My trek up Kilimanjaro begins June 24 on the Marangu route. With a group of 10 other people, I should summit around June 30, which is also supposed to be a full moon. The phase of the moon is relevant because the last leg of our trek to the summit begins at midnight! See the exact details of my trek…

the route

Affectionately known as the “Coca-Cola route,” Marangu is generally considered the easiest route up Kilimanjaro, climbing at a gentle pace through dramatically different zones. Unlike any other route, Marangu has sleeping huts, which must be more comfortable than setting up a tent in windy, sub-zero temperatures. These huts were a major consideration for me when selecting which route I would use.

the mountain

Located in north-eastern Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak (5,895m / 19,340ft), one of the Seven Summits, and the world’s tallest free-standing mountain rise (rising 4,600m/15,000ft from the base). In fact, there are only three other mountains that are more prominent than Kilimanjaro, and they are Everest, Aconcagua, and Denali.

Kilimanjaro, from the Swahili Kilima Njaro meaning “shining mountain,” is essentially the combined remains of three extinct volcanoes: Shira, Kibo and Mawenzi. Due to high elevation and equatorial location, a climber can experience almost every climate type on earth during the journey to the Uhuru Peak. This summit sits atop Kibo, which though inactive, has molten magma just 400 meters below the summit crater.

The first person known to have summited was the Marangu army scout, Johannes Kinyala Lauwo, who climbed Kilimanjaro nine times. Lauwo led the first Europeans up the mountain in 1889 when German adventurers Hans Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller made the trek. Once atop the mountain, Meyer & Purtscheller planted a German flag and named the summit Kaiser Wilhelm Spitze, which is still the name on some maps. The Kilimanjaro National Park opened in 1977 and became a World Heritage Site in 1989.

Today Kilimanjaro is one of the most visited mountains in the world, attracting approximately 15,000 people would-be climbers annually. Only 40% actually reach the summit. Many people suffer from altitude sickness due to the pace of the climb and dramatic rise in elevation.

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