Trip Reports

Kilimanjaro - 26 Dec to 7 Jan '06

Written by Leader Dave Walsh, January 2006

Our ascent of Mount Meru started off in style with the excitement of a stroll through a meadow occupied by 50 or so Cape Buffalo and then within minutes we were rubbing shoulders with a family of Giraffe, including a one month old baby!

The huts on Mount Meru proved to be excellent and well cared for by the resident wardens. Bottled water and soft drinks are available at these huts. The walk to Miriakamba Hut took about 3 hours, initially crossing open meadow followed by a shady forest path. Washing water, a good meal and comfortable bed ended a memorable first day.

After a fine breakfast we set off for Saddle Hut at 9am. Good views of Meru's summit can be seen from Miriakamba before entering the forest again, this time on a much improved path that boast's many wooden steps. Another 3 hours or so leads to Saddle Hut, again with the comfort of good food and night's sleep. Some of the group ascended Little Meru in the afternoon, while others chose to relax. The summit day started with tea and biscuits at 1:30 am! The ascent is long, around 6 hours and not without interest, having some grade 1 slabs en route. As dawn arrives superb views of Kilimanjaro can be seen to the east. We had a wel-earned rest on the summit and then a gravity assisted descent back to Saddle Hut for a late breakfast, before continuing on down to Miriakamba Hut to spend the night.

Following an afternoon of rest and relaxation at the Key's Hotel, we set off for our main objective, Kilimanjaro. The Umbwe Route lived up to it's reputation of a quieter but beautiful route to the Western Breach, following a path that gradually winds it's way through differing vegetation zones, from dense jungle through to open heath. On the way we passed giant heathers and the surreal giant groundsels.

Summit day saw us leave the campsite at 12:45am under a crystal-clear sky. A cold wind made sure we kept moving, erupting onto the rim of the crater at 6am. The main summit was another 75 minutes away. We arrived there ahead of the crowds toiling up the normal route. By 12:30pm we were at our campsite on the Maweke Route and caught up on some much needed sleep.

This expedition was an outstanding success, with all 12 team members, from very diverse backgrounds achieving 100% success on both Meru and Kili. Our head guide, Michael and his team of porters and assistants were excellent, dealing patiently with the needs of our group.

Dave Walsh, IFMGA, Expedition Leader« Previous report | Next report »

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