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KILIMANJARO, TANZANIA

Dave
2004-02-22 13:14:18

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do some research. You may have to pay a little bit more for your trip, but based on personal experience, it is definitely worth the extra money.

The following is a list of camps and descriptions that we stayed at while hiking up the Shira route.

Base Camp is located at 6500 feet among lush vegetation. During certain times of the year elephants and herds of animals can be seen in this area. During clear days stunning views of Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro can be seen. There are some small roads and trails in this area. Several trails lead up to small mountains from which you can get excellent views of the African plains and surrounding mountains.

Camp I is located at 9000 feet. The jungle extended all the way from base camp to about 10,000 feet on the mountain. The trail is meanders its way through the jungle and slowly climbs to this camp. Hiking time to Camp I is about 5 or 6 hours if you have to deal with the mud and rainy conditions.

Camp II is located among lava flows in a vast valley between several lower ridges and higher ridges that lead to the enormous Kilimanjaro. This camp is free of the jungle and in the lower heath zone. You will find small bushes and grass at this camp. Normally the bushes are quite tall at this location but a recent fire came through here and burned many of the bushes. This camp is located at 11,500 feet. Hiking time today is between 6 and 8 hours.

Camp III is called the Fischer camp named after Scott Fisher, the Mountain Madness guide who pioneered this particular route up Kili. This camp is located at the upper Heath zone. This means you will still have bushes growing but you will also pick up a unique native plant to the slopes of Kilamanjaro. This plant is called the Giant Ground Sel or (Senecio kilamanjarii). This unique plant looks somewhat like a saguaro cactus found in the deserts of Arizona. It ...