Almost on time at 9 am the next day, we were picked up at the accommodation by Kessy Brothers with all our luggage. Arriving at the office, we had to buy plastic bottles and some energy snacks (in Kilimanjaro National Park, disposable plastic bottles are forbidden). We got a SIM card to maybe have some internet on the way (in Tanzania, the SIM was quite easy for a change – passport and fingerprints were enough) and tried out the borrowed things for the tour – winter jacket, ski mask, etc. Mel borrowed some hiking boots. Mel borrowed some hiking boots, as the ones she had brought from Germany were leaking. So we boarded our small shuttle for the one-hour drive to the start of our mountain tour with our own lightened but expanded luggage (we left most of our things at the office – someone has to carry the stuff up the mountain). On the way, we bought provisions and a gas tank for the gas cooker. Arriving at the starting point, we already met our two guides Stewart and Genes, as well as a small part of our team. Equipped with a lunch box and enough water, we were able to start our ascent at around 1:10 pm.

Day 1 – To the Mandara Hut – The ascent begins

  • Full of strength and energy we start our adventure

Full of energy and verve, we started our adventure at exactly 1700 meters altitude. In retrospect, the question arises: how do two untrained average Central Europeans from the lowlands even get the idea of attempting to climb a mountain almost 6000m high? This question will probably have to remain without an answer and it was also completely meaningless as we walked our first kilometers through tropical rainforest. Our assistant guide Genes (55 years old and somehow a strangely funny guy) led the way that day, swearing us into the motto of the coming days: “Pole Pole”. This is Swahili and means something like “slowly, slowly”. This motto was to accompany us during the next few days almost throughout all our activities – no matter whether we were walking, eating, or drinking – the Tanzanians are a leisurely bunch.

The path itself was actually good to go. The constant slope was well endurable and became only in places steeper and stony – due to the hot and humid climate, the stones were very slippery in places (and we very sweaty) and you had to look carefully where you step. A look at the person in front and the use of the borrowed walking sticks were good aids to progress slowly (Pole Pole) but steadily.

About halfway through the day’s upcoming stage, we paused to get some energy, drink some water, and lighten our lunch boxes, which also lightened our own backpacks overall – every sip of water was a few grams less we had to carry. But, what are we whining about here? Probably the most respect is due to our porters (porters) who would carry all the gear and food for 12 people (yes, 2 broken people want to get up the mountain and all of a sudden 10 more people get involved) up the mountain during the 5-day tour and the collected trash and gear back down at the end. These porters overtook us again and again with ease and speed that we lost hearing and sight. During the overtaking they still had a friendly “Jambo” (hello) and “Pole Pole” on their lips and had already moved on again.

So after almost 4 hours, 8km and a little more than 1000 meters of altitude we reached the Mandara hut at 2720m. Our chief guide Stewart showed us our simple hut for the first night, Waiter Tumain (short Tuma) brought 2 plastic bowls with warm water to refresh and shortly after already one of our porters (Emanuel) came to bring our things into the hut. The following nights we would all spend in more or less the same way – simple wooden huts with thin “mattress” and sleeping bag, no showers and only simple toilets. We were only a little surprised that there was light and electricity everywhere to charge our cell phones, for example – thanks to the solar panels and a myriad of rechargeable batteries in each camp. So we enjoyed the view and noticed how the daily routine would be: walking, arriving, refreshing, tea and coffee, waiting for food, going to sleep. And there would be more than enough food on this tour, as would become apparent today and over the next few days.

Day 2 – To the Horombo Hut – The Fog of Horror

The morning of the second day we were supposed to be woken up with coffee at 7am, but we were already awake since about 06:30. Tuma again brought the 2 water bowls and a bar of soap, as well as tea and soluble coffee. For breakfast there was also again “concentrated food”. Besides fruits, egg, pancakes and the already known sweet toast, there was a big pot with gray, semi-slimy content completely without taste – it was called porridge here. By the way, this delicacy was available every morning … we never managed to empty the pot. For the toast, there was also jam and peanut butter. However, since we didn’t need either that morning, we never saw those jars again.

So our today’s “hiking day” started – with newly filled supplies in the backpack – at 08:15, after our oxygen saturation in the blood had been measured for the first time. The device showed 98%, everything was fine. Our chief guide was satisfied and so the emergency oxygen bottle could stay packed. Stewart led the group today and made a small detour with us to show us the nearby Maundi Crater, also an extinct volcano. Shortly after the crater visit and crossing, there was the first and last admonition from Stewart on this tour, because Andreas still had 3 of our 4 full water bottles in his backpack, in addition to his personal things, and the lunch boxes for both of them (Stewart tried to hand Andreas the backpack and almost broke off while lifting it). A solution was needed, so one water bottle went to Mel and Stewart now carried both of our lunches.

  • Maundi Crater. The small white strip of snow in the background is our destination

Scenically and weather-wise, this day started wonderfully. It was dry and pleasantly warm and the rainforest gave way after a short time to a light forest and meadow landscape. Again we went “Pole Pole” in the direction of the summit ahead and the further we progressed, the more clearly one could see the effects of the heavy fires that had raged here in October 2020 for about a month. But it was all the more beautiful to see that not everything had burned and that the ashes of the burned plants were a wonderful fertilizer for new life. Especially in our drinking breaks, we saw again and again young green, which sprouted through the gray-black ash.

Around 13 o’clock we made a half hour rest next to giant ravens to destroy the lunch boxes and again shift some weight from the back and shoulders to the stomach. Shortly before our break, the weather had already started to deteriorate slightly and so after the rest we moved on through dense fog or through the clouds to escape even worse weather (in the clouds it is already humid enough).

Shortly before our destination, the Horombo Hut, the fog cleared, the sun burned in our faces again and we saw the camp in front of us in a few hundred meters distance, where seconds before nothing had been visible. Happy, but still a little exhausted, we reached our destination that day after 7 hours (including breaks), 11km and another 1000 meters of altitude. Now we had already reached 3720 meters of altitude and you actually started to notice a slight difference in oxygen levels. Because this middle camp was already relatively full, we had to share the small hut with two Indians who now live in Nigeria and had absolutely zero preparation for this tour. Our initial concerns about sharing quickly gave way to interesting conversations – the sharing was also only going to be for one night, as we were to leave early the next morning, while the Indians and felt 99% of the rest of the tourists would spend another night up here to acclimatize. Already a somehow strange feeling, if all others choose the 6-day tour with acclimatization and only 2 dopey Germans want in 5 days on the summit.

After the again too sumptuous dinner (4 people would have been full of it – fortunately nothing was ever thrown away, there were always a few hungry mouths in the camps) we chatted a bit with Stewart and Tuma obviously liked us a lot – with him we spent the next days almost most of the time in the camps and talked most with him – he started to teach us a few bits of Swahili. Karibu. Asante sana.

  • Tuma and us

Day 3 – To the Kibo Hut – A desert far above

After it had not stopped raining yesterday evening, day 3 greeted us with sunshine but still very fresh. After the very good breakfast – “Porridge” there was also again in rough quantities – we set off with fresh supplies in the backpack at 08:42 to the third stage. Before Stewart had measured again our oxygen value, which had risen in the comparison to the previous evening again from approx. 87% to 92% – super values. It occurs to us: excuse the quality of the pictures – due to the weight Andreas had decided with a heavy heart at the last moment to leave the reflex camera in the valley.

This day took us through a barren, rocky landscape – the alpine desert. We had already been warned of sudden weather changes and we were already wearing two to three layers of clothes to keep warm despite the movement. Especially during the breaks we noticed that the climate was different and that we cooled down faster than we could say porridge. So it was not surprising when it began to rain and lightly hail during our lunchbox lunch break. Four of us sought shelter in a rock field.

After the hail had subsided, we continued and finally reached after 6 hours, 9km and, you guessed it, another 1000 meters of altitude, the Kibo hut at 4720 meters of altitude. Our goal came closer and closer, “only” 6km and another almost 1200 meters of altitude separated us now from the summit of Kilimanjaro.

The Kibo Huts was the simplest accommodation so far – only an outhouse (a hole in the ground on a slope) was available and there was no possibility to refresh ourselves or brush our teeth. Dinner was no longer served in a communal hut, but right next to our simple beds. For the first time on this tour we ate everything, our appetite was very big that evening, which Stewart, Genes and Tuma thought was a very good sign – most people lose their appetite at this altitude, or have to throw up permanently. However, the evening oxygen measurement had to be cancelled, because Stewart’s device had fallen out of his pants into the “toilet” after the morning measurement … shit happens.

The sun had returned in the meantime and we were offered a great view – unfortunately we could not enjoy it for long. At 18:30 we went to bed, as we were to be awakened at 23:00 to tackle the last stage to the summit.

Day 4 – To Uhuru Peak – This journey will not be an easy one …

  • The cell phone capitulates – you don’t see much at this time anyway

It was 11 pm on 06.01.2021 and the alarm clock tore us from half-sleep. Not 10 seconds later there was a knock at the door – Tuma was standing in front of it, as always in a good mood and with a big smile on his face. He brought us tea and instant coffee and some cookies – our breakfast and the only food for the next 12 hours. When we left punctually at 0 o’clock on 07.01. it was pitch dark and cold – without the pale glow of our headlamps, we would not have seen our own hand in front of our eyes. We set off in close single file into the darkness – this stage would be the steepest so far, maybe it was quite good that you could not see everything.

In places we had to climb while we moved forward – without the hiking poles, which also provided better grip, we probably wouldn’t have had much of a chance in this terrain. Mel had since getting up slight stomach problems, also with Andreas it grumbled tremendously. Again and again we had to take short breaks to drink a small sip of spicy ginger tea, which Stewart had wisely brought along – he just knows his way around here perfectly.

The steep climb along a steep face in zigzag seemed to have no end. Without seeing a goal and with increasing cold (the higher, the colder and the lowest temperatures are reached only between 03 and 06 o’clock in the morning) slowly but surely our motivation dwindled a little. At some point a low point was reached – Andrea’s headlamp failed the service and he hardly saw anything, Mel had the feeling to slow down the small group and it flowed briefly first tears. Stewart and Genes motivated again and again, to have come so far and to break off now would have been pure madness. So we fought on despite the strain and it slowly became lighter. Around 06 o’clock we had reached the first stage goal – Gilmans Point. Stewart and Genes congratulated us and as a reward there was a hug and a break to admire the rising sun.

Now only 2km and 214 meters of altitude separated us from the actual summit. Full of new strength, we set off on our way. It went on over scree, over and through snow and ice. The next goal was reached quite quickly – Stella Point (still 1.5km and 139 meters of altitude to the summit) and from here it became a fight!

Out of nowhere, all of our strength and energy disappeared all at once. Every breath burned in the lungs and every single step became agony. From now on, each of us struggled on alone – our guides continued with ease. It felt like we had to take breathers every 10m and by now our steps were only half a shoe length. Leaning on our hiking poles, our eyes only on the toe of our shoes, we struggled with ourselves, the air and the ice under our shoes. Stewart and Genes were constantly checking us and our steps – the emergency oxygen bottle always at hand. Andreas said strained to Stewart: “No oxygen. I’ll make it to the summit this way if it’s the last thing I do!”.

Since our departure from Gilmans Point at 2km, 2 hours had passed when we reached the summit with our last strength and touched the summit sign at almost exactly 08h00. Now all the dams broke. The tension, which had been tangible before, suddenly fell away from us. Feelings and emotions literally exploded as we fell crying into the arms of our guides and each other. We shed tears of joy – this magical moment was and is simply indescribable and will always remain in our memories.

The stay at the summit was only of short duration – after 10min we were already back on the descent and this should not be easier. First it went very steeply the 6km back to the Kibo hut. Where we had initially taken a zigzag course during the night, we now chose a more direct path. On the loose scree we slithered and slid rather towards the hut. Even Genes had visible problems in places and so it was only a matter of time before Andreas sat on his butt and Mel started sliding so that she could hardly catch herself. Genes was loudly worried about our health by falling off, while Stewart saw the whole thing more relaxed and could not get out of laughing. About a kilometer before the hut, 2 of our porters came to meet us, brought us Allen mango juice and together we returned to the Kibo hut amid applause and many congratulations. Here, for the first time since the previous day, there was something to eat and after an hour we made the further, 9km long, descent to the Horombo hut.

Once there, we were able to “freshen up” a bit for the first time. After dinner – Tuma had in the meantime “organized” again some instant coffee from ascending hiking groups (maybe he exchanged for the disappeared peanut butter) – we fell dead tired, exhausted, but satisfied into bed.

Day 5 – Back to the starting point – The shower is calling

The next day, after the obligatory porridge breakfast, it was time for the 2-leg, final descent route. With sore muscles in the thighs a real treat! First it went for us to the 11km to the Mandara hut. On this section, we burned our faces and noses nicely due to the high altitude sun. After a short break and our last mountain meal we went directly and without further break the last 8km to Marangu Gate, which we reached at 15:30. Here we were presented with certificates for the successful ascent and descent and we performed the obligatory “tipping ceremony”. Yes, such a mountain climb gnaws hard on the wallet. Afterwards we were taken back to the Kessy Brothers office where we were welcomed with Kilimanjaro coffee and beer. While we chatted and adored our beer, Andreas realized that he would have to wait a bit for the redeeming shower (the first shower in 5 days), because due to a small change, Mel already had other plans for us.

  • The entire team

A huge thanks to the whole team, without which we would never have come this far (from left to right): Malewo – Cook, Emanuel – Porter, Benson – Porter, John – Porter, Christopher – Porter, Stewart – Head Guide, Peter – Porter, Genes – Assistant Guide, Simon – Porter, Tumain (Tuma) – Waiter