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The Kilimanjaro Challenge

By: Frank Walter

Why Tanzania?

Say "Tanzania" and most of us imagine the Safari experience, lush plains, migrating animals, and stunning scenery with an incredible mountainous backdrop. This is a country of extraordinary extremes, and I know why few can deny the sense of awe as clouds clear allowing glimpses of the towering peaks of Kilimanjaro. If you have already enjoyed a Safari adventure, why don't you seek an exciting and exhilarating type of holiday instead of lazing on the beach this year? You may want to do something special; raise money for a charity, or just feel an incredible sense of achievement by taking the Kilimanjaro challenge.

The Mountain

Kilimanjaro has been described as "An Everest for Everyman" as it has an accessible summit, and is the chosen mountain for the tourist. I choose this spectacular mountain to climb for a few reasons; It has the highest peak in Africa at 5891m, its Uhuru Peak is one of the world's seven summits, it is the biggest volcano to break through the earth's crust and Kibo is a 1.5 mile wide crater. Kilimanjaro is also a fascinating climb as it boasts an amazing eco system. Due to its high elevation and equatorial location every climate type found on earth is represented. I was astonished to experience 4 seasons within one week; rain forests, alpine meadows and open moorlands, desert uplands and finally snow and ice at the summit. The remaining glaciers are also definitely worth the trek, although it is worth visiting soon as they are melting quickly.

The Machame Route

Although deemed a challenging trek as the day walks are steeper and longer than other routes, the Machame Route is considered to be the most beautiful and scenic route to the summit. The breathable oxygen on top of the mountain is less than half that at sea level; therefore it is important to pick a trek which suits your level of fitness and experience. The treks are fully supported, and although tough, this particular route enabled me to acclimatise easily over the 6 day climb. Our friendly porters helped by carrying all the heavy essentials for the journey enabling us to concentrate on the adventure ahead.

The experience

This is the experience of a lifetime. The people in our group were like minded and enthusiastic. We enjoyed simple nutritious meals and generally slept well in our two man tents. Few experiences beat the excitement that early morning as I took my first few steps into the rain forest leaving Machame Hut. Little can beat the adrenalin rush at Shira Camp when we embarked upon an 800 m vertical climb over 8 /9 km! Nothing beats the overwhelming sense of achievement passing Stella Point on to the crater ridge where we finally reached the summit at 5745 m. The walking left us feeling physically tired but mentally stimulated. Sunrise on top of the world on "summit morning" was truly memorable. This is an adventure holiday not to miss.

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Find out more about how you can climb Kilimanjaro with Adventure Company.

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