About Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, the highest free-standing mountain in the world, and one of the  largest volcanoes ever to break through the earth's crust. Seen from a distance it looks as though it is sitting on the clouds. Although only three degrees south of the equator, glaciers and snow cover its peak. Almost four miles high, it can be seen on a clear day from more than one hundred miles away. And this is not all: within its one great ecosystem lies almost every kind of environment found on earth. In the space of a few days you will pass, as it were, from the equator to the Arctic: through tropical rain forest, Alpine meadows, moorland, desert uplands, to snow and ice. We can trace the grand process of evolution in reverse: from the animals of the forest to the first stirrings of bacterial life on the summit.

Kilimanjaro National Park takes in the area above 8,850 feet, or 2,700 meters, on the mountain. It includes the moorland and highland zones, Shira Plateau, Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. In addition, the Park has six corridors or rights of way through the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve. The Forest Reserve, which is also a Game Reserve, was established in 1921; the Park was established in 1973 and officially opened in 1977.
Kilimanjaro stands a scant 205 miles south of the equator, on the northern boundary of Tanzania. Its location on an open plain close to the Indian Ocean, and its great size and height strongly influence the climate, vegetation, animal life and the climbing conditions. It is made up of three extinct volcanoes: Kibo 19,340 feet (5,895 meters), Mawenzi 16,896 feet (5,149 meters); and Shira 13,000 feet (3,962 meters).
Equatorial to arctic conditions are present on Kilimanjaro. The range begins with the warm, dry plains with average temperatures of 85°F, ascends through a wide belt of wet tropical forest, through zones with generally decreasing temperatures and rainfall, to the summit where there is permanent ice and below freezing temperatures. The rainiest period is March to June. The fact that most months of the year have so few rainy days makes it possible to climb in relatively good conditions year round. During the rainy period of March to May, clouds tend to pile up and over the summit, dropping snow on top and rain at the base. Visibility can be limited by cloud cover even when no rain falls. The temperature at this time of year is relatively warm. The dry season, beginning in late June and through July can be very cold at night, but usually is clear of clouds. August and September are also cool and can have completely clear days, but usually a dripping cloud belt girdles the mountain above the forest and moorland. The summit can be totally clear and the successful climber looks down on a vast sea of clouds with distant mountain peaks poking through like islands. The shorter rainy period of October to December often has thunderstorms that pass over the mountain, dropping rain as they go. Typically the clouds disappear in the evening, leaving nights and mornings clear with excellent visibility. January and February are usually dry, warm and clear with brief rain showers which make for good climbing conditions.

Kilimanjaro towers above the Great Rift Valley, possible birthplace of humankind and the site of the Leakey's research in the Olduvai Gorge. This gives Kilimanjaro an awesome mystique. One can imagine the mountain towering above our ancestors, making an early, continual impression on the species. When you walk the mountain, you'll probably encounter some odd, purposeful arrangements of stone. Your guides will claim to not know what they mean. Perhaps they don't.
 

Route to the Summit
The route that we took to the summit was a wilderness route mostly devised by Gane & Marshall. The idea of this route was to give us more chance to see the surrounding area around Kilimanjaro, and to take in the different flora and fauna.

The Lemosho Route starts on a little used and very pretty track through the western rain forests where wildlife is in abundance - we had to have an armed guard for the first section of the walk to ensure we were safe from elephants and buffalo. As it happened we didn't see any but their droppings were everywhere. This then leads onto the west of Shira. Once upon Shira Plateau there are various acclimatization walks, including Johnsels Point and Shira Cathedral which all add to the chances of reaching the summit. From Shira we trekked towards the Lava Tower which led us to Barranco Camp, and from there onto Karranga Valley, beneath the icefalls of the Heim, Kersten and Decken Glaciers. Our last night before the summit was spent at 16000 feet at Great Barranco High Camp.
This ascent offers a higher altitude summit camp than any other route, giving a shorter night walk on summit day up to Stella Point on the edge of the Kibo Crater between the Rebmann and Ratzel Glaciers, and a chance to cross the crater, visit the ice walls and summit glaciers, before climbing the inner rim to the summit - Uhuru Point.

The descent was via the Mweka Route which is a very direct and fast way down the mountain providing limited views across the Southern Glaciers. The track in the forest is often impassable even to 4WD vehicles. Beyond the roadhead the path is steep and slippery in parts. Above the Mweka Huts water must be carried. Sometimes a long walk is required at the Barafu Hut to find snow or ice for water.
 

      

Timings and Height Details
 

Day 1 - 18/9/99	Ndarakwai Tented Camp
Day 2 - 19/9/99	Lemosho Route Rainforest Camp - 8120 feet
Day 3 - 20/9/99	G & M 1 - 9630 feet
Day 4 - 21/9/99	Shira Plateau Camp - 11200 feet
Day 5 - 22/9/99	G & M 2 - 12200 feet
Day 6 - 23/9/99	Barranco Camp - 13000 feet
Day 7 - 24/9/99	Karanga Valley Camp - 13200 feet
Day 8 - 25/9/99	Great Barranco High Camp (G & M) - 16000 feet
Day 9 - 26/9/99	Mweka Camp - 12000 feet
Day 10 - 27/9/99	Ndarakwai Tented Camp

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