Registered Charity
No. 326385
Registered Charity
No. 326385
The big day is finally here and everyone’s feeling a mixture of nerves and excitement as they meet up at Heathrow Airport for the long-awaited flight to Tanzania.
We touch down in Ethiopia or Kenya for our internal flight to Kilimanajaro. Here we meet our local Charity Challenge representative who will transfer us to our hotel for a welcome lunch. Tonight we’ll have a team dinner, briefing and kit check before getting our heads down for our challenge tomorrow.
The day starts at the main gate of the national park for registration, before we drive on to Lemosho Glades at 1,981m. The trekking challenge begins on a little-used path through the rainforest wilderness called Chamber’s Route. At points, the terrain becomes quite tough where the vegetation completely invades the path. The first night of camping will be spent in or near the rainforest.
The morning is taken up with a climb of over 600m in altitude to an incredible valley just outside the Shira Crater at 3,050m. After stopping here for lunch, we cross into the Shira Caldera, a high altitude desert plateau. Our camp tonight is at Shira One (3,500m), one of Kilimanjaro’s three volcanic cones. From here we catch our first close look of Kibo, the dramatic summit.
Rise and shine early to head east across the Shira Plateau. Along the way we pass the Shira Cathedral (3,880m) before reaching our final destination: Shira Two (3,800m). The views from the ridge are spectacular, though you will need a good head for heights! The night will be spent here above the clouds.
Today we tackle the Southern Flank, heading up to 4,500m over the Lava Tower. The route then passes down through the Barranco Valley, which is dotted with remarkable plant life including giant Dendrosenecios. We continue on to one of the mountain’s most spectacular beauty spots: the Barranco Wall. With views over Mount Meru and the expansive valleys below, this point at 3,900m will be our campsite.
Summon up all your energy for this morning’s climb up the Barranco Wall – an immediate height gain of more than 200m. Continuing over valleys and ridges we arrive triumphant at Karanga camp for lunch. This afternoon we have an optional but recommended trek to the scree slopes towards the southern ice fields. Tonight we return to Karanga Camp for dinner and another night under the African sky.
After breakfast we’ll trek to Barafu Ridge Camp (4,600m) – a tough walk made all the more difficult by the altitude. Yet we have the advantage over other climbers, who mostly set off from Barranco. Take the afternoon to either rest or join a short acclimatisation walk to a higher point. Dinner will be followed by a very early night, ahead of the midnight departure.
We begin at midnight, climbing the scree slopes to Stella Point (5,750m). Temperatures plummet due to the wind chill. The sun begins to rise at 5:30am, providing the necessary inspiration. We aim to reach Stella Point just after dawn. Then, after a short rest, we head for Uhuru Point at 5,895m. Descend victorious via Barafu Ridge Camp towards Millennium camp at 3,750m, where the celebratory drinks await!
It’s an early start for our final day trekking to Mweka Gate. This is a long walk on a pretty, sloping track into the rainforest and down to the plantations near Kidia. The path continues for up to seven hours until the gate where we stop for lunch and team photos. After lunch you will be driven to see our Tanzanian community partners – Pamoja Tunaweza Boys & Girls Club where you will see first-hand where your donations are going to and you have a chance to purchase unique club-made souvenirs. Then it’s a two-hour drive back to our hotel for a celebratory dinner.
We wave goodbye to Tanzania, having completed an incredible challenge and forged some strong friendships along the way. Feeling elated, the flight home is a great time to reflect on the achievement and swap details with our amazing teammates.
Saying goodbye will not be easy, but the memories we’ve made together will stay with us forever.
The challenges featured in this section of the website are operated exclusively by Charity Challenge (company no. 03686692, ATOL 6546) in order to raise funds for Neuroblastoma UK. The charity is acting as an agent for Charity Challenge and has no involvement or responsibility whatsoever for the operation of these challenges.
We hold an Air Travel Organiser's Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 6546. Many of the flight-inclusive challenges on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. This ATOL protection only covers challenges that include flights booked by Charity Challenge and that originate in the UK. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLcertificate
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https://www.charitychallenge.com/expedition/itinerary/2313/Kilimanjaro-Summit-Climb-Lemosho-Route
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