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KILIMANJARO
The allure of Mount Kilimanjaro, for many, is simple; it is the highest mountain
on earth which can be reached without technical skill or experience.
Well-prepared and well-equipped walkers can reach Uhuru Peak, the summit, in
less than a week.
But do not be fooled; the ascent to the ‘roof of Africa’ is a challenge and
success can never be guaranteed, even for the most-hardy adventurer. The affects
of altitude can be unpredictable and in some cases severe.
For those willing to take on the challenge presented by Mount Kilimanjaro a
unique experience awaits, which will stay etched in the memory for a life-time.
As walkers pass through the gates of Kilimanjaro Park, they leave behind the
humdrum twenty-first century life and enter a new world: a world where it’s
possible to walk through four distinct climate zones, from the monkey-festooned
rain forests of the lower slopes to the shifting ice fields of the moon-scape
crater; where lunch can be shared with white-collar ravens and three-striped
mice; a world where dynamic African porters bid a cheery ‘jambo’ to
exhausted walkers as they race to the next camp balancing rucksacks and clanking
pots and pans on their heads; where the air is thinner, the water clearer and
the spirit of the mountain very-much alive.
For those who walk through the night to zig-zag up the mile-long scree slope in
the final stage of the ascent, and clamber over boulders to the crater rim, a
view of the sun rising over Mwenzi, the second peak of Kilimanjaro’s dormant
volcano, may be the prize. And on a clear day for those who press on to the
summit, at 5895 metres, the African Plain will be laid before them and the curve
of the earth visible on the horizon.
Kilimanjaro throws down the gauntlet and each person who takes up the challenge,
whether successfully reaching the summit or not, will be changed by the
experience.
There are five main routes up the mountain: Marangu
Machame Mweka, Umbwe, and
Shira These are all hiking routes. The most popular and easyest is the Marangu route. It
takes five days and involves walking 85 km. |
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