We climbed Mount Kilimanjaro end of September using the Machame route (six days, five days up and one day down).

The first day – starting at the Machame gate (1.600m) to Machame camp (almost 3.000m) – is a 10km walk through tropical forest where some monkeys can be spotted.

Day two is short with only 5km but also steep since it ends at Shira camp at 3.800m. Right from the start the forest changes to heathland/moorland.

Day three is again a 10km walk where you climb to 4.600m but descend again to Barranco camp at 4.000m. Plant and animal life disappears further in this alpine desert.

The fourth day (9km) takes you from Barranco camp to Barafu camp at 4.600m and also crosses alpine desert.

And then finally summit night! We got up around midnight to start the 6km climb to the arctic ice fields at Uhuru peak at 5.895m, which we reached after 9 hours of climbing. However, what goes up must come down so the same day we descended back to Barafu camp. In principle, it is not allowed to stay at Barafu camp after summiting but taking into account the physical state of one of our group members an exception was made.

However, this also meant that on day six we had to go all the way down from Barafu camp to Mweka gate at 1.600m, or a 23km walk.

Plenty of detailed information about the different routes is available online, but what it’s really like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro is usually limited to ‘you can do it if you set your mind to it’. Therefore,  below some personal experiences which might be useful for future visitors (ps: these are of course subjective since every climb is different, i.e. different physical condition, different route, different weather conditions, different guides, ...):

- Physical condition?: we are both mid forties with desk jobs and a normal physical condition (1h of sport/fitness per week and regular walks in the weekends). We did not specifically prepare for the climb. So it’s not necessary to start running marathons, just make sure you are able to walk 10-15km without problems for consecutive days. Also make sure you walk in advance with the backpack/daypack you will use on Mount Kilimanjaro. The climb does not involve any real climbing, only on the Barranco wall you will need to use your hands (but certainly no need for special gear, ropes, ...).

- Which route?:  there are six (main) routes, but most people use the Marangu or Machame route. As mentioned, we also took the Machame route although except for the Umbwe route this is the hardest route. However, it is also one of the routes with the best scenery and it has an acclimatisation day (day three) where you ‘climb high and sleep low’ thus increasing the chance to reach the summit. Downside is that the Machame route is more expensive than the Marangu route because it’s one day longer and more porters are needed since you sleep in tents versus huts in case of the Marangu route (ps: the four other routes also use tents). The Machame route can also be done in seven instead of six days but we never felt that this would have been an advantage. 

- Gear?: in our case, tents and sleeping mats were provided by the trekking agency. People who didn’t have their own were also able to rent sleeping bags, down jackets, ... All of this was of good quality. Trekking poles and gaiters are recommended, especially for the descend.

In case you bring your own jacket, gloves, ... make sure they are warm enough. During the day even at 4.000-4.500m a t-shirt and light fleece are sufficient (at least end of September) but once the sun goes down it gets really cold, also at lower altitudes. It is something that is rarely mentioned but the nights are very cold since there is only a thin sleeping mat and tent to block the low temperatures so we were glad that we brought enough warm clothing. Summit night is also cold but at least you are moving – just make sure you have clothes that block the wind.   

Ps: a practical issue we encountered in this respect is that since we brought a lot of our own gear, we were struggeling with the baggage allowance for the internal flights (in casu 23kg per person with Precision Air). We were able to solve this by redistributing to cabine luggage but in case you have to pay for excess baggage it might be more economical to rent e.g. a sleeping bag.

- Altitude sickness?: mr. Kbecq had a general feeling of malaise for one day (day two) while mrs. Kbecq didn’t have any real issues. No headaches during the whole trek. Our group consisted of eight people and while everybody had some minor issues (headache, nausea, ...) these only lasted for a short period of time. Except for one person, everybody took Diamox pills. Downside is that it increases the number of toilet visits which is something you want to avoid in the middle of the nigth at -5C°.    

- Comfort?: speaking of toilets, they are of the ‘hole in the ground’ type and are called five star toilets if they come with a door and lock. Except for a park rangers building, these are also the only buildings you will find in the (Machame) campsites which means no running water, showers, ... We were provided with a bowl of warm water every morning but be prepared to go on for six days without a proper wash. Three liters of clean drinking water was also provided each day (make sure to drink a lot to avoid altitude sickness).

- Food?: served in a mess tent and surprisingly good (soup, spaghetti, fruit, rice, potatoes, ...)

- Team?: for our group of eight, there were 24 porters, 2 cooks, 3 assistant guides and 1 senior guide. The guides are well trained in spotting who is having a difficult day and in general looking after everybody. Four guides also meant that in case e.g. 2 persons wanted to go at a slower pace this was no issue since they could have their own guide. There is less contact with the porters since they go at a faster to ensure that the tents are set when you arrive at the next campsite. However, these guys are amazing taking into account that they haul up 25kg every day.

Our group of eight was an international mix (UK, US, India, ...) of easy going persons which created a good atmosphere so there were never any irritations, discussions, ... On the contrary everybody was supporting each other in the (common) goal to reach the summit.

- Summit night? Is it hard?: yes it is, but we found it doable and never met ‘the man with the hammer’, had to talk to ourselves to keep on going, ... Just take it easy (polé polé) and you should be fine (assuming you don’t run into altitude sickness and/or injuries). Our complete team of eight made it to the summit: 4 people in 8.5h, 2 in 9h and 2 in 12h.

This being said, you will also encounter people being escorted off the mountain while they are given oxygen, we saw the rescue helicopter, ... Don’t let this stop you but take things serious as it’s still an expidition at almost 6.000m.

Also take into account that while most people mention summit night, there are also other stretches of the route which are tough (the last km to Barafu camp comes to mind). Mr. Kbecq even found the descent on day six harder than summit night (although he’s the only one in the group).

- Cost?: tips included our cost was about USD 1.500-1.750 per person but this also included a transfer from Kilimanjaro airport and two nights at a hotel in Moshi (before and after the climb). Guidelines about the amount of tips can be found and in our case it came down to about USD 250 per person.

- Conclusion: as mentioned above, comments about a Kilimanjaro climb are mostly limited to ‘you can do it if you set your mind to it’ but we must admit that this is true. Assuming a normal physical condition and no injuries/altitude sickness issues, reaching the summit should be possible. Just take it slow, enjoy the walk and the views!