Travelogue

Rebmann was the first European to have sighted Mt. Kilimanjaro in 1848, and it was not until 1889 when Hans Meyer finally successfully scaled the summit. Now it's Theresa's and my crack at climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro!

One of Wilderness Travel's most challenging Africa adventures, this classic trip combines a wildlife safari in the Serengeti--the greatest wildlife environment on earth--and a non-technical climb of Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak (19,340'). With expert climbing guides and porters to carry our gear, we hike up the uncrowded and spectacular western slope of the mountain, crossing the 11,000-foot Shira Plateau, and camping beside the glaciers at the crater rim before reaching the summit--the "Top of Africa."

After our exhilarating peak experience we visit fabulous Ngorongoro Crater and explore the wilds of the Serengeti, home of the world's largest migrating herds.

 

Days 1-3 to Arusha, Tanzania. Leave U.S and stop over at Amsterdam. Arrive at Arusha and then rest for a day.

Days 4-10 Kili Climb. We meet our porters and guides at the trailhead (about 7,000') and ascend through montane forest. Our first camp is at the Forest Camp(9,000') We then continue to hike through the giant "heath zone" to Shira Plateau (11,300') and then the Scott Fischer Camp (12,950'). Entering the alpine zone, we camp at Sheffield Camp (14,800') for two days (important for acclimating to the high altitude) and Arrow Glacier (16,000'). Our last camp is at 18,500 feet beneath Furtwangler Glacier.

Days 11-12 Uhuru Peak/Descent. A short 2-hour hike up the last 800 vertical feet brings us to the true summit of Kilimanjaro--Uhuru Peak--at 19,340 feet. We then spend the rest of the day descending along the Mweka Route, with one last night of camping. Then we get to have a hot shower and a celebration dinner.

Days 13-19 Wildlife Safari. A remarkable week in Tanzania's finest wildlife reserves will be highlighted by visits to Lake Manyara, fabulous Ngorongoro Crater,  and the Serengeti National Park.

Include a special "Perspectives on East Africa" symposium.

On the Internet I find a very nice map from the July/August 1998 issue of the National Geographic Traveler. You can click on the hot spots to navigate to the desired camps.

For other detailed maps from "The New Map of the Kilimanjaro National Park" click here.

Overall Map

Summit Details

Wilderness Travel

We could not have done the trip without Wilderness Travel. It's an excellent adventure travel company. We used their service for the first time in 1991 when we went on a safari Kenya. We were impressed by the quality and the service. (I must admit that seeing all those elephants at Amboseli and Samburu definitely ensured that we had a great time.)

(I'm not associated with Wilderness Travel. I'm strongly endorsing them because I don't want to get into trouble for typing in the their trip description from their 1999 catalogue and violating their copyrights. :-)

Kilimanjaro WebRing