life of EASE......spirit of ADVENTURE
Sample Itinerary:
Kilimanjaro via Marangu route
(Five days)
Day 1.
Breakfast at your hotel is served from 0700. Please ensure that you have packed your bags before breakfast, have signed over your extra luggage that will not be required on the mountain to reception, and have deposited your valuables into the hotel’s safe.
Transfer and Registration. You will normally be collected at 0730 from your hotel. Your driver will transfer you to Marangu Gate where we complete registration formalities. Trekkers should have their passport numbers for their registry entries but are advised to have kept their passports and valuables in the hotel safe (excluding the amount they will budget for tipping their crew). Trekkers under 16 years of age, however are required to present their passports to the KINAPA gate staff as proof of their eligibility to climb on a concessionary permit. Failure to do this will result in a cash surcharge being imposed by KINAPA. Please also note that following any transfer it is customary to tip the driver, $5 - $10 per group is usual.
Trek up through the rainforest from Marangu Gate (1860m) to Mandara Huts Camp (2715m). Lunch will be taken at the guides discretion - normally at Kisamboni. The total distance today is 8.1km, over 850m of elevation gain. Optional late afternoon excursion to the Maundi Crater.
Day 2.
Trek through moorland from Mandara Huts to Horombo Huts (3720m) on the lower southern edge of the Mawenzi Saddle. Distance is 11.6km.
Day 3.
Trek from Horombo Huts via Kibo Huts (4713m) to School Huts (4717m)(availability permitting).
Follow the southern path from Horombo Huts to Kibo Huts. As you progress from Maua River (3940m) the terrain will change from sparse vegetation to more barren terrain. Pass to the left of Middle Red Hill (small parasitic cone) and enter the flat saddle between Kibo and Mawenzi which while having dramatic landscape, can also be very windswept. From here we head off along the long uphill trek towards Kibo Huts, and thereafter on to School Hut if space available. Aim to get to sleep as soon as possible as you will be woken at around 2300-0000 to begin your assault. Don’t worry about waking yourself for meals - your staff will wake you for these. You probably won’t feel like eating but we encourage you to do so because your body needs fuel. You are advised to get all your gear ready for the summit bid before you go to sleep as you may feel disoriented when awoken for the assault.
Distance today is 9.2kms to Kibo Huts and a further 0.8kms to School Huts.
Day 4.
Around midnight (your guide will judge the time that is optimal for you based on your pace thus far) quit camp for the assault via Hans Meyer Cave (5151m) and Gillman’s Point (5681m) to the summit. Tonight is tough and you’ll need to draw on inner strength to help you achieve the summit.
When you reach Gillman’s Point you will sit and rest. At this point you are only 214 vertical meters short of the summit, the journey from here is much less steep, and you have plenty of time for short rest stops en route to Stella Point (5752m).
On the summit your guide will advise how much time you can spend there in consideration of your condition, your timings, and the weather. The brain does not always function very clearly at this altitude so please remember to take many photographs in all directions to make sure you capture and record your memories.
From the summit you will turn around and descend to Stella Point and then back to Gillman’s Point. Descent from here is via a loose scree slope. This is far easier on the knees and as the ground collapses underfoot if you take short quick strides it’s easy to maintain momentum. We do short bursts and take regular rests, pausing to photograph the Saddle beneath us and Kenya to our left. At Kibo Huts we have a short refreshment break before continuing to Horombo 3705m (via the Mawenzi route) where we overnight again.
Distances on summit day:
School Huts to Gillman’s Point:: 3.7km
Gillman’s Point to Summit: 2.0km Summit to Gillman’s Point: 2.0km Gillman’s Point to Kibo Huts: 3.4km
Kibo Huts to Horombo: 9.6km
Total summit day’s distance: 20.7km
Day 5.
This morning we descend from Horombo to Marangu Gate 1860m via Mandara Huts 2715m. The day’s distance is 19.7km along very well maintained trails. (Horombo to Mandara is 11.6km and Mandara to Marangu Gate is 8.1km). This is the standard Rongai descent route and the Marangu ascent and descent route.
At Marangu Gate it is customary for climbers to tip their support staff. Ordinarily tips are collected by one of the climbers and the total amount is handed to the chief guide who himself decides how the amount should be divided amongst the rest of the crew according to a customary scale that is determined by the responsibilities and experience of each staff member. All our chief guides are thoroughly honest and fair in this regard and it is not necessary for climbers to hand out individual envelopes to each porter, cook and assistant guide, unless they specifically wish to do so. Climbers nowadays tend to tip their support crew 10-15% of what they have paid for their climb.
Arriving at Marangu Gate we sign the register and you will be awarded you Certificate of Achievement before being collected and transferred back to your hotel.
PLEASE NOTE: Your safety is our business. All our Mountain Guides are highly trained in guiding at altitude and hold relevant, current First Aid Qualifications. In all matters of safety the decision of the Chief Guide is final.