Climb Kilimanjaro at 5895 meters, roof of Africa

Departure from Europe. Day or evening dedicated to flying. We land early or late in the day, depending on the flight schedule. We are met at the airport and transferred to Arusha, then Moshi or Marangu, depending on the trek and hotel chosen: we settle into our hotel, with its garden and swimming pool, in the shade of the formidable Kilimanjaro forest, a lush forest that acts as a real sponge, absorbing rainfall. Meeting with our guide for a briefing and first walk in Chagga country. We prepare our equipment and rucksack for the ascent, which starts the following day.

There are several routes to choose from, although our preferred one is the Machame, described below from day 3.

It is also possible to consider one of the other three main routes, which are :

1) The Marangu route : Mandara (2750 m) – Horombo ( 750 m) – acclimatization and Horombo (3750 m) – Kibo (4650 m) – Uhuru + crater / Horombo (3750 m) – Marangu Gate.
2) The Rongaï route : 1st Cave (2800 m) – 2nd Cave (3800 m) – 3rd Cave (3800 m) – Kibo (4650 m) – Uhuru + crater / Horombo (3750 m) – Marangu Gate.
3) The Shira route : Forest Camp (2900 m) – Shira (3800 m) – Barranco (3950 m) – Barafu (4650 m) – Uhuru + crater / Mweka (3100 m) – Mweka Gate.

Morning departure by vehicle to Machame Gate. From the Kilimanjaro National Park gate, at an altitude of 1800 meters, we start our walk through the rainforest: macarangas, giant fig trees, rubber trees, tree ferns, squirrels, touracos, monkeys and forest antelopes... The forest acts as a sponge for the tropical rainfall it absorbs during the rainy season. This water resurfaces in the form of springs downstream, giving rise to the rich cultures of Chagga country. At the end of the day, we come to the edge of the forest at Machame Camp.

A day's progress across giant heather moorland dotted with copses of ragwort towards the Shira Plateau: acclimatization is essential today, and difficult to "maintain" given that we're evolving at over 3000 meters in a totally summery atmosphere... discovery of the high-altitude vegetation of the Shira Plateau (lobelia, giant ragwort, immortelle) and installation at Shira Camp to the west of the Kilimanjaro glaciers.

We climb steadily from Shira Camp, crossing the 4000-meter mark for the first time, until we reach the altitude of Lava Tower Camp at 4630 meters, where we are able to take a quick break, before starting a steep descent along the Kibo cone and into the Barranco valley. We pass large flowering mountain cacti (Kilimanjaro Senecios), endemic to Kilimanjaro. The day ends at about the same altitude as at the start, on the edge of heather and moorland at Baranco Camp at 3960 meters. The hypoxic stress of the climb to Lava Tower Camp prepares our bodies for the higher altitudes. The 100-meter difference in altitude between two consecutive nights ensures good acclimatization.

Skirting the hanging glaciers of Kilimanjaro's southern slopes, we follow a trail lined with groves of lobelia and giant ragwort, gradually making our way to Karanga Camp. We enter a more desert-like zone. This day is an opportunity to take a break to acclimatize to the altitude, which is salutary in view of the final assault the day after tomorrow. Indeed, the latest studies on acclimatization recommend an "ideal" average of 400 meters of positive altitude difference between two nights above 3000 meters. As a precaution, Kilimanjaro is one of the climbs most prone to acute mountain sickness, as is Mont Blanc. Day 6 therefore provides a fourth night between the night of Day 3 at Machame Camp at 3000 meters and the following night at Barafu Camp at 4650 meters, i.e. our... 400-meter average day.

Climbing up a moraine, it is via an aerial route overlooking the Kimawenzi that we complete this short penultimate day with bated breath, arriving at Barafu Camp at an altitude of 4650 meters. We then prepare our packs for the night ascent that follows.

We set off at night to reach Uhuru Peak (5895 m) after a gratifying ascent: at dawn, from 5000 meters, a grandiose panorama of Kimawenzi, Meru, Lakes Manyara and Eyasi is revealed to us in the rays of the rising sun... After passing the Ratzel and Rebmann glaciers, we reach the crater rim at Stella Point (5740 m). Then, depending on the fitness of the group, we take the time to explore the crater, still neglected by local guides on the "Kili Express", walking along the tabular glaciers before reaching Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa. Back along the tabular glaciers, we start the descent to Barafu to collect our belongings, then on to Mweka Camp, where we recover from the effects of altitude at around 3100 meters.

Last day of descent through the forest to Mweka Gate (1830 m), where we receive our climbing certificates: a great moment! Check-in at the hotel. Siesta and pool or stroll: either to the colorful market in town, or through the plantations and food crops of the Chagga region, whose inhabitants have laid out irrigation canals to grow bananas, beans, flowers, coffee, millet, cabbage, tomatoes, corn...