Hiking Kilimanjaro Day 1

Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it. ~Cesare Pavese

Today has been absolutely crazy so far. I barely slept last night because I was so nervous and anxious about starting the hike today. It definitely hit me last night as I was trying to fall asleep that everyone in my study abroad group had really left and I was actually staying to hike Kilimanjaro. I felt like the kid playing baseball in the outfield too distracted by picking flowers in the grass to notice the ball falling from the sky conveniently right on their head. 

Though Andrew and Robert had left, I was fortunate to have one guy, Aaron, from my study abroad trip staying. Because he’s a graduate student in the distance education program who lives in Charleston, I had never met him before meeting in Tanzania for the study abroad trip and I didn’t know him that well at all. Knowing I had at least an acquaintance slightly took the edge off but I still slept restlessly.

I woke up bright and early at 7:30 and re-packed my belongings and took a nice, hot shower. It was slightly unnerving to think that I wouldn’t have the luxury of a shower for the next six days. It was even more unnerving anticipating how bad I would smell.

After finishing packing, Aaron and I met for breakfast. Along with some eggs, toast, and juice, we also took our first Diamox tablet to help with the symptoms of altitude sickness. Shortly after we finished, our driver from SafariMakers, Ltd. came to pick us up from the hotel.

The day before beginning our hike, we went to pay SafariMakers for the cost of the hike. While in the office, Aaron and I were asked if we minded a third person hiking in our group. As it would lower our cost, we agreed despite not knowing the other person at all. 

After the driver picked us up, we went to pick up this mystery third person. The dork in me hoped it was someone famous because wouldn’t that be cool to say you hiked Kilimanjaro alongside Jessica Biel or Emile Hirsche (who hiked several months after I did). 

Although not famous, the final person of our trio Rakhi was pretty fabulous. She’s a British girl in her late 20’s who lives in West London-so posh! She has a lovely accent and a great sense of humor which I can tell immediately. After meeting her I was sure we would get on quite nicely.

In the hour and a half it took to drive from Arusha to the Machame base, Aaron, Rakhi and I chatted about our lives and how nervous and excited we were. We stopped at a little convenience store on the way and I purchased a Coca-Cola (I’m addicted) and a bottle of celebratory champagne to drink at the summit.

After arriving at the Machame base gate, which is roughly 6,230 feet in elevation, we registered with the national park service. In addition to myself, Aaron, and Rakhi in our group, we have a crew of nine porters, one cook, one assistant guide named Daniel who is extremely quiet, and a lead guide named Arnold.

Arnold is Kenyan by birth but grew up in the village in the foothills of Kilimanjaro. Although he’s only 29 years of age, he has summited Kilimanjaro about 40 times in the past three years. His first trip to the summit was with his father, who was also a guide, when he was a mere 15 years old. Interestingly, he’s also college educated and has a degree in civil engineering. He has a warm smile and I could tell we were going to become friends.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting because I was so anxious, we began hiking at 12:30. To find out how long the hike took us on day one, read tomorrow’s post!

Aaron, Rakhi and me at the Machame gate

Aaron went to Clemson for undergrad and as I am a Gamecock it was only natural that we would fight all the way up Kili about which school is the best. GO GAMECOCKS!!

Recommended Tour Operators

“All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people.” ~ Alexis Carrel

After researching various expedition and adventure companies online, I became incredibly overwhelmed because there were so many out there to pick from. I then thought to consult with my professor who is very familiar with various travel agencies and tour operators in Tanzania because of his extensive travel experience. He recommended to me Safari Makers, Ltd. which is the company that I did end up booking my hike through. They are a recommended tour operator in Tanzania in Bradt Travel Guides, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Reise Know-How and other guide books. Safari Makers, Ltd. Safari Makers, Ltd. is a full service company that organizes everything from the moment you step off the plane to the time you set foot back on the airplane. 

From the time my study abroad professor and group departed Tanzania, I was in the care of Safari Makers, Ltd. They arranged a hotel room for the night prior to beginning my hike as well as a day room at a hotel next to the airport so that I could shower and repack before leaving Tanzania. The company land cruisers picked us up the morning of the hike and drove us from Arusha to the park gate at the base of Kilimanjaro. They also had all of the camping equipment available to rent so that you don’t have to bring a ton of heavy, bulky equipment with you on your flight. The owner also arranged the most important thing: our guide for the trip, Arnold, as well as the assistant guide, the cooks, the porters. These people are key to making sure you summit the mountain safely and you have an enjoyable time while doing so. 

A second expedition company I would recommend is Kiliman Treks + Bikes. Arnold Mato, the owner, has stood atop the summit of Kilimanjaro more than 30 times. I was glad to have him next to me and coaching me as I made my summit attempt. Mato is a native of Moshi, Tanzania and has lived at the base of Kilimanjaro for almost his whole life. His father was a Kilimanjaro guide and he is too. I guess you could say it runs in the family! He has been trained in all of the hiking routes and would be a suitable guide for any route you choose. Arnold knows Kilimanjaro like the back of his hand (literally, he did two segments of our hike in the dark, one of which with no headlamp; I’ll get to that story later!).  Not only is Arnold incredibly knowledgeable and experienced, he became a great friend which made the experience that much more valuable and memorable.

 

Because I’ve had personal experiences with both of these companies, I would highly recommend them to anyone I know interested in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Definitely ask around to family, friends, professors, coworkers and neighbors to see if anyone you know (or anyone they know) has hiked Mount Kilimanjaro. Find out which tour operator or travel company they used and what they liked and disliked about it. It’s incredibly reassuring to find a company through a personal recommendation instead of haphazardly guessing a good one on the internet!