Mt Kilimanjaro

Today we’re going for a hike up Mt Kilimanjaro. We saw it briefly from the plane yesterday but there was a lot of cloud around it.
The day is not looking too promising though, we had some rain overnight and it’s very overcast this morning

David arrived to get us at 6.30 because it’s a bit of a drive to get there. Well they weren’t exaggerating about that 3 hour later we arrived at the gate, but that wasn’t where we started the walk no we just had to sign in there and then it was another 30 or 40 minutes drive.

The drive has been all up and we’re staring this walk at 3,400 meters so I’m expecting It to be a bit of a challenge at this altitude. We walking over to Shira Camp 1 across the Shira Plateau. The great thing is as we came up from the gate we drove through the cloud forest and out into the sunshine above the clouds. We have a gorgeous clear view of Mt Kilimanjaro.

The plateau is covered is bushes and grasses and a lot of them are in flower so it’s a pretty walk across and then up and down the three gorges we had to cross. It was a bit of a struggle with the altitude, it’s surprising how much water we went through and the ups on the gorges we definitely felt. Everyone lips had a nice blue tinge and I look at the guys hands as they were walking in front of me and they were so white!

The walk took about three hours there and back and we had a packed lunch overlooking the gorge. Then we had to do the drive back which no one was looking forward to. It was even longer because of course it is much busier at 4 in the afternoon than at 7 in the morning. The speed limit on the highway here is only 80 and then down to fifty if there is any built up area. Makes for very long trips. Trucks and buses have to go even slower and there is so many of them.

Can’t say there wasn’t any thing interesting to look at on the way though. Markets, Weddings, Motorbikes packed high with everything from potatoes to firewood, beautifully dressed woman, usually carrying a baby or something massive on their head. Little kids rounding up the goats, fields of sunflowers, tiny little butcher shops, one especially that looked immaculate with three puppies waiting patiently out the front for scraps.

Four hours it took us to come back and we were all knackered. We’ve had a shower, a few drinks, dinner and a game of Jango and are feeling much better. Definitely ready for an early night.Leia mais