Climb Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro is more or less 24 miles wide and 49 miles long; it is more ecosystem than mountain. It dwarfs other regional landmarks like Mt. Meru and Mt. Kenya and dominates the savannah of East Africa. We take 7 days to reach the summit and descend, staying in huts along the way.

Costs
Registration fee of £350
Option 1: you raise £3200, out of which your tour costs will be taken
Option 2: will pay £1696 yourself (full tour cost £2046 less the registration fee)and raise as much sponsorship as you can for St Elizabeth Hospice, but we ask for you to aim to raise £1000

Itinerary
Day 1: Fly London - Nairobi.
Day 2: Fly Nairobi - Kilimanjaro.
Day 3: Start ascent from Marangu Gate to Mandara Hut. 4½ hrs
Day 4: Long trek uphill through the cloud level to Horombo Hut. 7-8 hrs
Day 5: Acclimatisation day. Trek to Mawenzi Pass and back. 5 hrs
Day 6: Follow lower route to Kibo Hut through spectacular flora and fauna. 7-8 hrs
Day 7: Trek halfway to summit to acclimatise. 5 hrs
Day 8: Trek to the summit for sunrise. Return to Horombo Hut. 15-17 hrs
Day 9: Descend to Marangu Park Gate. Celebratory meal
Day 10: Fly Kilimanjaro - Nairobi - London.
Day 11: Arrive London

How to register
Download the application pack below, complete and return to Fundraising team, St Elizabeth Hospice, 565 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, IP3 8LX. Alternatively call us on 01473 723600 or email fundraising@stelizabethhospice.org.uk

Information sheet
Registration form
Medical form
Conditions of entry

Hospice supporter Gloria Taylor took on the Climb Kilimanjaro challenge and kept a diary of her experience:
My new year's resolution was to start to do the things I have always wanted to do before I got too old. One of my ambitions was to climb Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in the world at 5896m, which is over three and a half miles high. As it would be a very strenuous climb I decided to do it first before I had another birthday being 62 years old. Luckily my knees and hips are ok, so I had better get started.

So in February 2009 I booked and made my commitment to get myself fit, so over the next 6 months I went on lots of walks, cycled lots of miles and climbed several mountains in the mountains of morne in northern Ireland and ben nevis in Scotland. My family and friends were very supportive and came walking with me. I also belong to a walking club called Walking 4 Pleasure which meets for monthly walks and we also go away for long weekend walks four times a year and longer trips abroad.

On August 28th 2009 I flew to Nairobi in Kenya and then onto Tanzania to a town called Moshi where I met Raymond the guide who would take me up the mountain. Next morning we travelled for about an hour to the park gates to meet the porters and cook and complete the park formalities. At 11am we started our climb at last. There are five different routes up to base camp and then only one way up to the summit. The route I was taking was called the Marangu route.

Day one
We climbed steadily through the rainforest and saw lots of different kinds of plants, flowers, trees, birds and two types of monkeys. It was very beautiful, hot but plenty of shade. Our first nights rest was at Mandara at 2725m. We arrived late afternoon at camp and then went for a short walk to see the Manua creator.

Day two
This was a steep climb out of the rainforest and also onto moorland and shrub where the vegetation changed everlasting flowers, heather, giant lobelia and beautiful birds. We ascended 100m today and camped at Horombo hut 3780m and arrived about 4pm

Day three
We walked to zebra rock at 4000m and returned to Horombo hut mid afternoon where we stayed there to help with acclimatization.

Day four
We are up early and climbing higher over a dessert with no vegetation and then into lava fields. It was a very hard day and we arrived at kibo hut, which is base camp 4705m feeling exhausted.
We had a few hours rest and at 11:15pm Raymond and I set off for the summit. The terrain was scree, it was very hard to zig zag up because it was so steep. We climbed by the light of the full moon. It was very cold, minus 12 and eventually we reached Gillmans point 5680m and then we walked around the rim of the creator to the summit Uhura Peak 5895m.
It took me 9 hours and 35mins from base camp to the top. We were the only two people at the summit. It was magical with wonderful glaciers and fabulous views.
For about 15 minutes I was the highest person on the African continent. Kilimanjaro is higher than base camp Everest. The sky was very blue with good visibility. It was a wonderful sight which I will never forget. Then we turned around to replace our steps and the clouds rolled in.
By the time we had got round the creator rim it was thick cloud and because it was minus 12 my clothes were covered with a thick layer of ice. Raymond asked me if I could ski, I told him that I had never tried but I would give it a go. So instead of walking down the zig zags we went straight down the scree, it was exciting but very tiring.
We arrived back at base camp late morning, had some food and started back to Horombo hut where we stayed overnight.