Tanzania 2009-2010: Mt. Kilimanjaro, safari, Zanzibar, and the best Christmas present ever!!

I have just returned to Arusha from a wonderful 3 week vacation! It began with an adventurous climb to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, followed by a safari complete with Cheetahs and lions, and ended on the hot, sunny beaches of Zanzibar. The best part of the trip…Phil and I got engaged on Christmas morning in Zanzibar! We are so excited and can’t wait to start planning our future together. I am the luckiest girl in the world!

Now rewind to December 13, 2009 when Phil finally arrived in Arusha! I picked him up at the airport and we spent the next day and a half catching up, touring Arusha and Selian, going out to eat, and packing for Kilimanjaro. On December 15, we left for Kilimanjaro. We drove about 2 hours to the Machame gate where we would begin our 6 day climb. We had lunch while our guides weighed our gear and hired porters to carry it up the mountain. In the end we had a crew of 18 people!! 3 guides, 1 cook, 1 waiter, and 13 porters!

At the Machame Gate ready to start our climb!

Hiking through lush rainforest the first day

We set out in the early afternoon and hiked for about 4 hours through dense rainforest to our 1st camp. Once at camp we settled into the cozy 2-person tents that the porters had set up and then gathered in the dinner tent for tea, popcorn, and peanuts. We had some time to relax and then later in the evening we had a typical dinner of delicious soup, bread, pasta or potatoes, meat stew, and fruit for dessert. After dinner we talked with our guides about the “program” for the following day and then settled in to sleep. This became our ritual over the next 4 days. The landscape changed from rainforest to moorland to alpine desert and the air became thinner and much colder. We climbed up steep rock faces and hiked through deep valleys. On the third day we did an acclimatization hike and on day four we arrived at Barafu camp below the major summit called Kibo. With the mountain towering over us we were nervous and intimidated, but excited. We bundled up in all the clothes we brought, ate dinner, and went to bed before 7pm.

A view of Kibo peak from the 1st camp. We still have a long way to go!!

Our porters passed us everyday on the trail despite their heavy loads!

Lunch on the trail

A view of Kibo from camp 2

Camp 2 at Shira caves

Our cozy dinner tent

A shot with Mt. Meru in the distance from camp 2

The squat toilets we grew to love and hate.

Phil trying to sleep in his "cocoon"

A shot of Kibo from camp 3

Camp 3 at Barranco...this is alpine desert

Katie doing some tough climbing on the way to camp 4 at Barafu

Kibo is getting closer!!

At 11pm, after 4 cold hours of sleep, our guides woke us up for tea and a light breakfast in our tents. We filled our water bottles with hot water, put on our final layers of clothing, and set out for the summit. For five hours we snaked up the switchbacks with only the stars and our headlamps for light. We walked pole-pole (incredibly slow!) and still had trouble catching our breath. We were allowed to rest for only a few minutes at a time to prevent getting too cold or trying to go to sleep. Around 5am we reached Stella point, less than one hour from the summit, and our guides served us hot tea. The sky to the east was beginning to lighten and we could now make out the huge glaciers surrounding us. The adrenaline kicked in and we made the final push to the summit. We reached Uhuru peak just after 6am! 5895 meters, the tallest freestanding mountain in the world!! We were freezing and exhausted, but we did it!! We took pictures by the sign, sang songs with our guides, drank more tea, and then began our descent.

We did it!! A shot from the "roof of Africa!"

One of the glaciers from Uhuru peak

We descended for 3 hours back to Barafu camp and had time for a short nap and an early lunch. We then continued down for another 4-5 hours to Mwenka camp at 3000 meters. Our knees were sore, but we could finally take a deep breath and the temperature was much more tolerable. We spent the night at Mwenka and in the morning our porters congratulated us with some farewell songs and dancing. We walked the final 3 hours back to the gate and received our official Kilimanjaro diplomas along with lunch and a bottle of champagne! The car took us back to Arusha for a much needed shower, a celebratory dinner of good Indian food at Vama, and a comfortable night’s sleep in a real bed.