Of the Seven Summits, Kilimanjaro (5,895m/19,340ft) is the least difficult to climb. However, at over 19,000ft high, it is still a tough ascent and trekkers will need to be in good physical condition. Our expedition incorporates a thorough programme of acclimatisation, including an ascent of nearby Mount Meru (4,562m/14,947ft) as preparation for the main objective.

This trip is arranged by www.jagged-globe.co.uk.

We highly recommend Jagged Globe

See photographs of this expedition
See photographs of Mt Meru climb
See photographs of Mt Kilimanjaro climb

Expedition Outline

Fly with KLM from regional airport, the team meets at Amsterdam and flies together to Kilimanjaro International Airport This is the most convenient airfield for Kilimanjaro and within 40 minutes of arrival, we can be at our hotel in Moshi, avoiding the long and painful journey from Nairobi, inherent in the average itinerary! We spend the night in our hotel in Moshi before travelling to Mt Meru (4,562m/14,947ft), a dormant volcano in Arusha National Park. Meru is a very worthwhile climb in it's own right and the three-day ascent not only provides vital acclimatisation, but is a good chance to see plenty of wildlife and take in magnificent views of the Western Breach on Kilimanjaro.

After Meru, we travel back to Moshi for a relaxing afternoon where we rest and prepare for the first day on Kilimanjaro. We travel in Jeeps to the start of the spectacular Umbwe Route on the most impressive side of the mountain. The trail, which is seldom used, takes us through dense jungle as local porters carry our equipment. Over the next three days, we gradually make our way through changing eco-systems. Our original intention was to follow a ridge crest directly to the foot of the formidable Breach Wall, however a fatal accident in January 2006 resulted in the Western Breach route being closed. We do however see this 2000ft vertical precipice draped with hanging glaciers and icicles from our camp at Barranco. From Barranco we traverse to the Barafu camp and from here our final ascent takes us up to Stella Point on the crater rim, and then to the Uhuru Summit.

The Umbwe Route is undoubtedly the most exciting route to the top of Kilimanjaro that does not require the use of ropes. It avoids the crowds on the well-trodden tourist trail from Marangu, which is used by the vast majority of people who attempt the mountain. Unlike, the usual dash up the Marangu route, our 6 days on the mountain allow us to experience this immaculate and inaccessible environment whilst gradually acclimatising our bodies to the higher altitude. We camp in high quality British tents and eat fresh, local food prepared by our Tanzanian cook staff.

Expedition Itinerary

26 Dec 2006
At 4.10am Sam (my elder daughter) and I (Steve) join the queue to check-in for our KLM flight from Manchester to Amsterdam and then from there to Kilimanjaro International Airport. We meet Ken, another member of the team also flying from Manchester, and clear security by 5.05am. We have time for an early morning coffee before our flight departs on schedule at 6.10am.

We arrive at gate D49 at Schipol airport (Amsterdam) at 8.30am local time and have a short walk to gate D53 for our onward flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport. At the gate we meet Nick and Jackie, other members of the team. As we board at 9.15am Ken gets a phone call from Allan, the expedition leader, telling us that his flight from London has been cancelled but to carry on anyway and that he and Dan, another team member, will catch us up somehow.

At 10.30am our KLM flight pushes off from the gate but within minutes the pilot informs us there's a problem with one of the engines and the plane is moved to another gate whilst the engineers attend. Fortunately the problem is fixed and we take off an hour late. The flight is uneventful thereafter and the food is good.

We arrive at Kilimanjaro International Airport at 10.15pm and clear immigration by 11.00pm. Whilst waiting for our luggage we meet Gordon, another member of our team. We then leave the terminal building and are met by Nixon and driven to our hotel, the Key's, in Moshi. This is a long day's travelling but we are settled into the hotel before midnight and have dinner before retiring to our beds.

27 Dec 2006
We are up at 8.00am and shower. It's hot and humid. Outside is a hive of activity with coaches and 4WDs being loaded with luggage. The road beyond the hotel walls is teeming with people walking into town. This should be the day we depart for Mt Meru but our leader, Allan, and team member Dan are somewhere in transit, we hope, between London and Kilimanjaro. We are also missing another team member, Manolo, who is coming from Brazil.

We go down for breakfast at 9.00am and get a message that Allan and Dan are on their way and should be with us tonight. Fortunately before we had set off KLM had messed our flights up and as a result we have an extra day to play with! Breakfast is good with fresh fruit, toast, tea & coffee included in the room rate and for a few dollars extra one can have cooked items such as eggs, sausage and bacon.

After breakfast I change some money (1 USD gets 1,100 TSh at the hotel - in town the rate is better giving 1,250 TSh to the dollar). We buy some bottled water (1,000 TSh for 1.5 litre) and then go for a walk along the main highway to a suburb just outside of Moshi Town where we stop for a drink of coke (850 TSh per 350ml bottle) in the shade. We then stroll back and drop down into Moshi town centre. It's very busy and very hot and humid.

We get back to the hotel for 3.00pm and have lunch on the bar veranda overlooking the hotel swimming pool. We are attracted to the Key's burger and chips (3,800 TSh) on the bar menu and that proves a good choice. At 5.00pm we go for a siesta and are woken at 6.30pm by a big thunderstorm and heavy downpour. I have a shower and go down for dinner at 7.00pm.

After dinner we sit on the veranda at the front of the hotel and have a few cokes and beers whilst waiting for Allan and Dan who eventually arrive at 10.00pm, almost 24 hours later than planned. Once checked-in Allan gives us a briefing on what's to come and we go to bed just after midnight.

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Mt Meru (4,562m/14,947ft).

28 Dec 2006
Today we will enter Arusha National Park and begin our ascent of Mt Meru. We drive to the foot of Mt Meru, a collapsed volcanic crater. The climb up it is said to rival that of Kilimanjaro. Leaving the hotel at about 10:00 a.m., a drive of 2½ hours leads to the National Park entrance and from there we trek to the Miriakamba Hut. It can be extremely hot for those not used to the high temperatures of Africa, so plenty of water should be taken on the trek along with sunscreen, sun hat and, ideally, a large umbrella. The walk takes about three hours, leaving the rest of the day to explore the Meru crater. At its highest point, it forms a sheer cliff face more than 1,500m/5,000ft high and is one of the largest of its type in the world. The crater itself is well vegetated and full of wildlife. There is a good chance that we will see some big game.

We are up at 6.20am and shower then down for breakfast at 7.00am. Manolo (Manny), our team member from Brazil, joins us at last. Now we are nine and the team is complete - me (Steve), Sam, Ken, Jackie, Nick, Gordon, Allan, Dan and Manny.

At 8.15am Julius, our Head Guide, arrives and he and Allan go off to discuss things. We finish breakfast and then finish packing and bringing down our gear. Stuff that is staying at the hotel is labelled and stored. Stuff that is going with us is weighed to make sure each bag is not more than 15Kg and then it's loaded onto the coaches.

Our team of nine leave the hotel at 10.00am with a support crew of sixteen other people; including guides Julius and Gerald, assistant guide and cook Jef, assistant cook and porters/waiters, etc.

After 59Km of tarmac road we turn off at USA River Village onto a dirt road, which we follow for another 18Km, to Momela Gate in Arusha National Park. During the drive along the dirt road we see giraffe, wild boar, zebra, cape buffalo and baboons.

We arrive at the Momela Gate, an altitude of around 1,600m, at 12.20pm and after unloading and lunch we start our ascent to the Miriakimba huts. We are lead by Paul, a park ranger, who carries a rifle in case we are attacked by any of the wild animals in the park. We cross the Ngare Nanyuki River and follow the path along flattish pasture. Ahead, and on the other side of a stream, is a herd of Cape Buffalo who watch us warily. We then start to ascend and soon encounter a large herd of giraffes.

Dan asks, "How can you tell which giraffes are male" and after a moments thought our guide Julius replies, "They have testicles!". This simple exchange is to provide much good humour, at Dan's expense, throughout the rest of the trip.

We continue to climb and see and hear baboons in the distance. We reach the Miriakimba huts at an altitude of 2,600m by 5.00pm and it's raining. This is the end of the short rains season and so we are to expect some precipitation every day. The challenge will be to keep as dry as possible and to dry out anything that gets damp or wet.

We have three rooms at the huts. Each room sleeps four people in two bunk beds. We unpack and then go to the dining hut for tea and biscuits or popcorn. We sit on the veranda as the rain eases and look over to Kilimanjaro, which is almost entirely shrouded in cloud.

Bottled water can be bought at the hut shop for 3,000 TSh for 1.5 litre. Drinking large amounts of water helps our acclimatisation and counters the effects of altitude, but it does have side effects and the term 'clear and copious' describes what our waste stream should be when checking that we are drinking enough. In simple terms we pee alot, but as long as it's 'clear and copious' we should be OK!

At 7.00pm we have dinner - soup, beef stew - which may or may not be cow beef - and fruit salad. After dinner Allan gives us a briefing for tomorrow and we go to bed at 8.30pm.

29 Dec 2006
Climb to the Saddle Hut on Mt Meru. This is another short day to assist acclimatisation. However, we will be working hard and not yet fully accustomed to the climate of Africa, so regular water stops are taken. A 4½-hour walk up the crater rim leads to Saddle Hut where we stop for the night. The Saddle lies between Mt Meru and Little Meru (3,820m/12,530ft) just to the north. In the afternoon, we make the short climb to Little Meru, which is an excellent viewpoint.

We sleep well with only a couple of toilet breaks in the night. At 7.00am our crew serves us hot tea in bed. Outside a thunderstorm breaks overhead and the rain comes down heavily once more. We pack and then go for breakfast of toast, porridge, sausage and omelette. After breakfast we wait as the porters weight all the packs and 'negotiate' to ensure they all carry a fair and equal load and we eventually set of just after 9.00am in the pouring rain.

Paul leads with his rifle at the ready as we walk slowly ('pole pole' in Swahili) through the lush tropical forest. The rain begins to ease by mid-morning and we continue to ascend arriving in cloud at the Saddle Hut at an altitude of 3,600m at 1.15pm.

We have tea and popcorn soon after and then rest before a short excursion to the summit of Little Meru at an altitude of 3,801m, which we reach at 5.30pm just as the cloud breaks briefly to reveal Meru summit and the Ash Cone of the dormant volcano.

We return to the Hut for dinner and are in bed by 8.00pm.

30 Dec 2006
Summit day on Mt Meru (4,562m/14,947ft). After an early start, we walk around the rim of the crater to the summit of Mt Meru. If it is clear, we have stunning views of the African plain and, of course, of Kilimanjaro which is only about 30 miles away to the east. Then we descend back to the Saddle Hut for a late breakfast. We then descend to the Miriakamba hut for the remainder of the day in order to rest after the exertions of the climb. This option also avoids the long walk down in the heat of the day.

We are up at 12.25am and after hot tea we set of at 1.00am for the summit of Mt Meru. We climb in the dark, the track illuminated only by our head-torches and Sam and I, with Paul the ranger, make the summit by 7.45am. There's no view to be had as the summit is in cloud and visibility is only a few metres. We sign the summit book and start down at 8.00am as the rest of the team arrive. We get back to the Hut at 10.45am just as a heavy rainstorm begins. The rest of the team get back at 11.40, very wet!

We have lunch and then set off at 1.50pm down to the Miriakamba Hut. It's slow going with heavy rain and a very muddy trail all the way. We arrive at Miriakamba Hut at 4.40pm and have dinner around 6.30pm. Then it's straight to bed and sleep soundly after a very long day.

31 Dec 2006
Descend Meru and head back to Moshi for rest. We make a very early start for the descent back to the National Park Gates. Following the drive back to Moshi we overnight in the hotel.

We awake at 6.30am and have breakfast at 7.00am. It's still raining heavily but the clouds slowly clear over Meru to reveal snow on the summit ridge. The consensus is that we wouldn't have made the summit yesterday had today's conditions prevailed.

We set off down from Miriakamba at 8.30am as the rain begins to ease. The trail is still very muddy and slippery so descent is slow and careful. Once more we see Baboon, Cape Buffalo and Giraffe. Towards the bottom of the descent we take a short detour to a waterfall and then follow the river back to the trailhead arriving at the gate at 11.00am.

We sign the summit book and get our summit certificates. Then we say goodbye to our crew and hand out the mandatory 'tips'. We have guidelines to assist in determining the correct amounts, but these are mandatory payments within a range and should therefore not be referred to as tips.

During this exercise one of the porters gets two payments but he fails to speak up and instead hides the extra one. At the end of the session one porter hasn't had his payment and he speaks out. Several minutes of unpleasantness ensue as Julius, the Head Guide, searches the porters for the hidden payment. He finds it and the porter who hid it is roughly pulled out by the scruff of his neck in front of the other porters and threatened with a beating. From what I see he also has his own payment taken off him and he's denied a lift out of the park. In all probability he won't work again, certainly not for this Head Guide, and his fellow porters all shun him, he has after all attempted to steal from one of them.

We leave shortly after with Julius still annoyed about this incident. He explains that this porter should not have hidden the extra payment. It's obvious that he feels the dishonesty of one of his porters will reflect badly on him.

We arrive back at the Key's Hotel in Moshi at 2.00pm and have a shower and a sort out of kit. Then we have a snack and rest on the bar veranda by the swimming pool before having dinner at 7.30pm and go to bed at 9.30pm.

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Kilimanjaro, 5,895m/19,340ft

We are up at 6.20am and shower and complete our packing. Breakfast at 7.30am and ready to go by 9.00am as our packs are again weighed to ensure they are no more than the 15Kg limit. Then everything is loaded into 4WDs - no coach this time, the track to the trailhead is very rough!

We set off at 10.00am but don't get far as the Land Rover breaks down. Fortunately it does so outside the bar we had visited on our first day and so we all go in for a drink of Coca Cola whilst another 4WD is acquired. Shortly a Toyota 4WD arrives and our driver, Arnold, looks very happy. "They just go", he says of the Toyota, "Hakuna Matata (no problem) Toyota!". Our packs are transferred and we are back on the road again arriving at the Umbwe Gate at 11.30am.

Our crew arrives at 12.00 noon. Thirty-five in total with two Head Guides, Julius and Gerald, two Assistant Guides, Bruno and George (Julius' younger brother), cook Jef, assistant cooks, tent erectors, waiters and porters.

As the crew sorts out the gear and distributes the loads evenly we set off climbing steadily up the Umbwe trail to the Forest Cave campsite. We pass three American boys descending with their guides. They have abandoned their summit attempt after one of the boys suffered serious snow-blindness at Lava Towers. He can hardly see as a result. Dan was in full swing singing the Welsh National Anthem and they had heard us coming from miles away! This was the only other group we met on the Umbwe trail.

On the way to the trailhead we had driven through cultivated land up to 1,800m altitude. This was formerly covered with shrubbery and dense forest but is now pastures and plantations, grassland and cropland. Heavy rainfall & volcanic soil support settlements. We are now ascending through the forest region up to 2,800m altitude with lush vegetation drenched by heavy rainfalls.(2,000mm per year).Endemic trees include the Macoranga Kilimandsharica and the huge Olea Kilimandsharica (up to 30m high). Among the endemic flowers is the beautiful Impatiens Kilimanjari and above 2,500m the Senecio Johnstoni.

Soon the afternoon heavy rains start and we quickly don our waterproofs. We continue to climb and reach the Forest Cave campsite at an altitude of 2,850m at 4.15pm. The ground is completely soaked and very muddy, 10cm deep in places, and the crew are nowhere in sight. We are damp and getting cold as we stand around. To keep moving and keep warm we search around the site for drier pitches and find something a bit better further up the trail. The toilets here are beyond publishable description! The porters and tents do not start arriving until 5.00pm. All in all not a good show.

Eventually the tents (Terra Nova Hyperspace three-person) are pitched. They are well used but still serviceable, one leaks as it is not erected correctly, another has zips that are getting towards end-of-life and do not hold fast properly, yet another has a 5cm hole in the inner tent where the seam has broken.

Our gear arrives around 6.00pm but it's not until 7.00pm that we are all under cover, changed and warming up. Food still isn't ready. Obviously the organisation has screwed up at the gate and the crew have not got off as planned. By 8.00pm we are sat in the mess tent, feet in very deep watery mud, and at 8.30pm dinner is served. A number of us make the point to Allan, the expedition leader, that the crew have got to perform better than this and we are already suggesting that the mandatory 'tip' we have to pay at the end of this journey will be at the lowest end of the scale shoul this poor organisation by the local crew continue. It's simply not good enough for the clients, who are paying a large amount for this trip, to get to the campsite well ahead of the crew and then have to hang around for hours in the cold and wet.

Winge over ... and after dinner our spirits are somewhat revived, toilet humour has returned and we are all feeling much better in our forest mud bath! We go to bed at 11.00pm and sleep well.

2 Jan 2007
Climb to Barranco Hut. The route continues through forest with a good chance of seeing Colobus monkeys before rearing up on to a steep, narrow ridge with deep valleys on either side. This gives a distinct high mountain feel. The flora is unusual, including African walnut trees draped in 'goats beard' moss. The huge ravine of the great Barranco drops away on one side and directly ahead is the awesome Breach Wall of Kilimanjaro. At 3,000m, we emerge on to high moorland and the entire character of the trek changes. The Barranco Hut, little more than a tin shack, is reached in mid-afternoon and we set up camp at 3,900m/12,790ft (approx 5 hours).

We arise at 6.30am after a good night's sleep, pack and are in the mess tent by 7.00am for breakfast. Tea is served at 7.30am and breakfast soon after - the usual toast, porridge, omelette and bacon. We set off at 8.50am in the sunshine and climb steeply though the lush forest, heather and moorland. The rains come at 11.30am but we've already had our lunch stop and are moving well.

On leaving the forest zone around 2,800m we enter the heather zone, which extends to some 3,300m. Mist and fog is common near the forest. Erica arborea, Philippia excelsa, Stoebe Kilimandsharica are the commonest heath-like shrubs. There are also many Proteas.

As we continue to ascend we leave the heather zone around 3,300m altitude and enter the moorland zone. This has a cool and clear climate. Frost is regular and the sunshine can be quite intense. There are clusters of giant Lobelia deckenii (endemic) and the endemic giant Senecios Kilimanjari, cottonii & meyeri.

We arrive at the Barranco camp at 2.00pm at an altitude of 3,940m and the start of the Alpine Desert region of the mountain. Barranco is a major crossroads of routes and the little used Umbwe that we'd been on so far is now joined by the major highway that is the Southern Circuit route. This is fed principally by the Shira and Machame routes. There are about 400 people here.

Our crew have managed to keep up with us this time and our tents are already erected. We quickly unpack and by 3.00pm we are resting, some even sleeping! Outside the rains come and go and the clouds briefly lift to reveal the huge face of the Barranco wall and the routes to the Lava Towers and Western Breach. The snow line is only a few hundred metres above us.

Now we are occupied with the usual ritual of trying to dry damp and wet clothes in a damp and wet environment. Lines are erected inside tents and air flows established to evaporate what we can. Without the air flow through the tent the moisture from our breath dampens anything left out, so we quickly adapt to being well organised, keeping well packed anything we don't need and wearing, or keeping in our sleeping bags, our clothes for the next day.

At 4.10pm we have tea and then rest for a couple of hours more before dinner at 6.30pm. By 8.30pm we are in bed. The rain has stopped and the clouds lifted. A cold clear night follows but we are warm in our tents and we sleep well.

3 Jan 2007
Barranco to Karanga. This is an acclimatisation day involving a short climb up the Barranco Wall and a traverse of the Southern circuit to the Karanga camp site. The hike provides good views of this side of the mountain and of Mt Meru.

A toilet trip at 4.40am gives the opportunity of seeing Kilimanjaro cloud free, snow-capped and bathed in moonlight. It is a full moon tonight; an old-wives tale associates this with a change in the weather, hopefully for the better!

Back to bed and rise again at 6.00am to take photos of the dawn. We are packed and ready to go at 7.00am and then at 7.30am we hear the strangest sound (at least strange given where we are)... the BBC World Service time-check 'pips' sound out from someone's radio!

We have breakfast and sit outside in the morning sun before setting off at 8.50am. We move slowly in the huge convoy of people up the Great Barranco wall. Once on top we traverse beneath the southern glaciers and ascend gradually to 4,100m before descending and ascending once more. The rains start at 11.00am and we reach Karanga camp at an altitude of 3,950m at 12.30pm.

We have now left the moorland zone at 4,000m altitude and have spent the day in the alpine desert. Here the sun's radiation is intense and the zone experiences high evaporation and huge daily temperature fluctuations. The nights are below zero degrees C and days over 36 degrees C. There is a scarcity of water and the soil is thin. No favourable conditions exist for for plant life, only a few mosses, lichens and everlasting flowers.

The crew arrive at the camp site slightly ahead of us and our tents are already up, so we get changed and dry(ish) before lunch at 1.30pm. At 3.00pm we have a rest before dinner at 6.00pm during which Gordon opens a new tub of Nido (powdered milk). The reduced air pressure at this altitude compared with that when it was packed causes this to exploded and send a cloud of milk powder over the table and everything on it!

The rain continues. We go to bed about 8.00pm and the rain stops. It is a clear moonlit and starry night again. We sleep well.

4 Jan 2007
Karanga to Barafu. Today we will continue the traverse in the alpine desert below the southern ice-fields, using the south circular path, to arrive at the Barafu Camp (4,666m/15,320ft, 5 hours). This will be our final camp before setting off for the summit.

We awake at 6.00am. It's raining. We pack and go for breakfast at 7.10am. Breakfast is served at 7.30am and we then hang around until 9.10am waiting for the crew to sort themselves out and distribute loads. Then we set off and ascend slowly through the Alpine Desert. The rain turns to snow as we ascend higher and we reach the snow line at an altitude of 4,300m. Soon after, at 12.15pm, we arrive at the Barafu Camp at an altitude of 4,600m. We shelter in a cave as the pitches our tents will use are still in use by other teams who are descending from the summit and who have not yet departed this camp.

There are several centimetres of snow on the ground and as we hang around the sun comes out and quickly heats up the area. We move from the shelter of the cave to make use of the sunshine in drying off the gear we're wearing.

Our tents are finally erected by 1.15pm and we get changed and warm up. Lunch is at 2.30pm and the sun is now shining strongly. We take advantage of this to dry out our essentials, especially our boots. At 3.30pm we retire to our tents to rest and sleep. Dinner is at 5.30pm and we are back in bed by 7.00pm for a few more hours sleep.

A stong wind and snowstorm strikes the campsite in the evening and threatens to blow away our poorly secured tent but we, and the tent, survive. We arise at 11.00pm as the winds lessen. We pack and at 11.30pm we have a hot drink prior to setting out on our summit attempt.

5 Jan 2007
Summit day on Kilimanjaro. We awake very early and are well underway by 3 a.m., climbing by head-torch until the pre-dawn light begins to illuminate the upper slopes of the volcano. We zigzag up the steep scree of the Barafu route that leads to the crater rim at Stella Point. As the sun rises on the horizon, we witness the remarkable shadow of Kilimanjaro stretching across the plains behind us, towards Mt Meru. We follow the crater rim and make the final steep climb to Uhuru Summit (5,895m/19,340ft). The ascent from the camp to the summit takes between 6 and 8 hours.

The views from the summit are breathtaking; to the north stands Mt. Kenya, the second highest peak on the continent and to the west Mt. Meru. We spend about an hour on the summit, taking in the exposure and watching the clouds as they begin to form around the tips of the volcanoes. From the exhilaration of reaching the summit we retrace our steps along the crater rim to Stella Point. Here, we follow the route back to our camp where brunch and drinks will await our arrival from the summit. After a short rest we will continue on to the Mweka Hut (3,100m/10,170ft) at the start of the forest. This is a long but very rewarding day.

We set out for the summit at 12.10am walking slowly by the light of our headtorches and of the moon. We climb in thick snow throughout the night but the winds drop and the sky remains clear. As we approach Stella Point the sun is breaking over the horizon and the sky turns quickly from black through deep orange to dark blue. A spectacular scene and our spirits are lifted as the daybreak reveals a clear blue and cloudless sky and we are warmed by the rising sun.

We left the alpine desert region at around 4,900m and entered the summit zone. Here are arctic conditions: Freezing cold at night and burning sun during the daytime. The oxygen supply is nearly half that at sea level. There is little protection from the sun's radiation and no surface water. Only lichens and the everlasting Helichrysum Newii can survive.

We reach Stella Point at an altitude of around 5,700m at 7.30am and the sun is now warming us up so well that duvet jackets are not required. Sadly at this point Dan has to return to Barafu as he's suffering badly from the effects of altitude. Two guides help him down whilst the rest of us continue the relatively short and easy walk to the summit.

The remainder of the team are coping well with the altitude and are showing no signs of AMS, only the realisation that things take just a bit longer to do at this height! Jagged Globe's acclimatisation plan including the earlier climb of Mt Meru has paid off and allowed us to enjoy reaching this summit with relative ease (compared with others we see struggling up the hill!).

On the subject of AMS you will read about HACE and HAPE, two type of Oedema that are most serious. You will probably not read much of HAF, which one also comes to realise is a 'hazard' at altitude. HAF is 'High Altitude Flatulence', the presence of excessive gas in the digestive tract and it's expulsion into the atmosphere occurs more frequently as one ascends!

At 8.30am and an altitude of 5,895m we reach the summit, Uhuru Peak, of Kilimanjaro - the roof of Africa, the highest freestanding mountain in the world. It's a perfect mountain day, snow on the ground, sun shining and a clear blue sky. We take the obligatory photos at the top and then at 9.00am begin our descent.

The descent is slow and careful in the deep snow and we arrive back at Barafu Camp at 12.30pm. The porters have placed the camp chairs out in the sun for us and as we arrive they serve us with cups of orange juice. We sit in our chairs in the sun, drink our juice and reflect with great satisfaction on what we had just achieved.

Lunch is served at 1.00pm and by 3.00pm we are off again to continue our descent to the Mweka campsite at 3,100m. We arrive there at 5.20pm, have dinner and are in bed by 7.30pm at the end of a very very long and rewarding day.

6 Jan 2007
Descent via the Mweka Hut. Leaving Mweka Hut, the path descends steeply through lush green forest. The route follows the crest of a broad ridge separating two river valleys, before the path widens and leads us to Mweka Village. From the village of Mweka, we are taken by jeep to our hotel in Moshi. We have a good meal and a few drinks to celebrate in the evening.

We are up at 6.40am and breakfast at 7.15am. It's a beautiful sunny day with a cloud-free sky. Time to slap on lots of sunscreen. Some of the team are showing distinct signs of sunburn from yesterday's summit in the strong sun and it's reflections from the snow. Two have 'red-eyes' caused by slight burning as light entered the unshaded sides of their sunglasses (note that glacier glasses are really needed in those conditions), a couple more have mild burns to the face and arms/hands where insufficient sun screen was applied and some have burns under the nose and also swollen lips from the reflected light of the sun off the snow, however none are too serious.

At 8.30am we set of for the Mweka gate at an altitude of 1,750m arriving there at 11.00am. Dan gets talking to a local artist, Reagan, who shows him some carvings and other works. Dan is impressed and asks Reagan if he can bring a few pieces of his work to the hotel later in the day as he hasn't enough cash to buy things now because he wants to buy all the crew a drink! Reagan agrees and we will see him later today at our hotel.

After signing the various park and summit registers and getting our summit certificates we have a few drinks and distribute the mandatory extra payments (wrongly referred to as tips) to the crew. Because of the poor organisation at the start of this climb we reduce the payments to the guides to nearer the minimum of the range to reflect our disappointment at the time. I have no doubt that the 'demand' for higher 'tips' will ultimately lead to greater client expectations in the future, and to less tolerance of poor organisation and service.

At 1.00pm we board our transport back to the Key's Hotel and are there by 2.00pm. A quick shower and shave follows and at 3.00pm we're sitting by the pool with a well-earned beer and a Key's Burger!

Sadly Gordon has to leave us unexpectedly in the early evening as his flights have been screwed up. He should have been leaving tomorrow with the rest of the team but when checking his tickets they showed a few days later. In the attempt to sort things out he has now been left with the choice of going tonight or in a few weeks time! He has a calm resigned nature and makes a phone call to let his wife know he's on his way back. During this we hear, "Three bears, all hairy!", which he tells us simply means everything's OK !!

Reagan arrives with some of his carvings and picture, as promised, and Dan and some of the others admire the work. Dan buys several items and the others ask Reagan if he can come back tomorrow morning with more pieces. Reagan agrees.

Several more beers follow and then we say goodbye to Gordon. We have dinner about 7.00pm and more celebration drinks before going to bed around 9.30pm.

7 Jan 2007
At Leisure in Moshi, evening flight home. We have the day to explore Moshi and to wind down, after the relatively fast pace of the expedition. A visit to the market place at Moshi's centre perhaps, might give us the only real experience of Tanzanian life as it is lived daily by the locals. We will also have the opportunity to buy local handicrafts as souvenirs of our African adventures. We depart in the evening to catch our homebound flight.

We are up at 6.20am and greeted by a beautiful sunny day. We have breakfast at 7.30pm and then hang around to see Dan off on his safari. Before he goes Reagan, who Dan had bought some carvings from yesterday, returns with more amazing works of art that others have asked to see. We conduct business in the bar and exchange goods and cash for his work. Everyone is pleased with their deals.

Dan goes off on safari with his driver, Arnold, at 10.00am and those who remain take a stroll into Moshi for a bit of last minute souvenir shopping. We meet Julius en-route and then meet Gerald and his wife in town and have a Coca Cola in the cafe by the main (clock) roundabout in Moshi. We then wander round the shops and make a few purchase before returning, via the Mr Price supermarket, to the Key's at 2.00pm for lunch and drinks then rest until 6.00pm when we get the coach to the airport. As we drive to the airport a thunderstorm starts!

We get to the airport by 7.00pm and after check-in we hang around in duty-free until 9.35pm when we board the plane for Dar-es-Saleem and then onwards to Amsterdam. The flight leaves on time, no problems.

8 Jan 2007
Our flight arrives early in Amsterdam at 8.00am and we have a coffee in the airport before getting our onward flight to Manchester. We say goodbye to Nick and Jackie, who are flying on to Birmingham and to Allan who is flying on to London. Ken, Sam and I then go off to catch our flight for Manchester and we arrive home at around lunchtime.

... and finally

As I sit here now in the warmth of my study completing this journal entry, I think back to only a few days ago when I was on the Roof of Africa. Was it worth it? Yes, most definitely. Did everything meet my expectations? Yes, met and exceeded! So I say thank you to Jagged Globe for another great adventure; thank you to our Allan for his excellent leadership; thank you to all the members of the team who gelled immediately into a very strong, competent and capable group, with a great 'can do' attitude that overcame any difficulty encountered along the way with a great sense of humour ... and thank you to the crew - notably the porters who hauled our gear up and down the mountains and particularly Alfred, the porter who carried our very comfortable plastic chairs!

By the way ... we never actually saw any male giraffes!

The information above has been supplemented from Jagged Globe material at www.jagged-globe.co.uk; Africa, Asia and Europe Mountaineering and Trekking Guides at http://www.ewpnet.com/ and the New Map of Kilimanjaro National Park published and distributed by MACO Editions LLC at http://www.gtmaps.com © 1998 & 2003 Giovanni Tombazzi.

Read the Jagged Globe trip report for this expedition

Mount Kilimanjaro Weather Forecast for 5895 m (c) Snow-Forecast.com
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