One of the biggest draws to Tanzania was the opportunity to climb Africa’s highest mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro!
On July 23rd, my six-day adventure along the Machame route began. The three of us started on a relatively easy trail through the picturesque rainforest for about 4.5 hours 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 our routine 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, as well as plenty of great food and brilliant service from the entire 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 11 pm, we set off into the dark towards the peak with only our head torches lighting the path in front of us. The steepness, combined with the dark and cold, made this by far the most challenging part of the climb. It seemed to take forever, but we finally reached Stella’s 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 our achievement 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 monkeys who distracted us from our tired legs and made the last few hours that little bit easier.
When we finally reached the summit, all three of us were presented with our golden certificates for reaching the Uhuru peak at 5895m above sea level. The feeling of achievement I had at that moment is one that 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, I cannot praise them enough!
Matt Jones
