01-11.09.2018

After climbing Mont Blanc, the boys had the idea of going to higher mountains and the travel bug didn't let them wait long. Already in the autumn, they started to make a travel plan for the following year, to go to Africa at the end of August 2018. The traveling party included Allan, Gert, Kaspar and Kristen, who started to train diligently, so that they could reach the top of Kilimanjaro, which is not a technical mountain, but is still almost six thousand meters high. They went hiking in Estonia to test the equipment and later acquired the missing items. Anyone who has ever been to the mountains knows that you can always have better equipment and, depending on your future interest and the thickness of your wallet, you have to choose the right equipment for yourself. Homework was hard. We read different literature, looked at blogs and communicated with people who had already been there before, and based on all the information we decided to find a travel agency locally. Above all, we hoped to get it cheaper than mainstream with a provider. Kilimanjaro is an interesting mountain because it differs from the mountains we have visited before, primarily in its large number of mandatory helpers. Namely, the minimum number of porters (luggage porters, assistants, cooks, etc. support staff) is three per person. So, for our group of four, we had to have at least 12 helpers. In reality, however, there was also a cook, an assistant guide and a guide. So, the 4 of us + 15 more people. Kilimanjaro is a popular mountain, because if you have a big wallet, you can basically walk up with your hands in your pockets. While on the mountain, we also saw people next to whom the porter carried their small day bag and handed them a jacket or water bottle if necessary. The porters had a maximum carrying capacity, meaning they had to weigh the bags at each camp before leaving. Anyway, let's start the trip...

We took a flight from Tallinn and a few hours later we were in Istanbul, where we boarded a 9-hour flight to Tanzania, to Kilimanjaro Airport, located near the city of Moshi. We arrived before six in the morning and started looking for a taxi at the airport. The prices had been checked out earlier, so we didn’t haggle for long and agreed to the first taxi that offered a fair price. The first two nights were spent in a hotel near the city. We dropped off our things at the hotel and started looking for a service provider for the planned Kilimanjaro hike. The taxi driver, who didn’t speak many languages that we knew, was already able to make it clear to us that his “brother”, which later turned out to be a common occurrence in Africa, that acquaintances are also “brothers”, has a travel company and through him we could get to the top. Thoughts and done, the first thing we went to was the Nyange Adventures office. A pleasant and professional reception. The owner of the place, who later came out, was also the owner of our accommodation, he personally welcomed us and explained the possibilities for the hike to us and talked about the price. Based on the preliminary work, we knew that the minimum program had to be at least seven days, otherwise the acclimatization would be short. We received the price quote and decided to move on to explore alternative options. As soon as we left the office, the following friends hooked up with us and started referring us to the service. We went to a one-room office on a side street with a suspicious-looking guy. Compared to the previous one, it looked like a place where active vodka extraction is going on. Based on visual inspection, we went lowball´ima and we got about 30% cheaper than before. However, the company seemed suspicious and the guide who came to introduce himself to us did not look trustworthy. We decided to keep looking. Once again, we managed to go about a hundred meters further when the next gentleman started to guide us. He said that the previous place was suspicious, do not take it there and took us to an office in the shopping center. At first glance, a very polite place. The manager, who had previously held the position of a guide, looked like a dictator and said his price, which we bargained down. We received the offer and were ready to move on, but then we were stopped and told to check the price again. He took out a white piece of paper, a pen and a calculator and started calculating the price. After a long deliberation, we got a suitable price for ourselves, but nothing seemed right with this businessman and we decided to go back to the first place to negotiate there again. We got to talking and while our offer was being discussed in the other room, we looked at the reviews of the previous place online and the last one had 20 negative reviews. However, the place we were at had 200 positive reviews with comments. We quickly realized that the first place was the one we wanted to go to the mountains and on safari with and we had to get a suitable price from them. Luckily for us, we managed to reach a suitable result thanks to long negotiations. After a long day of walking around the city and trading with the locals and a long flight, we decided to pull our heads together. We also took a day trip from Nyanga the next day and went to eat at one of the most beautiful restaurants - Indoitalian, which served Asian and Italian-themed food. Full bellies, clinking glasses and back to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel and then back to the car to go on a day trip to the Materuni Falls. A few hours' drive and we were in the local jungle. We hiked to the falls, a pretty impressive 30-meter drop. The water was cold, but Kristen still wanted to get wet. Crossed the muddy crossing, had a swim, had a snack and took pictures, and then returned to the shore on the other side. The destination we found on Tripadvisor was a good find and the day trip we offered was also very good in retrospect. On the way back, we visited a local bar where we had banana beer and wine. The bar was a lot of talk, because in fact it was a regular Karlova two-story shed, only about to collapse. The beer was poor, more like a cloudy wort. But with a decent punch, because the locals were generally forbidden from drinking alcohol during the week, but banana beer/puskari was still drunk. The wine, however, was more refined and quite like a drink. It was similar to cider. We also took a couple of bottles home with us. The hike ended in a village where they introduced how the famous Tanzanian coffee is made. We sang to the beans so that a good drink would come and we even got to grind them. More forced shopping, which we managed to skip and return to the hotel, where our guide Kevin was waiting for us to tell us what else we needed. Like a military parade or equipment check. Fortunately, we were well prepared. The only thing we had to take with us, because it was mandatory equipment, were walking sticks. I said that I wouldn't use them anyway and in the end I didn't use them, but I still had to take them with me. The last things were packed and off to dinner at the hotel. The sleep before the mountain was restless. Apparently anxiety inside.

We started the morning with a hearty meal at the hotel breakfast table. The popular Toyota Hiace took us to the foothills. We threw our bags on the roof, porters on board and began the three-hour drive to the Kilimanjaro “gate”, where all the bags were weighed and the park fees were paid. On the way, we also stopped at a shop where we could replenish our Snickers supplies. At the gate, we were able to eat a packed lunch. It took over an hour to get to the local people, because if I understood correctly, the entire crowd going to the mountain had to pass through there. After completing the mandatory procedures, we moved to the starting point of our trail called Lomosho. We started at an altitude of about 1800m and walked quietly up the jungle-like trail. Fortunately, it was dry and the muddy root-strewn trail was easy to navigate. Of course, we moved calmly, following the general "no-no” politics (in the local language, slowly/calmly). We reached the first camp surprisingly quickly and when we arrived, the porters had already set up the tents. It was quite nice to be at an altitude of 2650m. We dropped our bags and were immediately served tea in the dining tent and brought a bowl of hot water for washing. We weren’t used to such luxury on a hike. Usually you arrive, sigh and pout, and then you start setting up the tent. This time, however, everything was done in advance. Before dinner, we got tea and popcorn. We didn’t have to wait long. Dinner was served – stew with potatoes. In the evening, we spent our time playing cards. We taught everyone the card game “thousand”, which was played almost every evening from then on. For the sake of science, we measured the pulse and oxygen content in the blood every evening, which everyone did very well that evening.

I slept poorly that night, I woke up several times during the night and somehow managed to lose one of my earplugs. We stayed in a relatively large double tent and changed tent partners, but earplugs were still necessary to get a good night's sleep. Even if no one was snoring in their own tent, someone was snoring somewhere in the next tent. For breakfast, we were served very liquid porridge with jam and pastries. The beginning of the hike was relatively easy, we continued along the landscape we had already seen the day before. However, from the south, the jungle became lower. At first, there were trees and bushes overhead, then soon only bushes, which we could see from time to time. Somewhere at 3500m, my head started to hurt and my legs got tired. The guide had also said that this would be the longest day of our hike. After walking about 10 km, we reached Shira I camp, from where we moved on to the end point of the day, Shira II camp. Somewhere after five hours of hiking, the first signs of fatigue began to appear. My steps became sluggish and there was less talk. Fortunately, we only had a little more to go and after seven hours and 18 kilometers we had reached the dusty Shira II camp at 3850 meters. The tents were already set up and Allan disappeared inside, straight to sleep. It was already colder here in the camp, about 10 degrees, so we had to stand and dress our bodies in warmer clothes. Feet cleaned in the wash basin, this time more thoroughly and light stretches to be fresh for the next day. It was quite nice to lounge around in the dining tent with warm cocoa and popcorn. Otherwise, the dusty camp had a beautiful clear sky in the evening.

The day started with the usual routine. The morning was very sunny and despite the altitude it was rather hot. As the day went on and we got higher, the weather got crisper. Most of the day's route was on moorland - rocky ground with few and low plants. The first half of the day was flat, from midday we started to climb more and the ground became rocky. From noon the altitude sickness started to work more actively and we felt worse. The goal of the day was to do an acclimatization climb and then come back down. As we approached the summit, the step was quite messy and my eyes were spinning, one young Asian guy came up on all fours at the end, so it can always get worse, and we saw the same guy on the summit climb, so we can assume that he also went to the "roof of Africa". Anyway, we all reached the goal of the day at Lava Tower at 4600 m. There we had lunch with rats running between the rocks and giant white-collared magpies, who took turns trying to steal food. I skipped a meal due to nausea, while Tamm fought the birds so that he could eat in peace. From the lunch break, we moved down to the Barranco camp at 3900 m. We came down at a brisk pace, hoping to feel better. We checked in and went to the tents, I immediately threw myself into the tent and luckily my eyes closed immediately and when I woke up I felt better and could start my evening routine. My pulse and blood oxygen levels were also normal by the evening.

The fourth day began in the shade and in a frozen tent. We started rather late that day, because the day was short and the start was along a narrow stone path straight up, about 300 meters of ascent. We found it wise to let the larger crowd go ahead and wake up calmly. Another option would have been to go at sunrise. The path could fit a maximum of two people side by side, but since the entire camp had to go up the same way, there were a lot of people and some porters even tried to climb up from outside the path. There were also more technical sections on the path, which caused bottlenecks and at times we had to wait a lot, especially when all the porters were still pushing along. One porter, carrying large bags and sticks, even slipped and fell on his butt with his gear, slid a few meters down but fortunately stopped before falling completely. It was safe to go slowly, but at times the porters passing by made our hearts beat faster. In a couple of places we also had to use our strength when climbing up the rocks and pull ourselves up with our hands. I can safely say that this section was one of the most interesting. When we reached the top, we took a short break, enjoyed the view (of the clouds :D) and acclimatized. On the way, we passed through a large valley, where we joked that we could zip-line', we could win an hour and offer service to the rich again. Overall, the weather was beautiful, cool but pleasant. However, when we reached the camp, it started to sleet. We ended up at Karanga Camp at 3995m. We started from the camp at 9:15 and arrived at 12:15, including long breaks. So, a nice short day and for the first time we arrived before our porters. Lunch in and off to Lebos. Kevin, our guide, came to say that the weather on our planned summit day was bad and we could go up one day earlier. It was not good news, because that would have meant we would have had to miss one day of acclimatization. Fortunately, Kristen found friends while walking in the peldicis who gave her internet access and we were able to check the weather forecast. It turned out that the weather was going to get better and the decision was easy. Apparently the porters wanted to get back down faster to take on the next client. After all, their salary and tips are based on the trip.

Let's also learn a few Swahili expressions:
JAMBO - hello/bye
RAFIKI - friend
ASANTE - thank you/thank you
NO NO - slowly

We started moving the tent at seven, morning rituals and at nine we headed for the base camp Barafu Camp at 4673 m. The start was steep and at 4400 m we made our first stop, where the assistant guide Tanti was still smoking, I had my tongue on my vest. The day was short, we reached the camp in three and a half hours and again before some of the porters. The following night we planned to start the summit climb, so as soon as we arrived we threw the tent horizontally. I was feeling pretty bad, my stomach hurt and it felt like someone with extra-large thumbs had hit my skull hard. The wake-up call was for lunch, where we got a good lunch. Everyone except me filled up their tanks properly and we lay down again. My lunch was limited to charcoal tablets. The next wake-up call was for dinner at around five o'clock. The soup that was served was even downed by force, well, you still have to give your body some fuel to survive the summit day. After dinner we did our daily measurements and our guide Kevin talked about the plan and the equipment we should bring. Warm clothes, sunscreen, snacks and water, in my case toilet paper too, because as it turned out I needed it too. When we went back to the tent, I was a little nervous, the climb to the summit would start in just a few hours. Will we be able to do it? What if I feel worse? I didn't really sleep, but at 23:30 PM there was an alarm so I could get dressed and start climbing.

We started in pitch darkness, the weather was cool but clear, the stars were shining - wonderful! Stomach aches, slight nausea, feels like I took it before going to bed paracetamol works. We started moving from Barafu camp at 00:37, with headlamps on and warm clothes on.

Clothing from top to bottom: headlamp, wool hat, baklava, light down jacket, fleece, merino wool warm underwear, thin warm underwear, thin mittens, military gloves, hiking pants, light thin running pants, merino wool warm underwear, hiking socks, leggings, hiking boots.

The beginning was rather easy, the pace was calm. At the end of the first climb there was another camp, where only those who had their own portable toilet with them could stay overnight. We moved quite fast, which is why we had to pass many people. The movement up was along a serpentine, so to pass the groups we had to go straight up in a zig-zag, which really took a toll on our lungs. I was right behind the guide and when the others were passed, you could often hear grumbling from behind. Looking up and down, you could see a row of headlamps. At Stella Point at 5756 meters (around 5:00), I made the second “number two” climb, after which my stomach also calmed down and I got another “summit” letter :D From there we were among the first to go up, maybe we made a few more passes. At some point, fatigue set in and even the sports gel didn’t save me. I just thought about putting one foot in front of the other and going up. Fortunately, there were no other symptoms other than fatigue, even the nausea and stomach pain I had felt below disappeared. As we reached the top, the wind got stronger and at times it really messed up our steps. As we reached the top, it got flatter and about 100 meters before the summit, a narrow path with snow/icicles began, along which we could only walk in single file. On the last flat section, we were slightly ahead of Gerti and Kevininga. Kristen was feeling pretty bad by this point. It was rather cold at the top, because we arrived about 30 minutes earlier than planned. We started with the obligatory summit photos and enjoyed the 360-degree view and the picturesque sunrise. It was a nice feeling and a beautiful view. Luckily, we arrived early and the larger crowd only arrived after us. We were at the top for about 20 minutes and then headed back down. On the way, we saw groups we had passed earlier, where people seemed even more exhausted. Some were only halfway up and the sun was already blazing. Apparently, their ceiling was Stella Point. Our ceiling was the peak of Africa, Kilimanjaro 5895 meters, the highest in the world freestanding mountain. Going down, the pace was brisk, at least for the first third. However, the sun started to get hotter and hotter, and the three layers of trousers we were wearing made our thighs sweat pleasantly. With legs full of lactic acid and tired, we reached base camp two hours and twenty-five minutes later. A total of 8 hours up and down, of which 5h 13min up. At the camp, the porters greeted us, we played dolls, hugged and took a big group photo. The cook brought cookies and tea and we lay down for a couple of hours. Sleep came quickly.
When we woke up, we had lunch and packed our things to head down. At first, we weren't sure if we would be able to make it down in one go or stay halfway to camp like the original plan had suggested. The first camp was 3,5 hours away and from there it was another 2,5 hours to the end of the trail. We decided to go down. Just think, we walked up for several days and came down from the top in about one normal working day. In total, we went up for five days and down for one day. The last day's mileage was 38 kilometers - pretty hefty.

Below we got a coke from a booth and tipped the porters, $175 each, plus a few more for our favorite porters. A 40-minute drive and we arrived at the starting point in Moshi. We received our Kilimanjaro climbing certificate and said goodbye to the team. We immediately went to the IndoItaliano restaurant around the corner for dinner. After a few beers, jokes, and pizzas, we went to the hotel to wash our tired bodies and rest. Due to the limited clothing and lack of washing facilities, we also had to wash our clothes in a small sink so that we would have something clean to wear for the following days.

Finally. Before the trip, we received information from several sources that reaching the top of Kilimanjaro is as easy as “making snow on Midsummer’s Day” and the tougher characters went to the top in flip-flops and shorts, but from my own experience I dare say that this is not the case. We chose the medium-length route/acclimatization and I can’t say that it was easy. But the experience was definitely worth the effort!

Tired from the mountain, we slept for a long time, except for Gert, who woke up early throughout the trip. We ate our fill at the hotel, packed our things and went back to the Nyange office, where we left our big bags and continued on with only small bags. The locals dropped us off at the bus station, where we caught the bus to Arusha departing at exactly 12:00. The bus cost 4000 tsh and took about 2,5 hours. From the speaker and the TV in front of the bus in the blast local pop, the air conditioner was not working and the bodies were comfortably together. The bus was packed and the normal width of the bus, where in Estonia there were 2+2 seats, the locals had accommodated 2+3 seats, so one seat was about 0,7 European seats. We are not very big guys, but it was still cramped, especially when there was no air. It was interesting that at every stop vendors came to offer their snacks and drinks at the windows and at quite reasonable prices. You had to pay 0,5 tsh for a cold 1000l Fanta. Compared to Moshi, Arusha was a big city, about half a million inhabitants, while Moshi, on the other hand, had 150 thousand. As soon as we got off the bus, a local salesman started following us, trying to offer us services in every way, we tried not to make him out. The guy was visibly drunk. The guy even came to lunch and without our knowledge ordered two waters for himself, which were added to our bill. Of course, we didn't agree with this and got the chance to share the situation with the waiter. We hadn't done much preliminary work, because according to the plan we should have stayed on the mountain for one day longer, but when searching on Tripadvisor and Google, we couldn't find any major attractions in Arusha. We headed towards the hotel, where we thought it would be normal to walk, but oh how wrong we were. The hotel was quite far from the city, we still walked for well over an hour and at the end we still ventured into a random district, because offline the map started showing fence posts. Fortunately, a local came to our aid, who at first also led us into the bush, but after calling the hotel owner, we finally found the right place. The hotel was in a really difficult place to find and there were no big signs typical of hotels. A large hotel with a high fence and a few rooms, located in a residential area like Tammelinn. We arrived just before dark and were given watermelon juice as a welcome drink. We didn't stay at the hotel for long, we did laundry and internet browsing and headed with Anthony (the hotel owner) to a nearby bar, where live music was playing and it was quite crowded for a Sunday night. We had a few beers, ate, chatted, watched football and soon Tony's friend George joined us, who drove us to a nightclub, where we could also enjoy African nightlife.

Luckily, we had been out with the hotel owner, who postponed breakfast because we woke up late. Full stomachs and dala-dala or on a local bus. The small Toyota Hiace is very common and one of the main public transport solutions within the city. Prices are reasonable, from ten euro cents to fifty cents per trip, depending on the length of the journey. They tried to rip us off every time, but since we were familiar with the prices, they mostly failed. Initially, we went to the Masai market, which was one of the attractions mentioned, where we bought souvenirs. It was more of a large souvenir shop intended for tourists. Afterwards, we also visited the local market, which was already a sight. Visually, it was something similar to the old Tallinn Central Market, but more densely packed, and goods were sold, from washing machine spare parts to live livestock. One of the biggest tourist attractions (probably the only one in the area) was the Arusha Cultural Heritage Museum, which was really nice, something like the ERM but about the local culture. There was also a large five-story art museum there. Unfortunately, we couldn't enjoy it for long, because we arrived quite late and it was already closing soon. On the way back to the hotel, we visited a large grocery store that looked quite European, even had security gates :)

At breakfast on the last day in Arusha, we talked about safari and life in Kenya with an older couple who are originally from Canada but have lived in Africa for a long time. With our stomachs full, we said goodbye to the hotel staff and went to the Masai market again, where a few paintings from the previous day still tingled. After some hard bargaining, we all got some African art for ourselves. The prices depended largely on our bargaining skills. They asked for different prices for the bus to Moshi, but as a result of our preliminary work, we knew the range and didn't let ourselves be fooled. We agreed on 4000 tsh and the salesman said that there was only one stop in Moshi. However, the reality turned out to be different, because we had already been waiting at the bus station for half an hour. With the money in hand, the salesman disappeared like a whirlwind and instead of the promised reggae music, Muslim prayer music came from the bus speakers. When we were able to leave, we had to stop once more, because the police pulled our bus over at the city border and after ten minutes of explaining, the driver who was originally at the wheel jumped out of the bus and a random passenger got behind the wheel. It was strange, but luckily we got there. From the bus station we walked to Nyange to pick up our big bags and went to a hostel in the city center to wait for the girls who would arrive in the evening. You can read about how it went in the next part!

To experiences!

Adventure locomotive Kaspar