The Dates are Set!

We've made a decision and our dates are set! Our trio will be venturing out to Africa via Amsterdam August 20th- September 11th, 2011. Paul will be leaving from Canada and will meet Rich and I in Amsterdam where we'll continue our journey together. As you can see, we'll be traveling for 3 weeks which means...we're doing the safari! We threw around the idea of skipping the safari, but quickly decided it was silly to go all the way to Africa, climb Kili and then turn right back around without seeing much more of the continent. So there it is-- more details on what adventure company we decided to go with in future posts. For now, I'm just thrilled it's on our calendars and the deposit is in!

To Safari or not to Safari

When we first started talking about doing Kilimanjaro next summer, the idea of a safari seemed like a perfect compliment to our trip. It doesn't seem to make sense to travel for over 24 hours to Tanzania, climb Kilimanjaro and then hop right on a plane and come home without truly enjoying the African Serengeti. 

So what one earth could stop us? Well, there are actually two things. Time and money. My very wise Grandfather once told me there's plenty of time to make yourself money, but money can never buy you back your time. Well in this case, Rich and I both have full-time jobs that usually keep our vacations to around 5 days. We took 10 days for our honeymoon nearly 4 years ago and haven't taken much more than a long weekend here and there since. We've already determined that getting to Kilimanjaro, climbing and then returning will take 11 days, travel included. Add a safari after our climb and we will need to each have 21 days off in order to make it happen. Couple that with an additional $2300 per person and we have a big decision to make! 

We feel like the timing next summer could not be better in terms of our careers. My contract ends next August and I will be graduating from my MBA program in July, and Rich will have just returned and will be awaiting moving orders. My Dad-- well he's worked hard for the last 30 years, so he's now enjoying retirement (if you call running an oil company in your spare time "retired"). 

Decision date is rapidly approaching though, so we have a lot to think about in the meantime. If we do add on a safari it will be with the same company we choose to do our Kili climb with so that we save money and also don't have to worry about transferring our gear. 

This Way or That Way?

One thing our group had to take into consideration was the length of our climb. Paul lives in the Rocky mountains and will have the advantage of training at altitude, but Rich and I still have about 30 years of youth on him, so we figure that evens the playing field (sorry Dad!). Also, Rich will have just returned from a 7-month deployment without much opportunity to train at increased elevations.


Due to these factors, we've decided to take a full 8 days to climb to the summit. While the route is longer, this should allow our bodies to adjust to the altitude so that each of us makes it to the top without incident. While hiking to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro is not the most technical of climbs, it is one of the most taxing and a large portion of people who set out to make it to the top fall short due to altitude sickness. We definitely want to avoid that at all costs! 


Right now, we are looking at two routes-- Machame and Shira. 

Machame route is the second most popular route, 26 km long, and it is considered the most beautiful route up Kilimanjaro. With a gradual ascend through the forest you emerge to see wide views of the moorland on Shira plateau, Kibo and Western Breach. The different kinds of vegetation found along the route make it the most sceneric route. We are approaching the summit with an acclimatisation day by walking in the same heights (Barafu Camp to Karranga Valley Camp), and another day by stopping at Karranga Valley camp (we are one of few tour operators offering this). There are no mountain huts on this route; the accommodation is in mountain tents. The route done in six days is physically challenging for most people. The last two days (the trek from Barranco to Barafu and then the overnight trek to the summit) require mental and physical toughness, due to the high altitude and short amount of time to rest before the overnight summit attempt.


Shira/Lemosho

The Shira route path approaches Kilimanjaro from the west, and it is nearly identical to the Lemosho route. While Lemosho starts at Londorossi Gate and treks through the rain forest to Shira 1 Camp, the Shira route bypasses this walk by using a vehicle to transport climbers to Shira Gate, located near the Shira Ridge. Our group will more than likely hike through the Lemosho rainforest to avoid acclimatization sickness.

On the first day on the mountain, climbers begin their hike from 11,800 feet (3,600 m) and spend their first night at the same elevation at Simba Camp. Then, the route merges with Lemosho and follows the southern circuit route.

Although Shira is a varied and beautiful route, Lemosho is recommended over Shira due to the high altitude of Shira's starting point. It is possible that climbers will experience altitude related symptoms on the first day due to failed acclimatization. Climbers using Shira should be confident of their ability to acclimatize.

As you can see, there are a lot of things to consider when deciding which route to take. We're hoping that our research will pay-off in the long run and we will be able to pick the right route for us.

Picking the Right Touring Company

It can be a bit overwhelming trying to decide on the right touring company for the big climb. There are literally hundreds of websites out there claiming to be the best, cheapest or most popular company around. Unfortunately, not all of them live up to their claims. Over the past few months, Dad and Mom and Rich and I have been collecting itineraries and quotes from several companies. At first, we started online, read reviews and looked into which route we wanted to do. However, we quickly found there is a lot of contradictory information out there and that we needed to talk to people who had actually done the climb and see who they used.


We're still deciding exactly which company is "the one" for us, but here are the options right now based on price, route, climb dates and of course suggestions from friends and family that have gone before us on this journey!


1) Africa Travel Resource (www.africatravelresource.com)
ATR came highly recommended by a friend of mine from college who'd done the climb a few years ago. He liked that the company focused on a moderate climb pace, offered single or double-occupancy options and had climbs going throughout the year. I found their website to be extremely helpful for planning purposes and have visited it frequently trying to figure out which route would be best for our group. Also, they staff at ATR have been really terrific to work with, despite being headquartered in England.
Route: Shira
Days climbing: 7
Distance: 110 kms
Cost: $2,835 USD per person excluding flights
Description: The 7 night, 8 day Shira approaches from the far west of the mountain and is a tough undualting route of approximately 110kms. Starting across the stunning wilderness of the Shira Plateau and Lent Hills the route skirts the southern face of Kibo before following the old Machame route to the summit. Although it gets quite busy once you join the Machame route for the last few days, we stagger our campsites to avoid staying at the busier ones.


2) World Wide Trekking (http://www.wwtrek.com/)
This one came to me as a recommendation from a friend on Twitter and LinkedIn who had just finished the trip with his wife. My good friend @Ginidietrich recommended I reach out to Ces for insight on what to and not to do in terms of booking a travel company. Ces has already been a huge resource in picking a good company to use and I hope to continue to ask him questions as the trip approaches and I prepare to purchase gear and start training. What's great about this company is that they have an all-inclusive Kilimanjaro hike and safari in one trip. Now wouldn't that be fun!

Route: Machame

Days climbing: 8

Days on safari: 5

Cost: $5,900 USD per person excluding flights

Description: 14 days / 13 nights, 7 nights lodging, 6 nights camping, 3 meals a day, all transportation, all park fees, guides and staff, consultation, gear lists and trip preparation.

3) Civilized Adventures (http://www.civilizedadv.com)

CA is headquartered in my hometown of Calgary, Canada. Several of my parent's friends' that have climbed Kili have used this company and had rave reviews. One really appealing thing about CA is that they have a 96% success rate on reaching the summit. That's well above industry standards and demonstrates that they care about making each traveler's trip a success. Also, this company incorporates a safari at the end. 

Route: Machame

Days climbing: 8

Days on safari: 7

Cost: $4,600 USD per person excluding flights

Description: Kilimanjaro calls many adventurers to its slopes every year. Trekking to the peak takes you from the plains of Africa through rainforest, heather and moorland, and finally to the glaciated peak that rises above the clouds at 5,895m. Reaching the summit is both a physical and a mental challenge.

So now the tough part begins-- which one do we go with?