Introduction

Northern Tanzania's unique landscape is a result of a turbulent volcanic history. The Great Rift Valley that cuts a 6500km swath down the backbone of Africa is evidence of the huge tectonic forces at work here. Along this rift numerous volcanoes have been formed over the millennia, many of which are still active. The largest of all, Kilimanjaro is currently dormant having last erupted over 200 years ago. The massif we know as Kilimanjaro is actually made up of three volcanoes Shira, Mawenzi and the youngest, Kibo. Kibo's crater crowned by its equatorial glacial ice and snow is a fantastic sight from any viewpoint.

Kibo's summit crater with Mawenzi in the background

The challenge of watching sunrise from Uhuru Peak, 5896m above sea level, the highest point on both Kilimanjaro and the whole of the African continent was the motivation for our trip to Tanzania.

We are two keen mountain walkers from England, Paul Shepherd-Smith (27) and Jon Hind (37), who work for Mott MacDoanld, a firm of Consulting Engineers. While we have climbed a fair amount in the UK we have done little overseas. We have however both travelled extensively in many parts of the world. Paul, in particular has cycle toured in a lot of countries including Mexico, America, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Pakistan. Having both visited Kenya in the past and seen Kilimanjaro from the usual viewpoint, on safari, when considering our next challenge this trek was top of our list.

Getting There

Kilimanjaro occupies a curious kink in the border between Tanzania and Kenya. The closest International Airport is KIA between Arusha and Moshi although flights here are limited. Generally the flights here cost an extra £100 or so. Nairobi is a popular alternative entry point for trekkers headed to Kilimanjaro. However the additional overland travel costs along with the visa required for entry into Kenya often means this choice is more expensive overall.

Kilimanjaro National Park & Northern Tanzania

We flew in to Kilimanjaro Airport (KIA) with KLM from London via Amsterdam. Ethopian Airlines were the only other option that we found flying into KIA, although these flights had additional stops on route from London. However if cost is an important factor the Ethopian flights were cheaper (around £100 less). We unfortunately had problems with KLM as one of our 3 bags did not arrive with us in Tanzania. It took a further three days to arrive, fortunately just in time for or climb (it arrived 2330, we left at 0830 the next morning). Approximately one third of the flight had similar problems and many had to do their Trek with what little hired gear they could find. It may be worth bearing this in mind when you decide the timings for your trip. Lost luggage appeared to be a common problem and we heard reports that every KLM flight for the last two weeks had had similar problems. The problem was allegedly in Amsterdam where flights were leaving without a lot of the connecting luggage. This situation is very unfortunate and has probably ruined a number of trekking holidays to Tanzania.