What it’s like on Kilimanjaro?

You’ve spent thousands buying flight tickets and booking your trek. But what have you actually signed up for? What’s it like climbing Kilimanjaro?

Well, the first thing to say is that it’s fun. It really is. Sure, the last push to the summit is hard, as some of the quotes we use in the guide book clearly indicate. But don’t let that put you off: Kilimanjaro is a delightful mountain to climb.

But we had much to compensate us for all we had to give up. The charm of the mountain scenery, the clear, crisp atmosphere, the tonic of ‘a labour we delight in’ and the consciousness now and again of success achieved, all went far to make our fortnight’s arduous toil a happy sequence of red-letter days. Hans Meyer, the first man to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro; quoted from his book Across East African Glaciers

After all, the days are spent walking through spectacular landscapes which change every day. And as you pass through different vegetation zones, the pace is never exhausting. Why? Well, because you have to walk slowly in order to give yourself a chance to acclimatize.

It’s not just about the walking

What’s more, at the end of the day, while the guides are cooking your dinner, you are free to wander around the campsite. And as you bump into the same people time and again over the course of the trek, a sense of community soon develops.

Then, at around 7pm, night falls. And as you tuck into the huge plates of food cooked by your crew, the stars come out, stunning everyone into silence. This is the favourite time of day for most people. Rested, replete with food and with a day of satisfactory walking behind and a good night’s sleep ahead, it’s natural to feel a sense of comfort and contentment. While the thought of wild animals possibly lying nearby serving to add a pleasing frisson of excitement.

Bed? It’s too early. I feel too good. Aaah, I wonder if there’ll ever be another time as good as this.
Gregory Peck, in the film version of The Snows of Kilimanjaro

It’s tough. But it’s not always tough. And more often than not, it’s enjoyable rather than tough.

Of course, walking up from around 1800m to 5892.55m or thereabouts does take a lot of effort. Indeed, the night walk to the summit of Kilimanjaro is unarguably tough. But short of actually carrying you up, your crew does everything in their power to make your entire experience as comfortable as possible. (That’s assuming you have signed up with a decent agency such as Kilimanjaro Experts, of course.)

In fact, they’ll spoil you. They carry your bag, of course. Then, at the end of the day’s walk ,you’ll turn up at camp to find your tent has already been erected already. What’s more, there’ll be a bowl of hot water lying nearby for you to wash away the grime of the day. A few minutes later and a large plate of popcorn and biscuits will be served with a mug of steaming hot tea or coffee.

So don’t worry about how you’ll cope on Kili. Sure, you do have to be careful about altitude sickness. But when it comes to living on the mountain, your crew will try to make it as comfortable and relaxing as possible. Which allows you to get on with the job of actually climbing the mountain!

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