Juli and I made it again! Without having seen any mountain before (ok, I did climb up to 150m on famous Bungsberg in SH when I was a child ;-)) we did successfully reach Uhuru Peak - the highest point in Africa at 5.895m.
Decision for particular route
We actually started out in Tanzania without having agreed which route we wanna go. I was aware of several different routes but since I did not have any experience my only pre-requisites were:
- route needs to provide chance to properly acclimatize,
- route needs to be possible w/o extensive climbing experience.
Juliane was in favor of Shira/Lemosho route; I considered Machame route - both with a minimum of a 6-day hike in order to acclimatize and both routes not being #1 route chosen by everybody (which is Marangu aka Coca-Cola-Route).
Not telling yet that the rangers also sold Coca-Cola for 4$ each at Barafu camp ;-)...
In the end there was no discussion since we met two french guys in our hotel: Jean-Christophe and Damien already had decided & booked a tour with Tanzania Summit Adventures for 6-day Machame route hike. So, we simply jumped in, made a quick decision and joined them - and it was best that could have happened to us!
Sulley, our guide, picked us up at the Meru House Inn in a Landcruiser, and about an hour later we arrived at the Machame Gate. We met our assistant guide Nadya and the rest of the support crew: Total 17 people for the four of us. Guide, 2 assistant guides, cook, 13 porters. These are positions of status. Paperwork at the Gate took over an hour and Juli's famous credit card once again saved our the trip.
Finally we are on our way, up through the rain forest. After we walked for hours through the montane rainforest, characterized by dense vegetation, a muddy trail and short sections of steep climbs, we never got a view of the top. But finally, it's there: Around early afternoon we arrive at Machame Hut and got a glimpse to the peak.
The second day continues through increasingly sparse trees and bushes into moorlands. Picturesque hanging mosses often cover trees and offer an ethereal quality to the landscape. The day finishes with Shira Camp, which is on a small plateau in the high moorlands, and features views of Kibo in the northwest and Mount Meru towards the east. White necked ravens can be seen throughout the day. There is also a set of small caves a short walk from the campsite known as the Shira Caves.
The third day starts in the moorlands and moves into alpine desert, with fewer trees and more rocks. The highest point is the base of the Lava Tower, after which the trail descends into the Barranco Valley. More vegetation is present in this zone, especially the area just before the campsite. This area is called the 'Garden of the Senecias' which features many of the huge senecio plants. Shorter lobelia plants are also present.
The fourth day starts with the ascent of the Barranco Wall, which is considered a scramble in climbing terms. The top of the Wall has attractive vistas of Kibo and the surrounding landscape. The trail continues with many up and down sections across small streams and rivulets. It follows the path up and across a rocky zone, finishing at the high camp Barafu. Very little vegetation can be found on the inhospitable terrain. A field of sedimentary rocks litters the ground like many broken mirrors.
We attempted the summit on the very early morning of the 6th day (around midnight). It took us about 6 hours to ascend. The full moon made the headtorch unnecessary and the night ascent a beautiful experience. The first milestone was Stella Point (5.685 m), which is on the crater rim. Following Stella Point, the trail continues for another 30 mins to the summit - Uhuru Peak.
The descent back to Barafu took roughly 4 hours. We 'scree slided' down the slope, which entails skidding/running down the loose gravel at medium speed. Then we took a short brake at Barafu and continued downwards through the alpine desert and ensuing moorlands to Mweka Camp.
