Mt. Kilimanjaro Opinion
Candid opinions about anything that deals with climbing on Kilimanjaro
For the love of money
Sometimes trekkers from Western countries like to wax philosophical with the Tanzanian porters and guides, telling them they live in a magical place, and it must be great to just be able to climb and use the mountain. I have heard them say, “It must be a spiritual place to wake up everyday and see Kilimanjaro looming in the background.”
Don’t get me wrong, locals love Kilimanjaro for what it supplies them - water for their family, and money from tourists. Most of guides climb Kilimanjaro for one thing: MONEY. That’s it. These people are trying to feed and educate their …
Date: June 8th, 2006 |
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Cruise Ship People on Kilimanjaro?
I have been reading a lot of news lately about Crystal Cruises, a cruise ship that ports in South Africa. Crystal Cruises is offering climbs up Kilimanjaro as part of the tour package, after you are done with your cruise.
First off, I think it’s funny that South Africa is like six countries away from Tanzania, and yet the company is still offering climbs up Kilimanjaro, as it’s just something people can easily do. They actually still have to fly up to Arusha, Tanzania - equivalent to flying half way across the United States - and then climb the mountain for …
Date: June 1st, 2006 |
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Equipment On Kilimanjaro
Cindy enjoys the chairsHere is how you can tell the difference between a good trekking company or a budget trekking company. Do they have chairs that they bring up the mountain? Yes, that’s right, after walking for six to ten hours, the first thing you want to do when you arrive is to sit down and just relax. Your body, especially, is physically exhausted. Good chairs are a great commodity to have climbing the mountain.
Some people would argue that only wimps need chairs, …
Date: April 26th, 2006 |
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New Steps for the Environment on Kilimanjaro
Plastic PileAlthough this is not climbing related, it does affect Kilimanjaro and much of Tanzania, allowing future generations to use the mountain. The government of Tanzania has taken new radical steps to help preserve Africa’s highest mountain and the countryside.
First: No more illegal or legal logging on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Each year, millions of acres are being logged off the mountain. Recently, I was riding a mountain bike on the northern side of Kilimanjaro and it was being heavily logged. This deforestation - in addition to a myriad of factors - is one of the reasons for the glaciers melting. According to scientists, these glaciers are suppose to be gone in less than 20 years. If the glaciers disappear, there are millions of people that won’t have the water they need to survive.
Date: April 7th, 2006 |
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Sign In Please
Sign Here PleaseIt’s probably one of the most ridiculous rules on Kilimanjaro. At every camp for six to eight days, your entire group has to sign in on an old scrappy booklet. Normally this wouldn’t be that big of an issue, but it’s frankly a big pain in the ass. At any given camp on the Machame route, you could have up to a few hundred people signing in. Then you are trying to find your entire group - some people might be …
Date: March 25th, 2006 |
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Global Warming and Kilimanjaro
There has been a tremendous amount of interest in Kilimanjaro the last few weeks. Ever since Al Gore’ movie, An Inconvenient Truth, made the claim that Kilimanjaro’s glaciers are melting due to global warmings. Many pundits debate whether this is a result of global warming or something else, like deforestation. Needless to say, Kilimanjaro has been popular lately.
Scientists do not dispute whether the glaciers are melting or not, and many claim that it has 20 more years at the most. Critics cite that deforestation is actually the cause of the melting.
Regardless of who is right, or who is wrong, in …
Date: June 7th, 2006 |
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Rainy Season
Bring one of these for the rainy seasonThere are some people who think Mount Kilimanjaro is getting too busy. Yes, more and more people are climbing it each year. But those people are generally climb the mountain in the high season. What about climbing the mountain in the rainy season, the months of March, April, May or November?
Advantages
1. Few people on the mountain
2. Prices to climb the mountain should be lower
Disadvantages
1. Lots of mud. You NEED …
Date: May 3rd, 2006 |
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Clouds of Kilimanjaro
Quite often, Kilimanjaro is impossible to see - it’s surrounded by clouds. Most of the year, there are clouds that cover the entire mountain from morning to night. From sunset to sunrise, is the best time to see Kilimanjaro - usually very early in the morning, you can watch the sun come up - or right after the sun sets the clouds begin to clear up. It’s like clock work almost every day except during the rainy season.
This is the same for hiking on the …
Date: April 10th, 2006 |
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Crater Camp on Kilimanjaro
Crater Camp sits at 5790 meters/18,000 ft on Mt. Kilimanjaro. It’s by far the highest camp on the mountain. 95 percent of all climbers that climb Kilimanjaro DO NOT spend the night at Crater Camp.
Why do they not go to Crater Camp?
First: Most porters climb only to Barafu Camp or Lava Tower Hut, which is around 4600 meters/15,000 feet. Afterward, they meet you down at Millennium Camp or Mweka Camp. If you want to spend the night in the Crater, you need to make sure all your porters are ready for the kind of elevation. And, you should plan this advance.
Second: Because you take your porters and guides that high on the mountain, there generally is an added cost. It takes a lot more time, work and energy to have a night on top of the mountain. It can range between $300 to $500 more per person, per night for spending the night that high on the mountain. This is an additional cost to your planned itinerary. Some people can absorb the cost by cutting a day out on Machame, but it’s not recommended.
Date: April 3rd, 2006 |
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Kilimanjaro’s Hidden Secret - Beer for Sale!
I love beer
There is a hidden racket on Kilimanjaro, a little profiteering going on through a mixture of park authorities, guides and porters. When most tourists descend off Mt. Kilimanjaro, they want to quench their thirst with a nice good beer, whether it’s warm or cold, as long as it’s beer.
Since Safari Lager and Kilimanjaro Beer are pretty much the only beer available in the country, most tourist can’t wait to get their hands on a beer back at the hotel. …
Date: March 21st, 2006 |
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