Tales from Kilimanjaro’s Summit
Kilimanjaro Day 1
After a hearty breakfast at the lodge, we meet our guides who are waiting outside to load our bags onto the bus for the 3-hour drive to Rongai Gate, Kilimanjaro National Park. We arrive at the gate around noon and meet up with our porters who will carry our gear bags, and all of the food and camping equipment (including dining tent, chairs, and port-a-loos) for the next 7 days. We only carry our day packs (approx. 35L backpack).
We enjoy a healthy box lunch while our porters do the final preparations before we set off at about 1 pm. Excited chatter. We are ready to go!!
We have an easy 6 km hike to Camp One – Camp Simba at 2671 m. From here, we will walk “pole pole” (slowly, slowly in Swahili) 28 km over the next 4 days to get to the summit (Uhuru Peak). We arrive at camp at about 3:30 pm to meet our porters who have set up camp and are waiting with “afternoon tea” – hot popcorn, biscuits, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate. 😋
Our Kilimanjaro adventure has begun!! 🏔 🥾😎
Kilimanjaro Day 2
Our day begins with a wake-up call from guide Bariki Sam at 6 am. We must wash, dress, pack our gear bag, and be in the dining tent for breakfast at 7 am and ready to hit the trails! (Wash means wet wipes – lots of wet wipes 😀 – but you can also get a bowl of warm water for a sponge bath. I do my sponge bath in the afternoon while the sun’s out and it’s warm ☀). It’s actually nice not to have to do all the usual daily prep!
About 10 minutes into the hike, we turn a corner and Kilimanjaro rises in the distance – our first look at this majestic, beautiful mountain against a blue sky.
We will cover a total of 16 km today so one of the longer days. We will walk for about 9 hours, including breaks and a stop for a hot lunch in the dining tent which has been set up by our guides along with the port-a-loos. Kilimanjaro 5-star!!
We will arrive at Second Cave Camp at about 5:30 pm so a long day, but it’s a nice, relaxed tired at the end of the day. “Lights out” is generally early. I usually manage to read for a minute or two with my headlamp/torch and then I’m gone😴.
I will sleep well under a dark sky and awake feeling rested and refreshed in the morning.
Kilimanjaro Day 3
We depart Kikelwa Camp in the morning. It’s an easy 3 km hike and 700 m altitude today. We will walk pole, pole for 3 hours, arriving at Camp Mawenzi for lunch.
We have the afternoon to rest in our tents, play cards, read in the sun, or walk around the camp and take in the beauty all around us.
Dinner is served at about 6 pm. When the sun sets, the temperatures drop. We arrive at dinner wearing our head torches and warm clothes. I wear what I will sleep in under my clothes. Function over fashion! We bring our water bottles for filling. It’s important to stay hydrated, which also assists with acclimatisation. Some climbers get their bottles filled with hot water and put them in the bottom of their sleeping bags to keep toes warm.
We will sleep well under a starry sky.
Kilimanjaro Day 4
We awake at Mawenzi Camp which is at 4300 m. The days are beautiful and sunny, but the nights are cold. We climbed over 700 m yesterday and for every 100 m in altitude, the temperature drops one degree. We have warm sleeping bags though and thermals if we are feeling cold. Luxury relative to the equipment used by our porters and guides. Donations of any clothing or equipment at the end of the climb are always welcome.
We have a hearty breakfast of porridge, eggs, pancakes (or crepes), and toast before setting off at 9 am on our acclimatisation walk. We will walk up the ridge behind Mawenzi Tarn (the tarn is the volcanic lake). It’s steep at the top, but otherwise a fairly easy, short hike. We will ascend 200 m and be rewarded with the most beautiful view of Kilimanjaro from the top of the ridge.
We are back in camp for a hot lunch of stew with the rest of the day to relax, read, play cards, or just enjoy the incredible views. I write my blogs and send photos and messages back to base camp in Johannesburg for sharing on our social media so that friends and family can follow our journey.
We will sleep early with the summit on our minds. Tomorrow we will climb to Kibo Huts (or High Camp) and from there to the summit. The camp crackles with excitement.
We are very close to our summit.
Kilimanjaro Day 5
I am awake and still snug in my sleeping bag when I hear guide Bariki Sam: “Wake up, wake up, wake up”. I always sleep well on this night and look forward to the day’s hike. We will walk up the ridge as we did yesterday and across the “saddle” (which looks like a desert) between Mawenzi (at 4335 m) and Kibo Huts (at 4750 m).
This is one of my favourite hiking days because it’s so beautiful. We walk across the open saddle with Kilimanjaro rising in front of us. In my mind’s eye, I see Kilimanjaro with its white peak against a clear, blue sky.
We arrive in camp mid to late afternoon and rest until supper. We will eat early and then go to our tents to “sleep” until the midnight wake-up call. Sean briefs us after dinner and will brief us again before we set off early tomorrow for the summit. We’re nervous, but excited because we’ve got this!!
Kilimanjaro Day 6
Day 6 has come quickly!! That’s because it was a short night. At 1 am sharp, we set off for the summit. Exactly six hours from now we will be walking from Gilman’s Point to Uhuru Peak (the actual summit). We will be walking slowly and will be extremely tired. “Nearly there, nearly there, keep going”, our guides will tell us. We keep going. One step at a time. As long as you can pick up your foot and take one more step, you can reach the summit. 🥾
We are walking along a path and on our left, the gleaming, blue-white glacier walls are rising to the sky. On our right is the crater. Uhuru Peak is on the Kibo volcanic crater’s rim. This part of the walk is relatively flat with some small ups and downs. The sun has been up for a good few hours and we welcome its warmth after a dark, cold night. We have kept moving to keep warm and gradually peeled off our layers as our bodies warmed and the sun rose.
Finally, we are standing on the summit! It’s bigger than you think – you won’t fall off😂 – and the feelings are almost indescribable. We have climbed to the highest place in Africa, the world’s biggest continent. Pure joy. Euphoria. Laughter and sometimes tears. We did it!!
We have had the support of the most amazing team of guides and porters, and we have supported each other. We are united by a common goal: to climb Africa’s highest peak and to make a difference in the world. We now join the courageous and the privileged few to enjoy this incredible experience.
Now we have to climb down! For the moment, though, we celebrate our tremendous achievement!
Kilimanjaro Day 7
Our final day on the mountain. We awake at Horombo Camp where we have spent the night after our descent from the summit. We are tired, still revelling in our achievement. Kilimanjaro can be seen in the distance. It’s hard to believe that yesterday we were standing on the summit.
We are grateful for the care and support that the porters and guides have shown us. We will gladly give tips to Sean (recommend minimum USD 250 per climber) which will be put in the “tipping pool” and shared across the team. We also have the opportunity to give tips to specific members of the team who have helped us. Your porter will be one as he/she carries your gear bag every day and puts up your tent. Tips will be handed over in the tipping ceremony, which is always emotional and fun with song and clapping. Some tears from the climbers as we witness this joyful celebration.
It’s then time to walk the final 20 km to the Marangu Park Gate. (We climb up the Rongai Route – which is the newest route, quiet and clean – and walk down the Marangu Route. 5 days on the ascent and 2 days down.) We walk through the Marangu Park Gate, triumphant and forever changed. Lots of happy photos.
Then it’s back to the lodge for a hot shower and celebration dinner! Expect a little Johnny Clegg “Kilimanjaro” in the Barranco Bar (which is named after the Barranco Wall on Kilimanjaro) 💃 🕺
The end of our Kilimanjaro adventure, but the memories will last forever. What an experience. What an achievement! 💪🏻
Time for your next adventure!
The 2026 Kilimanjaro Expedition will take place from 8th – 16th July 2026 up the beautiful Rongai route and down the Marangu route. We will do the 7-day route which, together with the right preparation, will give all of our climbers the best chance possible to reach the summit safely and to enjoy every step of the journey.
Let the adventure begin!
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