Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route Reflections
Overall reflections on walking the Lemosho Route up Kilimanjaro
How tough was Lemosho? This is supposedly the most demanding of the trekking routes, as it covers the longest distance and crosses several high valleys involving descents and ascents. However, during the first 5 days, there's nothing that's more demanding than climbing a series of Scottish mountains on successive days, in fact only one of those involved a full day's walk. This was the 3rd day, which was pretty tough. You are likely to be affected by the altitude to some extent especially on the 3rd day, and after that you'll notice that you get breathless without much effort. Some people will start to feel it on the second day. However the porters' constant reminder to walk "pole pole", which is best translated as "slowly but surely", is the best advice, and they regulate the pace according to the fitness of the party. Maybe they overestimated us on the third day however, when we struggled.
The 6th day is a different matter - the night climb, at high altitude, when you're short of sleep and it's very cold, was tougher than anything I've experienced. The Lemosho route is good preparation with all its ups and downs at high altitude before the final ascent, but you still have to hope you can cope above 5000m. It seems to affect people at random, however fit they are.
Other preparation? Distance running is good for fitness as well, but it's worth doing a few hours of proper hill walking within a week of the climb itself, to make sure your muscles are attuned before you arrive.
Another possibility is to book up to climb Mt Meru, north of Arusha, for an acclimatisation climb just before you start on Kilimanjaro. It's 4566m and the trek lasts 4 days, staying in huts or camping. Of course, this could be too much camping for many people!
Other add-ons to the trek? Many people going out to climb Kilimanjaro add on a secondary trip to another part of Tanzania. Safari, or Zanzibar, seem to be tied for most popular choice. We chose a safari, and you can leave Arusha after breakfast and have lunch under the acacia trees inside the Ngorongoro Crater before cruising around slowly looking in wonder at the abundant wildlife. Then we had a couple of days in the Serengeti, but that was certainly enough for me - after getting used to all that exercise every day, sitting around in a 4WD looking out of the top at exotic animals can lose its appeal. And there's hardly anywhere to go for even a short walk because you might have a lion or hyena pounce on you! Zanzibar is probably similarly lazy but with less wildlife, more night life, and more options for shopping and wandering around.
If you do go to the Serengeti, make sure to fit in a visit to a Masai village (which we did), and try to arrange a walk across the plains with a Masai warrior (which we didn't do), as well as visiting Olduvai to learn about the archaeological discoveries (we did that).
Would I want to do something like this again? The trekking over several days is great, the scenery was marvellous, but we all got pretty fed up with the hours spent under canvas. At least we were fortunate to have the mess tent to gather in, and good food to enjoy. Maybe it's something like running a marathon - you forget the pain after a while, and remember the sense of achievement, and go and do another one.
Good food? It was much better than we could have expected, 14,000 feet up a mountain and several days away from the start of the trek. We were still getting egg and bacon and fresh pineapple for breakfast. The bread was eventually past its best and the hot chocolate ran out, but there was a constant supply of tea, and delicious soup at lunch and supper before the main course. We had goulash, spaggheti bolognaise, fried chicken, and more. There was more than we could eat, especially on days 4 and 5 when we only had short walks, but then the porters got the leftovers!
Equipment There's plenty of advice in the "Preparing for Kilimanjaro" page, but it's worth adding a few more words based on our experiences. Don't bother about the handwarmers for the summit climb - you're using hiking poles in both hands and so where do you put the handwarmers? Just make sure you've got 3 pairs of gloves that you can wear on top of each other and the top one's waterproof. Your hands are the most vulnerable to the cold (Dermot has still got numbed fingertips 3 weeks on), but we also got cold toes, so two pairs of warm socks are also vital.
However, you don't need gear for snow & ice climbing. Even though the summit of Kibo is flanked by monumental glaciers, the route around the crater rim from Stella Point or Gillman's Point is usually virtually clear of snow and ice. We just had to cross some narrow and low sculpted ridges of packed snow, with bare ground between them. No doubt it's different during the wet season when any precipitation would fall as snow, and would cover the summit probably for a few weeks at a time.
Water quality seemed to be OK except on the 2nd day when we had serious doubts about the quality of water in the stagnant pool below Shira 1 camp. It was the only time we added iodine to the water. The rest of the time we were happy to trust the boiling process. The Platypus was excellent for having frequent sips of water during the trek. You can include the cups of tea in the morning and evening as part of the 3-4 litres you should be drinking every day. However too many cups of tea at supper means extra trips outside the tent during the night for a pee. The big "plus" for me, as I made 2 or 3 trips every night, was seeing the wonderful array of stars in the night sky. Absolutely spectacular, and an unexpected bonus from the trip.
Clothing - just to repeat, take plenty of layers, those micro fleeces are excellent both in the sleeping bag at night and during the day. The duvet jacket is absolutely essential in the evening around the camp, sitting in the mess tent, and on the final climb (thanks again, Bill). And don't assume that if the day starts sunny it's going to stay that way - have some warm (and waterproof) layers in the day pack, plus gloves and a hat. The sun hat is important as long as the sun keeps shining!
Medical stuff - make sure to have a blister kit, but better still, make sure the socks and boots fit comfortably. As Pete found out, getting blisters on the second day of the trek when you've got 5 more days of walking can threaten the whole undertaking. Fortunately various blister treatments, and above all Nemis' generosity in lending his boots, enabled Pete to reach the summit. Lip salve with sun protection is essential too - I got the inside of my lower lip sunburnt early on, and by the end of the trek it had become a painful sore that took another week to heal. And high factor sun cream is also essential. However, it's worth deciding who will take something like this - you only need one bottle between you. You don't need to worry about biting insects once you've got above the forest, but it's worth having a bottle of insect repellent for the first and last days. There were certainly midges around when we were eating our lunch in the forest clearing just before starting the trek.
Sun glasses are the minimum requirement to reduce the glare, particularly on the 6th day at the summit. Snow goggles would have been better (Pete had a useful pair in which he could change the lenses according to the conditions). These would have kept out the fine volcanic dust which gets kicked up on the descent from the summit, all the way down to the Millennium Camp (see "dust" below).
And yes, I did take the Diamox, at least after the 3rd day's trek to high altitude when I started to get a headache. Half a tablet morning and evening, which resulted in a slight tingling in the fingertips but no other noticeable side-effects. And then a full tablet before setting out on the final climb, when I was pretty exhausted but at least I didn't get a headache, and I had no problem spending 3 hours on the crater rim.
Camping - how was it for me? Well I've mentioned the surprisingly good food, and dealing with the cold after sunset, and not being able to sleep properly, and getting up in the night to go for a pee. The thick camping mat, which most of us hired from Africa Walking Co, was a real plus (making it more comfortable lying awake at night). Personally I found it a hassle doing all the unpacking every evening and (even more so) packing up every morning - I seemed always to be the last person trying to get the sleeping back rolled up again, and packing away the layers of clothing that I'd been wearing during the night, whilst the porters waited patiently to take the tent down. We had warm water supplied in a bowl to our tents for washing every morning and evening, which was great. I could get a shave. All-over washing was more difficult but you could manage, surreptitiously. Funnily enough I found the simple act of brushing teeth to be very awkward. You need clean water to wash out your mouth, there's nowhere to put down the toothpaste tube and brush, and how do you rinse them? I ended up using a bottle of drinking water and pouring some into my cupped hand to rinse out my mouth, and then pouring some over the brush and tube to rinse them.
The camp toilets were of very mixed quality - the smelliest was the first one at Big Tree Camp, the ones at Barafu and Millennium Camps were pretty good. The Manchester group took a portable loo for a small extra charge, in deference to the ladies in the party, and I'm sure they were glad of this. Of course, you can disappear into the bushes when the loos stink, but it's not very good for the environment.
Time spent in camp - you're there for quite a bit of time on 3 afternoons, and every evening, but time didn't really drag - we had the food to eat, and the guide book to check for the next day's route. We spent time in the afternoons snoozing. Maybe a pack of cards would have been useful, if we'd remembered to bring any! But everyone was ready to head off to bed around 9 pm to try to get some sleep - we were woken at 6.30 or 7.00 to get ready for the next day's trek (with a cup of tea or coffee, which was much appreciated).
Litter - speaking of impact on the environment - there wasn't much litter during the first couple of days of the trek, but there was more around after we joined the other routes on the 3rd day, most of all on the final climb above Barafu Hut. It's really everyone's responsibility not to leave litter around, and our porters hung a plastic bag for litter onto the outside of the mess tent every afternoon. Apparently the main trekking companies provide their guides for a day at the end of the season to go up onto the mountain to pick litter, which means it doesn't build up continually, but the less that people leave behind the better.
Dust - it gets everywhere around the camp, so it's worth having some polthene to stand on and put your washbag and clothes down on. It's also a big irritant on the 6th day, going back down from the summit. If you're following someone down the scree slope you can hardly avoid getting dust in your eyes, and it becomes quite painful. It's pretty bad on the section south of Barafu as well, to Millennium Camp.
You climb the last bit at night, even though you're tired and it's so cold, partly because of this dust. At night the scree freezes and holds the dust, so you don't get it in your eyes, and it's easier to get a foothold as well. Also, you're more likey to get a clear view from the top as the clouds tend to move over the summit after midday. And I suppose you can't see how far you still have to climb! The sunrise is pretty special too. After that it starts to get a bit warmer even on the icy summit.
Cameras - we were told that our cameras might not work on the summit due to the cold. However, I don't think any of us had any problems, maybe because we took the precaution of carrying them inside our coats. It's pretty difficult getting any decent shots on the night climb when you're exhausted and your fingers freeze as soon as you take your gloves off. Once up at Stella Point the cameras came out again as the dawn appeared.
Hygiene - as well as the washing water twice a day, there were a couple of bowls placed outside our mess tent for hand washing, one with Detol in it, to minimise the chances of picking up bugs. Water quality is covered above. Although a couple of our group got stomach upsets at the end of the trek, and then on the safari, the hygiene measures were pretty effective.
Moivaro Lodge - we stayed there (near Arusha) for a couple of nights before the trek, and one night afterwards to prepare for the safari. We also left our spare baggage there during the trek, and then the safari, and went back to sort it out before our flight home. We all appreciated the comfort and convenience, and the excellent breakfasts! It was like having a base camp, and we had some good fireside conversations with other groups of walkers including the group from Manchester. It's Dutch-owned, and the staff are efficient and friendly. Highly recommended! It's even got a swimming pool.
Arrangements - all the travel arrangements, for the lodge, the trek, and the safari, went exactly to plan, so we would certainly recommend Africa Travel Resource and their local partners (African Walking Company and Tanganyika Expeditions). It was a very well organised and executed trip.
Flights - the KLM flights via Amsterdam certainly worked really well, and we were delighted to get to the Lodge on the same day we had left Edinburgh. Several passengers from the US had spent close to 24 hours travelling. The in-flight food was good, with plenty to drink (alcoholic and non-alcoholic).
Tipping - this is always a tricky one when abroad, but the ATR itinerary included guidance on tipping, and we also received a sheet at the pre-trek briefing setting out the recommended tips for the guides, good and porters. It added up to about $70 each, which was pretty modest. A couple of members of the group gave extra for the support they got, and we gave extra to a couple of the porters who had shown extra enthusiasm. The tips were presented on the final morning before leaving camp - Dermot gave a little thank-you speech on behalf of us all, and then the porters sang to us - it was very moving.
Visiting local schools etc - we didn't realise we would be visitng a school on our short walk from Moivaro Lodge. We should have taken some notepads, pens and pencils for the kids. The Manchester group had expected this, and taken a supply, which were much appreciated. This visit was another unexpected highlight of our trip.
Being in Tanzania - you don't really see much of the people, except what you can see from the window of a vehicle on the way to the mountain and back, and on safari. However, even this gives you some impression of the low standards of living, seeing the basic accommodation that most people seem to live in, and the burdens that many of them are carrying along the dusty roads. We were fortunate to be invited to our Guide's house for supper after the trek, and the short walk from Moivaro enabled us to see a bit more of rural life in this part of Tanzania. Once you're on the trek, or on safari, you are really separated from where people live. These experiences are not really part of day-to-day Tanzania, whereas if you go walking in Scotland or the Lake District or the Alps you walk through villages and farms and see people going about their daily routines.
The experience, nevertheless, was very special. There's the sense of remoteness on the vast Shira plateau after the walk through dense forest; the weird and wonderful vegetation at different altitudes, the other-worldly feeling being above the clouds, and the spectacular clearance of clouds to reveal the glaciers of Kibo every evening. The volcanic rock formations are impressive (but not as good as on Mount Teide). The weather was good to us during the day, falling into a pattern of clear sunny mornings and cold cloudy afternoons (when we were usually in camp), and it was never hot at these altitudes - maybe 10-15 degrees C.
Wildlife - we didn't see much during the trek, just the Colobus monkeys on our first evening in the forest, the white-necked ravens at each campsite, a few birds the size of sparrows, and a small lizard on the rim of the Shira plateau. Totally different from the Serengeti (which had lots of animals but only a few small hills around the edges). In a way, the Serengeti was a complete inversion of the Kilimanjaro experience! We couldn't walk, let alone climb, and the campsites were luxury compared to the mountain versions.
People - everyone was just great - the guides did their job well and were very alert to the needs and capabilities of the group, the porters were magnificent and really friendly, the other walkers we met were always pleased to chat, and even the kids and the hawkers at the end of the trek were good natured and cheerful. And Evagri the cook did a superb job! Most of the staff had a few words of English - the guides were pretty good at it - but the swahili for "hello", "jambo", was the main greeting used. One or two of the porters also carried radios to liven up the climb.
Ethical considerations - should we fly all the way to Tanzania and climb mountains and see wildlife, and have porters waiting on us? Tricky. There is the impact of more air travel on climate change, so a payment for carbon offset can relieve your conscience there. And obviously the tourism does give work to guides and porters, and spinoff to suppliers of food and equipment, and places such as Moivaro Lodge which employ lots of staff. Being generous with tips helps to address the problem of subsistence wages, and at least there's a legal limit now on how much the porters can be asked to carry. Tourism brings in hard currency which is very important to the economy. And even though I've got doubts about the whole idea of driving round in a landrover looking out at wildlife, if it wasn't for the tourism income there would be much less justification for keeping the Serengeti as a vast national park. It's a big enough area for the wildlife to live and breed. Whether it's us having a peak inside their world, or them living to be gawped at in a big man-made park, is up to your point of view. And there are lions and elephants and buffalo to be seen. It's still pretty amazing.
Another surprise - almost forgot - we were surprised to be able to get mobile phone reception on the 3rd afternoon, and intermittently after that (some phones did better than others). Although we were somewhere around 14,000 ft, the southern slope of Kibo overlooks Moshi just a few miles down and presumably that's where the signal came from. So, we could let our families know how we were getting on.
THE END
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