For Mountain Climbers, all our
Itineraries have always been focused on the Gigantic Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa (5,895m). It
is also the highest single standing mountain in the world. Your
visit to Mount Kilimanjaro will be your greatest travel experience!
There are five different routes that are recommended. Listed are
the preferred number of days to complete the climb on each route.
The routes are listed in the order of the easiest to the most difficult
ascent routes.
The routes differ in how steep the grade is to reach the Kibo
Huts, which are the base of the summit ascent route. Marangu is
the easiest approach (often referred as the" coca-cola" route),
and Umbwe (referred as the "whisky" route), is the most
difficult and is define as the route that has the highest grade
in the ascent trail. The Umbwe route should not be attempted by
anyone who does not already have an extensive climbing resume.
The guides will generally not take anyone over 50 years old, no
matter your conditioning. It is a scenic, but extremely steep approach,
which tries the climber before you reach the final descent from
the Kibo Huts to the summit.
Marangu, being the easiest approach, is also the most crowded
route and for some this is not enjoyable. Machame is a very nice
alternative and receives positive feedback. The Shira and Rongai
routes are perhaps the best to recommend to people who want to
succeed and are willing to take the extra time to acclimatize.
They are both less traveled and very scenic.
The trailhead for each route is separate, but there are the times
that the same hut system provides accommodations for climbers on
the other trails.
Clients can choose to sleep in huts or tents, but they need to
understand that there are no private campsites. The sites are shared
by everyone, who is camping. These are the rules of Kilimanjaro
National Park designed to protect the environment.
The park regulates descent routes as well and there are fewer
choices so you usually do meet more people on the descent.
Clients should be informed that the descent is harder than the
ascent. We always think getting to the top is the hardest part,
but it is in getting down which produces more frustration and discomfort
for people. The descent routes are steep in places and you are
using muscles that are different than when you were ascending.
People actually have bigger muscles to ascend with than to descend
with. We recommend having the clients bring walking sticks (or
adjustable ski poles) to help relief some of the strain on the
knees during descent.
Hut accommodations have shower facilities, but camping will not
allow access to shower during the climb. Bathroom facilities exist
at the huts, but it is wilderness camping on the trails. Women
should bring small plastic bags to keep soiled toilet paper or
tampax and dispose of them at the campsites or huts. Men should
also come prepared. Please encourage environmental respect for
the park.
We can also arrange other mountain climbing activities in any mountain
of East Africa, Including Mt. Kenya, Mt. Meru, Mt. Longonot and
many others.
You can establish contact with us for more information about this
great activity, we will be more than glad to answer all your questions.
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