Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Kilimanjaro 5895 meters
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, is a dormant volcanic mountain in Kilimanjaro National Park, Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa, and the highest free-standing mountain in the world at 5,895 meters or 19,341 feet above sea level (the Uhuru Peak/Kibo Peak)

Our route
We went the Marangu route. The trek began in the south-east area of the mountain at Marangu Gate. The route took fives days for us to complete. We slept in sleeping huts along the route. The descent was done on the same path.

Lack of oxygen
The summit of Kilimanjaro is 5895 meters above sea level and as such it is classed as a high altitude trek. Complex and not fully understood physiological changes take place in the body once above 2500 meters and this is because the air becomes thinner and there is less oxygen. When we breathe, our intake of oxygen is less and so our body has to work much harder to get oxygen to its essential organs. To put it into context, at the summit of Kilimanjaro there is half the amount of oxygen than there is at sea level. 

Altitude sickness and exhaustion
Approximate 50% of our group did never reach the highest point Uhuru Peak due to altitude sickness and exhaustion. Some reached the lower summit Gilman’s Point, 300 meters (980 feet) short of Uhuru but decided to break the ascent and go back to base camp.

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High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPO) and High Altitude Cerebral Oedema (HACO) are two, more serious and life threatening conditions that are associated with altitude sickness and occur when an individual has not been able to acclimatise properly or has climbed too quickly. Symptoms that are not assessed or remain untreated can eventually result in either of these conditions, where lack of oxygen can result in leakage of fluid through the capillary walls into either the lungs or the brain causing swelling. Both conditions require immediate evacuation and hospitalisation.

Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!

On our way to Moshi we did encounter some tricky dirt roads

Every time we stopped for some reason, we attracted friendly attention from the locals

We stayed overnight in Moshi with mighty Mt Kilimanjaro overlooking the city

Day one. We pushed thru the rainforest. We were lucky the ground was relatively dry. The rainforest is on 800-2800 meters above sea level. It's drenched in heavy rains, so this section remains lush and green all year round. Here you may even be able to spot elephant and buffalo tracks!

The first night we spent in Mandara hut, 2727 meters above sea level. The distance from Marangu Gate - Mandara hut is 12 kilometers.

Relaxing at Mandara hut. My friend Leif to the left and me to the right.

Second day. Now we have reached the Heather and Moorland 2800-4000 m, known as the low alpine zone, you emerge from the rain forest into sparse vegetation. Here the temperatures getting down to 0 C at times. Our final destination is visible in the distant, the Kibo with it's summit covered with snow.

There are a few flowers to spot, but the most prominent feature are the Giant Lobelias, that grew like stubby palm trees! Here my friend Christer is standing in front of some Giant Lobelias.

The only animals you are likely to see here are scampering striped mice and a few crows all foraging scraps of food dropped by passing Kilimanjaro trekkers!

Here I am having my lunch at the same time the clouds are covering the landscape with fog.

The second night we spent at Horombo hut at 3780 meters above sea level. The distance between Mandara hut and Horombo hut is 15 kilometers.

The third day we reached the Alpine Desert 4000-5000 meters above sea level. A fairly inhospitable place, there is not much life in the desert apart from some tussock grasses and a few small flowers. It is brown, dusty and dry.

I am posing nicely for the photographer. The altitude here is 4394 meters above sea level. With little to no shelter from the elements, intense radiation plagues the day and at night temperatures plummet to freezing.

My friend is talking with some guy here. Note the bottle of Coke to the left. I brought a couples of bottles with me to refresh myself and get my strength back in exhausting moments.

Third night we spent at Kibo hut at 4710 meters. The distance between Horombo Hut and Kibo Hut is 16 kilometers. From here we will rise at around 23h30, and after some tea and biscuits we head off into the cold night. Then we will be in time to see the sunrise at the summit.

From this point we leave the alpine desert and enter into arctic conditions. With little to no surface water there is no life apart from lichens which cling desperately to rocks hoping for a few droplets. The sun burns during the day and at night the cold is ferocious.

Day four. On our way to Uhuru peak at sunrise. This stretch is extremely hard. The distance Kibo hut - Uhuru Peak and back to Horombo hut is 27 km and took us 14 hours to complete!

Finally at Uhuru peak 5895 meters above sea level. Here the oxygen is nearly half that of sea level.

This was our guide.

For obvious reasons the view from here was fantastic. But with a cooling effect the temperature was around minus 20 degrees so we didn't stay long here. We are overlooking the crater. Kibo is capped by an almost symmetrical cone with scarps rising 180 to 200 m on the south side. These scarps define a 2.5 km wide caldera. Within this caldera is an inner crater, the Reusch Crater.

Here we are relaxing in the sunshine at Gilman’s Point 5595 meters, before descending further.

The view from Gilman’s Point is majestic. We are overlooking the second peak Mawenzi. From here we descend to Kibo hut and continue down to Horombo hut where we will spend the fourth night.

Day five. Back down in the rainforest again heading for Marangu gate..

Here is the whole group gathered. I am sitting to the left.