Climbing Kilimanjaro

A dream of mine is to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It's the tallest mountain in Africa at 19,340 feet (as a point of reference, base camp at Everest is about 17,700 feet), and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. Unlike most major summits in the world, "Kili" requires little to no technical skills. Basically, you can walk up. Now, although you won't need to utilize crampons and rope on your ascent, you certainly need to train. Most training plans call for 4-5 months of progressively more strenuous hiking, some form of high altitude acclimatization, and/or weights and cardio work. The climb takes anywhere from 5-10 days and requires daily hiking of up to eight hours. In addition, there are steep Park fees, and you MUST be with a hired guide. It's illegal to try to ascend on your own. Kili has six different routes (seven if you count the Western Breach), all with their own advantages/disadvantages. I thought I'd post a summary of these routes, as well as some helpful tips for anyone considering this climb. If you'd like to read on in more detail on these routes (including level of difficulty and days required), please click here.

Route Summary:

Marangu Route: This is the easiest route (often referred to as the "Coca Cola" route), and the easiest route up the mountain; it is characterized by the different zones of vegetation. This route will also have (by far) the most people. Trekking takes about 5 days to descend.
Machame Route: This is the route for experienced trekkers; can also be quite crowded though. The route takes up to 6 days to descend.
Umbwe Route: This is a great route to follow if you are looking to climb the mountain and get an insane workout in the process. The route has a very steep slope, and goes straight to the Peak.
Mweka Route: This is the most straight route, and is used by descending parties on the Machame, Umbwe and Shira routes. Can also be quite crowded.
Shira route: This route ascends through Shira plateau from Londorossi Gate, and is the most fascinating and scenic route on Kili. When I climb this mountain, this is likely the route I will take. The route provides great views of the Great Rift Valley, Mt Meru and Longido. it involves a drive to high altitude on the first day.

Technical Routes: There are two more technical routes on the Western part of the mountain: Breach and Lemosho, requiring much more climbing expertise.
Western Breach Route: This is for experienced mountaineers. It is the shortest winding through Shire Plateau, the glaciers, and Kili's dormant volcanic crater, and takes one to two days to the top with several tough sections up steep scree and some rock scrambling.
Lemosho Route: This route is the same as the Breach Route; it has steep scree leads to Stella Point (half way between Uhuru Peak and Gillman’s Point), but this route passes through Shire Ridge, which allows a bit more acclimatization.

General Tips:
1. The longer you give yourself on a trip, the better. The real challenge on this mountain is getting acclimated so give your body as many days as possible to do so.
2. Find a good tour operator with porters, experienced guides, oxygen (if needed), and evacuation insurance.
3. Don't pay more than $3,000-$4,000. You'll see some companies trying to charge 7-10K. Don't believe the hype - they don't have anything or anyone that is better than the 30 companies that do it for 3-4K.
4. Don't pay less than $2,000. Some companies will offer cheap routes up the mountain. Can they get you up? Probably. But, do you really want to risk getting up quicker, with 65 other people, and not as highly trained/insured guides? Probably not.
5. Be prepared for extreme cold at the summit. Yes, you can climb in shorts and a t-shirt towards the bottom, but the summit can be below zero frequently.
6. Educate yourself on altitude sickness. This is a very real threat, and one you should be familiar with before you depart. Know the symptoms, and be able to recognize them should you begin to suffer.