Kilimanjaro Xpedition 2012
Thursday November 15 through Sunday November 25, 2012
Summit Xperience Thanksgiving 2012 Kilimanjaro Xpedition Via the Western Breach Route
The Western Breach Route is the hardest most impressive non-technical route to the crater rim. The views are breathtaking and as it is much less popular than some of the other routes you will have a far greater sense of isolation and wilderness. There is NO TECHNICAL CLIMBING, however it is a scramble and there are some quite steep and exposed sections. It is more committing on summit day, as the porters will strike camp and carry everything round to meet you at Mweka Camp. If you turn back there is no shelter at the camp. Your only option would be to try and catch your porters on the way to Mweka Camp. Don’t be put off – this is a fantastic and rewarding route.
Itinerary
Thursday November 15th
We will all leave our hometowns and fly to Amsterdam via Atlanta.
Friday November 16th
We continue from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro International Airport arriving at about 7:00pm local time. Once we have collected our bags and cleared customs our local team will drive us to the Impala Hotel in Arusha for a needed nights sleep.
Saturday November 17th
This is a lazy day to allow us to recover from the long flights. We will prepare our duffels for the porters, walk to some local shops, email home or just take a nap! You can visit Arusha National Park if you want to see some wildlife. (additional fee) Breakfast included.
Sunday November 18th Machame Gate to Machame Camp
After breakfast we will meet in the lobby of the hotel. You will check in bags that are being left at the hotel check out of your rooms and leave for the Machame Gate. It is about a 1-hour drive to the gate and we will likely stop a couple of times on the way to pick up extra supplies.
At Machame Gate (1820m) the porters will be allocated bags while we sign in. After about an hour we will be ready to start up the trail that leads to our first camp, Machame Camp (3015m). The trail winds its way through stunning rainforest scenery to a ridge that gives stunning views of the lower mountain. The camp is at the uppermost edge of the rainforest. Our porters will have set up camp so all you have to do is choose a tent, get your duffel and settle in. The team cook will prepare an awesome dinner for us after which sleep will come quickly!
Monday November 19th Machame Camp to Shira Camp
The trail out of camp ascents a steep volcanic fin that juts out of the mountainside. Fortunately the path levels off later as it leads us on to the Shira Plateau. The camp is at 3840m and from it we can see some striking features on the jagged Shira Ridge. The sunset adjacent to Mt Meru is a beautiful end to the day.
Tuesday November 20th Shira Camp to Lava Tower Camp
This is a great day’s hike that showcases some of Kilimanjaro’s best features. The trail climbs up to the day’s highpoint at Lava Tower. Depending on the weather we will scramble to the top of the tower for more stunning photo ops. Camp is below the tower at 4655m.
Wednesday November 21st Lava Tower Camp to Arrow Glacier Camp
The ascent from the Lava Tower to Arrow Glacier Camp will only take about 2 hours but the extra 700ft of ascent and extra 24 hours exposure to altitude is invaluable.
Camp, at 4850m is a barren inhospitable place but the views make it very worthwhile. We look up at the Breach Wall that has some of the hardest technical routes on Kilimanjaro and even in Africa. The legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner climbed the direct route on the wall in 1978.
Thursday November 22nd Arrow Glacier Camp to Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp
Happy Thanksgiving! This is going to be one to remember!
Like most teams, we will leave camp at about 1:00am to take advantage of the frozen scree and more stable underfoot conditions. This also ensures that we arrive on the summit in time for sunrise.
It will take 4 to 5 hours to reach the crater rim at a point called the Great West Notch (5650m). This marks the end of the scrambling and the start of a hike across the crater itself to the bottom of a set of switchbacks that lead to the summit. As we approach the summit Mawenzi will appear silhouetted in the distance with the sun rising behind its jagged summit.
Everyone’s reaction to being on the summit of Kilimanjaro, the ‘Roof of Africa’ are different. Some laugh, some whoop with joy and some cry tears of relief. Whatever your reaction is, it will be memorable. You can enjoy the amazing views, the shadow of the mountain on the clouds below and the satisfaction of achieving your goal.
The day is only half done though. Once we have taken photos, slapped backs, shake hands and call our success in to the team in the US we will start the descent to Stella Point that is on the crater rim. From here we descend quickly to Barafu Camp for a brief rest before continuing on to Mweka Camp at 3100m.
Friday November 23rd Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate
It will take about 4 hours to descend through the lush rainforest to the Mweka Gate. The air gets thicker, the temperature gets warmer and we will all be thinking about our first shower for several days! At the gate we will have a celebratory meal and a beer… or two!
The local crew will load up the vehicles and we will drive to our hotel in Arusha for a well-deserved shower and night in a real bed.
Saturday November 24th Day in Arusha, evening departure for home.
Our flight to Amsterdam does not leave until about 8:00pm so we can spend most of the day resting, shopping, reading or eating! You could do a day safari in Arusha National Park or go to the Snake Park just outside of town.
At about 6:00pm we will be picked up from the hotel for our transfer to the airport.
Sunday November 25th
Arrive at final destination.
Climb Cost $3,400
Price includes:
- Transfer to and from Kilimanjaro International Airport
- Transport to Arusha for shopping/sightseeing
- Three nights hotel accommodation. Two before climb, one after.
- Hotel rooms and tents are double occupancy. Single occupancy rates available on request.
- Breakfast included at hotel.
- All meals on the mountain.
- Assistant guides, cooks, porters
- All Kilimanjaro National Park fees
The price does NOT include:
- All round trip flights to and from Kilimanjaro International Airport
- Lunches, dinners and snacks in Arusha
- Alcohol, additional beverages
- Laundry costs, internet
- Tips. Budget on about $500 of tips throughout the trip.
We can arrange a safari or trip to the beaches of Zanzibar at the end of the climb. Please contact us for more information.
Payment schedule:
A deposit of $500 will secure your place on the team. The balance is due 90 days prior to the start of the expedition, August 15, 2012.
Contact us on 720-323-8136 or Gavin@SummitXperience.com for more information.
Application & Gear List
Your Guides
Gavin Attwood
Gavin is the owner and founder of Summit Xperience. He has climbed all over the world including the Himalayas, the Andes, the European Alps and English Lake District, Welsh Mountains and rugged Scottish Highlands. He has twice run the Pikes Peak marathon and competed in three 'Ironman' distance triathlons.
In 2004 he was invited to be a member of the team that guided six blind Tibetan teenagers to 21,000ft on the north side of Mt Everest. The documentary of that expedition called 'Blindsight' was released in 2006.
In 2007, he was forced to turn round less than 1000ft from the summit of Mt Everest due to a malfunctioning oxygen system. He has lead expeditions to Mt Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, and Mt Aconcagua in Argentina.
