What to Know about Climbing Kilimanjaro

Only read this post if you plan on climbing Kilimanjaro. This is a practical guide. I don’t think it’s relevant or interesting to anyone not looking to book a trip. I wrote this because I wish I had been given something like this when I was planning my trip. If you'd like to read about my experience climbing click here.

Disclaimer: I don’t claim to have any specialized knowledge of any kind. I’m just a guy who’s climbed the mountain so please verify any and all info I provide because it may be inaccurate.

I’m about to go through a lot of information in a lot of detail but remember climbing the mountain is actually not that big a deal and it’s supposed to be fun so don’t be too serious about it.

How much will it cost?

After considering all peripheral expenses like buying and renting equipment, tipping, and getting there climbing Kilimanjaro for 6 days can easily cost over $2,000 USD. Including my flight from Johannesburg my trip cost me about $2,500 USD.

How tough is it?

Climbing Kilimanjaro requires you to be in decent shape but is not overly difficult. I saw a 65 year old man at the summit. It is much more likely you will fail to reach the top because of altitude sickness than because you’re not in shape. If you’re short of breath climbing a flight of stairs than maybe Kilimanjaro is not for you but as long as you’re in half decent shape you should be fine.

Estimates on success rates seem to vary all over the place. The best estimate I’ve got is 60% success rate for a 6-day trip with your chances of success increasing with each extra day you add to your trip.

Training and Physical Preparation

It is recommended that you go to the gym 3 times a week for 3 months to prepare for the climb and have a workout designed to prepare you for climbing. I personally didn’t do this at all and was just fine. I’d say if you’re under 35 years old and in decent shape you shouldn’t need special training. If you’re a little older or out of shape than you should probably prepare accordingly.

A good idea is to go for a few hikes in the weeks leading up to your climb. Preferably do it with a 10-15 pound pack on your back to simulate what you’ll be doing on the mountain.

You should rest and not do exercise for at least a couple days just before climbing.

How to Book the Trip:

The cheapest way to book is to show up in Moshi and book with a local company. Unless you have a really large group (over 10), there is no need to book in advance. Year round there are more staff available to lead trips than tourists to take them. You can easily book the day before you leave on the trip if you like. Similarly you don’t need to fit into an already scheduled trip. They will create a trip just for you if there doesn’t happen to be other people leaving on the same route on the same day you wish to go.

If you want peace of mind by booking in advance then book with a Tanzania based company. I went with Zara Tours (zaratours.com). I wouldn’t recommend or discourage you from using them. They were good enough. If you book with any third party company such as Gap Adventures you will being paying a premium to a company that is only going to be outsourcing to a local Tanzania based company anyway.

The trip should cost about $1,300 USD for a 6 day trip including rental equipment, hotel stay for one night before and after and transfers to and from Kilimanjaro airport.

- Deals vary by whether they include equipment rental, hotels and airport transfers.

                        - Hotels can be bought separately for $10-$60 per night.

                        - Equipment rental bought separately costs about $80

                        - Transport to the airport costs $20/person or $35 for a taxi each way.

- You should expect to pay about $175 more per day if you want a longer trip.

- You can save $50-$100 per person when you book 2 people at time and maybe another $50-$100 for a third and fourth person.

- Marangu route is a little bit cheaper because you stay in huts already on the mountain so they need fewer porters for carrying tents.

- The absolute cheapest I heard of anyone paying was $1,000 including equipment, no hotel and no airport transfers. They booked last minute with a company called Manjes and negotiated heavily.

 
Bring US Cash to pay for the trip. Otherwise you will incur a 5% fee for paying by credit card or have to go through some tedious money transfer process.

When To Go

March, April, May is there rainy season. Every other time should be alright. There is a decent risk of heavy rain any time you go. So if March, April or May is the only time you can manage to get away I wouldn’t let rainy season dissuade you.

Which Route to Take

There are several different routes to choose from and I’m only familiar with the two most common: Machame and Marangu. I did the 6-day Machame route. If you want to explore all your options you’ll need to do more research. Marangu route has the advantage of staying in huts with beds instead of sleeping in tents. Because of this cushiness it’s known as the Coka cola route. It’s also a bit cheaper because you don’t need porters to carry tents up the mountain. The big drawback to Marangu route is that it doesn’t allow for as much acclimatization. It is a more direct route to the top. As a result it has a much lower success rate than the other routes. Marangu route can be done in 5 days or 6 days. The six day option basically includes a day off or a hike where you go up a bit and then come back down to camp the day before the summit attempt. The extra day helps with acclimatization.

Machame route has a very high success rate because of an acclimatization day built into the route.  On day 3 of the Machame route you go from 3840 M up to 4 590M and then back down to your next camp at 3900 M. This is excellent for helping your body adjust to the altitude. You can do the Machame route in 6 or 7 days. The difference between the two is that on the 6-day route on day 4 you hike for 4 hours in the morning, eat lunch and then hike for another 3 hours in the afternoon. You get to camp at 4PM before beginning your summit attempt at Midnight. On the 7-day route you split day 4 into 2 days. You camp where you have lunch on day 4 then the next day you hike the remaining 3 hours and get into camp for noon before beginning your summit attempt at midnight. There are three advantages to doing the 7-day. One, you have an extra day to acclimatize. Two, you have a lighter day (only 3 hours) the day before the difficult summit attempt. Three, you get into camp earlier before the summit attempt so you have more time to rest up. I personally found 6 days to be just fine but if you’re nervous about altitude sickness or your stamina the 7-day route makes it easier.

5 days is the shortest you can do it in and 9 days is generally the longest. Your chances of success increase the longer you make your trip. If you’re relatively young and in good shape I think 6 days should be adequate.

Supplies and Equipment Needed

            Available for Rent in Moshi

- Walking Poles: some people go without them I strongly recommend them

- Sleeping bag: Spend the extra money to get a sleeping bag that is good to -25 degrees. It’s really cold on the mountain (-5 to -10 degrees) most nights. It sucks being cold when you are trying to sleep. Don’t settle for a mediocre sleeping bag.

- Rain pants and rain jacket: You need some waterproof stuff. If you get the pants and jacket, you don’t need the poncho.

- Down or Gortex jacket: It’s -20 degrees at the top of the mountain.

- Fleece pants and Fleece sweater: Anything not cotton will suffice. It’s important that it doesn’t retain your sweat because you go from hot to cold and back very quickly while climbing.

- Duffle bag: When you get to Moshi you will need to split your stuff into 3 bags:

- One bag that porters will carry up the mountain for you. This bag must be under 15 kilos.

- A day pack that you will carry with you. This bag will generally carry water, rain gear, snacks, and a camera.

- A bag to leave in storage at the hotel for while you are doing your climb.

Renting the duffle bag made it easier for me because it had more space than my backpack and that way I could use my backpack for storage at the hotel rather than putting things like my laptop into a garbage bag.

Stuff to bring or buy before getting to Moshi

Almost everything you need, if you don’t have it already can be bought at an outdoor equipment shop and grocery store.

- Hiking boots: These are available for rent as well but I would strongly recommend bringing your own and working them in before you get to Moshi. Your feet tend to blister with unfamiliar boots and that will make your climb a lot more difficult. Boots are your most important piece of equipment. Spend the money, get a good pair of waterproof boots and use them ahead of time. Mine cost $125 in Cape Union in South Africa.

- Normal gym socks and one pair of bad ass thermal socks: Gym socks will serve you just fine until the summit night. On the night when you go to the top it gets as cold as -20. You want socks that are warmer, handle sweat and are generally designed for this kind of shit.

- Wick able T-shirt: This is a shirt designed to take sweat off your body. For the first couple days regular cotton t-shirts are fine. After that, it changes between hot and cold regularly so a shirt against your skin that prevents your sweat from getting cold is very helpful. You can get one of these for $20-$30

            - I’m gross and just wore this one shirt 3 days in row. I changed out of it in the evenings.

- Regular shorts and pants and t-shirts and underwear.

- Comfortable clothes for the campsite and sleeping. I like jeans and a hoodie. Whatever works for you. Also bring a pair of shoes for walking around the campsite. It’s nice to get out of the hiking boots.

- Water purification tablets: They supposedly boil or filter the water they give you but it seemed sketchy to me. For $5 you can take an extra precaution against getting the runs.

- Sports drink powder: Gatorade, Powerade, or Game, it’s all the same shit. It gets rid of the bad taste of the purification tablets. It replaces electrolytes you are losing through the heavy sweating. It is much better than drinking plain water for this activity.

- A book: Everyone turns in really early on the mountain, in case you are still awake, it’s good to have a book.

- Wet naps and sanitation gel: Very useful stuff. If you take a shit in the middle of the night and discover there is no water for you to wash your hands you’ll be very happy you have the wetnaps.

- Medication: IB-Profin (Advil), Imodium (diarrhea medication), Diamox (altitude sickness medication), malaria medication. (you need a prescription for both Diamox and malaria medication)

- Snacks: It is definitely helpful to have food you can eat between meals while you climb. Energy bars are good. They don’t need to be fancy ones. Ones that focus on carbs rather than protein are better for this purpose. Also oat based rather than toffee based is better so it doesn’t freeze. Nuts and dried fruit are also good to have.

Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness is generally caused by your body failing to adjust properly to the lower oxygen concentration in the air at higher altitudes. Very few people fail to summit the mountain due to poor fitness. It is almost always altitude sickness that causes failure. Unfortunately, there aren’t risk factors for altitude sickness. Some people have real problems with it and others are just fine. It seems to be somewhat arbitrary.

The symptoms of altitude sickness include: headaches, nausea, lost appetite, dizziness, shortness of breath that doesn’t go away even at rest, and speaking nonsense.

If you experience symptoms the way you make them go away is to descend to a lower altitude. You can try to ascend again once symptoms have subsided. The general rule of thumb is to persevere through mild symptoms and absolutely descend to the last altitude where you were symptom free when confronted with more severe symptoms. Altitude sickness can kill you if you don’t respond to it. It’s very serious stuff. Be honest with your guide about how you feel and trust his judgement. I read that on average 9 people die each year climbing Kilimanjaro. Almost all of the incidents could have been avoided. Don’t push with yourself when confronted with serious symptoms, it’s not worth risking your health.

There are a few things you can do to help reduce the risk of altitude sickness:

One, walk very slowly. This gives your body more time to adjust to the changing altitude. Your cardio ability and stamina will allow you to walk much faster than is advisable. Make a conscious point of walking at an unnaturally slow pace, especially during your summit attempt. Your guide will try to slow you down and set the pace. Let him, don’t push to go faster. If you walk quickly you likely won’t experience immediate problems but there is a decent risk that altitude sickness will catch-up with you later.

Two, drink a ton of water. Water mixed with sports drink is better. Dehydration is a big contributor to altitude sickness.

Three, do acclimatization hikes. When you get to your camp site at the end of the day instead of reaching for a cup of tea and taking it easy, spend 40 minutes to climb an extra 100 meters higher and then return to your camp site. It takes a lot of discipline because you’ll be tired and the last thing you’ll want to do once you’ve reached camp is keep hiking but it makes a big difference. Your guide will likely not feel like leading you on such a hike but force him.

Four, take Diamox.

Five, stay away from alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine. I’ve heard different things about caffeine some people have told me coffee and tea are fine while others have said it’s best avoided.
Check with a doctor.

Diamox (Altitude sickness medication)

Diamox reduces altitude sickness symptoms and makes you pee an awful lot. Reducing altitude sickness problems is obviously very helpful. Peeing constantly causes a few problems: One, You need to drink a lot and therefor carry more water to replace the fluids you’re losing. Two, it can disrupt your sleep if you need to get up regularly to pee in the middle of the night in the freezing cold. Beyond peeing regularly, Diamox can make your fingers or toes tingle briefly. This side effect is of little consequence. It can also cause you to feel sick. If you choose to take Diamox I recommend starting to take it one day before your climb so you can see if you react badly to it and stop taking it. I think it’s rare that it makes you feel sick. You don’t need to take Diamox anymore once you begin coming back down the mountain.

You have a few options for what to do: One, don’t take the drug. Two, take it. Three, take a half dose. Four, only take it if and when you feel altitude sickness. (I think it takes a day until it kicks in though.)

Personally I took a half dose. I generally stayed clear of altitude sickness problems. I peed about every 40 minutes during the day and generally had to wake up once each night to pee. There is no right or wrong answer. Choose what’s right for you. I was happy with my decision.

Also of note: People often worry about taking Diamox or IB Profin because they fear that it will mask altitude sickness symptoms, causing them to fail to descend leading to serious health problems. Based on my reading this fear is unjustified. If you have serious altitude sickness, Diamox and IB Profin won’t make the symptoms go away so you will still get the warning signs you need. I encourage you to check with a doctor to verify this.

Emergency oxygen tanks and hyperbaric bags

Oxygen tanks and a hyperbaric bag are useful emergency devices if you need to be treated for altitude sickness but are unable to descend down the mountain right away. This would happen if you’re too ill to walk yourself and others aren’t able to readily carry you. The companies charge you if you want to have these supplies on hand. My guide said that in 6 years of leading groups he has only twice used oxygen tanks and only once used a hyperbaric bag. He also told me that all the guides share supplies so if you did need oxygen or the hyperbaric bag as long as one group nearby on the mountain had one you would have it available.

In short it’s probably a worthwhile risk to not spend the money on these supplies. It’s highly unlikely you’ll need it and it’s probably available anyway if you do. That being said, of course the safer option is to spend the money and know that these supplies are there if you need them.

Things to Know while on the Mountain

- Go really slow.

- Drink lots of water.

- Do acclimatization hikes.

- Eat snacks when you’re feeling a little bit weak even when you’re not feeling hungry.

- Do not spend too much time on top of the mountain. Ten minutes is plenty. Take a couple pictures and get down. Staying at that altitude for too long will make you sick.

- Throwing a bottle of hot water into your sleeping bag can help if you’re cold at night.

- For the summit night take hot water and insulate your bottles inside a sock so the water doesn’t freeze before you get to drink it. 

Tipping Guides and Porters

You will likely have a team of 4 or 5 people supporting each tourist. The general guideline is to tip each member of your team around $5/day/person and give a little more to your guide and assistant guide. That’s just a guideline though, do what feels right to you.

Final Thoughts

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is not that big a deal. What I wrote is helpful but don't let all the details make you build this up into something more than it is. You can really do this last minute and be just fine if you use common sense. Best of luck and I hope you have a great experience.

Read about my experience

 

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

This is a post about my experience climbing. If you're interested in a practical how to guide click here.

The anticipation of climbing Kilimanjaro was exciting. I had little idea of what I was getting myself into. The online blogs and tour companies generally recommended an exercise regimen involving workouts 3 times per week for three months to prepare for the climb plus some hiking. I signed up less than two weeks before the climb. I was hoping I was in good enough shape to handle this thing. I also read about an average of 9 people dying each year while climbing and all sorts of horrible things about the dangers of altitude sickness. I read about the possibility of investing in emergency oxygen tanks and portable hyperbaric chambers and all this other equipment you need for the climb. I was confident that I was fine but had a mild concern that I was in over my head.

It turns out that climbing Kilimanjaro is not that big a deal. It was more an issue of worrying about the unknown. Let me start by explaining the extent of the challenge. Avoiding altitude sickness is a much bigger issue for successfully climbing Kilimanjaro than being in good shape. My guide told me that only a small percentage of failed efforts to reach the top are due to poor physical fitness. The top of the mountain is 5,900 Meters above sea level (19,360 Feet). To put that in perspective, I think the highest point on the Inca trail is about 4,200 meters and the top of Everest is around 8,300 Meters. I didn’t have any issues with altitude whatsoever on the Inca trail because Cusco, the city you hang out at before beginning the trek has a comparable altitude so I was acclimatized before I even began. Plus I was in Le Paz before that which has an even higher elevation. Unfortunately with Kilimanjaro there is no equivalent opportunity. You’re exposed to the higher elevations for the first time while you’re climbing. Also, there aren’t risk factors or personal traits that predict susceptibility to altitude sickness. Some exceptional athletes have real problems with it and other people who are grossly out of shape are just fine. It seems to be somewhat arbitrary.

I did everything in my power to mitigate the risk of altitude sickness. I walked at a ridiculously slow pace to give myself more time to acclimatize, I drank an obscene amount of water and I went on acclimatization hikes. Acclimatization hikes are when you ascend an extra 100 meters or so past your camp site and then come back down so you’re sleeping at a lower elevation than the highest point of your day. It takes real discipline to do these hikes because you don’t feel like hiking for an extra 40 minutes to an hour at the end of the day after you’ve already reached your camp site. I think I was the only one doing these hikes. I just really didn’t like that there was a variable outside of my control threatening my success so I was insistent that I was doing everything possible to help myself.

In terms of the physical demands of the climb, I found everything really easy except for the day when you actually summit the mountain. Day-1 though day-3 are each 13 km per day or less. However on day-4 you hike for 13 km, and finish at around 4 PM. You try your best to sleep because you’re woken up at about 11 PM to hike 8 steep kilometers in -20 degree weather to the summit over the course of about 7 hours in time to catch sunrise. Then you have 17 km back down. So basically over the course of 30 hours you hike for 38 km. That’s a bit much and you’re doing it all with very limited sleep.

I’ve read all sorts of different articles about the success rate of people attempting to reach the top. As far as I can tell about 30,000 people try to climb Kilimanjaro each year, about 18,000 succeed (60%) and 9 die trying (usually the result of stubbornly not descending when confronted with severe altitude sickness). With a 60% percent success rate it seems like an impressive accomplishment but to put it in perspective I saw a 65 year old Swiss man at the summit and met a 69 year old man from Singapore on my way back down who also succeeded. In short, it’s a challenge but with some determination and a little luck it’s a very manageable feet.

The 65 year old Swiss man was climbing with his 22 year-old son. I think that’s amazing. Dad anytime you feel like climbing a mountain, just name the time and place and I promise I’ll be there. I set as a goal for myself to still be climbing mountains when I’m 65 and I’ll conquer a mountain or two with my children (you know after I get a date first).

The 69 year old, Tim (name changed), was an interesting character. He looked like an older guy. He told me that he made it to the top and then needed to be half carried on the way back down. He didn’t care. He had only promised himself to reach the top he never committed anything about making it back down. He confirmed my dad’s theory that it’s wise to work until the day you die. He’s enjoying his retirement but says he preferred working. He says both with body and mind, use it or lose it.

Tim’s wife passed away 7 years earlier but he is with a companion who he’s been with for 20 years. He asked that I not ask about the curious overlap in time. I couldn’t help myself. He says he has been best friends with his companion for 20 years but remained faithful to his wife while she was alive. I really liked Tim. He was generally content with his life and seemed to have a great, light hearted perspective on everything.

Incidentally, these two older guys were the exception not the rule. Most people on the mountain were in their twenties or early thirties.

I actually had a really easy time all the way to the top of the mountain. My worst problem was a very minor headache. Cardio wise I was golden. Most people who fail to reach the top sadly fail within the last 200-300 meters. That seems so tragic to me. I decided early on that altitude sickness is beyond my control and could stop me but there was no way I would ever give in to being out of shape or general fatigue. I couldn’t understand people who got so close only to give up.

The first time I experienced problems was about 10 minutes into my decent back down the mountain. I think I ran into two problems. One, I foolishly stayed at the top of the mountain for about 40 minutes. It’s advisable to not spend more than 10 minutes. I was there for so long because my camera was giving me trouble because the -20 degree weather was affecting the battery. You need to be quick about getting back down from the top because you never really acclimatize to the highest altitude. All the other heights you reach relatively gradually. The last 1,200 meters of elevation you cover quickly with the knowledge that you’re going to descend right back down. The second issue is that I was horribly sleep deprived. I had only slept for a couple hours in the afternoon before the final climb. Also I had only slept for 2-3 hours each night for the preceding two nights. It was generally -8 degrees at night and I would be up shivering in my tent. I got really badly sick on my way back. I had a headache, my muscles were tired and I was very lethargic. The best way I can describe it, is that it was similar to how you feel when you’re sick and you lack the energy or motivation to do anything but mope around your bed. I so desperately wanted to go to sleep.

I remember while dragging my ass back down the mountain I had an inner dialogue with my body. My body was screaming to me saying, “Hey Rob I need to go to sleep and shut down, I’m really tired, you certainly can’t keep exerting yourself.” I said we need to keep going. “Rob, I’m warning you if you don’t stop I’m going to give you a slap.” “Don’t give me a slap, I have to keep going, and get us off the mountain, the only other alternative is to lie here and die in the freezing cold atop the mountain.” Then my body gave me a slap in the form of making me feel just awful. “What did you slap me for? You understand we have no choice.” “That’s for getting us in this fix in the first place.”

The first 3 hours down the mountain were really rough. However once I got back down to the previous night’s campsite at a lower elevation and was able to nap for an hour and half I was back to feeling good again. It was still rough to have to get up an hour and half later and hike for another 9 km. After hiking all night, and finally getting a little rest the last thing you feel like doing is going on for another 9 km. It was a very long day. I slept like a baby that night.

I was actually happy that I experienced some illness on the mountain. Like I said before I couldn’t rap my head around people getting so close to the top only to give up. It’s easy to keep pressing forward when your body is cooperating with you and you feel fine. Every step is grueling once you start to feel sick. It’s only then that your resolve is really tested. And of course, independent of determination you need to descend for the sake of your health if you’re experiencing real problems. Experiencing sickness gave me a better appreciation of all the factors at play on the mountain.

Climbing the mountain is definitely the type of thing you enjoy more in retrospect than while you’re actually doing it but it was enjoyable during the climb as well. I generally felt great about myself while doing it. I revelled in being in such great shape and feeling so healthy and had great clarity of thought.

I was with another Canadian couple for the first 3.5 days before splitting off on my own. I was doing a 6-day climb and they were doing a 7-day climb. The difference is that my day-4 is split up into 2 days for them so they have more time to acclimatize and don’t need to work as hard the day preceding the summit attempt. They were nice enough but relatively boring people. In actuality, I only climbed with them for the first day. After that, I was largely on my own because while I was moving slowly to allow for acclimatization they were moving horrifically slow. I typically got to camp a good hour before them. At camp, there were always lots of people to hang out with, but everyone looks to go to sleep by 9:30-10:00 to get ready for the next day. I enjoyed myself socially but also had a lot of solitary time during the 6 days. I actually quite enjoyed the solitary time. My thoughts were very clear while walking in beautiful surroundings for several hours. That’s one thing about a mountain is that it just keeps on going, you walk and walk and walk and there is always more distance to cover. It’s kind of anticlimactic when you actually reach the top.

In general on my trip when I have solitary time I often write but you obviously can’t write while walking and I didn’t have my laptop on the mountain. So I actually spent a lot time thinking about what I wanted to write about. I was thinking about the narrative I would tell of my climb and the narrative of other parts of my Africa trip that I haven’t written about yet. The fact that I was spending so much time thinking about how I would recount the story caused me to confront the question of whether I was climbing the mountain because it was something I wanted to do or because it was something I thought others would find interesting and impressive. What about my whole trip? What about my life in general?

Here’s the conclusion I came to on that one: I’m definitely not completely free of a desire to impress others. It’s part of what drives me, as much as I try to live my life for myself. However I think I’m much better than most in that regard. I largely do what I do because it makes me happy. I think I’m driven to write so much and in such detail on this trip because I’m experiencing all these amazing things but I don’t have any of the mainstays in my life to share them with. This causes two problems. One I fear losing much of the experience due to failed memory. More importantly, I’m an overwhelmingly social being and want those I care about to know and understand my experiences and how they impact me. The writing is my way of addressing this. Also, I’ve discovered on this trip that I really enjoy writing for the sake of writing.

I noticed that I haven’t written much since I got to Africa. This is because in Africa, unlike in Europe I’ve mostly been with people who’ve traveled with me for extended stretches rather than just 2 days at a time. This has caused two things: one, there is less down time for writing and two, this has given me more of a sense of a shared experience.

Anyway, I largely enjoyed the climb while I was doing it. I actually enjoyed living like a pig for 6 days without the ability to shower and sweating and generally being gross outdoors. It was also really enjoyable when I got back and had a shower and a shave and a clean bed. It was a bit frustrating to walk so slowly. It’s weird to hold yourself back when your cardio abilities allow you to go faster. We really walked at an unnaturally slow speed. It’s also tough psychologically because generally when doing this type of thing I like to motivate myself saying I’ll push myself to go faster to get to the next destination sooner and then I can rest. When dealing with altitude you can’t do that. It takes the time that it takes and you just need to be patient. So it was boring sometimes walking for so many hours. That being said, again I really enjoyed the time I had with my thoughts and a clear head amid beautiful scenery. I also felt great about myself for being able to beat the mountain with ease. I’m in fucking great shape these days by the way. It’s amazing the impact of replacing time in an office with a 15 km hike each day.

I feel weird now having completed the climb because on one hand I’m very proud of myself but on the other hand I question whether it’s really that challenging or demanding. That’s why I try to be honest about the difficulty of it. It is what it is. I’m pleased I’m in good enough shape to comfortably conquer the mountain and am grateful for the experience of having done it. I’m not done with this type of thing. Having had a taste I want to find new real and metaphoric mountains to climb.

If you are looking to book a trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. You can click here for a practical how to guide.