Mt. Kilimanjaro is situated inside the
Kilimanjaro National Park in Tanzania, it is the highest mountain in
Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain on earth. The following
are details used to show how the tourist or someone who needs to
climb it must be familiar with. Mt Kilimanjaro can be viewed on the
map at 005.00 degrees south, 036 degrees east, 5895metres from the
sea level! it is always crowned by an eternal snowcap. Detailed
itineraries, maps, useful links, stunning pictures and photography
cover all the major routes, including the Marangu, Machame, Umbwe,
Mweka (only for descending), Shira, Lemosho, Rongai (Nalemoru), and
Arrow Glacier routes are provided down Before climbing. However
before my route started I was given all necessary informations
including a printable final checklist, food, porters, guides,
important health issues, how to get there and hotels and transfers.
The Interested thing is when my porter
showed me a checklist which is the prelequest for anyone who climb
the highest mountain in Africa the Kimanjaro.The list was very long
icluding the following;
- Valid passport and visa
- Airline ticket
- International health card with immunizations (Yellow fever)
- Travel insurance
- Medical insurance
- US$ cash / Travellers Checks / Credit Card
- Indispensable Items
- Duffel bag - large enough for all climbing gear and clothing. To be carried by the porters. An extra bag to be left at the hotel with extra gear
- Small luggage lock - to lock zippers
- Day backpack - between 20 - 35 litres. Large enough to carry your water, camera, raincoat, lunch pack, snacks & warm clothing
- Sleeping bag
- Ski-pole / walking stick
- Water bottle / containers
- Kilimanjaro map (Can be bought at Park gate)
- High Altitude Gears
- Waterproof, breathable & windproof jacket (outer wear like Ventex, Gore-Tex or Jeantex)
- Waterproof, breathable & windproof pants (outer wear)
- Polar fleece (middle layer)
- Thermal underwear (under layers)
- Mittens or warm gloves
- Glove liners (if necessary)
- One pair thermal (polertex) socks
- Balaclava
- Gaiters
- Thermal water flask
- Hiking Gears
- Shorts
- Hiking pants
- Regular underwear
- T-shirts
- Raincoat or Poncho
- Footwears
- Water resistant semi-stiff hiking boots - mid weight boots work great
- Shoes for overnight camps - i.e. sneakers, running shoes, etc.
- Socks - several pairs for the climb
- Liner socks - to keep your feet dry and limit the risk of blisters
- Other Equipments
- Sun hat or similar (with a brim)
- Collapsible ski stick (optional but highly recommended)
- Water bottles - two or three (total capacity at least 4 litres)
- Head lamp, good strong one with spare batteries and an extra light bulb
- Water purification tablets
- Sunglasses, good quality dark lenses for the climb, with a securing strap
- Flashlight (torch) with spare batteries
- Important Personal Items
- Toilet kit (soap, tooth brush, toilet articles, wet wipes, etc.)
- Towel
- Sun screen and lip protection, SPF 30+
- Ziploc bags, to protect camera, binoculars, etc. from dust
- Toilet paper
- Money belt for passport and valuables
- Additional: Medical and First Aid Supplies
- Headache tablets
- Altitude sickness-Diamox (if not allergic to sulpha)
- Diarrhoea - Imodium
- Nausea - Valoid
- Malaria - Prophylaxis
- Water purification tablets
- Painkillers
- Muscular sprains
- Abrasions blisters and cuts - Plaster, bandages
- Antiseptic cream - Betadine
- Flu and colds
- Eye drops
- Insect repellent
- Other optional Items to carry.
- Camera, extra lenses and film (ASA 200 film recommended)
- Binoculars
- Powdered sports drinks for the climb (ex. Game or Isotonic drinks)
- Pocket knife
- Notebook & pencil
- Plastic bags to keep clothing dry (masking tape)
- Energy snacks and sweets
- Video camera, tapes, battery packs and tri-pod
I asked the porter are you serious?He replied yes sir this is our
check list and everything noted inside the list is important for
someone who need to climb the mount Kirimanjaro safely! Finally I
started the journey after completing the parking my apparatus inside
the Bag!I choose the marangu route as it is shown on the route map
below!
I started to climb the mountain at 1600
hrs on 20th June 2012 and reach the peak the next day at 1515 hrs. We
spent 5 minutes at the peak and started to go down.However there is
not enough air at the peak!I reached Horombo at 1700hrs where I Sleep
there till the next day.It was an amazing day!
