’ll need 20’s, 10’s and 5’s and for you spending cash stick to mostly 5’s and 1’s. If you’re in Tanzania for more than a Kilimanjaro climb have lot’s of 1’s for small tips in hotels, restaurants and small purchase like drinks and snacks (I had $50 in 1’s and was glad I did) It is pretty easy to change 20’s for singles in restaurants and hotels since the exchange rate for small bills is so bad. I did exchange $50 for Tzs when I arrived in Moshi and that was enough for my 3 weeks in Tanzania, it is unusual that someone will refuse dollars but it was also useful to have a few Tzs in my pocket. Since we’re on the money issue I’ll address the tip issue now, again when tips are concern the more hikers in the group the lower the amount you have to give. I gave $550 for tips (2 hikers) I would have pay over $700 by myself. Here are the guidelines the tour company gave us and followed. Guide $15/day, assistant guide $12/day, Chef $12/day, waiter $10/day, bathroom attendant $8/day, porter for your personal bags $10/day, summit porter $10/day other porters (5) $8/day. It is also a good idea to bring clothes you no longer need and give it to the guys, they will be very grateful.
The first day is about a 3 hour drive to the gate were you sign up and another hour drive to the beginning of the trail. Tip #6 - If you are prone to motion sickness make sure to take something before you get on the bus, the last 2 hours of the drive were brutal for me. The hike to the first camp is only about 3 hours on a comfortable walking path, the temperature were very comfortable and the pace surprisingly slow at first but I was glad since its 3 hours up. The next morning was a little cool in the am but warmed up as soon as the sun went up. We were out of the green, lush, shaded forest after a few hours and got into the open heather-Moreland. Tip #7 – Sunscreen - Make sure your sun protection is UVA/UVB rated and should be at a very minimum SFP 30. I used (after my bag arrived) Riemann P20 SFP 50, it’s a Danish brand that you can buy on amazon, not cheap but so worth it, you only need one application in the morning, it will not get in your eyes or mouth and most important you will be well protected. We walked from 8:45am to 3:15pm on a comfortable walking path, you’ll notice a sharp drop in temperature by the time you get to the second camp (shira1) and expect the ground to freeze at night. I was told that the sleeping bag I rented was “very” warm and had an added liner but I have to tell you I barely slept that nigh because I was so cold, I was so glad my luggage arrive with my sleeping bag the next day . Tip #8 – Your sleeping bag is not the place to save money! The absolute best thing I did for this trip was to get a North Face -40c bag, I was lucky to find a barely use one on Ebay for $400. I slept like a baby the rest of the trip. Tip #9 – Ask for some hot water to put in you nalgene bottle at dinner time and place it at the bottom of you sleeping bag. Tip #10 place all the clothes you’re planning to wear in the morning at the bottom of your bag, you’ll be glad you did. Staying warm is key to your success on the mountain and fighting altitude sickness. For altitude sickness prevention I used Diamox 125mg twice a day that I started the day before the trek started. It can be used a few different ways, my teammate only started using it on day 3 and took 250mg twice a day. Some take it prophylactic and some wait until they have symptoms. Do some research before the trip and do what you think will work best for you. Tip #11 Drink beet juice! That’s right beet juice, a rich nitric oxide food that helps restoring blood vessels function impaired by the low air pressure in high altitudes and helps the body distribute oxygen. Not exactly convenient to bring beets and a juicer on the mountain but relax you can get some Beet Boost from NutriGarden in individual dose packs that you mixed with water. Beet Boost is actually beets and tart cherry that help with muscle and joints and… the taste! LOL. I made sure to drink one at breakfast and one at diner. There is some other beet products out there but this one is the only one non-GMO, gluten free, vegan, no preservatives sweeteners, filers or flavors. Tip #12- Studies have show that taking ibuprofen also help preventing/fighting altitude sickness, I took 800mg twice a day starting on day 2. Warning; ibuprofen, if you have a sensitive stomach, it can do a number on you so like any medication prescribed or over the counter be sure to talk to your physician about it first. Tip #13 – The number one tip for altitude sickness is drinking a lot of fluid 3 liters should be your minimum but aim for 4liters (1 gal). Another thing is make you bring some electrolytes with you, I like the Nuun brand and you can even find it at Publix now. You need to replenish your electrolytes when walking 4 to 8 hours a day and it also help covering the not so great taste of the water. The water is collected from the mountain, it has to be boiled and purified before it becomes drinkable.
Day 3 was I think the easiest of days although the path is no longer even and becomes rockier, it’s at that time you’ll realized a good pair of high boots were a good investment. Most group will go the Cathedral point for acclimatization before making their way to camp 3 (shira II).
On day 4 you will make your way up to lava Tower at 1600ft it’s an important day for acclimation. It was a study 5 hour climb to get there on an uneven very rocky path at it would be now until the end of the trek. We had lunch on top but honestly I couldn’t wait to get out of there, we were in the fog and the strong winds froze you in place. It took us approximately 3 hours to make are way down to Barranco camp (1300ft) thru a mix of a long stretch of downhill and up a couple ridges. Tip # 14 – As I mentioned earlier the nights are freezing and it makes going to the bathroom an unpleasant trip, having a private bathroom helps but it’s still a hassle so I recommend you get a pee bottle, both guys and girls! Ladies don’t be fooled into buying anything special, stick to a simple male urinal, as a nurse I’ve used male urinals on my female patients for years. Get 2, use the first one for practice (I recommend doing it in the shower at first) and the second one for your trip.
Day 5 is The Barranco wall, it will take about 2- 2 ½ hours to get on top and then another 2 hours to get to your next camp at Karanga. Pretty easy day but for the people doing the Lemosho 7 day they skip that camp and have another 3 to 4 hours to base camp/Barafu.
Day 6 and is again not bad, 3 to 4 hours of a study climb to arrive at base camp for lunch and preparing for the summit. You have 2 options for the summit; day hike that leave around 4 am or the most popular option it seems, the night climb leaving at 11pm. I specifically wanted a day hike and booked it as such but my teammate wanted a night start meaning we would have to split the team and everyone scheduled would have been affected so….to make everyone lives easier (except mine) I said I would agree to go ahead with the night climb. Me and A. were very confident, even a little cocky about the summit, I had zero symptoms of altitude sickness not even a mild headache and A. just had a day were she felt a bit under the weather (day4).
Day 7, summit night, the weather was good when we left at 11pm with very little wind but as the hours went on the wind pick up and it got COLD! You go at a very slow pace on summit night, slower than usual, the climb is very steep and if you stop you feel the cold in your bones. Tip # 15 – Make sure you hydrate some and plan on some easy snacks, I did not eat enough on the way up, I had absolutely no appetite for the first time on the trek, I must not have hydrated that much either because I don’t remember having to pee. I realized I wasn’t feeling good around 2 or 3 am I just felt very sleepy with no other symptoms but kept going. By 5 or so I told the guides that something wasn’t quite right but they assure me I would feel better as the sun would come up soon. The sun was starting to come up but I felt worst, like someone had drug me and I had to fight with everything I had to stay awake. With the encouragement of the A. and the guides I made it up to Stella point but that’s were my journey ended, within a few minutes I had to go back down the mountain with one of the guides. If you think going up is hard well going down is hell! LOL. I started to get my head back and felt much better as I descended. I got back to camp and rested waiting for A. who got to Uhuru peak. We still had to get down to Mweka camp about 4/5 hours down, it was brutal, the path is very difficult and going down for so long killed my knees. Tip # 16 – You may get away from using pole while climbing but I can’t imagine going down without it. No need to spend too much money on poles, I would even say rent them in Moshi for $10 if you don’t own a pair. The last camp was very relaxed, everybody, hikers, porters and guides are looking forward to be back to civilization and a good, long and very hot shower. The tip ceremony is usually the last morning but since A. left her money in the safe in Moshi we ended up doing it at the hotel.
Day 8, you still have about 3 or 4 hours downhill although the path is a lot better you most likely have not recover from the torture of the day before. Seeing the buses waiting for you at the gate is a sweet feeling, the smell in the bus with 13 guys with no showers for 8 days (10 for me) not so much… LOL
Very glad I did it, I had a wonderful time, met a lot of interesting people on the way to the summit my only regret was my choice to go ahead with a night climb. Tip # 17 – I don’t understand why the night climb is so popular, yes the sunrise on the summit maybe but the sunrise come up for everybody on the mountain, the day time is so much warmer, you have time to stop without freezing I think you have better chances to make it up the summit with a day climb.
Last and final Tip - Like me for most of you this is the trip of a lifetime, you had to save a lot of money, trained (you should), and done your research so make sure when you get on the mountain to do it right, don't let the guides or your teammate dictate your pace, if they go to fast don't follow, find the pace that works for you, if you don't you'll burn out before you get to the summit, you'll get sick and all that effort, time and money will go to waste. Have fun! I did!!!
