The team trekked up out of the rainforest today and climbed up into the alpine heath zone of Kilimanjaro. They trekked about 5 miles gaining over 2000 ft up tho the Shira Plateau on the flanks of the mountain. Shira is one of the three distinct volcanic cones that make up the Kilimanjaro massif and…
The team started their trek today and are settling down for the night at Big Tree Camp at 9,120ft. They woke up this morning at the break of dawn to coffee and tea delivered to their luxury safari style tents at Ndarakwai. After breakfast they loaded into the Land Cruisers and headed for the trailhead…
The October 23rd Kilimanjaro Team met in Tanzania and are making final preparations for their trek! The team is staying at the Ndarakwai Lodge on a private game preserve on the plains below Kilimanjaro. It’s a great introduction to Africa and a nice way to start the trip. Today they’ll meet the local guide team,…
Hello, everyone! Thank you for following our Mount Kilimanjaro dispatches. This is Mountain Trip guide, Jacob Schmitz, checking in after an amazing trip to the highest point in Africa with new and old friends from around the world. It was great to be part of such an amazing team of climbers. Each member came to…
Congratulations! The team reached the summit of Kilimanjaro this morning. They woke up early this morning for the classic “alpine start,” leaving the Barafu Camp by headlamp in the middle of the night, and climbed up to the top of Kilimanjaro just after sunrise. It is the biggest day of the climb, leaving from 15,340…
The team moved up to Barafu Camp today at 15,340 feet, which is their high camp for the trek. Today was a relatively short trek, so they got in early and focused on resting and relaxing prior to their summit push tomorrow. They had another big dinner, a bit earlier tonight, and are planning to…
The trekkers reached the Karanga Valley Camp this afternoon, after about 4.5 hours of trekking. They started the morning with the climb of the Barranco Wall, a steep section of trail that is a bit more strenuous than the rest of the trek thus far. After a quick climb out of camp, they descended into…
The October Kilimanjaro team trekked up to over 15,000 feet today, passing the landmark Lava Tower, where they stopped for lunch, enjoyed the views from their high point of the day. They continued traversing around Kilimanjaro after lunch and actually descended a bit down to the Barranco Camp at about 13,000 feet, where they are…
Day 3 the team trekked to Moir Camp at 13,600 feet. The team trekked up to a pretty high altitude today, and everyone is feeling great this evening! That’s a good sign, although we create a conservative itinerary where they gradually work their way up and give their bodies a chance to acclimate to the…
The team woke to the sounds of monkeys in the trees above them this morning to start Day 2 of their Kilimanjaro trek. They had some breakfast, packed their daypacks with snacks and water, and started up the mountain towards the Shira Camp at 11,500 feet. They left the rain forest today and are trekking…