Kilimanjaro climb!

One of the biggest draws to Tanzania was the opportunity to climb Africa’s highest mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro!

On the 23^rd of July my six day adventure along the Machame route began. The three of us started on a fairly easy trail through the picturesque rainforest for about 4.5hours until we reached the first camp. Here we were met by our porters and chef who had already set up the tents and prepared a hot meal for us. This quickly became the routine for us over the next three days as we climbed up the mountain passing steep rocky ascents and alpine deserts along the way. Throughout the hike we were treated to fantastic views including the arrow glacier and lava tower, plenty of great food and brilliant service from all of the climb team.

Eventually we made it to the Barafu camp which stands at 4673m, this would act as our base camp for the summit attempt later that night. Then at about 11pm we set off into the dark towards the peak with only our head torches lighting the path in front of us. The steepness, dark and cold made this by far the most difficult part of the climb. It seemed to take forever but we finally reached Stella point, from here we knew that there was only an hour of relatively easy climbing to go. Sure enough, just under an hour later we made it to the summit and all of our hard work was rewarded as we watched the sunrise above the mountain. For a short while we weren’t tired or cold, just elated at what we had achieved.

However, reality soon kicked in and so after about 10 minutes at the top we started to make our way back down. The loose gravel surface made the first part of the descent very tough, but we stuck at it and finally made it back to base where we could truly reflect on what we’d just achieved. Then after a short period of rest we went down for another two hours where we made camp for the final time. Here we had a brilliant view of the summit which really put what we had achieved into perspective.

After our final night on the mountain the only thing left was an easy descent through the rainforest. Here we saw various species of monkey who distracted us from our tired legs and made the last few hours that little bit easier.

When we finally made it to the bottom all three of us were given our golden certificates for making it all the way to the Uhuru peak at 5895m above sea level, the feeling of achievement I had at that moment is one that’ll I’ll never forget. I cannot recommend climbing Kilimanjaro enough to anyone, if you think you’re up to the challenge then give it ago, it might be one of the best things you ever do!

The climb itself would not have been possible without the help of our expert guides, cook and porters, what they all did for us throughout the climb was honestly amazing. From carrying incredible amounts of kit all the way up to the mountain, preparing us fantastic food and putting up with our complaining all the way up, I cannot praise them enough!

Matt Jones