Africa X: Descent

Uhuru Peak (5895m) - Mweka (3100m) - Mweka Gate (1980m)
Hiking time: 7 - 8h to descend to Mweka, 3h to Mweka Gate


Our whole platoon..


Our main guide, Robert with his colourful hat (he has dreadlocks underneath)


Jerry, another of our guides


Sunburned face.

Africa IX: Roof of Africa

After a cold and miserable night at Barafu, interspersed with spells of nausea and vomiting, we set off on our final part of the climb - the summit attempt. As the air got thinner and thinner, more breaths had to be taken for each step... even taking out the camera required great effort...

Barafu camp (4550m) - Uhuru Peak (5895m). Hiking time: 8h


The (literally) breathtaking dawn.


The rising sun upon Mawenzi, the 2nd highest peak of Kilimanjaro.


Jerry, one of our guides, looking out over the snow-capped landscape.


Above the sea of clouds.


Victory! After 5 days of pain... the roof of Africa, 5895m above sea level.


A last look at the out-of-this-world landscape before the descent..

Africa VIII: Stars on Barafu

Hi, back after a long hiatus. Housemanship really takes up a lot of your life..

The photos below were taken on Camp Barafu, the last campsite on Mt Kilimanjaro before the summit. I had to stand outside my tent in the freezing subzero temperature, holding my tripod steady against the fierce winds. The 30 second exposure seemed to take forever, but I think the end results were worth the effort...


The Milky Way =)


Friends inside the tent who were unaware of the majestic sight around them..

Africa VII: Barranco Camp - Barafu Camp

Day 4: Barranco camp (3950m)- Barafu camp (4550m). Hiking time: 7h



Woke up with the clouds beneath our feet..



Our campsite, backed by snowy rocks.



Climbing the steep Barranco wall (also known as the "Breakfast wall")



We had to climb on all fours.



Real rock climbing. Without ropes/harnesses.



A long drop to the bottom. (Those tiny colourful dots in the background are our porters..)



The porters overtaking us yet again..



Group shot!



All grey and brown, where even plant-life starts giving up.



The barren landscape.



Taking a rest above the clouds.



Finally reaching the last camp before the final summit attempt.



Welcome to Barafu. Where the wind and the cold threaten to tear you apart.



Our yellow tent. With the mountain's most awesome toilets in the background.

Africa VI: Shira Camp - Barranco Camp

Day 3: Shira (3840 m) - Lava Tower (4630 m) - Barranco camp (3950 m). Hiking time: 7 hours


Woke up in the freezing morning to take photos of the stars...


And as you can see, it was well worth it..


The snow capped peaks against the starry sky.


The magical moment before the sun rose.


And the sky just kept changing colours..


This is probably the only toilet in the world set against such a majestic backdrop.


Where the sky and the ground met..


And we continue to climb... and climb.. and climb...


Cool dude.


Our porters overtaking us. (Even though we set off hours earlier..)


Man on the Moon?

This was probably the most tortuous part of the climb. I was probably having the worst headache of my life. It was just incapacitating. It reached its zenith at lunchtime and I threw away most of my uneaten food. While my friends continued up to Lava Tower, I had to make my way straight back to the next campsite. And the rain did nothing to lift our morale. We were all wet, cold and miserable by the time we reached the next camp...

Africa V: Machame Camp - Shira Camp

Day 2: Machame camp (2980 m) - Shira camp (3840 m). Hiking time: 6 hours


Pre-dawn at Machame camp. Above the sea of clouds.


Friends trying to blow mist into the cold morning air..


Stella point as seen from our campsite.


Ivy trying to take a photo on my tripod.


Our campsite above the clouds.


And the sun rose from behind the peaks of Kilimanjaro..


Panorama of the view around. Enlarge to see properly.


One of the many stops we made on our way up. These stops are the only respite in between the arduous climb from camp to camp..


Group shot. Still looking alive! (at this point..)


Our guides. Climbing is like taking a stroll for them.


On the rocks.

The thin air then gave me such a splitting headache that I stopped taking photos and starting taking painkillers. Every step sent a thump right to my head. I told myself "I'm going to give up. I'm not doing this anymore" with every step I took. But somehow, I reached the next camp..

Africa IV: Onto Kilimanjaro!

Day 1: Machame Gate (1490 m) - Machame camp (2980 m). Hiking time: 7 hours


At the start, looking so energetic!


Heads bowed in fatigue?


The porters and guides, carrying many times our load..


Up and up..


...and up some more...


Getting some rest.


The fog thickens, and the vegetation start to change..


1st checkpoint! Machame camp at 3000m above sea level!