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 Karanga Valley, which they will ascend for a mile-and-a-half up to the camp. They’ll be sleeping another 850 feet higher tonight (13,780 feet), allowing them another night to gradually acclimatize to the increasing altitude before moving up to high camp and heading for the summit in the coming days. They’ve moved up into the alpine desert zone of the upper mountain, but there is still flowing water in the Karanga Valley coming from a remnant glacier above. It has snowed on the top of Kilimanjaro while the team has been on their trek, so they are enjoying the iconic views of the snow-topped Kilimanjaro that not everyone experiences.

The team sounds in high spirits again tonight! Listen to the dispatch from Kilimanjaro’s Karanga Valley Camp below.

Expedition Dispatch Kilimanjaro – Karanga Valley Camp Day 5