life of EASE......spirit of ADVENTURE
Sample Itinerary:
Kilimanjaro via Rongai route
(Six 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. Climbers 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). Climbers 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 per under-16 climber.
From Marangu we transfer to Naro Moru, north east Kilimanjaro, a further 68km and 2 hours 20 minutes on bad roads. Depending on the progress of your transit the guide will designate a suitable location for lunch, usually en route to Naro Moru near to Tarakea. Please note that following any transfer it is customary to tip the driver, $5 - $10 per group is usual.
Around 1400 we start trekking from the Rongai Start Point at 1996m, located 600 metres south west of the Naro Moru junction. Today we ascend to Simba Camp at 2626m, a trek of 6.7km. It is usual to arrive in camp shortly before sunset but in the event of road obstacles, recent road damage caused by rains or unforeseen delays, climbers are advised to carry their headtorches in their daysacks.
Day 2
Simba Camp to 3,482m for lunch at Second Cave 3,487m, a distance of 5.8km from Simba. We stay here for the night.
After lunch, where conditions and visibility allow, an acclimatisation trek will be undertaken towards 3rd Cave Camp 3,936m.
Day 3
We travel only a short distance of 3.7km from Second Caves Camp 3,487m to 3rd Caves Camp 3,936m. Afternoon: acclimatisation excursion to around halfway point to School Hut 4,717m, turning around at around 4,400m. back to 3rd Caves to stay overnight.
Spending the night this low in a significantly more oxygen-rich environment than achieved during the acclimatisation trek towards School Hut ensures that the body has sufficient reprieve to be able to make the necessary adaptive changes that it has identified the need for during its exposure to the environmental factors associated with high altitude.
Day 4
Trek from 3rd Caves Camp 3,936m to School Hut Cam 4,717m. Slightly longer distance than yesterday, including 781m of height gain.. Distance = 4.9km.
If strength and condition of climbers permits: midday / early afternoon acclimatisation walk to Hans Meyer Cave, descending via Kibo Huts and back to School Hut for late afternoon main meal.
Aim to get to sleep as soon as possible as you will be woken at around 2300-0000 to begin your ascent. Don’t worry about waking yourself for meals - your staff will wake you for these. You probably won’t feel like eating or drinking but please try to do so because your body needs the 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.
Day 5
Around midnight (your guide will judge the time (anytime up until 0600) 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 very difficult and you’ll need to commit to fight for the summit.
When you reach Gillman’s Point you will sit and rest. At Gillimans Point you are only 214 vertical metres short of the summit, and the journey from here is much less steep, and there is plenty of time for rest stops. After Gillimans Point we proceed towards the summit via 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 intelligently at this altitude so please remember to take many photographs in all directions to capture your memories.
From the summit you will 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 and 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 down to Horombo 3705m 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 6
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 receive your Certificate of Achievement before being collected and driven 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.