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20-29 October 2010 |
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A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to climb Africa's highest mountain and raise vital funds for humanitarian landmine clearance charity MAG.
Do you fancy doing something a little different for New Year 2011? How would you feel if you were looking over Tanzania from Africa's highest point, on the first day of the new year having just walked up to 5,896 metres above sea level? Climb Mt Kilimanjaro with us at the end of 2010, and have a New Year's Day to remember!
Various 2011 dates also available.
This is an Open Challenge Event which means representatives from other charities will be taking part alongside those from MAG. The event will be run by specialist events company Action Challenge UK Ltd.
Kilimanjaro, "The Roof of Africa", is the highest mountain on the continent and a magnet for trekkers the world over. We follow the beautiful Machame Route, approaching Kilimanjaro from the south, and through rainforest, moorland and scree, we climb to its snowcapped summit at 5896m for simply breathtaking views. This is a tough but spectacularly rewarding challenge.
DAY 1 DEPARTURE
We depart on our over-night flight to Kilimanjaro via Nairobi.
DAY 2 MOSHI
We arrive into Kilimanjaro International Airport in the morning. Here we are met by our local guides and transfer to our hotel in Moshi. After freshening up we have the rest of the day to explore the local area, or simply relax and do any last kit preparations for the challenge ahead. In the evening we enjoy a welcome dinner and have a final pre-trek briefing from our guides before we settle down to a good night's sleep.
DAY 3 MACHAME CAMP 3000M 5-6HRS TREKKING
After a good breakfast we make the 1 hour road transfer to the Machame gate and the start of the trek. Here we are welcomed by our porters who are going to be with us for the next few days. We start by walking through lush vegetation of the humid rainforest with its fascinating range of bird life, wild flowers, endemic trees and insects. If we are lucky we might even spot a blue monkey or hear the shy Colobus monkey leaping through the trees above us. We reach our camp in the afternoon, which lies just outside of the forest. After dinner we settle down to our first night under canvas.
DAY 4 SHIRA CAMP 3840M 6-7 HRS TREKKING
This morning our route takes us through ever changing scenery as we make the steep ascent up through heather and moor land to the Shira plateau. We continue across the plateau to our camp and this evening we can relax and enjoy the fabulous views.
DAY 5 BARRANCO CAMP 3950M 6-7 HRS TREKKING
Today we trek east across beautiful barren moon like landscape and around craters that scar the earth. We trek always in the shadow of mighty Kibo until reaching the Lava Tower where we stop for some lunch. This afternoon we descend through the surrounding ravines, with their wonderful micro climates and beautiful birdlife. We eventually reach our camp late in the afternoon. This decent aids the acclimatisation process and allows our bodies to adjust to the ever changing altitude.
DAY 6 BARAFU CAMP 4600M 6-7HRS TREKKING
We leave camp early and it is a short climb and scramble over volcanic rock up the Barranco wall. From here we have fantastic views over to Barafu and for the rest of the day we make the steady climb to reach our camp positioned on a ridge overlooking the south east valley. More exposed to the elements we wrap up with some extra layers and enjoy some hot food together before settling to an early night in preparation for our summit bid.
DAY 7 SUMMIT DAY 5896M 10HRS TREKKING
And so to the summit day and our biggest challenge yet. We awake just after midnight and by torch light climb the steepest and most demanding part of the route for about 6 hours to reach Stella point at the crater rim. We then continue, making our final traverse to Uhuru Peak, the highest point on the African continent, at 5896m. Here we feel as if we are on top of the world, with the morning sunlight giving us spectacular views across the plains below and of Mount Meru in the distance. We then make our tough decent to Barafu Camp, where we stop for a rest and some breakfast before continuing on to Mweka camp. After a long but exhilarating day we can finally rest our tired legs and get a good night's sleep.
DAY 8 MOSHI 3-4HRS TREKKING
After breakfast we continue our descent back through the rainforest to Mweka. A short transfer by bus takes us to Moshi where we have the afternoon free to explore the town before celebrating our fantastic achievement with a gala meal and local entertainment.
DAY 9 RELAX IN MOSHI
Today is free to relax by the pool, or for those who have the energy, explore the area of Moshi. In the evening we make our way to Kilimanjaro airport and board our overnight flight back to the UK.
DAY 10 ARRIVE HOME
To take part in this challenge of a lifetime you will need to pay a registration fee of £299 and to raise at least £3400 in sponsorship, half of which will support MAG's mine clearance programmes.
Check out these photos from another of our fantastic overseas challenge events, 'Community Challenge Cambodia':
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