Friday, July 5, 2013

The first visit to mount kirimanjaro

My first visit to mount kirimanjaro was very remarkable!
 
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!

1 comment:

  1. I encourage most of you to climb the Mt.Kirimanjaro to enjoy the African's nature.

    ReplyDelete