CLIMBING MOUNT KILIMANJARO: THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME

In 2019, I had one thing on my bucket list: climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. I am not a hiker nor a runner and I did not extensively train for this, but somehow I made it to the summit! My friend Audrey and I chose the Lemosho route and did the climb in 7 days. I think it’s safe to say that this was one of the hardest (yet most rewarding) things we have ever done.. and we are so proud of it!

If you’ve been itching to get out there and climb Mount Kilimanjaro, I hope my experience will give you the push you need to do it! This article is the first of 3 in my Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro series.. you can find the second one here and the third one here! Hope you enjoy the read.

As I mentioned above, we chose to climb the mountain in 7 days through the Lemosho route. We specifically chose this route for its great acclimatization and beautiful views. It is definitely the more scenic route. Some days were better than others, but we are very glad we chose Lemosho! We also got extremely lucky with the weather. They usually don’t recommend climbing in November as it is the rainy season.. but we only got one day of rain!

Here is an overview of our wonderful experience.

Day 0

Briefing day (or as I like to call it; Day 0), is a very important day.

Around 5:00 pm, our guide Gasper came to our hotel to introduce himself, check our equipment, and brief us on how the climb would work, on safety procedures, on the team, on the itinerary, etc. This briefing is very important as it is your last chance to ask questions and discuss concerns before you start the climb. It is also a great time to reiterate special requests you may have (such as a peanut allergy and vegetarian food in our cases).

After the hour-long briefing, we all went through the packing list together and checked our equipment. I have to say that this meeting with our guide really put me at ease and made me feel 100% ready for the next 7 days.

Day 1

Londorosi Gate (2250 m) – Mti Mkubwa Camp (2650 m)

Day 1 is always a special day. I remember having a knot in my stomach from the stress I was feeling.. but it was positive stress, excitement.

Our journey began around 9:00 am when our tour company picked us up from our hotel. Our first stop was at the gear rental store. There were a few things we didn’t bring from Canada because we didn’t have enough space.. so we rented them (gators, sleeping bags & linens, headlamps, duffle bags, ponchos). When we finally got all our gear ready, we hit the road!

The drive from Moshi (where our hotel was) to Londorosi Gate (where we had lunch and signed the park registry) took around an hour and a half.

About an hour before we started the climb, it started pouring rain. We walked through the rainforest with our big ponchos for close to an hour before the sun came out. It was a beautiful day nonetheless. We walked 5.5 kilometers in about 4 hours.

When we arrived at Mti Mkubwa camp, our tent was already set up and everything was ready for us! Day 1 was a good day and we went to bed early to get some rest for the next 6 days.

Day 2

Mti Mkubwa Camp (2650 m) – Shira 2 Camp (3850 m)

Day 2 was another really good day for us. We walked for about 8 hours and went through 4 different zones: the rainforest, the Heather zone, the Shira plateau, and the Moorland zone. The weather was beautiful for the entire day (we were very lucky).

Day 2 of Lemosho is very good for acclimatization because you hike up quite high during the day and come back down to 3850 meters to sleep.

The difference between doing Lemosho in 7 or 8 days is actually day 2. If you choose to do the climb in 8 days, your second day will only be about 4 hours of walking and you will sleep at Shira 1 camp (3610 m). However, if, like us, you choose to climb up in 7 days, you will walk all the way to Shira 2 camp on day two (so about 4 hours vs 8 hours).

Day 3

Shira 2 Camp (3850 m) – Baranco Camp (3900 m)

Day 3 was a real challenge for us. My friend Audrey started feeling quite sick during the night.

We started the day slowly and she seemed to be feeling better. However, after lunch she felt very ill again.. our team even had to call a doctor to make sure she was okay. They took really great care of her and made our safety and well-being their number one priority.

What was supposed to be a 6 hour day turned into a long 10 hour day… but we finally made it to Baranco camp! The fact that the weather was beautiful helped us keep a positive mindset.

After a well-deserved dinner, we went to sleep in hopes that tomorrow would be a better day.

Day 4

Baranco Camp (3900) – Karanga Camp (3995 m)

Day 4 was my favorite day (other than summit night).

We started the day with the much-anticipated climb of the Baranco Wall. This wall has an elevation of 257 meters.. and seems very intimidating at first. The trick is to go slowly and use all 4 limbs to climb it. It takes about 2 hours to get to the top of the wall, and another 2 hours to get to Karanga camp.

It was a pretty easy and very fun day. Trust me, anyone can conquer the scary Baranco wall if you set your mind to it!!

That evening, at Karanga camp, we were treated to the most beautiful sunset I have seen in my life. Watching the sun go down from above the clouds was truly breathtaking.. and definitely the highlight on my 7 days on the mountain.

Day 5

Karanga Camp (3995) – Barafu Camp/ Base Camp (4673 m)

Day 5 was our last day before summit night! It was an easy and enjoyable day: we walked for about 4 hours to Base camp where we had lunch and a nap. They woke us up for dinner at around 6:00 pm. After dinner, we went to sleep again. We then got up at 11:00 pm, had a snack, and got ready to start our hike!

Summit Night 

Barafu Camp (4673 m) – Uhuru Peak (5895 m)

Our climb to the top started at midnight. We dressed up with all our layers and our warmest gear and got ready to hike 6 hours to the summit.

When we started, we were feeling very good and strong. Even though we were at a very high altitude, I was lucky enough to not feel any sickness or dizziness. My friend, on the other hand, had a bit of altitude sickness during our climb.

We took it very slow and, after 7.5 hours of walking, we made it to Stella Point (5756 m). Stella Point is the first summit you will meet if you take the Lemosho route as we did. We felt so happy and proud, but we didn’t want to stop there. It took another hour and a half for us to get to Uhuru Peak (5895 m) which was just 150 meters further.

Seeing the sunrise during our ascension to the top was an indescribable feeling. I will keep it in my heart forever. We shed a few tears when we finally touched the famous Uhuru Peak sign. What a great accomplishment!

That being said, we only stayed at the top for about 2-3 minutes because it was important to go down as soon and as fast as possible to get more oxygen. Honestly, those few minutes made it all worth it!

Uhuru Peak (5895 m) – High Camp (3950 m)

It took us about 4 hours to come back down to Base camp. We had some food and a quick nap and got ready to walk to our next camp.

We were originally to go all the way to Mweka Camp but we were way too tired so our team decided we would spend the night at High Camp instead.

Day 7

High Camp (3950 m) – End of Trail

Our last day on Mount Kilimanjaro was very bittersweet. We were excited to get back down to get more oxygen and a proper shower, but we were also very sad that this experience was coming to an end.

That day, we walked for about 4 hours only. It was another beautiful and easy day and we were so proud of ourselves! We received our certificates and then had to say goodbye to our team (2 guides, 1 cook, 1 server, 6 porters, 1 toilet porter).

We grew pretty close to these wonderful people during our 7 days together so it was hard to say goodbye. They are the ones who make this experience possible and so memorable.. they are without a doubt real-life superheroes.

What a journey it was!! I’ve also published two other posts on Mount Kilimanjaro. The first one sharing everything you need to know, and another one sharing my extensive and detailed packing list. If you want more information on my experience, or to see what it really looks like on Mount Kilimanjaro, you can check out my vlog:

Wrapping up

I hope my experience can give you the motivation you need to add Mount Kilimanjaro to your bucket list. Honestly, if I can do it, anyone can!

Make sure you plan and prepare appropriately and don’t forget to enjoy the climb (even when it gets hard and you feel like you won’t make it). Standing on top of the Roof of Africa is quite life-changing. I wish for everyone to feel what I felt up there at least once in their life. If you have any questions, or simply want to discuss your adventure, please don’t be shy to reach out to me!

Thank you for following my journey and adventures around the world!

p.s I’ve added a few more pictures of our 7 days on the mountain. Scroll down to see them 🙂