Summer 2000 Climb - Fantastic
Written: Mar 29 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Experience unlike any other, cultural insights, sense of accomplishment
Cons: Altitude sickness, expense, theft/safety risks, diminishing glaciers
The Bottom Line: A trip that you will never forget. You will come away a changed person.
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| jdstevenson's Full Review: Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park |
Climbing Kilimanjaro easily ranks as my most memorable vacation experience. It's hard to capture in words all of the ways it affected me. I recommend it to anyone, but you need to be the type of person who:
1) Is not so spoiled by modern society that you can't handle getting dirty, enduring sometimes difficult weather conditions, or pushing your body to some difficult extremes. You don't have to be a jock to climb Kili -- it's just a demanding hike. But the altitude may wear down your desire to continue; and you need to be able to dig deep to get past that.
2) Realizes they are in a different culture with different rules. Open your eyes to the warmth and charm of Africa and you will do well and come away changed.
3) Can look in the face of poverty and see that many people live life in a very different way, yet are content and happy... In some ways we should envy the simplicity of their pace of life.
If you decide to go, give yourself at least two weeks. The flight to Africa takes forever, and you need to give yourself time to get over the jet lag; and go on safari after the climb to reward yourself for all the work. Yes it's more expensive, but just getting their cost you enough -- make your investment worth it by getting the full experience. Start in Nairobi and give your body a day or two to get used to a higher altitude (Nairobi is like Denver -- about a mile up.) If you can afford it, go with a well known guide company -- I used Alpine Ascents (www.alpineascents.com), and was very, very happy with their attention to detail. Be sure to get all of your shots and bring along the suggested prescription meds. Bring along lots of American dollar bills -- they are accepted throughout Africa (in both Kenya and Tanzania) and often will give you better bargaining power than the local currency. While your tour company may cover hotel and some meals, Africa runs off tips. All you need is a single dollar bill for nearly anything. Treat people well, give them a friendly 'Jambo' (hello) or 'Asante' (thank you) and you will get wonderful service.
Keep all extra cash in the hotel vaults. Especially in Nairobi (it has the lovely nickname 'Nairobbery' for good reason). Visit "The Carnivore" while in town for a great sampling of game meat.
I took the 'Machame' rout up the mountain, which offeres a less crowded, more scenic, but more difficult path up the mountain. If you take this route, give yourself a full 5 days to make it to the summit. Other guides will try to do it in fewer, but you will increase your odds for altitude sickness. (Going down only takes a couple of days.)
Wear good hiking boots. Especially ones with extra rooms for your toes. The route down will literaly take your toenails off without good, supportive boots.
Bring gators. The mud in the rainforest area is unbelievable. Even if you go with a different touring company, check out the equipment list on the alpine ascents site I listed above.. All of it came in handy on my hike.
Tip your porters well. The Chaga tribes people do unbelievable work for you on the mountain. Talk to your guide company about what amount is appropriate.
Give all of your heart and mind to making the summit. I had a hard time on summit day (you get up at midnight and make the summit by daybreak). The altitude sickness hit me hard and I threw up for a good part of the night along with being completely physically exhausted. But I was with a good guide, and I knew that if I collapsed, they would carry me down. : ) It might sound masochistic, but I didn't go all the way to Africa to not finish climbing that mountain. And it's not like Everest where the danger of death is so high. I cried at the top, knowing I had pushed myself harder than I ever had before. Not many people get to experience that feeling of accomplishment. It's an amazing rush that is difficult to describe.
Sadly, the beautiful glaciers near the top of the mountain have been gradually receding over the last decade due to global warming. I'm not a green freak, but this was enough to make me think twice about what we've been doing to the environment.
Other people didn't go through nearly what I did, and made the summit tired, but not as exhausted. So don't let this account scare you off. Much of it depends on how your body will react to altitude -- and that varies greatly in the same person. I've made many trips to 14K mountains in Colorado without a symptom. But Kili's 19K size was a real challenge for me. And yes, I was taking the medication.
If you only like relaxing, comfortable vacations, I'm sure you can tell this probably would'nt be for you. But if you like the idea of experiencing new things and discovering what you are really made of, I think you'll love Kili.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
jdstevenson
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Location: Dallas, Texas, USA
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
A self employed technology consultant who lives in Dallas with two very demanding cats.
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