By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions. We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
Next summer i am looking to climb Kilimanjaro with a friend to raise money for a charity close to my heart. Was just wondering if anyone has ever climbed Kilimanjaro or something similar? I've never done something like this before and any advice would be much appreciated
I did it in Feb. Well worth it. Did Lemosho route over 7 days, you can do it quicker but the body struggles to acclimatise. Couple of tough days, especially the final night, where we walked for 8 hours in order to reach the summit as the sun rose. I booked thru Ian Taylor Trekking, who do an optional Safari afterwards...was the perfect detox instead of getting the plane home (or going to Dar Es Salam which is a dive apparently). One of the group went on to Zanzibar for a few days to lie on a beach. Has definitely whetted my appetite to do more, am saving up for Patagonia now.
I've been up a couple of times and it's an incredible experience and actually a very accessible mountain for people of all levels of experience (although still very hard graft.) If you go though a 'big tour operator' then it's definitely pricey although they'll organise flights, visas, kit etc. etc. If you're willing to do some of the organisation stuff (flights etc.) yourself then this cuts the cost a lot.
My advice would be, absolutely go for it, its an incredible experience and something you'll never forget and you'll come back with loads of stories and if you raise some money in the process then that's fantastic. As I said, hard graft, lots of long days but it's not a technical route and the guides are generally fantastic at keeping you going and keeping moral up. PM me if you want any other advice or tips or anything.
It's definitely doable; other than altitude, only the summit climb is particularly hard. That is a very big but though as altitude sickness affects everyone differently. The summit climb is a six hour (or longer if slower) slog uphill in the dark with windchill of about -20C (or it was when I did it) and my calves ached nearly every step of the way. It was worth it on reaching Stella Point and I could have run the rest of the way to the summit after that.
If you have any choice on the route, look for a longer one as that helps with acclimatisation and is also far more pleasant walking than the very busy main sections. The last camp before the summit is basically just unpleasant but that really can't be helped.
How good is your general fitness? Make sure you work on that as good cardio-vascular fitness helps with the thinner air at altitude. And also hill-fitness, get your legs used to working hard. Have you been at high altitude before? If not, look at Jebel Toubkal in Morocco to get some experience at 4,000m (it's a lot cheaper than Kili) to understand how it might affect you.
Also look at diamox, it's not something one would want to take all the time but it does aid acclimatisation. I find that it helps me if I spend more than a day above 4,000m.
Kit wise, don't scrimp too much particularly on boots, sleeping bag and a warm jacket for the evenings. Expect very hot equatorial sun in the day and some cold nights.
It was a great experience so I definitely recommend it. I don't think I would do it again because of the crowds (and there are plenty of big mountains still to see) but to stand on the highest point of a continent at least once is pretty cool. So, go for it but prepare properly to make it really worthwhile.
It's definitely doable; other than altitude, only the summit climb is particularly hard. That is a very big but though as altitude sickness affects everyone differently. The summit climb is a six hour (or longer if slower) slog uphill in the dark with windchill of about -20C (or it was when I did it) and my calves ached nearly every step of the way. It was worth it on reaching Stella Point and I could have run the rest of the way to the summit after that.
If you have any choice on the route, look for a longer one as that helps with acclimatisation and is also far more pleasant walking than the very busy main sections. The last camp before the summit is basically just unpleasant but that really can't be helped.
How good is your general fitness? Make sure you work on that as good cardio-vascular fitness helps with the thinner air at altitude. And also hill-fitness, get your legs used to working hard. Have you been at high altitude before? If not, look at Jebel Toubkal in Morocco to get some experience at 4,000m (it's a lot cheaper than Kili) to understand how it might affect you.
Also look at diamox, it's not something one would want to take all the time but it does aid acclimatisation. I find that it helps me if I spend more than a day above 4,000m.
Kit wise, don't scrimp too much particularly on boots, sleeping bag and a warm jacket for the evenings. Expect very hot equatorial sun in the day and some cold nights.
It was a great experience so I definitely recommend it. I don't think I would do it again because of the crowds (and there are plenty of big mountains still to see) but to stand on the highest point of a continent at least once is pretty cool. So, go for it but prepare properly to make it really worthwhile.
Cheers guys for the advice, much appreciated! Think ill save up a bit of money first so my donations aren't paying for the trip
yeah that is the only thing putting me off, i read its about £3,000 to do and i am not keen either on having the donations pay for that
As Steve_M said above, Toubkal is a really good cheaper option but still the highest mountain in Northern Africa. Also a lot shorter trip if time is an issue; 1 day walk in to the mountain hut, 1 summit day and then 1 day walk back to relative civilisation. One of the mountain huts is extremely comfortable and will lay on food etc. Plus this then gives you the opportunity to explore Marrakech once down which is an equally fantastic experience.
My Daughter did it. Basically it is both more rewarding and more hard work than you would imagine - although you do have man servants to help you - but if you start to flag they will send you back to the camp for good.
“Hello, I'm your MP. Actually I'm not. I'm your candidate. Gosh.”
Boris Johnson canvassing in Henley, 2005.
My Daughter did it. Basically it is both more rewarding and more hard work than you would imagine - although you do have man servants to help you - but if you start to flag they will send you back to the camp for good.
It's the altitude, if anyone starts to show signs of serious altitude sickness then it is imperative to get them down the mountain as quickly as possible.
The porters carry a ton of kit, some of them in old trainers, it is impressive.
It's the altitude, if anyone starts to show signs of serious altitude sickness then it is imperative to get them down the mountain as quickly as possible.
The porters carry a ton of kit, some of them in old trainers, it is impressive.
It's the altitude, if anyone starts to show signs of serious altitude sickness then it is imperative to get them down the mountain as quickly as possible.
The porters carry a ton of kit, some of them in old trainers, it is impressive.
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
