Kilimanjaro by Marangu route in December 1999     En Espagnol!

Having missed my chance when living in Zambia in 1980, I decided in November that I had to climb Kilimanjaro before the end of the millennium. So at the end of November I traveled to Moshi, Tanzania to attempt the climb. As I started the climb it turned out that Zara Tours had assembled an international team consisting of three Spaniards Rafa, Jesus and José, Rachel from the US and Poul from Holland. By virtue of the color of our tablecloth we became the "Green Team". Somewhere along the route we also adopted another Zara Tours client, "Running Rob" from the UK.

Climbing Kilimanjaro is like a "walk in the park", certainly during the first few days when you're passing through some of the most spectacular mountain vegetation I've ever seen. The starting point of the Marangu route is the Marangu gate at 1970 m.. We started our walk in the clouds, after all it was still the time of the "Short Rains". Walking through the rainforest in the clouds it is easy to imagine that you're starring in an episode of "Climbers in the mist". Anyway the clouds shielded us from the heat of the strong tropical sun and temperatures while walking were not too hot. We were lucky that not that much rain fell while we were climbing, so soon we all agreed that this was the perfect time for the climb. After reaching the lunch site with its wooden tables and seats, we continued along the parallel forest trail to enjoy the forest scenery even more. Many plant species can only be found on Kilimanjaro, as is the case with the beautiful red flower called "Impatiens Kilimanjari".

After about three hours of walking we arrived in Mandara hut at 2700 m. Except for "José the Eagle" who needed only about one and a half hour, he was so fast that he never the guides telling us to go slowly "Pole Pole". The hut lies on the edge of rainforest. Above Mandara hut the vegetation changes to heath and moorland. In the afternoon we walked to Maundi crater, a nice 15 minute excursion from the hut. It was the start of what eventually became a green team tradition: Walk high - Sleep low. The huts were quite luxurious and were well equipped with mattresses and even solar panels. Unfortunately due to the clouds the solar panels didn't supply enough energy for lighting the huts. And of course we could get coca cola and beer, which proved to be the case in all the huts. After all the nickname of the Marangu route is the Coca Cola Route.

Our next target was the Horombo hut (3720 m.), a five hours walk through heath and moorland. Again the vegetation was stunning, with beautiful flowers and higher up giant lobelias and senecios. Especially the senecios are quite impressive. Don't go to near to them, they are usually located in swamp areas with tussock grasses, clumps of grass with fairly deep mud pits in between. Changes are you will fall in between the clumps and get wet and muddy, as I found out. Our daily afternoon excursion brought us to Zebra rock (about 4000 m.), even though we didn't see much of it in the clouds and the rain.

Next day was our acclimatization day. We would stay at Horombo hut and walk towards Mawenzi hut. The Spanish eagles were so fast on their feet, that in the clouds they lost contact with the guide and just continued in the direction of Mawenzi hut itself instead of in the planned direction. However in a typical case of ending up in the right place even though you didn't know you were going there, everybody reunited near Mawenzi bivouac (4600 m.). Since this was higher than the original destination we were all happy enough. After all we were supposed to acclimatize and what better way than to climb high enough…

From Horombo we left for Kibo huts. We lost track of the number of times that we passed "Last water". Apparently in the rainy season the last water seems to be hard to define. Higher up the heather and moorland gives way to dry alpine desert, where only the hardiest of plants survive. After about five hours we arrived in Kibo huts (4703 m.). Lying down for a little rest we got ample warning for the hardship to be expected of summit day through graffiti messages on walls of the hut. How about this one: "Today was easy. Suffer tomorrow, you bastard!"

As per tradition we had our afternoon acclimatization walk to about 5000 m. After that we tried to rest as much as we could. Our siesta was interrupted all too soon by dinner, if you could call it that. It was the first (and last) meal that was not met with the usual enthusiasm. Obviously at an altitude of 4700 m. our appetites were less than normal, but also the combination served was not very appetizing. After dinner we tried to sleep, some even managed to get some restless sleep. Anyway we were awakened soon enough, we got our bed tea at 23:00. So at ten minutes after midnight we left for the long slogging match to Gilmans Point.

Using my altimeter I timed our ascent. Benjamin, our guide started real slow at 170 m per hour and then slowly increased the pace. After three hours we were at 5300 m. From there on the pace slowed down a bit and the green team slowly split up in three separate groups. This was not a problem since Benjamin had brought two assistant guides (Omari and Imani) for the summit day. So each group had their own guide. The first group arrived at Gilmans Point at around five thirty, in time to enjoy the sunrise over Mawenzi. The view was spectacular, a thick layer of clouds up to about 4000 m. stretched all over the horizon, with Mawenzi sticking out. Our summit day proved to be blessed with excellent weather. After a few minutes of rest we continued towards Uhuru peak. Even though this stretch is supposed to be easier, most of us found it to be just as hard as the slog up to Gilmans. Just before seven the first members of the Green team reached Uhuru Peak. Within twenty minutes all other members made it to Uhuru Peak. The views from Uhuru Peak were spectacular. Looking at the glaciers, I couldn't help wondering whether they would be around in couple of hundred years. Glaciers in the tropics are all retreating rapidly, reportedly the glaciers on Kilimanjaro as well.

We enjoyed some time making our mandatory peak photos and then headed back to Gilmans. Rafa and Jesus were a bit slow to follow, they seemed most affected by fatigue and the altitude. On the descent from Gilmans to Kibo Jesus needed some support but managed to come down safely. In contrast, the two team members who had been using Diamox suffered no effects from the altitude, so Diamox seems to work well enough. Anyway, we all benefited from the increased oxygen supply near Kibo hut, what a difference a thousand meters can make! We rested a bit, since sure enough it had been a though climb. After a short rest we packed our bags and left for Horombo Hut. There we enjoyed a well deserved rest. During the night some joker locked our door on the outside while we were sleeping, but together with the bed tea we were released from our temporary prison.

Our last day on the mountain was a delightful walk back through the moorland and then the rainforest to Marangu gate. As it happened the sun was shining brightly, so I got the final proof of a successful vacation for the home front, the sun burn. The guide, assistant guides and porters were probably quite well tipped with 75 US $, 50 US $ and 25 US $ respectively, but we since we were all happy with their work, it seemed quite normal.

Back at the Springlands hotel we enjoyed a barbeque meal before scattering next day in our respective directions. My return trip to Holland was a bit hilarious. Climbing on Kilimanjaro makes you forget all idea of time, so I had no idea that I was one day early, compared to the original schedule. And since neither the guide nor the travel agent seemed aware of this, I got on the bus next day to Nairobi Airport. When I checked in at the KLM counter I was told that I was one day early, but they were so kind to put me on the waiting list. As luck would have it, there was enough room on the flight and I arrived home one day early, allowing me a full day of rest before settling back in the usual routine.

12 december 1999

Poul Grashoff