CLIMBING KILIMANJARO AND MY SAFARI ADVENTURE
by Dillon Kreider
On January 9, I boarded a plane for my first trip to Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It was the beginning of a 8 day trek followed by a 5 day safari.
Day 1: We drive from Moshi to the Londorossi Park Gate. From here a forest track requiring 4WD leads to a wild and exciting ride with 11 of us crammed in the back of the landrover. 2 lucky people get to ride in front. After we unload our gear, we hike 4 hours through the rainforest to Mkubwa campsite arriving well after nightfall. Along the way we didn’t see any monkeys, but we could hear them in the trees.
Day 2: Each day we get up at 7am, have breakfast and set out. Today the trail gradually steepens and enters the giant heather moorland zone. We have our lunch on the trail, the weather is great. Several streams are crossed then the trail gains elevation to the Shira Ridge and drops gently down to Shira 1 camp located by a stream on the Shira Plateau. The camp site is barren and dusty, a sure sign of many hikers.
Day 3: A nasty dust storm greets us in the morning, instead of staying at camp for an acclimatization day, we continue to Shira Hut camp which has incredible views of Mt. Meru and Kilimanjaro. We are all glad to have left the dustbowl at Shira 1.
Day 4: From Shira Hut, the moorlands come to an end and the rocky path leads to the Lava Tower at 14,950 feet. It’s overcast and as we approach the Lava Tower, we encounter thick fog. We descend to Barranco hut, elevation 12,800 feet. The view of Northern Tanzania and Mt. Meru to the west are amazing, not to mention the view of Kibo itself.
Day 5: We go up a steep hillside with rocky outcrops requiring scrambling. This is by far the toughest day physically and one of the wettest as we get caught in the rain for a few hours. We camp in the Karanga Valley, trying to dry ourselves out in the late afternoon sun. Not entirely successful, we hope for warm weather in the morning to get out the last drops.
Day 6: Another beautiful, cold morning awakes us. Today we climb to the Barafu Hut Campsite on the southeast side of Kibo to meet the summit trail. We traverse the alpine desert where the sheer ruggedness of Kilimanjaro is breathtaking. Barafu Hut Campsite is situated at 15,100 feet and tonight we will make our summit bid. We have an early dinner and sleep until it’s time to go. Our party will break into 2 groups, one leaving about an hour earlier in the hopes we’ll all arrive at the summit around the same time.
Night 6/Day 7: My group wakes to have tea and a snack and then begin the summit climb at midnight. It is snowing lightly and the ground is covered. The temperature isn’t too cold and as long as we don’t stop for very long for water and food, we stay warm. Several other groups are going up tonight and once in awhile we meet up with them. The winding switchbacks climb slowly toward the crater rim and Stella Point. 40 minutes from Stella Point is the most demanding part of the summit bid for me. I ponder taking a nap on my poles but continue upwards. I feel strong but the long night is taking its toll. It takes 6-1/2 hours to reach Stella Point where we take a small break before continuing on to the summit.
From Stella Point one can see the inner crater and ash cone and the amazing glaciers covering the south face of Kilimanjaro. We continue walking and within an hour I’m on the roof of Africa: Uhuru Peak at 19,340 feet. Views of Mawenzi to the east and Mt. Meru to the west as well as the Rift Valley, northern Tanzania, and southern Kenya are breathtaking. Kilimanjaro’s glaciers are as awe-inspiring as they are pristine. I am pictured with 3 others from my group.
We descend back to our campsite which takes about 3-1/2 hours, take a short nap, and descend to Mweka Hut Campsite at 9,850 feet elevation. After a long day, about 16+ hours of hiking, we get some well-deserved rest. Everyone is tired but exhilarated at our achievement and everyone in our group made it to the summit.
Day 8: We get to sleep in before our descent to the Mweka exit gate. Before boarding our final bus back to Moshi we stop at a small village for beer. Then we drive back to our hotel where hot showers and beds await us. No more sleeping on the ground, no more eating in a cramped tent - who knew I would miss it?
THE SAFARI
Day 9: We get up early, once again, and drive to Lake Manyara. We spend the afternoon at a wildlife park which has baboons, a giraffe, hippos, elephants, lions, zebras, wildebeest, and many more birds and animals. Unfortunately the malaria pills I’ve been taking are not agreeing with me and I can’t wait to get to our lodge.
Day 10: We leave for the Serengeti and to the Lobo Wildlife lodge which is about 10 hours away on a dirt road. We see more wildlife and it’s amazing to see the giraffes running across the plains. This is one of my most favorite sites on the safari. We have lunch at the Olduvai Gorge where fossilized footprints from over 3 million years ago were found. To say the least, this area is rich in history. Later, we visit a Maasai village.
Day 11: Due to malaria pills and exhaustion from the climb, I opt to stay at the lodge today and sleep. The group gets to see a hippo pond and they track down a leopard.
Day 12: We leave the Serengeti and go to the Ngorongoro Crater. The Ngorongoro volcano, before it exploded and collapsed 2 million years ago, was one of the world’s tallest mountains. The crater measures about 12 miles across and the rim is 2,000 feet above the crater floor. The crater is flush with wildlife and we encountered ostrich, cheetahs, lions, rhinos, hippos, flamingos, zebras, a spotted hyena, jackals, wildebeest, water buffalo, elephants, gazelles and many more birds. All in all about 30,000 animals share this eco-system.
Day 13: We drive back to Moshi arriving in the late afternoon. Later in the evening we will board our plane and leave this exciting and unbelievable place behind.
I still have a hard time believing that I climbed Kilimanjaro. Going up that night was surreal and coming down was equally taxing. The safari was great, but it’s the trip up that majestic mountain that will stay with me. I have never done anything that hard before and I am very proud of myself for doing it. If you have the opportunity I highly recommend the experience. It’s not one you’ll soon forget.
Two slide shows are available by clicking on these links:
Kilimanjaro and The Safari.