Day 3: Climb to Machame Camp

MOUNTAIN ROUTE OVERVIEW

Once registered in the official book of the National Park our group will finally start climbing! They will walk the first meters on the way to the first camp on a well-developed forest road. The rain forest is responsible for the wet and humid climate. Right and left of the road are Kilimanjaro’s red giant ferns and impatiens. On the way they will enjoy a picnic lunch to refuel & gain strength for the miles ahead. The path gets narrower and steeper winding through the jungle, past the gargantuan trees and ferns. After another hour, the landscape is slowly changing. They enter the moorland zone as they approach their first Camp at Shira.

Upon arriving to their first camp, the porters would have already built the tent and welcomed our climbers with tea and biscuits. After resting, they get a briefing for the next day and enjoy a tasty dinner. With luck, they will experience a beautiful sunset and see the first snow-capped peak of Kibo!

We will share more photos from our groups’ climb as we receive them direct from the mountain. So please check back to each day’s blog post!

CLIMB STATS

 Begin ~ 6,000 Feet / 1,830 Meters

 End ~ 9,900 Feet / 3,000 Meters

 Elevation Gain 3,900 Feet

 Time Average 6-7 Hours

 Distance Hiked 6 Miles / 10 Km

CLIMBER BLOG ENTRY

This is blog day two coming live from Machame Camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro. I am writing this inside my tent under a beautiful full moon and sky full of stars.

Our day began at Mount Meru Hotel and after breakfast, a two hour drive to the mountain, and a long wait at the entrance to Kili Park, the group began our first day of climbing. We reached 10,000 feet without any trouble. We even had some fantastic sights along the way including our first glimpse of the peak of the mountain, a family of monkeys, and a hiker that passed us wearing Crocs. We stopped briefly for a lunch set up by the porters along the way. Everyone is especially impressed by the service that the porters and guides have provided, and the food has been exceptional. It is apparent that everyone in this group is pumped to have actually begun this adventure, and we are eager for our 6:30am start tomorrow morning. In the morning we will escape the tree-line and eventually reach Shira Camp. “Pole Pole”

Aaron