Down to earth holidays

Description

Climbing Kilimanjaro is not a technical climb. Anyone can do it, as long as you’re fit enough, prepared, you don’t rush it, and you respect the mountain. Having said that, it should not be underestimated. Tribes had the privilege of planning Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ Kilimanjaro climb a few years ago, and afterwards even he said that it should not be attempted lightly.

We offer a monthly group departure on the Machame route, but we will also arrange climbs with this itinerary for anyone, at any time of year.

Why do we go for the Machame Route? Why not the cheaper Marangu Route? Well there are a few reasons, and we’re happy to share our views with you:

• It’s a much more scenic route.
• The standard Machame route is a longer route, and the more time you spend on the mountain over a certain height, the more acclimatised you become , and the greater the chance of you getting to the top.
• On the Marangu route, the trek across the saddle from Mawenzi to Gillman’s Point is very exposed and windy, and it’s a hard slog with little joy involved.
• We don’t like using the huts on the Marangu Route. We find that it is very difficult for people to sleep in the huts as they are cramped, noisy, draughty if you’re near the windows or door and airless if you’re not! Climbing Kilimanjaro on no sleep is not a good idea.
• The Machame Route ascends from the west and descends on a southern route. Variety is the spice of life!
• We get a far higher rate of success on the Machame Route.

All our guides and porters are local people. Many of the guides have gone up the mountain literally hundreds of times. We work within a porter policy through which we try to ensure that our mountain staff are treated well and paid fairly (see responsible travel section). And so we should! These guys know the mountain, they respect the mountain, and they know how to look after you and encourage you to get to the top. They also know the danger signs of altitude and acute mountain sickness, and they don’t take risks with climbers’ lives. Your guides and porters are the key to your success.

It takes five days to hike up the mountain. Day 5 is the hardest day. You have to get up at the seemingly crazy time of midnight to start the final push to the top in the dark (our group departures are timed to be on or very near full moon). There is method in this madness though! You get up to the summit as the sun is rising, and the spectacle is worth all the hard work. Actually though, you don’t stay here long. It is too high and too cold to linger, and for your own safety, your guides will now hurry you down the mountain as fast as possible until you get to a more comfortable altitude for your body. With one more night on the mountain, tonight you can sleep well, knowing you’ve got as high as you can. The next day it’s the trek to the bottom, a hot shower and a cold and well-deserved celebratory drink.

Obviously we hope you get to the top (Uhuru) if you want to, but whether you do or not, climbing Kilimanjaro tends to be one of those personal challenges which give a real buzz to your life. Motivating yourself to put one foot in front of the other when your body is telling you not to be so stupid takes strength of character and a real passion to achieve a goal. So stand there and shout “Yeeeeees!” to the African skies before you descend.

By the way, if you’re going have a go at this, why not consider raising money for a good cause while you’re doing it?

NOTE: How about combining your climb with either a safari or some relaxation time on Zanzibar? We can help with either. Either have a look at our Down to Earth set holidays, or ask our Tribes team to tailor make you a few days of just what you want.

 

Detailed Itinerary

1. DAY 1: Moshi. On arrival in Kilimanjaro airport you will be met and driven the 30 minutes to your hotel in Moshi, the main town at the base of Kilimanjaro. There will be an evening briefing on the climb, and if you need to hire any equipment, this will be sorted out tonight (though we highly recommend that you pre-order with us. D
   
   
2. DAY 2: To Machame Hut, 3000m. After a transfer to the park gate, the porters pack all the gear onto their backs, and you all set off on a roughly 5 hour walk through the forest to Machame Hut. At times, this can be a very muddy stretch. Each day you will be carrying a back pack with what you need for the day, eg camera, water, extra layers etc. The porters carry everything else. They also put up your tents, and the dining tent, and they cook you three suitably filling and nourishing meals a day. FB.
   
   
3. DAY 3: To Shira Cave, 3800m. Today there is an initial steep climb followed by a gentle incline. After lunch a descent and ascent brings you to the camp. Walking time approx. 6 hours. FB.
   
   
4. DAY 4: To Barranco Wall, 3900m. Today you climb slowly for some 5kms. This is a fairly strenuous day as the altitude begins to tell. Walking time approx. 8 hours. FB.
   
   
5. DAY 5: To Barafu Camp, 4600m. Climb Barranco Wall to Karanga and excellent views of the West Breach and on to Barafu. This is your acclimatisation day. FB.
   
   
6. DAY 6: Barafu to Uhuru, 5895m, then descend to Mweka, 3100m. You will wake at about midnight for the torchlight climb to Stella Point, approx. 7 hours with rest stops. They you continue finally to the highest point, Uhuru Peak with fantastic views of glaciers and plains far below. However fabulous the views, this is very cold and very high, so we now descend as quickly as possible to Mweka or High Camp, arriving late afternoon. There is no denying that this is a long hard day, but it’s also a great achievement (whether you get to Uhuru or not). FB.
   
   
7. DAY 7: To Moshi. A descent of some 4 hours takes you to Mweka Village where you are met and transferred back to your hotel. The relief, the joy, the hot shower, the cold beer … You’ve made it!  FB.
   
   
8. DAY 8: Transfer to airport for onward or return flight. B.
   
   

Is it for you?

A Kilimanjaro climb is challenging and you need a good level of fitness. This is a camping trip and although it is well equipped bathroom facilities are limited and you need to be comfortable with not having a shower. You will need to prepare for very variable temperatures, from hot to extremely cold.

Best times to go

Kilimanjaro can be trekked all year, with advantages and disadvantages each month. Mid-December, Jan, Feb and March are almost clear of clouds and are the warmest months. April and early May could get heavy rain or snow, but is good if you want to climb when there are few people on the mountain. By late June, July and through August it can be very cold at night but the sky is clear above 3000m so there are great views. Through September and October it gets steadily warmer. October is particularly good if you want little or no rain, and mild weather. November to mid-December is the short rains season. Possibly afternoon thunderstorms but tends to clear in evening with good views at night and mornings. There can be heavy snow towards the summit.

Getting there

This trip starts and ends in Kilimanjaro. If coming from abroad, you’d be best flying into Kilimanjaro airport. We can arrange flights for you, or you can arrange them yourselves.

Responsible Travel

How this holiday helps:
This holiday is run totally by local people. We stay in a locally-owned hotel, and we use excellent local guides and porters. Our Porter Policy (see below) aims to ensure that all guides and porters are treated respectfully and fairly.

Porter Policy:
We do not directly employ any guides or porters, but some of the ground operators that we work with do. We are doing our best to ensure that the staff that host our guests on treks around the world are looked after properly and enjoy the rights that they deserve. We are one of 40 tour operators in the UK with an agreed policy on porters rights. Working together with Tourism Concern and other tour operators, the following guidelines have been put together as a basis for our policy on guides/porters rights:

Our relationship with the destination countries.
The ground agents that we use have been issued with detailed questionnaires on their policies regarding the porters and guides that they employ. A summary of the answers provided is given to all of our guests, who can then see for themselves how these policies come in to action on the ground.  

As a company we also make regular visits to the destinations we offer to see for ourselves that the appropriate guidelines are being adhered to.  

Our relationship with the porters and guides.
A majority of the guides and head porters that host our clients are permanently employed by the ground agents we use, as opposed to being hired whenever they are needed. This provides them with job security and basic employment rights according to their contract.   

Wages
Minimum wages are often set by the government or National Park authorities. Our ground agents always pay the standard rate, and often more.   

Training
We only use local guides in the destinations that we offer. Guides receive proper training in first aid, mountain skills and in their attitudes toward the environment.  

Equipment
We try to ensure that guides and porters are provided with the appropriate equipment for them to do their job effectively and safely, such as proper footwear, waterproof clothing and tents to sleep in. This is an ongoing effort, beset by problems of porters selling the kit they are given but we are constantly trying to work round such issues to ensure that they are never placed in unnecessarily dangerous situations.  

Loads
Maximum loads are often set by the government or National Park Authority. Porters will not carry loads exceeding these limits. Clients are advised the maximum weights that porters will carry for them.

Client awareness and behaviour
All of our clients are provided with detailed pre-trip information upon booking with us. This includes the responsible travel questionnaire that has been completed by the ground agent that will be hosting them. We also have a set of guidelines for general responsible travel. Advice on issues such as recommended/compulsory tipping is given before travel.  

Monitoring
All of our clients are issued with a feedback form to complete after their trip. Any comments pertaining to porters/guides are immediately followed up and sorted out. Our UK staff also visit our destinations on a regular basis for first hand observation.


Carbon Offsetting:
For every client we take on holiday we plant 10 indigenous tree saplings. This is used as a poverty alleviation and biodiversity scheme as well as helping with carbon offsetting. Click for more details …

Giving to grassroots projects:
Our registered charity, The Tribes Foundation, is currently raising funds for a project in Tanzania. The kindness of strangers can make a big difference, so if you’re a travel philanthropist considering donating to a worthwhile charity, please consider backing this excellent community project.

Bibi Jann Children’s Care Trust supplies 60 children ages 2-6 (many of them AIDS orphans) with two meals a day and snacks and a pre-school education, including English, which is prompting graduates to excel in primary school. A first grade class opened in January 2006 and a second grade in January 2007.The Trust, oversees the school, adult literacy classes, women's group, AIDS-orphans school sponsorship program, and now GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA (though which people may sponsor a grandmother who is rearing her AIDS-orphaned grandchildren). Some 30 bibis (kiswahili for grandmothers) meet weekly to create and perfect their crafts for sale, with the goal of becoming self-supporting. The trust also sponsors three orphaned girls who live in the school compound.

We will shortly have a page with photos of the project on http://www.the-tribes-foundation.org/.

Shop ethically:
If you support buying fair trade, ethical and organic goods, please take a look at our online ethical shop for books, maps, travel gadgets, first aid kits etc before you travel. This is also a great place to find organic goodies and handmade crafts, many made in the countries and areas that we visit. Shop at Tribes Trading.

FOR MORE GENERAL DETAILS ABOUT OUR RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL POLICIES, CLICK HERE.

Comments

Our mountain guide Reginald was excellent, he had a good team of porters and they all worked together extremely efficiently and acted very responsibly towards the environment. Meals on the mountain were excellent and huge portions.
P & G Leppitt

Trip Code: TZ4

Validity: 1-3-09 to 31-12-09

Individual Trip Dates & Prices

2+ people can take this holiday on most days of the year, subject to availability. Please call us to check availability.

2009 Price: £1395 pp.

• Prices are based on twin share, excluding flights.
• A solo climb can be arranged for a small surcharge.
• Please ask about child rates (if available) and single supplements.
• Exchange rate fluctuations may affect these prices (see our Booking Conditions).

Group Trip Dates & Prices

Min/max: 2 / 12

Note: Unlike most group climbs, this is guaranteed with 2 people.

Price: £1395 pp.
6-13 Jan
5-12 Feb
6-13 Mar
5-12 Apr
4-11 May
3-10 June
2-9 July
2-9 Aug
31 Aug-7 Sept
29 Sep-6 Oct
29 Oct – 5 Nov
27 Nov – 4 Dec

Pricing Information:

• Prices are based on twin share, excluding flights.
• A solo climb can be arranged for a small surcharge.
• Please ask about child rates (if available) and single supplements.
• Exchange rate fluctuations may affect these prices (see our Booking Conditions).

Duration: 8 days

Included
Airport meet & greet, transfer from/to Kilimanjaro airport to Moshi, 2 nights half board in a Moshi hotel, 5 nights full board camping, park and climb fees, porters, all camping equipment except sleeping bag, standard mountain rescue fee.

Not Included
Flights, tips (see below), insurance, visas, items of a personal nature, some meals, drinks. Tipping note: Tipping is the accepted culture on the mountain, and whilst not obligatory, you should be aware that about USD150 per climber is standard. This is given to the guide who then shares this with the whole crew.