Kilimanjaro Climbing Itineraries |
|||||||
Included in this section are details of 4 different climbing itineraries on two different climbing routes. Some considerations in choosing the best itinerary for your Kilimanjaro climb are: available time, previous experience at altitude, physical fitness and cost..
The more time you have, the more acclimatized you will be and the better you will feel. The ideal ascent rate for acclimatization is about 1000 feet/day. The 7 night Kilimanjaro Shira Plateau itinerary is slightly faster than this. The 8 night Ultimate Kilimanjaro climb ascends at about 1000ft per day and offers maximum acclimatization time. Your body's rate of acclimatization is a function of rate of ascent, your personal physiology and maintenance of your health while on the climb. If you have some experience at altitude, you are a strong hiker, and you already know that altitude is not a problem for you, you may want to choose one of the shorter 5 or 6 night routes. If you are new to climbing or trekking at high altitude, but reasonably fit and strong you will probably do fine on the 7 night Ultimate Kilimanjaro Climb. If you are for some reason concerned about both altitude and strength, you should probably choose the 8 night climb. We have a semi permanent acclimatisation camp in Arusha National park at about 6,500 feet. A couple of nights in this camp before your climb can significantly improve your acclimatisation and your chances of summiting Below are samples of the various itineraries with links to complete descriptions: Kilimanjaro Shira Plateau, 7 nights: This Kilimanjaro itinerary is a very successful trek with almost 100% of the climbers summiting. African Environments pioneered this route and we still think it is the premium route on the mountain. The route has the added benefit of passing though the Shira Plateau World Heritage Site and some other pristine wilderness. Ultimate Kilimanjaro Shira, 8 Nights: This climb has all the features of the 7 night route plus an additional acclimatization day at Lava Tower (14,300 ft). If you have the time this is a very enjoyable route and further increases the summit success rate. Machame Route/Barafu 6 nights: The Machame route is more a direct and shorter climb than the Shira route but it is ideal if you only have 6 nights to spend on the mountain. The additional day on this route allows more time for acclimatization before the summit day. Machame Route, 5 nights: This shorter route up the mountain is a good climb through some spectacular scenery. Only 5 nights on the mountain leaves less time for acclimatization, nevertheless, our summit success on this route is high. Most climbers find the Machame route a challenging and enjoyable journey. |
|||||||
All content © African Environments 2007 |