Mount Kilimanjaro - Tanzania

Discussion in 'Africa' started by mmm_greentea, Feb 28, 2008.

  1. mmm_greentea

    mmm_greentea Member

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    i am going traveling for about a year and i have my heart set on going to tanzania and climbing kilimanjaro. im just curios as to whether any1 here has climbed kili? or any1 been to tanzania? im just wondering how long i should stay in tanzania for. as in just do the climb and move on or is it worth spending a while there. if any1 has climbed kilimanjaro did you book way in advance or risk finding a group when you arrived in tanzania? did you fly directly to kilimanjaro airport? is there cheap accomodation available? any info really would be appreciated. cheers.
     
  2. Strawberry_Fields_Fo

    Strawberry_Fields_Fo RN

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    OMG!!!!!!!!!

    1) I have not climbed it, but I stayed in Arusha for 3 weeks and visited Moshi (the town at base camp). The climb takes 6 days...I think thats total, going up and going down, but don't quote me on that.

    2) I wouldn't worry about booking in advance..there's about a million local guides you can find once you get there...just ask around. Kili is a huge source of income for the region, so plenty of people will be willing to help.

    3) I flew into the Kili airport, but it's about an hours drive from there to arusha, and I'm not sure about Moshi (Moshi and Arusha are about an hour and a half apart.) But yes, the Kili airport is the "biggest" in the region.

    4) Cheap accomodation? Are you kidding? The Arusha hotel cost $10 a night...of course, that was in 2003, and the dollar is weaker now. It was a fairly nice hotel, too...it had a pool and everything. I stayed in the local community, so I only heard of the hotel via second hand info.

    5) Is there anything else to do???????????? Are you kidding me???? You HAVE to go on a safari! The freakin Serengetti National Park is near there! The safari I went on was to the Ngorongoro Creater, absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! The Masaai tribe (largest tribe in all of Africa) is also found there. PLEASE don't be a snotty tourist who only goes for the scenery and ignores the beautiful people!! You could also find some volunteer work at an orphanage or school. The people there are SO nice, it's insane!

    6) Other things....The reason I didn't do the hike is because it costs $600. Although, it is beautiful...Right before you reach the top, your guide wakes you up at 1am and you finish the last few hours in the am, so that you reach the top in time to see the sunrise over Africa!! It's also not a very steep hike, but alot of people get altitude sickness and have to turn back. Mt Mehru, it's sister peak, is not as high but it's steeper. That's another option too.

    Best,
    Kate
     
  3. Fawkes

    Fawkes Member

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    I came to this forum to basically
     
  4. Fawkes

    Fawkes Member

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    Oops, accidently submitted

    I came to this forum to ask basically this same question, looking for info about walking up Kili. Thanks for the info, Kate.

    greentea, let me say that I have read that there are some tours that are cheaper, but you need to avoid these. You need to go with a reputable tour guide, and go on a longer tour. Are you used to high altitudes? I know I'm not. I got sick as a dog in La Paz when I was a little kid. I've not since been up to those altitudes, so I dunno how my system is going to react to Kili. These shorter tours may not allow you enough time to aclimate to the high altitude conditions. I don't remember the length of the quick vs the longer tours, IDK whether the 6 days mentioned by Kate is a long or short tour. Just something to keep in mind.

    Kate, or anyone else who has been to the area, how was the food. Please, PLEASE don't tell me about the local McDonalds or KFC. That is not food. Why travel to another country to eat at McCrappy's. (I pissed off my lab partner on Monday when I dared to tell her that McBurger's are not real Burgers. I had a Burger in a bar on State Street in Bristol, TN last week that blew away anything made at any fast food joint.) Anyways, I just had to say that because I don't want some moron to see that I am American and reassure me that there will be plenty of Fast Food Burgers available in Africa. I want to know about African Food. I love Ethiopian Food, Morrocan is ok, but IDK anything about Kenyan or Tanzanian food. What's it like?

    I too have heard great things about the Ngorongoro crater, that should be a great side trip.

    Did you experience any violence while over there. I will be taking the normal precautions when/if we go? Despite my extensive travels, I haven't been to many third world countries. So I may be a little out of my league with this one. I was a little worried in Jo-burg, so what's it going to be like in Tanzania and Kenya?
     
  5. heywood floyd

    heywood floyd Banned

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    Actually, when I saw this post I realized I had some money saved up and nothing to do on my upcoming break, so I decided to book myself a climb. I'm going to be on the mountain from August 20th-27th.

    Having done heaps of research on it, I will tell you that you DO need to book in advance. Climbing the mountain has gotten very popular as of late which has caused the park to change their rules... you can't just go ahead and do it when you get there.

    The climb is definitely going to cost at least $1200, excluding tips. I paid a bit more for a 7-day private climb on the Machame route-- it's just me and no one else. There are cheaper ones out there, but they might be rushed or ill-equipped, and will probably be group climbs (not that there's anything wrong with that).

    I'm actually a bit upset because the way it worked out I'll be doing the climb and not much else because of time... but I suppose I could always go back, so long as airline prices don't get completely ridiculous.

    Also, it seems to be a lot cheaper to fly into Nairobi in Kenya (it's off-season now) and take the bus into Tanzania than to fly directly to Kili, so that's my route.

    I can't tell you much about the climb, because I haven't done it yet, but I have heard that it's important to pack light, go slow and stay warm. Also, a lot of the stuff you might need can be rented at the base of the mountain, so don't worry about bringing everything with you.
     
  6. heywood floyd

    heywood floyd Banned

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    Well, I just got back from my Kili climb, and I'm not saying I regret doing it but it left me kinda wishing I'd gone on safari longer or seen Zanzibar instead. It was pretty expensive and it seemed like the whole trip was more like being dropped into a social club for white people than a big spiritual challenge. I met a lot of rich Americans and Europeans starved for recreation and talking big about who they were and how many places they'd seen, but not so many people who had interesting things to say about anything-- except the guides, but for them the mountain is just a big routine and oftentimes it shows. I've had much better times climbing much smaller mountains all by myself with no one around... and that was more challenging too. This was just a few hours a day, not really difficult until the summit day, where it's a lot of work and it's hard to breathe. But if you pace yourself and breathe steady, you'll do fine. The only off-putting thing for me was just how immensely touristy the whole affair was. But that's not to say your experience won't be good... just that I ended up wishing I'd done something different. And yes, I did make it to the top. Some sites stress your fitness level and all that, but really, if you don't have medical problems and you're not too fat and like hiking and the outdoors, you'll be fine.

    So if, after that enthusiastic endorsement, anyone out there is still interested, I now know the best way to go about doing the climb.

    First of all, most of the American companies on the internet are a bunch of bullshit. They're usually just people on computers who have cooked up a website so they can charge extra fees on top of those that their affiliate company in Tanzania charges. You should never pay more than $1500, ever, and that's probably still too much, because from what I could tell everyone pretty much gets the same thing. I saw it with my own eyes. Zara seems to be the big company, but I met the owner and they're rich American assholes oblivious to how shamelessly ugly their corporate attitudes are. Still, the small ones are pretty dodgy sometimes-- I went with a small company for my safari and even though they tried hard and I was pretty happy, we ended up breaking some park rules in the process.

    So really, your best bet would be to set everything up when you get there. They say book in advance, but for the most part this is not a good idea for anything in Africa. Throughout my whole trip to Kenya and Tanzania there wasn't a single time when I wasn't being offered something, safaris, kili climbs, souvenirs, drinks, etc... and you'll be no different. The only important thing is to know how much it's worth and the name of a reputable company and someone will be able to set it up for you. Never buy souvenirs at the remote little curios that the tour buses stop at... get a guide and go to the ones in Moshi... it's an amazing price difference, and you'll get to see the town, which was actually a highlight of my trip... possibly moreso than summiting, but that's me.

    Some good things to have that you might not think about are tissues, wipes, toilet paper... you get dust in your passages and cleaning them out you'll be able to see what you've been inhaling. And make uber-sure you have sunblock... and a warm hat. Chapstick is essential. I had a fleece on the day of the climb and it was ideal... but there's no snow right now, so it depends when you want to go. It is also nice to be able to take off your boots because your feet swell up... and the temperatures go up and down dramatically... it can be really hot and burn you rapidly when it's sunny, then this mist comes in, the pressure drops, and suddenly you're shivering. Also, if you're doing a slow climb like me, it's best to have an I-pod or book, because there's a lot of down time.

    But really, unless you're really into mountains or you have dreams about Kili, I'd say spend your time discovering the country and the people, go see some animals and chill out if you can. The highlights of my trip were hearing about the Masaai, meeting real masaai people, seeing Moshi and Nairobi, and my all-too-brief trip to the Ngorodoro crater (though I did see a lion hunting a zebra!!!). When you're at the mountain you're kind of away from people and away from most animals, and you're also surrounded by horrible fucking tourists who will try to impress you with their wealth of knowledge on boring shit like US politics and Obama and taxes and their trips to other countries where they got absolutely nothing out of it except another check on their super world traveller checklist... and don't ask about the local customs or people because they're too wrapped up in being American and how wonderful that is. So yeah, I was a little annoyed at that.

    Also, I should warn you that during the high season you can get stuck in some really huge groups... and I can't imagine it would be all that wonderful. I thought the mountain was too crowded as it was, and more people (especially more serious Germans or cocky Americans) would just piss me off. Added to that is the fact that most of the scenery dies out after day three, so you're looking at dust... the stars and the sunsets are pretty awesome, but I've seen better.

    Better to do a safari, go to the less touristy places, or hit the beaches and chill out... if I ever go back, my itinerary is going to be structured to avoid Americans and people who want to talk about boring shit, which is what I should have done in the first place and regret now. As usual, the most interesting parts of the trip were the things I didn't expect to be so interesting... the things that actually made me feel like I was coming to understand a bit about the land and the people, how they thought, all that... that's the real value of travel!!!!
     
  7. heywood floyd

    heywood floyd Banned

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    I forgot to add that having poles for your climb truly rocks... they mean a lot less effort!
     
  8. heywood floyd

    heywood floyd Banned

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    One more thing... to avoid getting sick try doing the climb later than everyone else... it helps you get to the top much faster, and helps you to not get sick. We asked our guide to start out in the morning (around 4 am) so we were better rested... and instead of climbing with heaps of jackets/layers/heavy coats on, we climbed with just a fleece (it was easier to breathe/adjust to the altitude), and we actually managed to pass people who had started out at midnight. We also got to see the sunrise... not from the top, but neither did a lot of the others, because they had to go so much slower (couldn't see) and were having more trouble breathing.

    Our guide told us starting out at midnight is mostly just a tradition because the first climber went up then, and because the snow would melt when the sun came out so you would be coming down in slippery mud (also because back then a lot of guides couldn't afford sunglasses)... but there wasn't any snow when we went, so we barrelled down from the summit to Barafu in just two hours.

    Also, another tip is to make sure your tent has good ventilation... the first night I woke up short of breath because my tent and my sleeping bag were sealed up for warmth... the way I thought of it was-- if you're cold you're cold, but if you can't breathe you die.
     
  9. thebfswede

    thebfswede Member

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    Slighly OT -sorry- but I can't help it: Why not consider Mt. Kenya?

    Not the highest, but very very beautiful. (Just browse around for some pictures and look for yourself.) Also should be easier done, cheaper and safer from the altitude sickness that may strike around 5.000 and higher.

    I'll recommend Mt. Kenya any day. Three days of really heavy walking -and a set of memories that will last for a lifetime!
     
  10. kasi

    kasi Member

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    Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest walk-able mountain in the world and last year my Dad was try to climb up but its very tough job for my Dad because he was old and in my point of view never any guarantees in life..
     

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