My journey to the roof of Africa

6 days, 5 nights. An experience of a lifetime. In this post, I am sharing my experience hiking to Uhuru peak (5895m)! I will categorise the post into 3 areas:

1. Part one will be the day by day experience detailing what we covered each day
2. Part 2 will be the gear I used for the 3 day experience
3. Part 3 will be how we prepped for it and my general tips & tricks if you wish to do this

The basics about Mt. Kilimanjaro

Mt Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and commonly referred to as the roof of Africa. It is one of the Seven Summits. These are the highest mountains on each of the seven traditional continents. They are: Kilimanjaro (Africa), Everest (Asia), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), Vinson (Antarctica), Elbrus (Europe) and Carstensz (Oceania).

Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest free standing mountain in the world! This is because the others are part of a mountain range but Kilimanjaro is not. For example, Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world but it is part of the Himalayas and is not standing on its own.

Uhuru peak which is the highest point, stands at 5895m above sea level or 19,340 feet. There are 7 different routes to get to Uhuru peak. The most common ones are Machame, Marangu and Lemosho. We used Machame route and took 6 days, 5 nights.

Summary: TLDR

This is going to be a long post so if you prefer the summary, here it is

1. Day 0 – Nairobi to Moshi via Namanga border. Travel day, meet the guides, gear check, itinerary briefing
2. Day 1 – Machame gate to Machame camp. Hotel to gate, registration, hike through thick rainforest
3. Day 2 – Machame camp to Shira camp. Short day, visit Shira plateau, welcome dance & intro
4. Day 3 – Shira camp to Baranco camp via Lava Tawa. First long day, intro to alpine desert, hike high, sleep low
5. Day 4 – Baranco camp to Barafu camp via Karanga camp. Intro to hard days, brutally cold Barafu camp, short nap before summit push
6. Day 5 – Barafu camp to Uhuru Peak, back to Barafu camp, onward to Mweka camp. Summit push early morning, back for breakfast, then onward to Mweka camp. Very demanding day (mentally & physically)
7. Day 6 – Mweka camp to Mweka gate. Home! Home! Home! Or hotel :). Short scenic walk through thick rain forest to Mweka gate. Certificates & celebration.

Day 0

This was travel day from Nairobi to Moshi. Our group hired a minibus which took us from Jevanjee Gardens in Nairobi to Keys Hotel in Moshi. We used the Namanga one stop border which was quite fast. They checked our yellow fever certificates, covid vaccination certificates and stamped our passports.

We had a lunch break in Arusha on our way to Moshi.

After checking in at Keys Hotel, we were introduced to our guides and taken through the itinerary of the trip. The guides then went round inspecting our gear one by one.

As expected, I had packed way too much stuff than I needed. I had too much snacks, extra & unnecessary clothes and just generally too many “just incase” items. The lead guide separated my items into what to bring and what to leave.

After a loooooooooong time, I had my 3 bags packed and my clothes laid out. Then we slept, excited and also nervous!

Day 1: Machame gate to Machame camp

On this day, I had my 3 bags. The porters bag that has “everything” I would be taking to the mountain. They day pack that would be on me throughout the day. And the bag that I was leaving at the hotel with the things I did not need on the mountain. I left behind a big suitcase because I had over packed!

After breakfast, we set off to Machame gate to start our adventure. At this point, I had a mix of feelings. 6 days! It is Mt. Kilimanjaro! I was excited but also wondering what would happen. I was not particularly afraid, just very curious how I would react/behave. I genuinely did not expect to get to the peak because that seemed like too big of an adventure. I was happy to just see how far I would go and I was happy to simply attempt.

Once we got to the gate, our guides got our bags weighed and took care of registration while we took photos and made our “final” phone calls. We were handed our packed lunch. We got a final briefing, recited our group mantra and then set off.

Goal of the day: Machame gate to Machame camp through thick rainforest. Starting at 1800m and ending at 2835m hence an elevation gain of 1035m. We covered the 11km in 5.5 hours.

We had been told this would be an easy day. Quite the contrary. First of all, it rained very soon after we started hiking. As much as I had all my rain gear with me and wore it, that rain seemed to be either too much or I just did not properly use my gear.

When the rain stopped, we had a quick lunch break. Folded away the rain gear and continued with the hike.

This day wasn’t long but it seemed hard. Maybe because of the nerves or the fact that it was day 1. We finally got to campsite, freshened up, had dinner, got the evening briefing and then went to sleep. I slept well, no major discomfort or cold.

Day 2: Machame camp to Shira camp

We had been told that this would be a difficult day, but it actually was not. It was one of the best days of the 6 days. Clear skies, really good views, and not too demanding. It was more steep than the previous day, but it wasn’t particularly difficult.

The distance was 6km and we covered it in about 5 hours, with an elevation gain of only 915m from 2835m to 3750m. We experienced the change in climate from thick rain forest to moorland. It was a bit rocky.

We arrived at the campsite 2 hours earlier than we had anticipated. It was a lovely day, the sun was shining and we had a lot of time to ourselves.

We settled into our tents, changed into lounging gear and then went to Shira plateau for a short walk. While there, we took some photos and our guides gave us a brief history of Shira plateau & cave. When we got back to campsite, we were treated to an awesome dance performance by our support team (guides, porters & cooks). Everyone had a chance to introduce themselves through song and dance.

And then we were blessed by a short drizzle that saw us back into our tents for some time. We then had dinner, got our usual evening briefing and retired. This night was colder than the previous but I was very well prepared so I did not feel cold at all.

Day 3: Shira camp to Baranco camp via Lava Tower

We went from Shira camp (3750m) to Lava Tower (4500m) gaining 750m. The purpose of this was to acclimatize to high altitude. We then went down to Baranco camp (3900m) losing 600m. Hike high, sleep low! On this day, we experienced semi desert climate. It was quite windy and cold at Lava Tower.

The trek from Shira to Lava Tower was not easy. It was a long trek, and I felt like it was becoming more real! It was now day 3 in the mountain and I had finally settled into it. Despite the long trek, I felt amazing on this day, a kind of high. One of the best days! I was really enjoying the extensive views and really getting to be one with the mountain. My strategy on this day was to walk pole pole.

We got to Lava Tower and had our packed lunch. It was windy and cold! And there were some huge mountain rats that were not afraid of us at all. We did not stay here for long, after a few minutes, we started the steep descent to Baranco camp.

Baranco camp was amazing! Even better than Shira camp. When we got to campsite, the sun was still shining so we experienced a lovely sunset. From our camp, we could see Moshi town on one side, and Kibo peak on the other side. The reality of what lay ahead was more apparent. Looking at the snow capped peak, I wondered if I would ever make it up there. It looked close but also quite unattainable.

I had a wonderful evening at Baranco camp. After freshening up, we had some time to stretch and take photos. We also had some phone network so most of us contacted our families.

It was colder than the previous camps, and I was glad to have my gear. After dinner, we received our briefing. We were told the next day would be a long and tough. Then the guides took turns reiterating how much we were required to strictly follow their guidance the next day for our own safety. It was going to be full of rocks and we would be required to be more careful.

They could not have stressed this more: “Listen to the guides!”

Day 4: Baranco camp to Barafu camp via Karanga camp

Basics: Alpine desert, 10km, start at 3900m and end at 4673m hence total gain of 773m. Expected to take 7-8 hours but took 12 hours!

We went by the famous kissing rock on this day, and also the famous “Jiwe la picha” where we had a photo session. We climbed a lot of rocks. We had been told to wear light gloves and they came in handy because we used our hands a lot.

The vegetation was visibly different on this day. It was more rocks and very few green. The climate here was alpine desert and it was cold & windy.

We went from Baranco camp through the kissing rock & jiwe la picha (photo rock) to Karanga camp. Our support team had prepared a hot lunch at Karanga camp which was such a great relief! I got a chance to refill my water bladder and extra water bottles as we had been informed water would be limited moving forward.

Some groups spend their night at this camp site, proceeding to Barafu camp the next day. I get it because by the time we were getting here, I would have been happy to call it a day.

Anyway, after lunch & water refills, we set out for the second half of our day. Goal was to get to Barafu camp, do the usual evening routine and then take a short nap before the summit attempt.

That Karanga to Barafu trek was a shocker! Before this, our hike had been nice & enjoyable and even the hard parts were not so hard. But this afternoon was a long walk, and we got to experience the alpine desert cold winds. It was still beautiful, but it certainly was harder. In a single line, we walked one behind the other, slowly by slowly.

We finally got to Barafu camp. It was cold and windy. And rocky. The wind was so strong, our tent was shaking and at some point I wondered if it could be blown away. Once inside the tent, I had a few minutes to quickly freshen up before dinner. I barely ate my dinner, it tasted bland and I did not have the energy to try to force it.

I took a 45 minutes on & off nap then started getting ready for the summit push.

Day 5: Summit day!!!

Barafu camp to Uhuru peak, back to Barafu camp, then down to Mweka camp

This was a long day! And remember it started on day 4 in the morning because we did not sleep on night 4, but had a short nap.

After a short nap (which was very disrupted), I got out of “bed”, got dressed, and packed up all my stuff. I have detailed what I wore to the summit in a different post. We would be coming back to the same campsite (and tents) after the summit, but I always leave my bags packed & ready to leave. It helped because when I came back down, my tent had been unpitched and so my things had been moved to another tent.

Barafu camp to Uhuru peak is only 5km. We had been told we would be at Stella point by sunrise! Ah! The sun rose, we were very far from Stella point. It took us about 4 hours to cover 1 km from Barafu to Kosovo. I took about another 4 hours to get to Stella point. This part of the trek was quite interesting. First of all, it was very windy and cold, which slowed us down. I was not actually feeling cold because my gear was sufficient, but I felt the wind.

On this day, we each got a guide to walk with us. Our support team made arrangements so some of the porters acted as guides and each of us had someone dedicated to walk with us. The idea is so that they can help carry the day pack and generally help us up the mountain.

One of the distinct things I remember is our guides forming a line on the side to prevent us from falling. The wind was so strong that we would be pushed off the path, and our guides would hold us & keep us from falling.

My water bladder froze at some point, despite having insulation. Thankfully because I am always overprepared, I had brought my 1 litre soft flask which is what I used. I also had carried my Java flask with hot water which helped a lot.

The walk from Stella point to the Summit should be 45 minutes, but it took me close to 1 hour. I could see the summit board from Stella point but it took so long to get there. By this time, I was in a terrible mood … sort of upset/angry/mad that the summit was being elusive. I did not want to turn back, but I did not appreciate how hard it was to keep pushing. At this point, I had one goal, summit photo. I kept walking towards that summit photo.

I finally got to the summit! It was 10:36am. I was happy but I was not particularly excited. It had taken so much to get here, and I did not spend more than 5 minutes. I did not even walk past the summit board, I later heard people talking about a plaque and only saw photos of it.

I got my summit photo, and then immediately started walking back to Barafu camp. I had a bit of nausea and a slight headache, which is not unusual for me on the descent. The descent of course, is much easier than the climb. I ran down most of the way.

I remember one particular point when I sat on a rock overlooking some valleys. I felt so much peace! A kind of everlasting peace, not a hurried one. I felt so whole & complete. My friend Robert says I looked angry at this point, but this was the most fulfilling moment of the whole trip. I simply felt great!

When I got to Barafu camp, I changed out of summit gear and settled into “day clothes” then waited for others to get to camp so we could have breakfast/lunch.

We then headed down to Mweka camp. It had been a long day, physically & emotionally draining. The walk to Mweka camp felt long & hard. We passed by Millenium camp but did not go in or take a break. We continued on a now steep descent to Mweka.

By the time I got to campsite, I was so exhausted, I immediately went to sleep. I didn’t even get dinner. Just sleep! And it was a great night. I slept well.

Day 6: Mweka camp to Mweka gate

The goal for this day was to go from Mweka camp to the gate, covering 10km and losing 1460m in altitude (from 3100m to 1640m). The vegetation was back to thick rainforest. I loved the walk on this day, did most of it alone as it gave me a chance to reflect on the experience.

When we got to the gate, we were each issued with a certificate by TANAPA (Tanzania National Parks). Our hiking company also gave us certificates of achievement. They had also prepared cake & a bubbly drink. We did some song & dance, cut the cake and then left for our hotel. On the way, we passed by a curio shop where some people got souvenirs.

I remember having a hangover like feeling. I felt immense peace, but also felt like I did not know how to be back to normal. I had gotten used to being in nature and now I was back to modern world. It took me a few days to actually feel “normal” again.

Back at Keys Hotel, we checked in to our rooms. After a loooong shower, it was time for food & merry making. We continued with our celebration, reliving the moments from the last few days.

Day 7: Kikuletwa hot springs

The next day, we went to Kikuletwa hot springs where we got to swim & enjoy the hot spring. Our guides organised lunch & refreshment. This day was simply meant to relax and enjoy. I definitely recommend this as part of the Kili experience. It gave me a good opportunity to decompress and slowly come back into the “real world”.

Day 8: Moshi to Nairobi

Our adventure was over and it was time to head back home! I was feeling good! I was still in a bit of disbelief that I had actually made it that far.