Kilimanjaro summit reached by entire September team!

Sum­mit of Mt. Kil­i­man­jaro. Jef­frey Dem­mon photo

Great suc­cess atop Mt. Kil­i­man­jaro this month! Trip lead­ers James Kivuyo and Noël Mbwambo led sev­en climbers to the 19,340-foot sum­mit of Mt. Kil­i­man­jaro on our Shi­ra Plateau-West­ern Breach trip. The climbers had a great time on the moun­tain, over­com­ing chal­lenges and enjoy­ing the views from the summit.

Glac­i­er rem­nants in the sum­mit crater. Jeffrey Dem­mon photo

Every­one arrived in Itikoni for a cou­ple days of acclima­ti­za­tion in our pri­vate camp in Arusha Nation­al Park. After a day of gear check­ing and brief­ing, the climbers hiked up to some water­falls and enjoyed sun­down­ers in the evening. The view of Kil­i­man­jaro in the dis­tance got them excit­ed for the climb to come. The first cou­ple days were spent accli­ma­tiz­ing on mod­er­ate hikes. The group split up to allow for the climbers to hike at their own speed and enjoy the environemnt.

The group enjoy­ing a meal. Jef­frey Dem­mon photo

The climbers ascend­ed to the crater pit near the sum­mit to pitch their high camp on Sep­tem­ber 10^th and made the sum­mit push the next morn­ing. Every­one was ecsta­t­ic to achieve their goal and stand atop the tallest peak in Africa.

The group at the sum­mit of Lava Tow­er. Jef­frey Dem­mon photo

The descent down the moun­tain brought the climbers to the Moivaro Lodge where they rest­ed before the excit­ing safari tour through the Ngoron­goro crater. They ascend­ed a steep escarp­ment which offered a mag­nif­i­cent view of Lake Man­yara and the Gre­go­ry Rift Val­ley. The climbers shared their lunch space with a giraffe, which passed by while they were eating!

Cel­e­brat­ing after the climb. Jeffrey Dem­mon photo

Maa­sai war­riors. Jef­frey Dem­mon photo

Local Maa­sai taught the climbers all about their cul­ture, the use of herbs and the process that young boys go through to become war­riors of the Maa­sai army. Their sec­ond day of safari brought them amaz­ing sight­ing oppor­tu­ni­ties of an ele­phant bull with long tusks as well as buf­faloes and lion prides on the hunt.

Up close and per­son­al with an ele­phant bull. Jef­frey Dem­mon photo

To plan your Kil­i­man­jaro and safari adven­ture, con­tact us at the office and we’ll get you on your way to the majes­tic moun­tain and safari lands of Tanzania!