Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

Why Mount Kilimanjaro?

Climbing this spectacular five-thousander does not require any mountaineering skills. What’s more, it’s accessible to anyone, including novices and seniors. All you need to do is spend about two months preparing for the ascent, in order to boost your stamina and increase your fitness. In 2015, for instance, 86-year-old Russian national Angela Vorobyova conquered the peak.

The only quality you need is a desire to test your strength and to experience the accomplishment that happens when you reach the top. As they say, whenever you go to the mountains, you return as a better version of yourself.

Below, you can learn how to prepare for an ascent of Kilimanjaro if you are new to the idea but willing to try.

Not so fast, please!

The expedition had to cover a distance of 34 kilometers from the hotel at the foot of the mountain to Uhuru Peak, which is the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, before descending again. It took the team four and a half days to reach the top and another one and a half to return.

Most of the way, the trek was bearable, and the team covered around 10 kilometers a day, in a gradual ascent. As they walked, the climatic zones around them changed, treating them to breathtaking views and exotic, indigenous flora.

For the first 36 hours, their route took them through the jungle, with monkeys swinging on lianas around them. The rainforests then gave way to groves and alpine meadows. All the way, local guides encouraged the hikers with songs and dancing and kept saying: "Pole, pole!" ("Slower, slower!") It is thought to be easier to reach the summit if you do not walk too fast.

They spent the first night at an altitude of 2,700 meters in special cabins with bunk beds, where guests use their own sleeping bags. There is no electricity in the cabins, so the team had to carry a lot of power banks to recharge their mobile phones and to stay in touch with the world outside. The food was supplied by professional cooks, who also accompany groups along the route. According to the participants, the food was more than ample. So were the drinks, with each climber needing three or four liters of liquid over the duration of each day.

Each morning, the guides provided tea and coffee, before treating the team to sandwiches and a big highland breakfast that included porridge, fried eggs, and vegetables. The lunch was smaller, as the participants had to carry it in lunch boxes. In the evenings, another feast awaited them.

As the team approached 4,000 meters on day three, the landscape changed from green into a more sparse, sandy and stony terrain, and the team were greeted with new wildlife such as chipmunks. The main objective at this point was to adapt to the altitude. No one can predict how their body will react to low-oxygen conditions. Some adapt to the altitude gain relatively easily, while others struggle with symptoms of altitude sickness — acute fatigue and nausea caused by a shortage of oxygen.

One-day acclimatization hikes that include a brief ascent and a descent to your campsite make this adaptation easier. The team made one such hike along the route, from 3,700 meters to 4,000 meters. With a height gain of only 300 meters, the hike was about 10 kilometers long. Such hikes are not a universal cure for altitude sickness, however.

By the third night, which was spent at 4,700 meters in Kibo Hut, almost all of the participants had developed symptoms. One of the athletes was so unwell that he had to turn back.

4,700 meters: the first marker on a special map

Sadly, one participant only made it to 4,700 meters. Stepan found it difficult to take on enough oxygen, which led to him reluctantly ending his climb at that stage. He was sad to end his journey there, but in no way did this undermine his determination and achievement.

"Participating in an inclusive ascent turned out to be both harder and easier than climbing a mountain on your own," says Anastasiya Marentsova. "It was easier because a sense of purpose gave us extra energy on our way to the top, and the athletes were an inspiration in themselves. It was harder because you had to take care not only of yourself but also of others. You couldn’t help worrying about them more than about yourself. During the expedition, we carried out health check-ups twice a day, making sure everyone had an appropriate number of clothing layers, and sunscreen. It was a bit like summer camp — but with altitude sickness."

In the mountains, it quickly became clear that we had a perfect team, with each participant like the missing piece of the puzzle for the rest of the group. As a result, the team developed a special atmosphere, with everyone taking care of one another, staying mindful of others’ needs, and doing all they could despite fatigue and sickness. This was despite all expedition members, including the guide, the doctor, and the cameraman, working on a voluntary basis. Some of them even took time off work to spend 10 days with our athletes.

It’s hard to say who was a better example for whom: we for them, or they for us," continues Anastasiya. "I think the latter was more the case. Stas, one of the climbers with Down syndrome, kept offering our guide Anton one of his trekking poles to make it easier for him, saying, ‘Anton, you’re breathing so hard, shall we slow down?’ Stepan, the other athlete with Down syndrome, also approached us after the descent and thanked his coach Ekaterina, saying: ‘I wouldn’t have made it without her.’"

Stepan Bezrukov, a swimmer with Down syndrome, reached the altitude of 4,700 meters with his coach Ekaterina. This is a great achievement considering the extremely challenging conditions of the climb and Stepan’s health.