An African Dream: Mt. Kilimanjaro Climb
AMC Major Excursion #0833, Dec. 26, 2008 through Jan. 6, 2009
Tanzania is the base for this amazing African mountain adventure. You will have the
opportunity to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (19,340'), a dormant volcano and largest
mountain in Africa. It is also the highest non-technical mountain climb in the world. We
will experience Kilimanjaro via the Shira Plateau route over 8 days and 7 nights. This
Kilimanjaro itinerary is a very successful route on the mountain with a high summit
success rate. While every trip and every person is different, this is a repeat of past
AMC trips where most summit. One of the best features of the route is the longer,
slower ascent, which gives the body time to acclimatize to the altitude gradually– this
greatly increases the success rate. The route has the added benefit of traveling across
the Shira Plateau which is a World Heritage Site and one of the Kilimanjaro wilderness
areas. It offers a high crater camp at 18,500', which leaves a summit day of only 800
feet elevation gain starting around 6 AM, rather than the more typical 18-hour slog
starting at 1:00 AM. Our outfitter will provide some of the best-trained guides in the
business, as well as porters. You will carry only your daypack! The crew will break
camp after the climbers have departed in the morning, then race on ahead to have the
camp set up by the time you arrive. The porters carry all the group gear (kitchen, mess
tent, food etc) as well as your personal gear that is not needed for each day’s hike. The
cooks undergo extensive training in food hygiene to help prevent stomach bugs.
This trip is for adventurous, outgoing, physically fit people who wish to experience,
summit, and learn about Mount Kilimanjaro climb, a remarkable African experience.
Your trip leader will offer a short reading list to participants, before the trip, to place us
all in a historical context regarding Kili’s colorful mountaineering history.
Kilimanjaro at dusk.
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ITINERARY (subject to change)
Friday, Dec 26, 2008 - Day 1: DEPART THE UNITED STATES – Boston (other
departure cities possible, cost may vary), in the early evening.
Saturday, Dec. 27 - Day 2: ARRIVAL AT KILIMANJARO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT –
after changing flights in Amsterdam, arrive Kilimanjaro International Airport around 9:00
PM local time. Drive to Arusha National Park, Mt. Meru arrival camp (approx. 1 1/2 hour
drive from airport).
Sunday, Dec. 28 – Day 3: MOUNT MERU ARRIVAL CAMP This day is designed to
give us plenty of time to relax, arrange our gear for the Kilimanjaro climb, and
recuperate from the long journey. We may have time for a short hike. The guides will
give us a climb briefing and answer any questions. They will also do an equipment
check with each person to be sure that we are fully prepared. We will each send a bag
of our clothing and off-mountain items to the outfitter’s office to await our return from the
mountain.
KILIMANJARO TREKKING -8 days/7 nights. (Note: route subject to change due to
conditions; at the time of this writing, the Western Breach route has been reopened; we also have access to the alternate route used by recent AMC groups;
this route is still being used and has been very successful for us. Route and
mountain conditions will be assessed while on our climb to determine the route
that be most likely to give us our summit success). The following itinerary offers
a possible outline for our trip.
Monday, Dec. 29 – Day 4:
MONTANE FOREST (9,000') (day
1 on the mountain) Drive to the
Kilimanjaro National Park forest
edge (several hours drive). From
there we walk about 3 hours
through the undisturbed forest to
Forest camp for the night. With
luck you might be able to see or
hear monkeys and signs of other
forest wildlife on your hike to
camp.
Tuesday, Dec. 30 – Day 5: SHIRA I (11,500') (day 2 on the mountain) Today’s hike will
take us up through the Montane Forest and the Hagenia forest zone to our camp. You
will see the unique environmental differences that characterize these equatorial zones.
Our guides will encourage us to go for a hike in the afternoon farther up the mountain,
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returning to our camp. This strategy of “climb high, sleep low” helps our body
acclimatize for the next day’s hike and altitude gain. If the weather is clear, you’ll have
beautiful views of the peak today.
Wednesday, Dec. 31 – Day 6: Moir Camp (13,660') (day 3 on the mountain) Our hike
today will be about 6 hours across the Shira Plateau, a World Heritage Site, and one
hour up the western slope of the Kibo Massif. Camp will be in the upper heath zone in
view of the Western Breach. This also New Year’s Eve, an opportunity to toast each
other and celebrate past achievements while anticipating exciting challenges ahead.
Thurs Jan 1 – Day 7: LAVA TOWER CAMP (14,300') (day 4 on the mountain) Today
we will hike approximately 6 hours to camp just under Lava Tower, a 300 foot high
volcanic lava plug that juts out of the side of the mountain. This will be our first
introduction to the alpine zone, with the only plant life being the hardiest of grasses and
lichens. We will have a spectacular view of our ascent route up the Western Breach.
Fri Jan 2 – Day 8: ARROW GLACIER CAMP (16,000') (day 5 on the mountain) With
the Western Breach ascent route in view we will spend 2 hours climbing to the base of
the route where we will camp near Arrow Glacier. An afternoon hike further up the route
before relaxing in camp will help our acclimatization and improve our performance the
following day.
Sat Jan 3 – Day 9: CRATER CAMP (18,500') (day 6 on the mountain) We will wind our
way up the Western Breach non-technical climbing route for about six hours to the
crater rim of the main Kilimanjaro summit massif. This is a long day that will challenge
us greatly due to elevation gain and, while not technical, is very steep difficult hiking
with exposure. Those who still have the energy on top might explore the inner crater
and the ash pit before moving to our highest camp on the crater floor. This spectacular
high camp is next to the Furtwrangler Glacier with stunning views.
Sunday Jan 4 – Day 10: SUMMIT DAY and MWEKA CAMP (10,500') (day 7 on the
mountain) We will start our ascent to the summit (19,340') around 6:00 AM. This final
ascent is only 800 feet, quite a contrast to the almost 4,000 foot slog and 1:00 AM start
required to summit via other ascent routes. After taking in the view from Uhuru Peak we
will begin the long descent (9,000 vertical feet!) past Barafu Hut and down to our final
mountain camp near Mweka Hut.
Monday Jan 5 – Day 11: ARUSHA & KILIMANJARO AIRPORT (day 8 on the
mountain) It takes about 3 to 5 hours to make the 4,500 foot descent to the Park Gate
and pick-up. We will have our lunch at the gate and say goodbye to our mountain staff
before heading to the airport. We’ll have access to our luggage and to hotel day rooms
to shower and re-pack. One last dinner together before we board the plane home!
Flights typically depart Kilimanjaro Airport for Amsterdam in the late evening.
Tuesday Jan 6 – Day 12: (travel day) Change flights in Amsterdam, arrive in the US in
the afternoon.
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Note: See below for details for an optional post-climb safari.
ACCOMODATIONS
Mountain camp with open air lunch (photo above). All accommodations are two people to a
tent (single supplement available upon request & extra fee, but usually we match up
single travelers by gender). On the mountain, we have dome mountaineering tents,
which have proven waterproof in rainstorms and able to withstand the high winds
sometimes encountered on Kilimanjaro. The mess tent is equipped with tables and
stools – this is where meals are served and it is also a nice place to "hang out" in bad
weather. Separate toilet tents for women and men enclose portable toilets in camp
(while hiking we use the natural facilities!). Your crew will bring you coffee, tea, or hot
chocolate, and warm water to wash up, every morning in your tent.
Arrival accommodations during our first two nights will be in luxury safari tent camps.
These offer large tents that allow you to walk around easily with two beds each, and
separate zipped sections of the tent for the shower stall and toilet stalls. Showers are
by request so the crew can heat water to fill the overhead shower container. Toilets
may be self-contained (maintained by the crew, like a small boat toilet), or may be
clean, pleasant toilet seats on stilts over a hole in the ground. The latter is actually quite
pleasant as it is clean-smelling and newly dug. Warm water to wash up is provided
every morning at your tent. Meals are served in a large dining tent complete with
tables, chairs, and cold drinks (a charge may apply for beer & wine).
AMC TRIP LEADER: Paulette Boudrot
Paulette has been a New Hampshire Chapter trip leader for eleven years. She has also
served as a Cardigan Workshop Instructor at the NH winter and spring schools for eight
years. She is currently certified in SOLO Advance Wildreness First Aid, CPR and AED.
Paulette has co-led the Presidential Range Hike for two consecutive years as well as
co-leading AMC Major Excursions to Alaska’s Inside Passage, Alaska’s Southcentral
area including Denali State Park and Glacier National Park. She has completed her
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4000 footers in three seasons and winter. Paulette just returned home from her 7th trip
to Alaska hiking and backpacking since 2000.
CONTACT:
Paulette Boudrot
12 Great Road
Stow, Mass. 01775
978-897-0364
mooswa@msn.com
WHY TRAVEL WITH AMC?
Many people find that when traveling with AMC groups, they have a lot in common with
their traveling companions and that makes for a very enjoyable group. The volunteer
AMC leader will be in frequent contact with you, will send you tons of information, and is
always available for questions. If I can’t answer your question based on our previous
AMC experience on Kili, I’ll find the answer for you! As with our past Kili trips, you will
have the opportunity to participate in day hikes and overnight (weekend) trips in New
Hampshire during the late-summer and fall of 2008. While optional, if your location and
schedule allows these are HIGHLY recommended. It’s a great way to ask the leader
questions, have a show and tell of gear and boots, meet your fellow travelers and get
ideas from them, condition for the trip, etc. You won’t have this level of personal
attention with a commercial trip. And, on a commercial trip you don’t have an AMC
leader along on the trip to check up on how you’re doing, or to troubleshoot any
concerns with the outfitter and guides while on the trip.
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OUTFITTER
The outfitter for this trip is African Environments www.africanenvironments.co.tz,
which was officially registered in Tanzania in 1987 by an American and two Tanzanians.
Their aim is to offer safe and reliable Kilimanjaro climbs, bush walks and safaris. They
are a preferred AMC outfitter and this will be the 8th AMC trip using them. They have
proven that they have the training, infrastructure and experience to not only get you to
the summit, but also to evacuate you off the mountain if there are any problems (this is
always a serious concern on Kilimanjaro).
COST, REGISTRATION AND CANCELLATION
The approximate cost for the trip is $4,525 - $4,995 ground, all inclusive except tips
(lower cost based on maximum of 13 participants, higher cost based on minimum of 10
participants), plus estimated airfare of $1,600-1,900 (from East Coast). Includes: Park
permits/fees, guides, porters, equipment, accommodations, vehicles, meals. This trip
has significant interest even before publication, and we expect it to fill like the prior AMC
Kilimanjaro trips. Also, the park entrance fees alone for this trip total over $1,000 per
person (included in the ground cost). If Tanzanian national parks raise their fees before
our trip, the outfitter has the contractual right to pass that particular cost increase on to
participants. If you are concerned about any of these things, please talk to Dave for
clarification.
Your trip fees are all inclusive except tips and will cover the following items:
-
In-country ground transportation
All accommodations (tented camps on the mountain; hotel day rooms on
departure day)
Meals (alcohol will be extra and is not available on the mountain)
Guides/leaders, porters and crew
Vehicles and drivers
Park permits/fees
All technical equipment (tents, kitchen gear, mess tent, etc.)
AMC Major Excursion Program Expense fee on ground cost only (pays for
expenses for major excursions that are unique to our program such as staff
support, insurance, training).
The trip fees DO NOT cover the costs of tips for the guides, porters, etc. You will be
given guidelines for recommended tipping (though it is entirely at your discretion).
These guidelines total approximately $250 for the entire trip. Although everyone always
thinks that is extremely high before the trip, trekkers realize that the service the guides
and crew provide is exceptional and last trip everyone chose to tip at the recommended
levels or above. Also, you may have some costs associated with vaccines,
medications, and travel clinic visits.
The approximate cost for the excursion is based on quotes at the time the trip was
submitted to the Major Excursions Committee (October 2007). Costs may differ for
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different points of departure and with fluctuations in airfares. Any savings we achieve,
as well as any cost increase, will be passed on to the participants.
Please be aware that, in accordance with AMC policy, you are subsidizing the volunteer
AMC leader’s costs, but the leader will not realize any profit from this excursion. Any
unspent trip funds must be refunded to all the participants.
A registration deposit of $1,000 is due with the application form; contact the leader
for application forms. You must also submit the Confidential Medical form and the
signed Acknowledgement and Assumption of Risk and Release form. The balance
of the fees will be due 120 days in advance of departure (you may choose to send
smaller payments at any time earlier). For trip fees, make checks payable to the
Appalachian Mountain Club. You may be asked to give your credit card information to
have airline tickets charged directly to your credit card, which has worked well for other
trips. Our cancellation policy is based on the simple precept that your cancellation shall
not raise the cost to any of the other participants or the leader. Therefore, if you cancel
we will refund any fees that you have paid, less expenses already incurred, or
unavoidable expenses that will be incurred to the leader or other participants in the
future as a result of your registration and subsequent cancellation. Any refund based
on the above principle will be less a $200 cancellation penalty (i.e. if you cancel but your
spot can be filled, you will be given a full refund less $200 and you own your nontransferable airline ticket if it was already purchased). If you cancel after airline tickets
have been purchased, then you own the tickets and that part of the fee cannot be
refunded. You are STRONGLY encouraged to purchase the optional trip
cancellation/evacuation insurance policy that we will send you after registration.
This group size is strictly limited (minimum of 10 participants, maximum of 13). If you
are interested you should register as soon as possible.
When registration is complete, I will send all participants the names, addresses and
phone numbers of those going on the trip. I will be using email as our primary source of
communication. If you prefer snail mail, please note that on your registration form. If
you have any questions, please call to discuss them.
OPTIONAL SAFARI TRIP EXTENSION:
Participants choosing this option will be contracting directly with the outfitter.
The safari extension will not be part of this AMC Major Excursion; the AMCprovided evacuation insurance for the Kilimanjaro climb does NOT continue on
for the safari dates:
African Environments has served as the outfitter for AMC Tanzania trips for the past 4 years and
will be guiding this year’s Kilimanjaro climb as well. Although the AMC has chosen not to organize
the safari this year, Wes Krause, African Environments’ founder and director, has volunteered to
work with people individually to book safari options. The 5-day or 10-day walking safaris are also a
VERY nice stand alone adventure to Tanzania. So, if someone you love to travel with isn’t that keen
on trekking to the summit of Kilimanjaro, have them join you for the safari!!
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Contact Dave Langley for details about these options; he will gladly connect you with the outfitter for
post-climb safari. Payments for the safari will be directly to African Environments. Instructions will
be available upon sign up.
EXPERIENCE AND RISKS
Most people look at climbing Kilimanjaro as an adventure of a lifetime. However, the
very term “adventure” suggests some inherent uncertainty, isolation and risk. The most
common health concern in Tanzania is the relatively high risk of acquiring traveler’s
diarrhea. There are also risks associated with altitude sickness and with accidents on
the mountain while trekking. Fortunately, our outfitter has an excellent safety and
training program for their employees, which helps to minimize the risks. The risks of
becoming ill or endangered can also be significantly reduced by obtaining the proper
immunizations and medications before the trip, following the advice of your leader and
guides about acclimatization periods, food preparation and general safety, and speaking
up immediately if you start to exhibit symptoms of any medical problem. You will be
given lots of information before the trip, including recommendations for when you should
consult a travel medicine clinic to start the recommended vaccinations (which may
include Hepatitis A & B, Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Polio, etc.) and to discuss medications
to prevent malaria and prevent or treat altitude illness. Much more information on this
subject will follow after registration.
Trekking is just walking in the mountains, but due to the altitude, strenuous terrain and
isolation, it is a good idea to make sure you are as healthy as possible and in very good
physical condition. For this reason, you will be required to have significant and current
hiking experience and a clean bill of health. You will be asked for a hiking reference. If
you have chronic medical problems or a history of something complicated that could
flare up on a trip, you may be asked to produce a note from your health care provider
stating that he or she feels you will be able to participate fully in the trip.
There is relatively little political unrest in Tanzania, unlike many of its African neighbors.
If the US State Department advises Americans not to travel there, the trip would likely
be cancelled for your own safety.
When you participate in this activity you should be both physically and mentally
prepared and equipped with the appropriate gear. You should always be aware of the
risks involved and conduct yourself accordingly. We are not responsible for your safety:
you are. Prior to registering for this activity you are asked to discuss your capabilities
with the leader. Please do not be offended by any questions.
BEING A TEAM PLAYER
We will be more than just a group; we will be a team. If you cannot accept and enjoy
being part of a group, if you are not a team player who is willing to help your fellow
hikers, then please do not register for this excursion. You may be asked to help the
group in some way if the unexpected occurs, such as a member of our group being
injured or ill. Although all of us hope to summit Kilimanjaro, the group’s safe return is
the ultimate goal and takes precedence over making the summit.
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EQUIPMENT LIST
A complete equipment/clothing list for the Kilimanjaro climb and safari will be provided
to you after registration but a basic list can be accessed on the African Environments
website, www.africanenvironments.co.tz (look under “Kilimanjaro climbs” and then
“equipment”. Some of the equipment/clothing you will be required bring is listed below:
-Waterproof hiking boots (full leather, sturdy – very important!) and gaiters
-Sneakers for camp on the mountain & safari; sandals/Tevas/flip-flops for in safari camp
-Wool or synthetic hiking socks and liners
-Zero degree rated sleeping bag
-Thermarest/sleeping pad
- Daypack with capacity for 15-20 lbs of gear on the mountain (your layers, raingear,
camera, drinks, snacks, etc).
-Medium sized soft duffel for 22 pounds of mountain clothing/gear (porters carry 44#
max combined weight of bags of two tentmates)
-Small to medium sized soft duffel for additional 11 pounds of mountain gear (carried by
a different porter – this may be most convenient for your sleeping bag & sleeping pad).
-Duffel for non-mountain clothing left behind while on-mountain.
-Synthetic hiking clothes
-Waterproof/windproof raingear (jacket and pants)
-Gloves or mittens, and mitten shells
-Hat for warmth as well as one for shade from the sun
-Personal first aid/medication kit, glacier sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm, bandannas.
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