Arrival in Moshi

Steve arrived at Kilimanjaro National Airport Wednesday night and chilled at the Meru Game Lodge, several kilometers west of the airport.  The lodge is situated in a wildlife sanctuary with dark, hand carved wood, high thread-count sheets, and beautifully kept grounds.  

Mount Meru Game Lodge

I arrived on Friday from Rwanda where I was visiting my daughter and family who live in Kigali.  As I traveled mid morning, I was able to view the landscape on the short 1 ½ hours flight, and was struck by the fairly clear demarcation between the the landscape of villages and the expansive Serengeti ecosystem, which is devoid of development other than several dirt tracks and what appeared like occasional lodge areas.  

Both Steve and I were met at the airport by Seif Juma, the CEO of our guiding company Kili Africa Tours.  We were presented with 1 ½ liter bottles of water, juice and all the bananas we could eat on the way to our respective hotels.  

Seif Juma and Steve

Seif, Teo and Geoff

As I was the first of our team to arrive at the Parkview Inn in Moshi, Seif set me up in one of the best rooms in the hours with a full-on view of Mount Kilimanjaro from my window!

Kili out my window!

Mountain Support - Porters and Guides

The average ratio of support staff on Kilimanjaro is 3 or 4 staff - guides, cook(s) and porters per client.  Usually, one guide will support a small number of clients - leading them, organizing porters, equipment, meals, etc.  Porters carry equipment and supplies to support everyone - clients, guides and themselves. This ranges from camping equipment, food and water, and the clients’ extra possessions. Some porters will travel ahead of the group and set up camp in advance. 

Tanzanian law mandates that all climbers must climb with guides and porters. Most of the Kilimanjaro porters and guides are local Tanzanian men between the ages of 18 and 40, and many work for years as porters on Kilimanjaro before being promoted to guide status. Wages for this work are relatively high in this poor country.  Many porters for Kilimanjaro are not employed on a permanent basis and freelance for different companies, but some operators use the same team of support staff for “quality control.”  Regulations state that porters can carry a maximum of 20 kg (33 lbs) for the company, plus their own gear.  They may work 6 days a week for three or four times a month during the climbing seasons.  

We’re told that our team of 6 clients will consist of 3 guides, 1 cook and 25 porters.

Mount Kilimanjaro Ecosystem

Kilimanjaro is perhaps the largest freestanding mountain in the world, rising more than the 5,000 m (16,400 ft) above the East African plain at 800 m (2,625 ft).  The mountain is only 530 km (330 miles) south of the equator, and less than that to the Indian Ocean.  The mountain is totally within Kilimanjaro National Park, measuring approximately 60 km west to east by 40 km north to south (37 mi by 25 mi) and encompassing 755 sq.km. (290 sq. mi.).  Because of its great height and its geographical location, Kilimanjaro contains five distinct ecological zones, each occupying approximately 1,000 m (3,300 ft) of altitude and each with unique flora and fauna:

• Lower slopes/Cultivation Area - 800 - 1,800 m (2,625 - 5,900 ft)
• Montane forest zone - 1,800 - 2,700 m (5,900 - 8,860 ft)
• Heath and moorland zone- 2,700 - 4,000 m (8,860 - 13,125)
• Alpine desert zone - 4,000 - 5,000 m (13,125 - 16,400 ft)
• Summit zone - 5,000 - 5,895 m (16,400 - 19,341 ft)

Lower Slopes/Cultivation Area:  This region of the mountain receives the greatest annual rainfall and features many rivers formed by glacier run-off from the top of Kilimanjaro. This zone is made up of farmland and small villages where many of the porters and guides working on the mountain come from.  The farmland in this region is largely used for coffee production, and some of Africa’s best coffee comes from the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. Bananas, avocado, mango and other fruits are also grown on the lower mountain.

Montane Forest Zone:  The forest zone encircles a majority of Mount Kilimanjaro, but most of the rain on the mountain falls on the south and the east side so the forest is much denser here than to the north on the Kenyan side of the mountain. The flora and fauna are diverse but the animals are very elusive. Blue and Colobus monkeys are seen on certain routes.

Heath and Moorland Zone :  The montane forest quickly gives way to the heath and moorland zone. Temperatures here are erratic - daytime temperature can be above above 100° F (40^oC) but drop below freezing (32° F or 0° C) at night. These temperatures combined with less rain, gusting winds, giant heathers, wild grasses and a rocky trail replaces the forest very quickly. Tall grasses replace the heather progressing to the moorland zone. Large fields of wild flower cover sections of the mountain and clouds floating at eye level will frequently be seen.

Alpine Desert Zone:  This area of the mountain is truly a desert with annual rainfall less than 20 cm (8 in) and what plant life exists at this altitude must withstand both the oppressive sun and sub-zero temperatures.  There is also evidence of the mountain’s violent past with fields of volcanic rock of all shapes and sizes. 

Summit Zone:  Characterized by ice and rock, there is virtually no plant or animal life at this altitude. Glacial silt covers the slopes that were once concealed by the now-receding glaciers visible from Kilimanjaro’s crater rim. Nights are extremely cold and windy, and the day's intense equatorial sun is powerful.

Kilimanjaro Intro

Kilimanjaro.

At 5,895 m (19,341 ft) Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain on the continent of Africa.  Kili is a stratovolcano composed of three volcanic cones - Kibo, the highest, Mawenzi at 5,149 m (16,893 ft), and Shira at 5,005 m (13,140 ft).  There are multiple climbing routes to the summit - Uhuru Peak, ranging from the Marungu Route (Coca Cola Route) - most frequently climbed, to the Umbwe Route - reputedly the most difficult and demanding route, but the most spectacular and least frequently climbed.  The Umbwe Route is the one we've selected.

Our time on the mountain is planned to be 7 days, from February 4 - 10, 2019.

The Team:

Katie with friend 

Ben and Julia (future Kili climber!)

Tom

Geoff

Nell

Steve