I reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro on New Year's Day 2020. Traveling to Africa was high on my destination list, as I chased my goal of reaching all 7 continents before I turned 30 (Africa would be #6). While researching Africa, I came across the stories of Kilimanjaro. The chance to summit the tallest free standing mountain in the world?? That sounded right up my alley! (I always love a good challenge). So, I researched that a bit more, and before I knew it, everything was booked. Keep an eye out for an upcoming blog post about how to prepare and pack for the hike.

Below is a day by day itinerary of my trip. I chose to follow the Machame Route. This is one of the most common routes, and was a 7 day itinerary which is a perfect amount of time on the mountain. First, I'll give you a bit of factual information about the mountain itself.

-Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest free standing mountain in the world. This means that is stands alone, and is not part of a continuous mountain range.

-Kilimanjaro is one of the "Seven Summits", the highest mountains of each of the 7 continents.

-It is also the highest point in Africa, reaching 19,341 ft (5,895 m).

-The mountain is so vast, that it consists of FIVE climate zones (Cultivation, Forest, Heather-Moorland, Alpine Desert, and Arctic)

-Approximately 30,000-35,000 people attempt to summit Kilimanjaro each year.

-Sadly, the mountain's glaciers have been receding over the past century due to climate change. It is believed that Kilimanjaro has lost 55% of its glaciers since 1962.

Day 1: Arusha to Machame Gate & Machame Huts

By the first day of our Kilimanjaro Trek, we had been in Arusha for 2 days. It is important to plan your trip with at least a full day before your trek starts, if possible. First, so that you can rest and get used to the time difference. Second, for some reason, the Kilimanjaro National Airport has a frequent habit of losing luggage. We unfortunately witnessed this first hand during our trip. My friend who traveled with me didn't receive her luggage until 3 am, the morning we were leaving for our trek. It made for a stressful start!

Our guide picked us up from our lodge at 7:30 am, to start our journey to the Machame Gate.

The drive to the gate took a couple of hours, as we stopped to pick up the porters for our group, and made a stop at a local gas station to use a restroom, and purchase snacks. It is common for tour groups to stop at this gas station, and there were several other groups there at the same time as us. From there, we continued on to our starting gate.

Arriving at the gate was a little hectic. Many other groups were there at this same time, getting ready to begin their trek. Here we had a quick lunch to fuel ourselves for the day ahead. Of course, as soon as we were getting ready to depart for the hike, it started raining. And when I say raining, I really mean down-pouring. Of course, this wasn't the weather we had hoped for, but if everything in life went perfectly, it would be boring! We tried to keep our spirits up, and began our trek.

The first day was a total of approximately 6.7 miles (10.75 km) to our first campsite at 9,911 ft (3021 m). The first day is an easy hike, and not very challenging. Most guides will use this day to evaluate your overall fitness level in order to be able to adjust the pace appropriately as you get higher in altitude.

This first day, you will experience a rain forest type climate zone. The weather is fairly warm and humid, with lush rain forest surrounding you. You may hear monkeys and birds as you venture along.

We finally reached our campsite as it was getting dark. Feeling successful after braving the rain on our first day, we were ready for a good dinner and rest to prepare for day 2. (and yes, there was always popcorn with dinner 🤗)

Day 2: Machame Huts to Shira Caves Campsite

One of my strongest suggestions during the trek; get up and out of your tent in the morning to watch the sunrise. Each campsite location promises a beautiful view. It may be cold most mornings, but it offers such an inspiring and refreshing start to your day. It helped me "restart" my mind and prepare for the day ahead. You will also be offered hot tea in the morning. Most mornings, I was too worried about leaving my warm sleeping bag to get dressed in the freezing cold...but the tea will also help wake you up and make you feel refreshed.

On day two, you already begin to exit the rain forest, and will now be entering the Heather Moorland climate zone. You begin to see more grass and wildflowers here, as you leave the dense trees behind. Day two is also when your pace should begin to slow down. Even though your body may still feel fine, it is very important to acclimate slowly and give your body time to adjust. Your guides will make sure you follow a pace that they believe is safe for your fitness level.

Approximately 3.3 miles (5.3 km) are covered in day two. Shortly after lunch time, you will reach the Southern rim of the Shira Plateau as you trek toward your campsite for the night, Shira Caves Campsite, which sits at 12,595 ft (3,839 m). Each evening when you arrive at your campsite, your guide will take you to a hut where you must sign in. This allows the park to track each visitor, and how many people are there at one time.

Day 3: Shira Caves Campsite to Barranco Huts Campsite

Day 3 is another 6.7 mile (10.75 km) day. By this time, the snow covered Mt. Kilimanjaro will be in your view, a reminder of the goal you are working towards! You will notice that the vegetation is slowly becoming much less dense.

Day 3 is also when you really begin to reach altitude, and is the most common time for people to start experiencing minor symptoms of altitude sickness. You spend the morning hiking towards your lunch spot at Lava Tower. This location is at an altitude of 15,180 ft (4,627 m). Experiencing a headache from the altitude at this point is normal. I luckily did not have any problems yet this day. However, I did get very bad sunburn without realizing it. The sun is STRONG, even if you can't feel it. Be sure to constantly apply sunscreen, even if it is cloudy! We rested and had lunch, all while giving our bodies time to get used to this sudden altitude change.

After lunch, we began to descend slightly to get to our campsite for the evening. We hiked down to 13,077 ft (3,986 m) to sleep for the night. "Climb high, sleep low" is a common term when hiking at altitude. The reduced oxygen can disrupt sleep patterns, causing exhaustion the following day.

Day 4: Barranco Huts to Barafu Huts Campsite

^always be up for sunrise

^admiring Kilimanjaro from a safe distance 😁

The morning of day 4, we were told we needed to eat a big breakfast to ensure that our bodies had the energy we needed for the steepest part of the trek. We would be starting our day by climbing the "Breakfast Wall". Named of course for the reason I just explained. Although we are only about 5 miles from base camp, we have a long day ahead of us.

^climbing the "Breakfast Wall"

Today is spent traveling along the Southern side of Kibo, across the valleys and slopes. Steep declines and inclines continue through out the day, making it a difficult trek. We stopped for lunch at the Karanga Campsite at 13,235 ft (4,034 m). This is where, if you are suffering from altitude sickness and feeling uncomfortable, your guide may decide to stay here for the night, rather than continue onto base camp. However, if you are still feeling okay (we were), you will continue onto base camp this same day so that you have the full next day to rest and acclimate.

The walk from Karanga is immediately entirely uphill. Since you are at decent altitude by now, it is a very slow and steady climb. Your guide will always remind you, "pole pole", meaning slowly slowly. It is important, especially as you continue to climb, to not strain your body, even if you feel like you can handle it.

Day 5: Altitude Acclimatization Day

BASE CAMP - known as Barafu Camp, at 15,295 ft (4,662 m)

Day 5 is a day of rest. Today, the intent is to allow your body to spend time acclimating to the unusual altitude and thin air. Your guides will most likely take you partially up the trail that you will take the following day, towards the summit. It is good to become familiar with the path, as you will start your climb very early while it is still dark. Other than that, you will spend the day hydrating and recovering, allowing your body to charge (both mentally and physically) for the big summit day ahead.

Day 6: Summit Day

This is the most anticipated day of your whole trip. Typically, you will wake up (yes, wake up!) at midnight to begin your ascent to the summit. The benefit of this is being able to watch the sunrise from Uhuru Peak (if you make it in time). However, we ended up planning our summit a little differently. Being that it was New Year's Day, the mountain was very crowded. Instead of being stuck among the crowd, and risking there being a lot of people on the summit at the same time as us, we chose to wait a little longer. We began our climb around 4 am. Although the distance to the top is short, this is a long and steady climb. The altitude will not allow your body to move quickly, even if you want to. I am an avid distance runner, and if I tried to run 25 meters I would have been completely struggling and out of breath. It is important to just move slowly (as slow as you need, our guide will go off of your pace), and focus on your breathing. You will be just fine if you listen to your body, and not try to do more than you are able to.

^we still got to see the sunrise on our way up. It was the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen.

It is a cold morning. You'll want to be sure you have all of your appropriate layers on. It is also very windy, so you will want the protection from the wind as well. A buff or face mask is important to have. As well as sunglasses for the summit, to protect yourself from "snow blindness".

The first point you hit is called Stella Point, 18,848 ft (5,745 m). This is where you earn your Kilimanjaro certificate. From here, you only have about 45 minutes to go before reaching the summit. The view during this time is incredible. Untouched glaciers and snowfields for as far as you can see. Your guide will most likely provide you with chains for your boots, as you will be walking over quite a bit of ice and snow.

Before you know, the summit is within view. Reaching this point is very emotional. You are at 19,341 ft (5,895 m), the highest point in Africa. Everything you've put in up until now suddenly makes sense, and you are reminded why you chose this crazy journey. You are literally above the clouds, the feeling is nearly indescribable. Seeing the pure white snow all around, and seeing the summit sign, is simply rewarding in itself. (Hopefully it is not too windy when you reach the top. Sometimes the wind will create snow clouds so thick, that it covers the sign!)

Your guides will allow ~15 minutes at the top, as it is not good for the human body to remain at high altitude for extended periods of time. Once you take your photos and have the chance to look around, you will quickly begin to descend.

And just like that, this incredible experience is over, and the anticipation of being able to share your story with friends and family will begin. The descent is steep and full of grainy sand and stones, making it slippery. This was honestly one of the hardest parts for me, but just remember to take your time. Once back to camp, we packed everything up, shed some layers as the morning sun beat upon us, ate lunch, and prepared the descent to our final camp site destination.

This is a very very long day (but of course, rewarding) and your body will continue on an adrenaline high. The final campsite is about another 4 miles (6.6 km) downhill. This campsite is beautiful, with a looming view of Kilimanjaro in the background, to remind you of your great success.

^Mweka Huts Campsite 10,190 ft (3,106 m)

Day 7: Mweka Huts to Mweka Gate

The end is near. Today is another long day, but it is full with the anticipation of reaching the end. This is another downhill trek, with a lot of treacherous areas where it is best to take your time to avoid injury. Although long, the excitement and adrenaline will make it seem quick and before you know it, you have reached the end of the trail.

This bittersweet moment has been long awaited. Sweaty, sun-burnt and dirty, you await your printed summit certificate before climbing back onto the bus for the journey home.

While emotionally and physically challenging, this is a once in a life time trip that I would recommend for anyone. It absolutely gives you a new outlook on life, and is such a rewarding experience in multiple ways.

Look out for my upcoming blog post on how to fully prepare for your Kilimanjaro trek!