routes up Kilimanjaro

[jt]

hi there

thanks for the advice, it was all appreciated.  ive managed to cut down what i'm taking and dont feel I've compromised anything (other than my sanity).  Unfortunately the battery items are not compatible but I passed the info to another walker who has been able to apply it.  It's only a few hours now before I go and the nerves are just about setting in but I'm still very excited and ready to absorb and enjoy everything.  I return at the end of Feb so will post how I've done soon after.

jt

[7summits]

Hi all,

here is some basic info, which is explained in better detail in Jacquetta's book:
- All 3 mentioned routes are suitable for beginning hikers/climbers, though Machame involves light scrambling and is at some points more exposed. But for any Scottish hiker this should be no problem 
- Only the most crowded Marangu route offers huts to sleep in. All other routes require tents, which might actually be warmer sometimes.
- All routes can be successfully climbed if you take enough time
- On kili,  6 days is too short and will only work if you are already acclimatised or if you are willing to suffer from altitude disease (which can be lethal)
- Most people who say they 'summited' in 5 or 6 days, actually never went to the true summit, but only to the crater rim. There are even special 'summit certificates' for that. Do not believe any success ratios of organizers, only time spent will determine your chance of success
- 7 days is normal, 8 days better and people who have climbed in 9 or 10 days have normally enjoyed every step of the climb, all the way to the summit.

Hope this helps, good luck and enjoy the climb, it is a wonderful place.

Harry

[Jacquetta]

Harry is mostly right, as you would expect from somebody who has climbed the seven summits and already written two guidebooks for Rucksack Readers   Ability to tolerate sudden altitude gain (and most itineraries on Kili are too short because of the permit charging system) varies widely among individuals.  Although a lucky few can do Kili in 6 days, most will suffer needlessly to summit and many will both suffer and fail to reach their objective.  Yet the solution is easy: either take a longer itinerary (7-9 days) as Harry suggests or climb Mt Meru first.  IMHO the latter makes for more variety and massively boosts your chances of enjoying Kili on a standard itinerary immediately afterwards.  Last time I went up (2004) our group took 6 days but summited comfortably, although there was unseasonable heavy snow on summit day and most guides were turning their groups back: 90 people set off from Kibo Hut that day, but only 12 summited.  When I asked our guide afterwards why he let us go on, he said simply "I knew you had already climbed Meru": that says it all.  Details of three trekking routes and Mt Meru are given in our book Explore Mount Kilimanjaro (3rd ed).  This is a shameless plug!