Kilimanjaro
Explore trekking
92 | EXPLORE THE UNEXPLORED | September-October 2012
When I was flying as an Emirates Air
Stewardess, I used to frequent various
cities in Africa on many of my flights.
While Africa was mysterious, the name
“Kilimanjaro” sounded very exotic.
I always wondered what it would be
to scale the mountains so high! At
19341 ft, Mount Kilimanjaro is the
tallest mountain in Africa and one of the
few places on the continent where you
experience snow.
© Paul Hampton | Dreamstime.com
Roof
of
Africa
Even Hemingway
in his volumes
on Africa missed
out on the
grandeur of it,
but Kilimanjaro
is something that
any mountain
lover and
adventurer just
cannot afford
to miss, says
Sangeeta S Bahl
Having been brought up in the hills,
I took to climbing as a fish takes to
water. When the opportunity arose last
year to scale the highest peak in Africa,
I just nosedived and joined my husband
for this challenging venture. Soon, we
were planning, ordering equipment and
training for the climb; and dreaming,
sleeping, thinking and talking about
nothing other than Kilimanjaro.
Flying in to Tanzania from Kenya was
an unforgettable experience. The first
glimpse of the 19341 ft mountain was
out of our aircraft window, as we landed
at Kilimanjaro Airport just outside Moshi.
Our journey started from staying at
Mhabe farm Village in the heart of
Moshi for two nights at 6000 ft to get
acclimatized. We relaxed with homebrewed coffee, and delicious meals
served by our cook from Zanzibar. The
first day, we were introduced to our two
Guides who provided a climb orientation
and gave a through equipment check
to see if all was in order. Our heartbeat,
pulse and health history was looked into
too, along with a mini hike around the
village over cascading waterfalls and
rivulets of streams.
Lemosho Route
We had chosen to climb the Lemosho
Route to the summit of Kilimanjaro. The
main reason was for acclimatization.
The Lemosho route is the longest route
and we would be on the mountain for
almost eight days and we hoped that we
would acclimatize well in that time to
fastfacts
How to Reach: Mount Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania
in eastern Africa. Kenya is to the north of the mountain,
and cheaper flights are available to Nairobi, Kenya,
although it will add a day to your trip and another entry
visa as well, which is available on arrival.
When to Go: The best time to climb is midDecember to end February. The second best time is
mid-June to end September.
Currency: Tanzanian shilling is the local currency,
but US dollar, euro and pound sterling are widely
accepted for climbs and at many places in Moshi.
Health Certification: You need a valid
Vaccination Certificate for Yellow Fever before you
enter Tanzania and make sure you are vaccinated 15
days prior to your visit, for the certificate to be active
and acceptable by the authorities.
avoid Mountain sickness. We arrived at
the Londorossi Gate 6800 ft in the midmorning and our Chief Guide, Honest,
went off to organize our climbing
permits for us. Once that was done, our
porters were already waiting for us and
we set off on our adventure Trip.
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Kilimanjaro
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The Terrain Trail
While climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, we
traversed pretty much all the climatic
zones on Earth. One of the highlights
of the trek is that we actually got to
experience five climatic zones on the
way to the summit including tropical
conditions, rainforest, moorlands, high
desert and arctic.
Support Staff
The real unsung heroes were the team
who travelled with us; our porters,
cooks, camp masters and guides. These
tough men carried between 15 and 25
kg of equipment up the mountain and
down. We were just the two of us and
we had 12 support staff assisting us.
Their duties included carrying all our stuff
up the mountain, like tents, food, extra
clothing, cooking equipment, our dining
room tent (yes, we ate on chairs and
Big Tree Camp (8700 ft)
The first move towards the Big Tree
Camp (8700 ft) was 3.8 miles on
the lower plains where indigenous
vegetation has been replaced with
coffee and banana plantations in
abundance. The next zone was to the
forest belt of Shira Plateau 1 at 11420ft
that was 4.7 miles away – a typical
rainforest with heavy undergrowth, lots
of ferns, a variety of trees, abundant
wildlife and a warm, moist climate. We
had a dining tent) and even a portable
bucket toilet. To say that these guys were
heroes is an understatement, they are
super-human. Many of them climb the
mountain each week and return home
for just two days before they embark on
their next expedition. They are truly the
toughest, strongest and most resilient
men I have ever seen. Without them, I
have no doubt that no one would make
it to the summit. I owe this trip to their
patience and help every step of the way.
saw many beautiful flowers en route,
not to forget the stillness in the air and
even managed to chance on colobus
monkeys. The day’s hike took us from
the montane forest, through a transition
zone, and into the heath zone, where
old lava flows were visible.
PHOTOGRAPHS: SANGEETA S BAHL & ankur bahl
The real unsung heroes were the team who
travelled with us… Without them, I have no
doubt that no one would make it to the
summit. I owe this trip to their patience
and help every step of the way.
We then moved up to the Alpine Heath
and Moorland zone of Shira Plateau 2,
which started at an altitude of 12570ft
and walked for 5.3 miles. In this zone
there were small scrubby bushes and
barely any shade. There were lots of
unusual flowers, but mostly small shrubs
and bushes. In the Moorland, the
vegetation started thinning out and plain
trails started to form. We were taken
on a conditioning hike in the afternoon,
where we examined the giant groundsel
of lobelias and senecios that are
endemic to this region. We viewed the
MORE THE
MERRIER!:
(Previous page)
A herd of African
elephants in Kenya
with Kilimanjaro in
the background;
(facing page) a typical
Kenyan celebration
that marks each day
of trekking
most spectacular sunset here and had
to our advantage an amazing expansive
view of the Kilimanjaro Mountain.
We passed through the alpine moorland
zone and after 4.3 miles we reached
the Lava Tower 15230 ft, Kilimanjaro’s
alpine desert zone, where plants were
extremely hardy and consisted of
lichens, grasses, and heather. This was
an extremely tough day as we walked
through hail, sleet and thunder to our
adventure climb up the Lava Tower.
Since we were well equipped with our
rain gear, we reached drip dry. That
night at Lava Tower it snowed! I feared
we were going to get snowed in or
blown away by the howling wind.
The Highland Desert was next and
we moved another 5.9 miles towards
the Karanga Camp (13250 ft), and
here we began to comprehend the
reality of being on a mountain. The
days in this zone were drizzly and
the nights extremely cold. There was
literally no sun for a few days. After
an initial descent from Lava Tower
camp, we climbed the Great Barranco
Wall, an imposing cliff, steep but still
an exhilarating challenge – which
our guides made safe and accessible
for both of us, by ascending ‘pole
pole’ (meaning “slowly” in Kiswahili).
Again, we were met with torrents of
rain and shattering thunder but that
did not deter us in any way and we
kept moving. We descended into the
Karanga Valley and then climbed again
to our camp on a ridge above the
Valley, where we were ready to call it a
day after a long arduous trek. The view
from the ridge was spectacular and we
were above the clouds.
Kilimanjaro National Park
Forests above 8858 ft are within the National
Park. According to a 2001 study there are
2,500 plant species, 130 species of tree with
the greatest diversity between 5906 and
6562 ft, as well as 170 species of shrub,
140 species of epiphyte, 100 lianas and 140
pteridophytes.
The most frequently encountered mammals
above the timberline are Kilimanjaro tree
hyrax, a vulnerable species; the antelopes
grey duiker and eland, found in the moorland,
with bushbuck and red duiker found above
the timberline, and buffalo occasionally
moving out of the forest. An estimated 220
endangered African elephants occur on
the higher slopes. Insectivores and rodents
abound above the timberline. Three species
of primates are found within the montane
forests, blue monkey, western black and white
colobus, and bush-baby, and among mammals
leopards too. Abbot’s duiker, another
vulnerable antelope species, is restricted to
Kilimanjaro and neighboring mountains.
Lammergeier the bearded vulture, Hill chat
the song bird, the small Hunter’s cisticola and
scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird are some of
the 179 highland bird species recorded. The
white-necked raven is the most conspicuous
bird species at higher altitudes.
The whole mountain including the montane
forest belt which extends into the National
Park, has a very rich fauna: 140 mammals
(87 forest species), including 7 primates, 25
carnivores, 25 antelopes and 24 species of bat.
The area surrounding the mountain is densely
populated, by the Chagga people, and the
northern and western slopes of the Forest
Reserve surrounding the National Park have
18 medium to large ‘forest villages’.
Mt Kilimanjaro and the surrounding forests
were declared a game reserve by the German
colonial rulers in the early 20th century. It
was declared a national park in 1973 and later
designated a World Heritage site in 1987.
Kilimanjaro National Park covers an area of
75,575 ha protecting the largest free standing
volcanic mass in the world and the highest
mountain in the African continent, rising to
19341 ft at its peak. It comprises the whole of
the mountain above the timberline and six
forest corridors stretching down through the
montane forest belt.
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Kilimanjaro
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Each exhale reveals a plume
of breath within the white light
emitted by my head-lamp. It’s
the stark visual evidence of
Kilimanjaro’s bone-chilling
potential...
Finally there was the Ice Cap zone
from Karanga Valley Camp (13250 ft)
to Barafu Camp (15360 ft), a distance
of 2.4 miles. Barafu means “ice” in
Kiswahili. At this height there was
nothing but rock scree and volcanic
soil, and the occasional glacier,
most of which are now melting.
The conditions were arctic and
temperatures were below freezing
point all day. The oxygen level is also
about 50% less than at sea level.
We walked for 6 hours and tried to
sleep in the afternoon. After an early
dinner we had a summit briefing
and prepared our equipment before
resting. At midnight, ideally under the
stars and a brightly shining moon, we
LOADED!
(Above) Making way
through precarious
rain washed and lava
led Bramco rocks
(facing page); snow
laden terrain of Mt.
Kilimanjaro
96 | EXPLORE THE UNEXPLORED | September-October 2012
began the final ascent to Uhuru Peak,
the highest summit on Kibo’s crater
rim, which is currently dormant.
The Summit
Now all that was left to do was descend.
I think you will make it,” said Honest,
our head Tanzanian guide, on day seven
of our ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro. “I’ve
been watching you this week and you
look strong Princess.” This pep talk came
as both my husband and I huddled in
the mess tent for dinner at Barafu Camp
— a cold, boulder-strewn, wind-swept
ridge at 15,260 ft. We would be finally
woken up in a few hours to begin our
midnight assault of Uhuru peak, Africa’s
roof at 19,340 ft. Mike was not one
to linger over these nightly briefings,
so true to form, he left us so we could
ingest our final — and critical — caloric
bounty, declaring in Swahili as he exited
the tent: “Hakunamatata!” or “No
problem!”
This was Honest’s two hundredth ascent
of the mountain and the lithe, affable
guide was artfully rallying his troops. This
was my first — and surely last — summit
bid. I was tired, had a slight headache
and felt the onset of mild nausea —
vintage signals of early Acute Mountain
Sickness (AMS). The previous six days
of methodical hiking via the Lemosho
route in the increasingly thin air of
Kilimanjaro’s five climatic zones had
exacted a profound physical toll on me.
At this stage of the journey I wanted his
prediction in writing.
It is now midnight. The approximately
30° starry night reveals a long trail of
headlamps snaking their way out of
sight up the rocky ridge above Barafu
camp. The most distant lamps resemble
faint, barely twinkling stars — hardly a
sight to embolden a fatigued, oxygen
deprived hiking party, a vertical 3900
plus feet shy of their ultimate prize.
I survey my people at the base of this
seemingly eternal slope. They are barely
recognizable behind their insulated
jackets, hats, facemasks and other
assorted winter gear.
Our group falls into place. Honest takes
up the rear position, while another
assistant guide nestles in the middle and
one takes the lead. The two of us fill the
gaps between them. “Pole, pole” says
Mike, the assistant guide in front. This
Swahili admonition is the most common
mountain refrain—and the most urgent
one to heed: ‘slowly, slowly.’ This is
not a place where speed of any kind is
rewarded.
The garrulousness that marked our
previous six days on the lower slopes
vanished. The only sound from our
bedraggled clan is the occasional
“pole, pole” spilling from a guide or
fellow hiker. Our steady companion is
a rhythmic crunching, as our collective
boots and hiking poles pound the scree
and larger rocks on the trail.
Our altitude is steadily monitored by
Ankur, my husband who earned the
distinction of having the sole sports
watch with an altimeter function. “Just
passed 17000 ft” he reports wearily,
sometime in the wee hours of Saturday
morning as the temperature dips to
its coldest level. Each exhale reveals
a plume of breath within the white
light emitted by my head-lamp. It’s the
stark visual evidence of Kilimanjaro’s
bone-chilling potential. Despite being
anchored a scant 3° south of the
equator, arctic conditions prevail on
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As I navigate the final steps
to the roof of Africa, I juggle
a dizzying array of images
and emotions... I approach the
posted sign, tap it to make the
feat official, and pose for the
obligatory photo
these highest slopes and summit. As
we continue our ascent, a bagel with
cream cheese begins to flirt with my
mind’s eye.
immediate descent. The Indian meal
is ceding to a bowl of Chat when
a female hiker appears out of the
blackness above, flanked by two
guides. She passes us silently on her
way down, head slumped, and feet
stumbling forward like a drunken sailor.
Her summit bid is over.
The window of time for reflection on
Kilimanjaro dwarfs the four hours of
my marathon push. The most persistent
images above 15000 ft. here are those
that help to curb my nausea. I invoke my A Kilimanjaro climb is physically
favorite Indian staples: dal, rice and curd. challenging, but the mental joust is
equally intense. How much time until
My nausea has not abated, but I
the next break? Will I soon resemble
repeatedly praise my prescription
that delirious girl stumbling down the
Diamox, my ark-worthy four-litre
mountain? What will a vertical 2000
daily water intake and my fertile
ft. more mean for my weary legs and
imagination for warding off severe
nauseous stomach? Where is the nearest
AMS, which would include vomiting
hospital? Are the seeds of malaria or
and disorientation and require an
yellow fever firmly planted in my body?
ice coat the crater’s interior, providing
some relief from an otherwise grey,
apocalyptic moonscape. A layer of
puffy white clouds completely cover
the African plains below, spreading a
most dazzling carpet of virginal white to
welcome the inaugural rays of morning.
It is a sherbet-orange, blue and white
palette whose beauty has no close rival.
Am I truly prepared to sell my soul for
two minutes of sea-level oxygen?
A break at 17500 ft. in the inky
blackness of pre-dawn finds me weary!
GLACIAL HEIGHTS
(Below) Glacier at
the summit of the
Kilimanjaro; (above
left) Posing for the
lens at Uhuru Peak,
the highest point in
Africa at 19,341 ft
The anticipation of cresting the crater
rim rose with Frank declaring at 7.30
am: “That’s Stella Point ahead.” A
collection of head-lamps are now
visible in the distance. The final uphill
stretch on loose scree is brutal. My heart
protests fiercely with each slow-motion
step. My mouth gasps for the slightest
residual of oxygen.
Stella Point is not the true summit, but
cresting Kilimanjaro’s initial volcanic rim
a vertical 600 ft or so shy of Africa’s
roof revived my weary legs with a dose
of adrenaline. The path to Uhuru Peak
from here is a 45 minute relatively
gentle uphill hike around the crater rim.
I take off my day pack and stand
motionless, weighing the significance
of the moment. The glow from the
rising African sun spreads its orange
brilliance over the vast crater, which
falls off beside me into a massive, bleak,
bolder-riddled bowl. Patches of glacial
Hemingway’s volumes on Africa never
included a description of the rooftop
vista that I now savour. His protagonist
in ‘The Snows of Kilimanjaro’ perhaps
came closest, recording its grandeur
with an air of reverence: “Wide as all
the world, great, high, and unbelievably
white in the sun.” I can only imagine
what Hemingway’s far abler pen would
conceive with the glorious view that I
presently behold.
After a brief additional rest, we depart
for Uhuru Peak. By now, the sun has
risen higher in the morning sky, taking
the sharp edge off the sub-freezing
night temperatures. The hike around
the crater rim gently rises and falls. The
progress is slow, one foot meticulously
plodding in front of another. The
slightest increase in speed is met
instantly by a racing heart, requiring
an immediate halt to recuperate. After
about 45 minutes, with Kilimanjaro’s
massive glaciers glistening in the early
morning sun, we move to within a
hundred yards of our goal.
As I navigate my tired final steps to the
roof of Africa, I juggle a dizzying array
of images and emotions in my mind.
Smiles and hugs abound as thirty or so
hikers mill around and pose for pictures,
at the post marking 19,340 ft.
I approach the posted sign, tap it to
make the feat official, and pose for the
obligatory photograph. I have the same
feeling of incalculable confidence that
came when I gave birth. I step aside
to allow other hikers to mark their
presence and relish the moment. A few
feet away, I gaze at the immense cloud
deck spread out below the massive
glaciers, wondering what will be
presented to me next.
The obstacles were many, but Honest
was right. Despite acute nausea,
headaches, body fatigue, sunburn,
freezing temperature, biting winds,
aggressive fire ants and malarial
mosquitoes, our twosome made it.
We touched the roof of Africa!!!
© Sefi Greiver | Dreamstime.com
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