Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them happen.
Madam C.J. Walker
KILIMANJARO
March 4 - 11, 2023
Location: Tanzania
Elevation: 19,341 feet (5,895 meters) Duration: 6 days Route: Lemosho Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous Challenges: Altitude, weather Mount Kilimanjaro with its three volcanic cones, "Kibo", "Mawenzi", and "Shira", is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and part of the Seven Summits. It rises approximately 4,900 m (16,000 ft) from its base to 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level. The mountain is part of the Kilimanjaro National Park and is a major climbing destination. The mountain has been the subject of many scientific studies because of its shrinking glaciers. It is predicted that the ice cover on Kilimandjaro will disappear by 2040! 
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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! Read more... Day 4 to Day 6: Barranco Camp (12,990ft / 3960m) to Uhuru Peak (19,340ft / 5895m) to Mwega Gate (5,350ft / 1630m). Day 4 started immediately by climbing the famed Barranco wall, or Breakfast wall. It was rock scrambling for about an hour, with an obligatory stop in the middle of it to “kiss the rock”. It was not as dangerous as it sounds, but we still had to be careful, as a fall there could have been disastrous. After a few hours, we had a quick lunch at Karanga camp, where most people stop for the day, in order to get more acclimatization time. We did not have this luxury, so we kept hiking in the afternoon until we reached Barafu camp, at 15,200ft / 4670m. Read more... |