Mount Kilimanjaro: My Journey to the Roof of Africa-29th Sep to 6th Oct 24

 

Kilimanjaro: A Journey to the Roof of Africa

Few experiences in life are as life-changing as climbing Kilimanjaro. My recent trek to the summit was an adventure that pushed my physical limits, tested my mental resilience, and gave me a deep sense of accomplishment. Here’s a day-by-day account of my journey to the roof of Africa via the Machame Route, one of the most popular routes for its beauty and challenge. We selected Machame route as it allows better acclimatization.

Kilimanjaro was formed from volcanic activity over 2 million years ago. It has three cones : Kobe ( dormant ), Mawenzi and Shira dead. The last eruption was 200,000 yrs ago. At the current rate of global warming, most of the ice on Kilimanjaro will disappear by 2040.  The 3D image below shows ice cap of Kobe cone. 

Day 0 Arrival Sat 28th Sep and briefing sun 29th Sep. 

I arrived at Arusha hotel after long connecting flights Kochi-Chennai-Mumbai-Dar Es Salam-Arusha.

The Mum-DAR-Arusha sector was by Tanzanian Airlines. Met Akarshit who came from New Yorkv ia Nairobi and we proceeded to Karatu. We stayed at Farm of Dreams on 28th and started for Ngorongoro safari the next day after breakfast. The resort was excellent and we enjoyed the safari too.

For $ 360 pp, it sounds high, but we enjoyed every bit of the tour. The bulk of the money goes to govt park fee. 

Sighted many animals and the bonus was the long standoff between three lions and a herd of buffaloes. See video

Reached SG Premium hotel by eve and got introduced to the group. We were 15 members.

Srikanth in the seventies came for the second attempt. Akarshit, Parth, Chitra, Harishma, Cebin, Sandeep and two Raos were experienced trekkers whereas myself and Sajeeve had done few treks on Himalayas.

Others viz Shaju, Jaipradeep, Joseph and Mohinder were trekking for the first time.

Hats off to Srikanthji who would eventually complete the trek successfully with his determination and perseverance. We had doctor ( Parth ) and Pharmacist 🙂 ( Sandeep ) among us who generously helped those in need when ever required. Cebin, an IT professional, would entertain us with his subtle humour and bachelor stories. Who ever stayed close to Srikanthji had a good dose of science and theory of lasers of all kind🙂. The Raos were like Dasan and Vijayan of Lal- Srinivasan duo of Malayalam movies, always sticking together and focussed on business at hand🙂. Harishma (she got a new name Dolly), Sajeeve, Mo-Joe, Shaju and JP made our long walks feel lighter with their jokes and anecdotes. Akarshit from US would always tag along the slowest member and was seen to assist all in a very proactive manner.

Day 1: Machame Gate to Machame Camp (1,800m to 3,000m)

Distance: 11 km
Elevation Gain: 1,200m
Time Hiking: 6 hours

We started by 8:30 and covered 85 Km in 3 hrs by mini bus.The excitement was palpable as we arrived at Machame Gate, where our adventure officially began. After a quick briefing and meeting our guides and porters, we started the trek through the lush, dense rainforest.

The trail was mostly a gradual ascent, and the warm, humid air was thick with the sounds of wildlife.

Monkeys swung from branches above us, and vibrant birds darted between the trees.

By the time we reached Machame Camp, the landscape had begun to change.

The trees thinned out, and the cooler air reminded us that we were climbing higher.

We spent our first night in tents, surrounded by towering trees, ready to take on the challenges ahead.

Day 2: Machame Camp to Shira Camp (3,000m to 3,850m)

Distance: 5 km
Elevation Gain: 850m
Time Hiking: 5 hours

Day two took us out of the rainforest and into the moorlands.

The vegetation changed dramatically—tall trees were replaced by shrubs and wild flowers, and we saw our first glimpses of Kubo peak of Kilimanjaro  in the distance. The terrain became rockier, and the path steeper, but the views were breathtaking. 

It started drizzling and rain covers, ponchos and umbrellas were out. The guides were very helpful as you can see in this video where Aseno and Konfi helped Harishma cross a difficult rocky terrain in the rain. 

The massive crows of the mountain are called white necked Ravens…..they would wake up every day along with us and clean the camp area after we left the place.

We reached Shira Camp in the early afternoon, situated on a plateau with stunning panoramic views of the mountain and the surrounding plains below. The night was cold nearly zero deg c  and we were officially above the clouds, giving us a sense of how high we had climbed.

Day 3: Shira Camp to Barranco Camp via Lava Tower (3,850m to 3,900m)

Distance: 10 km
Elevation Gain: 750m (to Lava Tower)
Time Hiking: 6-8 hours

This day was all about acclimatisation, and it was one of the most challenging days of the trek. We set out for Lava Tower, a volcanic rock formation standing at 4,600 meters, which would be the highest point we had reached so far.

The hike to Lava Tower was slow and steady, with the air becoming noticeably thinner. One of our group members showed me the barranco wall from Shira camp…..it felt like a huge wall standing in our way to the summit. 

After lunch at Lava Tower, we descended into the Barranco Valley, a steep drop that led us to Barranco Camp.This descent was crucial for acclimatization, helping our bodies adjust to the high altitude. Barranco Camp, set beneath the imposing Barranco Wall, was one of the most picturesque campsites on the trek, surrounded by towering cliffs and strange-looking giant groundsels aka Senecio. Giant groundsels are part of the sunflower family, and are related to and evolved from the common groundsel a million years ago. We could see giant groundsels on Mount Kilimanjaro, particularly near the summit. All parts of the Senecio plant are toxic, even when dried. A toxic dose can cause severe, irreversible liver disease.

Giant groundsels have a single unbranched stem, large lobed leaves, and a cluster of yellow flowers at the top. They can grow to be over 10 feet tall, and sometimes even 20 feet or more. Giant groundsels have evolved several ways to survive in their environment. They store water in the pith of their stems, their leaves close when temperatures drop too far, have a natural anti-freeze and they insulate themselves with withered and dead foliage. Picture below shows me with two Rao garus and a giant groundsel.

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Day 4: Barranco Camp to Karanga Camp (3,900m to 3,995m)

Distance: 6 km
Elevation Gain: 95m
Time Hiking: 4-5 hours

Day four began with the daunting Barranco Wall, a nearly vertical climb that looked intimidating but turned out to be one of the highlights of the trek.We started at 7:30am and reached Karanga about 12:40 pm. Though elevation gain was not much, there were many steep ascents and descents. The “Kissing Rock” section, where we had to hug the wall to pass a narrow ledge, added a bit of excitement. Despite the challenge, the climb was interesting and the views from the top were incredible. Crossing the wall was quite a challenge but our guides were very helpful in making sure we put every step on a safe place and gave us a hand whenever needed. 

After conquering the wall, we trekked through the Karanga Valley, a stark, barren landscape dotted with boulders.

Though the distance was short, the high altitude made every step feel more difficult.

We arrived at Karanga Camp early in the afternoon, giving us time to rest and prepare for the next day.

Day 5: Karanga Camp to Barafu Camp (3,995m to 4,673m)

Distance: 4 km
Elevation Gain: 678m
Time Hiking: 3-4 hours

Our trek to Barafu Camp was a gradual climb, but the altitude made it one of the tougher days. 

Baraf(u) means “ice” in Sanskrit (and surprisingly in Swahili too), and the camp lived up to its name. Perched on a narrow ridge with little vegetation, the camp was cold and exposed. Barafu Camp is the base camp for the summit attempt, and there was tension in the air.

There was an excellent briefing by our trek lead Baraka, answering every question we had on summit trek. There was clear guidance on protection layers ( five layers of clothes from thermals to outer jacket ), what to do and what not to do during the difficult stretch that lay ahead. The wind whipped through the tents, and we layered up to keep warm. It rained around midnight and strong winds threatened to blow away our tents.

After an early dinner at 6 :30 pm, we settled into our tents for a few hours of rest, knowing that the summit push would begin at 10:00 pm for the slower group including me ( and 11pm for the faster group ). 

Day 6: Barafu Camp to Summit and downhill to Millennium Camp (4,673m to 5,895m, then down to 3,068m)

Distance: 17 km (7 km ascent, 10 km descent)
Elevation Gain: 1,222m
Time Hiking: 12-15 hours

Summit night / day ! We were woken at 9:30 pm, groggy but filled with excitement and anticipation. After drinking soup, we set off in the dark around 10 pm , our headlamps lighting the way as we trudged uphill.The air was thin, the cold biting, and the altitude making every step a challenge.
It was a mental game as much as a physical one.
I started off with the slow group comprising Sajeeve, Shaju, Harishma, Srikanth etc. I could trek strong and steady with good energy for almost 3-4 hrs. Pole Pole ( slow walk ) was the only mantra for the night ! 

By the time we had spent 6-7 hrs of walking uphill, making steady progress of gaining height, the air became increasingly thinner with less oxygen, making ever step forward a difficult task. Weather became extremely cold probably dropping to minus 10 or 15 Deg C.

The faster group over took us and I gave my Indian flag to Akarshit to be unfurled on top of Uhuru peak as planned. After some time, a guide probably Konfi asked me to go forward and join the fast group as he had watched my pace in previous days. I marched forward and joined Akarshit, Parth, Joe and Sandeep leaving Shaju, Sandeep and Harishma behind. How ever this depleted my energy at the time when energy saving was the need of the hour  ! I could hear repeated words of Joe and Akarshit " toes and fingers "...meaning I should keep moving my toes and fingers to keep them warm. 

Their voices, however,  slowly faded away and I became alone with an unknown guide. I struggled to move forward, not sure it was AMS ( lacked symptoms like nausea, head ache etc) , lack of motivation ( the guide was not quite communicative ), energy depletion or no Diamox ( the tablet to counter AMS) , what ever be the reason, I had to take a tough decision of going back lest I would be a victim of frost bite and hypothermia due to prolonged exposure to snow and wind. 

It was at this point that I realized how mental strength and resilience are as important as physical capacity to summit. 

As safety and larger risks of evacuation stared at my face, I reluctantly decided to return to base camp. I never regretted my decision as safety comes first and summit next.
My guide accompanied me all the way to the base camp where I took rest for few hrs before starting another 4 hrs of walk downhill to Millenium camp along with JP and Baraka.

I heard from others and read my Garmin watch that my point of return ( red line) was very close to - only two hundred metres below - Stella and Uhuru peak. Here is my Strava link 

The photos of those who reached the peak showed the crimson hues of sunrise above the volcanic rim which make the summit all the more attractive.

The descent was long and grueling. We made our way back down to Barafu Camp for a quick rest, then continued o Millenium Camp, where we spent our final night on the mountain, exhausted but relaxed that the ordeal was over ! 

Day 7: Millenium Camp to Mweka Gate (3,068m to 1,640m)

Distance: 10 km
Elevation Loss: 1,428m
Time Hiking: 3-4 hours

The final day of the trek was a descent through the rainforest, where we retraced our steps from earlier in the week. The air grew warmer, and the vegetation thicker as we descended.
The relaxed walk down the forest trail with plenty of oxygen pumped energy in to our veins.
It was an honour to pose with "Ed Murphy" and "Brian Lara", two unrelated celebrities during the descent🙂 !!

We could spot Hornbil, a common and state bird in Kerala forests and villages. Our bird is Great Indian Hornbil with huge beak and piercing sound. 


It was a long trek from Millenium camp to the place where we were picked up by a vehicle. Soon we reached Mweka Gate, where we celebrated the end of our trek with a packed lunch and beer with our team.

It was the perfect way to end a week of hard work, determination and awe-inspiring moments.

The group reached Parkview inn, the hotel in Moshi and shopped at a nearby mall. The items ranged from teeny-weeny curios to expensive souvenir like Tanzanite, a precious stone found only in Tanzania. As I would gather from my copassenger ( geophysicist involved in mining gold and amethyst in Tanzania ) during my return fight, the cost is about 1.2X of diamond and 1000 times rarer as the reserves depleted and no where else it is mined. 

We spent the night at the hotel in Moshi. The post dinner celebrations stretched beyond midnight with each team member narrating his or her story of encounters with the mountain. 

CELEBRATION ! 

I left for Arusha airport around 11AM but the flight was delayed by an hour leaving only a 50 min layover at DAR airport for baggage clearance and check in. I had to literally make a 100m sprint with my luggage trolley from domestic terminal to international terminals at DAR airport. I was lucky to catch the flight and reached home by the next morning. 

Final Thoughts

Climbing Kilimanjaro was a life-changing experience, not just because I could reach very close to the  summit but because of everything in between—the people I met, the physical and mental challenges I overcame, several weeks of preparation and the stunning landscapes I trekked through. The mountain teaches you patience, humility, and the strength to push beyond your perceived limits. One gets humbled by the mighty mountain, always reminding us that man is just a tiny speck in the huge canvas of nature. Kilimanjaro will always hold a special place in my heart, and the memories of this journey will stay with me forever.

Photos and Videos of trek ( click to watch ) 

Please click home and read blogs on ny past treks as well. 

References and additional info : 

Kilimanjaro to the Roof of Africa 

Giant Groundsels