Day 1 to Day 3: Lemosho Gate (7,825ft / 2385m) to Barranco Camp (12,990ft / 3960m).

​After an overnight stay in Doha, Qatar, we arrived safely at the Kilimanjaro airport in Arusha, Tanzania. The drive to our hotel in Moshi, at the base of Kilimanjaro, was a bit chaotic as it seems that there are no rules on the road. But, contrary to Bostonian’s drivers, everyone keeps their calm and go with the flow. Or, as one of our guides would tell us many times over the next six days: “Hakuna Matata”, which means in Swahili “No problems”. Welcome to Tanzania!

The next morning, we met with our two guides, Ravi and Fadhili, who checked all of our gear, just to making sure we didn’t forget anything. Then, it was time to leave the hotel and finally embark on our journey to the roof of Africa, after several years dreaming about it. We drove for 2hrs until we arrived at the Lemosho gate, the beginning of the trail. There, while eating lunch and getting ourselves organized for the day, our team of two guides, ten porters and one cook had to weigh their respective loads so that it doesn’t go over 20kg (44lbs), by law. Finally, we set foot on the trail around 1pm, less than 24hrs after landing.

When I did my research for the climb, I had three main constraints: time, acclimatization, and booking with a local company. We had only one week vacation, so the climb couldn’t be more than six days in total. And because no one was really acclimatized, I had to choose a route that gradually increases in altitude. It became obvious that the six days Lemosho route was the best possible option for us. It is the longest of all the different routes but, except for the summit day, the rest of the climb is not super steep. And the icing on the cake is that this route has probably the best scenic view of all. Finally, there are more than a hundred different companies to choose from, but after reading lots of reviews/comments online, I booked with TopClimbersExpeditions. They are one of the cheapest small companies and yet with lots of experience and great reviews. We wouldn’t be disappointed.

Day 1 was pretty easy, hiking only 4.5mi (7k) and gaining 1,300 ft (400m) in the process. We were hiking in the rain forest, one of the 5 different climate zones on Kilimanjaro. Despite being at the end of the dry season, the forest was lush and very green. We even saw several monkeys. When we arrived at the Mkubwa camp, everything was already set up by the porters, like our tents, our mess tent, our private toilet. Tea and biscuits were served after doing “wash wash” with hot water. We even had a porter/waiter who would take care of us during the entire trip. It definitely was very luxurious, compared to my AT experience or JMT adventure with Damien.

Day 2 was going to be a big day, going from Mkubwa (9,200ft / 2800m) to Shira II (12,800ft / 3900m) in 10 miles. The weather was perfect and we quickly left the rain forest to enter into the Afro-Alpine moorland zone, where vegetation is scarce. However, being above the tree line, now we could see for miles on end, with Mt Meru (fifth highest peak in Africa) in the distance. Everyone was in good spirits, and talking to the guides about Tanzania and life in general was very informative. It is one thing to watch news on TV from Low Income Countries, it is quite another to learn what life really is directly from locals and see it with your own eyes. And when the porters passed us on the trail at a blazing speed, eager to set up camp before we arrive at Shira II, with their huge loads on their back or head, wearing worn-out clothes and shoes, while we carry a small backpack and wear high-end gear, it makes us realize how privileged we are, just by being born in a different part of the World. Before this trip, we obviously knew that life is unfair, but this adventure made all of us acutely aware of it.
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Day 3 was the perfect day for the last acclimatization step. We started at Shira II (12,800ft / 3900m), had lunch at Lava Tower (15,200ft / 4640m), then hiked down to Barranco camp (12,800ft / 3900m). It is the ideal “climb high, sleep low” scenario. Because of the high elevation now, our guides told us to really hike “pole, pole”, meaning slow. And slow it was. Estelle and I started to get a slight headache. However, upon arriving to Lava Tower, we were served for lunch with French fries and chicken! Our cook was amazing, and we did eat everything that day. However, it was probably the last time we would be able to eat properly. Unfortunately, high altitude goes hand in hand with poor appetite. When we arrived at Barranco, we were tired and temperature was dropping now in the low 30F (0C). Usually on Kilimanjaro, the weather is clear and sunny in the morning, it gets cloudy around noon time, and again it clears up in the evening. After dinner, we had an incredible view of the top of the mountain, now very close. It has been 3 days since the beginning of the hike, and now that the “approach climb” was over, Estelle, Damien and I knew that things were getting serious.