Blogs from Mount Kilimanjaro, North, Tanzania, Africa

From the Female Traveler: A solo trip is about you and what you need or want to do for yourself. The best solo vacations give you a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment and help you grow as a person. Regardless of whether or not you have done this, always remember that traveling alone can be a defining moment. The fact that you can travel alone is a gift and privilege, and you should use it to the maximum of your ability. Above all, don’t forget to have fun! Over the last few years of solo travel, I have met more and more fellow solo travelers. The common traits are: independence, confidence, inner peace, and good planning. On my last trip to Europe, I met some interesting travelers, since it was winter, and not the tourist season. ... read more

Day 6 is sometimes referred to as a mini summit. It's basically the start of the summit push as you get up at 6, and simply straight hike to base camp. This day was cold and rocky as well as very sunny. The terrain is pretty straightforward, as you aim towards the ridge that takes you to the summit. The hike up is a little easier than going to the lava tower because of acclimitization, but still difficult. As you achieve the ridge, you get to the lower base camp, Barafu camp. This is where most people set base camp, and it usually gets very crowded. There are some permanent structures here, but not many. My group kept hiking a little higher, in order to not cross some scrambling terrain at night. There is a little ... read more

The 4th day was the second climitization day. It involved hiking up to the Lava tower to climatize about 15k feet, and then come back down to around 13k feet at the Barranco camp. Every day gets us up at 6, so again, up at 6, hiking by 7. This day of hiking mostly was going though rocky terrain up to the Lava tower. This was a long, slow, hike. I was breathing heavy for a lot of it as my body adjusted. We finally made it to the lava tower around noon or so for lunch. The lava tower is exactly what its name makes you think it is. A tower of volcanic rock from an eruption many many years ago. You can approach the summit from the Lava tower, and some routes do this, ... read more

Day 2 started with a 6am wake up call, 6:30am breakfast, and started hiking at 7am. This day was the first climate zone change from rainforest to mooreland (I initially thought it was alpine desert, but I I think I was kind of wrong). this day had all kinds of cool looking flowers as we transitioned out of the rainforest, past tree line, and started walking east towards the mountain. The climb was steep out of the rainforest, but then evened out as we approached Shira 1 camp. The weather was still pretty warm and I could wear shorts during the day for most of the hike, but did need to start applying sunscreen almost immediately leaving the rainforest. The sun was direct, and in charge. My body felt good and wasn't really feeling the elevation ... read more

After not achieving my goal of reaching Uhuru Peak on Mount Kilimanjaro, I book to go back in February 2016. This time I booked with a company called Climbing KILIMANJARO, based in Perth. I also chose the Machame route, one day shorter than my previous trip, but basically the same route. I also made the decision to book a single tent after my previous experince. On a business trip to Papua New Guinea, I was talking to a friend, who asked, "So what are you going to do different this time?" Well I hadn't thought about that, but after thinking my answer was, "Not let others dictate my outcome." That may sound selfish, but this time, my decision was too prove correct. So in Febuary, 2016, I return to Moshi and Mount Kilimanjaro. I had decided ... read more