7 Days And 6 Nights Of Climbing Kilimanjaro- Rongai Route

Climbing Kilimanjaro: Acclimatisation Day

I arrive at the Kilimanjaro airport

We arrived from different parts of the world to Springland hotel in Moshi. It was a 16 member team, including our team leader and guide, Sanjeev Ganju from White Magic Adventure Travel. Meera, Justin and I knew each other from our last EBC trek. There was a Singaporean gang and an Indian gang. There was Jackie, Chisa, Carrie, and Rupinder, then there was Ajai with his two kids Ahilya(22) and Ahan(16) and Arun from Singapore. From Dubai, we had a mother-son duo, Alka and Aashay and Dr. Sanjiv and Jayesh Choksi from India.

Basically, Moshi is at 1400 mtrs above sea level and we stayed at the Springland Hotel here for a day to acclimatise. We got to meet and mingle with our team followed by a briefing from our team leader. Our support staff from the local agency of Zara Tours, consisted of 45 Tanzanian individuals – porters, cooks, guides, etc. This time I had a personal porter as well because I had a shoulder injury(minor cartilage tear) and I didn’t want to carry any heavy loads. Whew! That was a lot of people!

Day 1 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Simba final altitude 2600 mtrs

We were driven to Kilimanjaro National Park at 2340 mtrs from Springland hotel on a bus.

Ready to go!! pic credit: Carrie Chow

The ride is around 2.5 hours. One thing to observe is no one drives fast even if the road is empty. There are cops hiding everywhere.

It was an “easy day”, consisting of about 4 hrs of easy walking through a rainforest. We could have definitely walked faster but our team leader set the technique of walking ‘Pole Pole’ or slowly in a line, which was frustrating at this gradient but would help us when it gets tougher. Since you walk through the rainforest today, you hardly get to see any views today. We camped at Camp Simba that day which is at 2600 mtrs.

There was also an oxygen level check done every evening to check how our lungs were coping with the altitude. It was almost like getting marks after a school test and became a competition and betting point.

Day 2 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Kikewaki final altitude 3600 mtrs

Meera and I were sharing a tent and after sharing a few adventures together we have become comfortable and have a system in place on how to share and pack and get ready. Honestly, having at least one friend on a trek is a huge comfort factor.

On Day 2 there was gradation as we were climbing a 1000 meters but it wasn’t tough. In fact, I found all other days apart from the summit night and day pretty average. After walking for four hours our porters created a makeshift camp on top of a hill and served us lunch. Talk about comfort and camping in the wild.

We walked through the Kilimanjaro national park with hardly any views. After a few hours of walk, we got the first glimpse of Kilimanjaro but very soon it went behind the clouds. I prayed to ‘Jua’ or the Sun God, every day to stay with us and it had been working. It took us another 3 hours to reach our campsite Kikewaki at 3600 mtrs.

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

First view of Kilimanjaro

Unlike EBC where we did not climb more than 500 mtrs in a day, we were gaining altitude fast on this trek but as our oxygen rating showed we all were coping pretty well. It was already getting cold and I wondered what the summit will feel like.

Also, unlike EBC here after reaching our camp, we would change, eat dinner and just retire to our tents. It was just too cold to sit and chat or bond with teammates for long.

Day 3 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Camp Mawenzi -final altitude 4350m

The temperature was starting to dip – we had frost on our tent overnight.

Mawenzi is one of the craters of Mount Kilimanjaro and it means the mountain that cannot be climbed. Did you know Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain made of three craters, Mawenzi, Kibo, and Shira? And that it is actually not a typical mountain but years of volcanic ash piled on.

In just 3 hours of walking ie by 1 pm, we had reached Mawenzi but it was a steep climb today and I was surprisingly a bit tired.

pic credit: Justin Brown

The campsite was around a waterbody and after we reached there, ‘Jua’ was shining bright on us today and we had half a day to lounge around. I think it just uplifted our spirits.

It got us out of our tents and into squeals of laughter over card games like ‘Oh, hell!’ and ‘Dhumaal’ all games courtesy our EBC trek :). We even had people singing at the lunch table and no oxygen levels did not drop :).

Well, the sun does make you want to pose :). That’s Rupinder and Justin for you!!

I even managed to shoot this lovely mountain song to which I owe my knowledge of Swahili.

Jambo! Jambo bwana!
Habari gani? Mzuri sana!
Wageni, mwakaribishwa!
Kilimanjaro? Hakuna matata!

Tembea pole pole. Hakuna matata!
Utafika salama. Hakuna matata!
Kunywa maji mengi. Hakuna matata!

Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro,
Kilimanjaro, mlima mrefu sana.

Which basically means, welcome guest you are here for Climbing Kilimanjaro, no problem. Just go slow and drink lots of water for Kili is a huge mountain.

Day 4 Of Climbing Kilimanjaro– Acclimatisation day at Mawenzi

I call these the bonus days in my mind. They break the monotony of the climb and give me a chance to breathe. Acclimatisation day does not mean a complete rest day though we did get to sleep in a little late as today we were to do a mock climbing exercise on scree. Think of scree as loose gravel and climbing on it needs concentration. The summit climb is full of scree so this was a good practice. We started hiking only at 10 am. Today, Sanjeev gave us our positions based on our speeds and made sure we kept in a line. This was a good thing I thought, so no one gets left behind or marches ahead.

Each day is a step closer to climbing Kilimanjaro

It’s pretty dusty so a breathable buff comes in very handy. At the top, Meera, Justin and I were shooting our Bollywood Slo-Mos in memory of our EBC times.

From the left. Sanjeev, Meera, Justin and Me.

It was fun as usual and our new teammates were either aghast or enjoying our craziness. Descending the scree was fun but I fell a few times and so did others. Jackie slipped 5-6 times and injured her back.

Once back, we had our card games on and the fun continued. I couldn’t find my Nalgene bottle and panicked. Babbu, the lead guide from Team Zara offered me his bottle which I was grateful for but finally, we found my bottle and didn’t need his. We packed for the summit night as we knew the next day there was going to be no time or respite.

Day 5 and 6- Kibo Huts and Final summit and descent to Horombo Huts- 4850 mtrs- to climbing 5895 mtrs to- descent to 3700 mtrs

I have put the days together as it was difficult for me to say when one ended and the other began. Day 5 we started our walk from Mawenzi to Kibo huts, this is an almost flat but a vast stretch and is known as the saddle, as it connects Mawenzi to Kibo.

pic credit: Justin Brown

This was the most boring stretch I have walked on this trek. While it was flat we were not to break the line and Kibo huts can be seen from a far distance but take forever to reach. Almost, like a mirage in the desert. When we finally reached there it was cold and at 4850 mtrs we were breathless.

We somehow managed to click pictures, eat our lunch and just retire into our tents till it was dinner time at 6 p.m. The idea was to conserve energy and rest as much as possible. We were asked to wear our entire gear and sleep after dinner as we would have to start climbing from 11.30.

We had an early dinner, followed by a debrief about our summit attempt starting at midnight. We set our alarms for 10.30 pm, we didn’t want to rush and up we were and raring to go. We were given some hot porridge before we started. Some of us missed the guides call and so we got a bit delayed and finally left at 12.15 pm.

I wasn’t tired or sleepy. In my mind, I had played this night many times. The one thing I hadn’t planned well was a good playlist, as you need to keep your mind occupied. We set off into the darkness under the starry skies in a line towards our goal. It was the biggest eclipse of the century and it had come right after a full moon night. Our world was a zone we created around ourselves. The light from our headlamp, gave us view only of the person in front and you followed their rhythm. We took short standing breaks every hour. We would have water, some chocolates, energy gels, and it was super tough to do this with gloves on. Our porter helped us with this and I didn’t complain or feel The climb was steep and the air kept thinning. I was gasping for breath. In contrast, our Tanzanian guides were in full swing, they kept singing in Swahili;

“Jambo…Jambo Sana..! Kilimanjaro? Hakuna Matata!

On our way up, we could see other groups as well. An Asian girl struggling her way up, with her guide literally holding her hand and leading her. ‘Keep your focus’, I had to keep reminding myself. Somewhere between the second and third stops, I started shivering through all my layers. It was just too cold and I remembered Sanjeev telling us that a lot of people give up because of the cold. I gathered all my strength and told Babbuu our guide that I was feeling cold. He immediately gave me his heavy-duty Parka which brought back life into my being. What happened afterward is a blur. I just remember reaching Gilman’s point just as the sun rose up the mountains in its full glory.

Sunset At Gilman’s Point. Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

It was too cold for me to even want to take off my gloves. We were given a hot cup of ginger tea at the top and God, I was grateful for that!

All 16 of us made it!! pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Meera was still coming up, so I waited for her and it is at this point, we got separated from the rest of the group, which decided to plod on. Jackie had been unwell for the last 2-3 days and how she managed until here was also commendable. She returned after Gilman’s point. Unlike, what we had expected the next 200 mtrs to Uhuru peak was not a gentle walk, unlike our briefing. While it’s not a steep climb anymore, you push beyond exhaustion, there are many sharp turns with deep We kept trodding on and somewhere between Stella point and Uhuru Peak, I realised a guide was walking along with me who kept nudging us to not give up. While I am not the kind to ever give up, it just was good for my morale.

The never ending walk to Uhuru Peak. Pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

pic credit: White Magic Travel Adventures

Usually, you don’t see snow at the top in July but this year, there was plenty and we were prepared with our cleats to handle it. Snow slows you down further. By this time, I had forgotten hunger or thirst, there was just one goal to reach Uhuru Peak. I would walk ten steps and stop to breathe. After what seemed almost a decade I reached the Peak and was happy to see the rest of our team. I had made it and I knew I would be fine now.

pic credit: Justin Brown

Our group was ready to leave in five minutes but I wanted to wait for Meera who joined us soon enough. On my way, I saw a woman being rescued and a guy being given oxygen. The altitude here at 19000 plus feet is not a joke.

Godfrey, my guide kept insisting I keep moving so I started walking. A downward slope has always been my forte and the goal was already achieved. I walked through the ice really quickly. Somewhere between Stella and Gilman’s point, Meera started feeling dizzy and the first signs of AMS started showing. I was worried. Luckily we had two guides and a porter with us. Our group was nowhere in sight and I knew we had to get her down quickly. In the middle of giving instructions and quick action, somewhere I heard a familiar voice. It was Arun, he was behind us and had assessed the situation. He just overtook, giving porters clear but firm instructions which they apparently followed without a question. We sent a porter ahead to catch up with Sanjeev so that he could take care of the situation while we headed to Gillman’s point. Once we reached there, we realised that the group had already moved on. It is at this point that I got a bit dizzy too. I checked with Arun and he wasn’t feeling great either. We had spent too much time on the top and the altitude was playing havoc. We discussed one ill person with 3 porters was better than three ill people with three porters. Meera was still a bit behind, we shouted to her to let her know that we were going to descend fast and the porters were going to get her back to safety. I am not sure how much she heard. Arun led the way and after Gillman’s point, it was mostly scree. We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down.

We screed down at some amazing speed and we saw our group on their way down. While we shouted and informed Sanjeev about Meera’s condition, a mild snowstorm had started even before we could reach them and we had lost them again in the mist. Arun and I continued screeing down and many times, I felt we had lost our way.

“We have been walking down for so long, did we really climb this much? Are you sure we are on the right path”, I would keep asking him and he told me to keep the faith.

It is said by porters that had the climb been done in the daylight most people would give up midway.

We took a good 6 hours to climb down all the way from Uhuru. Meera reached almost at the same time as us. Descending fast had helped her and she was her chatty self again and I was relieved. The day had cleared up and once again ‘Jua’ was bestowing us with a smile.

This was not the end of the day though. Everyone had lunch and we had to leave Kibo huts immediately. It was another 4 hours of walk from Kibo Huts to Horombo Huts. The day that had started at 12.15 pm the previous night, ended at 8.15 pm in the night.