2000 August: Kilimanjaro Photo Safari Current Kilimanjaro Trail & Safari Information (as of August 30, 2000) See
our Kilimanjaro Photo
Safari overview for more information about our
next trip. Route
& Conditions Wow!
That's how the weather can be described on this year's Mountain
Experience's August Kilimanjaro trek & Photo Safari. We were greeted
each day with clear skies, and were able to see the local lowlands, which
is often obscured by clouds and mist. The evenings brought marvelous
sunsets accented by alpenglow and rust red sunsets. Trail conditions were
dry, and only a little mud (motopa in Swahili) was encountered on the
first days. Above high camp the route was dry, with no snow, as is the
usual case this time of the year. Along the crater rim the permanent ice
cap was seen, although it had recessed some compared to our last trips.
There was some mud on the way down below the Mweka Hut on the descent, but
it was minor compared to what is usually encountered. The
weather during the photo and game safari portion of our program was also
excellent, although the recent dry season increased some of the dust we
encountered along the way. Trip
Report Our
group of six trekkers (ages 32 to 54, including 3 women and 3 men) first
assembled in Nairobi, and then traveled overland with mountain guide Jason
Edwards in the lead. Our seven-day trek of Kilimanjaro was punctuated by
excellent weather and strong trekkers, who made each day look easy as they
walked the 4-8 hours between each camp. Daypacks were carried (as compared
to heavy overnight packs), which helped increase the "fun
factor" while walking beneath the great icy faces of Kilimanjaro.
Jason was assisted by 3 of our experienced local guides, in addition to 14
porters and cook staff. Meals were excellent on the mountain this year,
and usually included full American breakfasts, along with either sack or
sit-down lunches, and a full array of tasty fresh foods for dinner
(vegetables, soups, meats, and dessert). Most trekkers commented they
wouldn't lose any weight on the trip as they thought, since the food was
so filling and satisfying. Trail
conditions were made easy, since there was little mud this year, plus the
trail was in generally good shape overall. Camps included the Machame Hut
area, Shira Plateau, Barranco & Karanga Valley's, and a high camp in
the Barafu area. Although the summit ascent can be quite cold, this year's
trek to the summit was relatively mild. At around 6:45 AM, an incredible
sunrise greeted us about an hour from the crater rim, where we reached the
crater rim at Stella Point The remaining easy slopes from there took
another hour to reach the true summit, Uhuru Peak (19,370'), where
"hero shots" were taken to commemorate the ascent. All trekkers
and guides were successful in the ascent...congratulations to all! To
date, 100% of our Kili trips over the years have been successful, with
over a 94% success rate for individual trekkers.) Of
our group, 2 trekkers faced special challenges on the trip, and overcame
their issues quite nicely. One person had recently recovered from a
serious traffic accident, and did all of the things necessary to prepare
for the ascent. By working with his doctors and our Mountain Experience
staff, he worked through his physical therapy and increased his training
to a level necessary to accomplish his goal of reaching Kili's summit--and
making down the mountain strongly and in good style. Our other trekker did
a fabulous job of climbing the mountain after successfully recovering from
a very serious case of cancer. A flag was carried to the summit of the
mountain to further commemorate others who had suffered similar cancers. A
special congrats to these two for their extra efforts and mental
toughness. Very nicely done! The
descent from Kili's lofty summit was relatively easy, and we stopped at
our high camp on the way down for a light hot lunch, tea and some snacks.
After packing up, we headed down the mountain and considering the trail
conditions; good time was made to the Millennium Camp, our last camp on
the mountain. Trekkers made a quick trip out to the road the next day and
were greeted by our ground staff and full lunches near the Mweka Park
Gate. A short drive to Moshi was followed with some well-earned showers. The
evening was highlighted by a tasty dinner, a "tipping" ceremony
for our local trekking staff--and the presentation of well-earned Uhuru
Peak Summit Certificates for our trekkers. The
following day we begun our photo safari and game viewing experience, and
the group was rewarded immediately on the first couple of days with 6
different leopard sightings. We were able to park for over an hour near
one leopard, who was hanging on a limb in an achesha tree, it entertained
the group with its typical cat behavior--stretching, yawning, and then
some steep down climbing when it set off again in search for another meal.
Later that day we saw an antelope, that was left by a nearby
personal." Most commented they never thought they'd be "so close
to the action." Many
other mammals were also seen, including elephants (some mothers with
babies--yes, we didn't get too close to those!), heartbeasts, wildebeests,
zebras, giraffes, and 3 black rhinos at a distance. Others included dik
diks, Thompson's gazelles, hyenas and jackals, mongooses, velvet and blue
monkeys, baboons, and many many more. The hippos provided their typical
slow motion excitement while wallowing in the water and sunbathing (they
stay submerged in the water during the day to protect their sensitive
skin, and then walk up to 6 miles at night in search of fresh grasses).
Lot's of birds were seen too, including the favorite pink flamingos. Our
safari visits included the parks of Tarangire National Park, a savannah
type area, with mostly dry types of grasses and groups of achesha and
babao trees as habitat. Ngoronogoro Crater featured several types of
habitat, including dry and green grass savannah, lush forest, soda and
fresh water lakes, and all of the zones in-between. Lake Manyara presented
a dense green forest, with quiet creeks running through the middle of
it--which presented tranquil watering areas and dense bushes
nearby--perfect hiding areas for predators of smaller game. In all, the
group saw a nice cross section of the typical African game habit and
animals with these different areas. (Lake Manyara is a new addition to our
program.) Our
program finished up with a final trip celebration dinner in one of
Arusha's nicer ethnic restaurants, and then a return to Nairobi and
flights homeward bound. For
more information about our Africa trips, please see our Kilimanjaro Photo
Safari page for upcoming trip dates and more details. (We will be adding
other varied African adventures in the future...check back soon for more
information!) Please
see our Kilimanjaro Photo
Safari page for more information about future adventures. |
