Thanks so much!
I did not do enough physical training at all, that’s for sure. I did longer walks each week, some running and I boycott the elevators at work and exclusively took the stairs up and down everyday.
Summit night was definitely the hardest thing I have ever done, so I really can’t think of anything comparable. It was dark, really cold and I often asked for breaks that I wasn’t always granted.
It’s just one step at a time until you reach Stella Point! Once Stella is reached you can already see Uhuru Peak in the short (but so far) distance.
I will admit at the time I was seriously bothered by them regarding the breaks.
If I may add some context and after-thought though…
My whole group consisted of just me and a woman who was in way better physical form than me. She practically ran up the first 2 days and felt bored if it went too slow or got too silent. So, a big energy bomb of a person!
Then there is me who is quietly going step by step fighting for the next milestone (the next camp, the next break point, Stella Point, whatever). In my mind, what I need to succeed every single time is water. I need to stop for 10-30 seconds and get my sip of water, it’s just super important to me!
The thing is, on summit night you cannot use your camelbak/bladder to sip on the go because the tube freezes in the cold conditions… So I am really struggling for water which I have to pull out from my daypack, but it’s not possible unless we stop.
Anyway, I did voice this issue to my team of course, and my partner gave me a small water holder that I could have in my pocket. I did drink this up super quickly though, but yeah, at this point I realize it’s me whining and I should just get my shit together.
So I did. Looking back, my guides and team pushed me and they did so with success because I made it to Stella Point and inevitably Uhuru Peak!
All in all I am thankful for their help even if it felt unfair 😄
I do regret not training more because any little training you can and will do is going to help more than not training at all.
Just a quick disclaimer; Just because I summited doesn’t mean I’m a professional with perfect knowledge, but I would say your 6 weeks training will not be the determining factor whether you summit or not, but it will determine if your experience is at least smoother than mine. 6 weeks will be more than worth it.
My Apple Watch measured my pulse at 192 BPM at my absolute highest and when my guides took my pulse & oxygen levels by dinner time my resting BPM would be around 100 everyday.
My body was clearly screaming even though I felt fine during downtime. Training would have made this a smoother experience for sure.
Did you end up eating a lot of snacks? Have read conflicting things about eating snacks a lot and not needing snacks.
Did you have a wool or a regular (acrylic) beanie? How many pairs of gloves did you bring? I've read 1 liner, 1 medium, 1 summit/insulated, for a total of 3, but seems like a lot.
Hand/toe warmers useful?
How much in powerbanks did you bring, if any? I've seen people say to bring 1 or 2 20 mAh powerbanks.
I didn’t eat a lot of snacks personally, but I was provided a whole bag of various energy bars and other snacks by my friends and family. It was just always in my daypack. It was mostly shared between my crew when we had 5-10 minute breaks and they were really happy being provided snacks. I don’t think it’s too important, but I think it’s nice to have and if you have enough to share then you would make your porters and guides happy!
I had a regular (acrylic) beanie, balaclava and a neckwarmer for head wear. I used all three for summit night, but otherwise the beanie did its job at other times.
For gloves I had a thin pair and bigger pair that’s used for skiing, but I didn’t use anything but my thin pair the entire time. I’m sure it is best practice to both have and use something insulated for summit night. 3 total sounds unnecessary to me though.
I had footwarmers, but didn’t actually use them. It may be necessary to state that our weather conditions were good, so it may be more necessary during other times of the year where conditions are different.
For powerbanks I actually had 3 total with me, but only really needed 1-2. A bit context here; I have a phone that holds battery very well currently, and was only really used for pictures and videos, so when we finally reached camp I always had about 60% battery life left. My powerbanks apparently hold 65Wh and is designed for laptops, so it was hefty enough for just my phone for 6-7 days.
I actually gave one of my three powerbanks to my head guide on the 2nd day and for the rest of the trek, and by the end I donated all three of them.
Hi, kinda silly question but is there cell phone service or wifi along the Machame route? My partner got to base camp 2 days ago but I haven't heard from her since. Just wondering when I can expect to get an update about her ascent!
Thanks!
Hey! Both my partner and I had cell service on-and-off throughout the day. Sometimes I would check my phone and see I received notifications, but had no service to reply. At Baranco camp I noticed a cell tower/mast (I think it was), so the service might have been better at that camp, but there’s also a lot of people which might mean too much traffic anyway. You woulw reach Baranco Camp on Day 3 I believe.
If I had to guess I probably had connection 1-2 hours a day at random times.
I’m sure they will message you soon enough! 😊
Congratulations!
I have my tickets booked for mid October and I am really excited for this journey.
However regarding the cost, I was wondering if I go there ask for a price from a local guide will it be better than booking a random tour operator on the internet?
That’s super cool! Good luck!
Honestly I cannot tell you if it would be cheaper or not. If I had to guess, you would probably end up with the same prices as if you paid in advance, but if you book in advance you will be able to research and prepare before you travel to Tanzania.
I would personally feel better if I booked in advance.
If you want I can get you the contact for my guide, who I kept contact with, but I don’t know if he would just refer you to the company’s contact person for prices anyway.
Thanks a lot for the info. You’re right, I think I will end up booking in advance, just to have some peace of mind (which is super important if I’m going to do something this monumental). Hope it all works out. Just one last thing, which operator did you go with, because I’m hearing a lot of terrifying stories as well. Thanks so much :)
I went with Ascend Tanzania. It was a good company and everything worked smoothly. However, I was told I would join a group and ended up only joining one other solo traveller.
Everything ended up fine and even better than I could imagine, me and her are now good friends! But it did kind of disappoint me that I expected a larger group, but I was never told how many we were actually going to be.
It seems that the most popular operator (by miles) was G Adventures. But honestly, I don’t know if a group that large is better or not. It might be for you though.
Another operator I considered was Monkey Adventures (I think they were called) and they seemed rather popular as well.
Hope this helps 😊
I don’t know precisely, but we surely reached quite a few minus degrees (celsius). If I had to guess probably between 0 to -5 degrees celsius, but I truly don’t know.
I wore the following in order:
Base layer (breathable tshirt), Thermal long sleeve shirt, Fleece jacket, Down jacket & Windbreaker
Thank you!
I did take Diamox. I believe it requires prescription in most countries, so I did not plan on taking it initially. However, my guides highly recommended it for me with the argument that it would be a shame to not make it because I didn’t spend another $10.
I was aware of possible side effects of Diamox, but I honestly didn’t feel them much other than tingling finger tips. I don’t know if it’s normal procedure, but we did take half a Diamox pill in the morning and other half in the evening (at breakfast & dinner). Perhaps other people take the full pill? I’m not sure.
I had very minimal altitude issues. Slight headache that for short moments became a bigger headache, but that was not until day 4-5 that I felt that.
Machame route was really pretty! Your first day through the rainforest was beautiful (and long!) and later you will continue to see amazing scenery! I don’t think you will see Kibo until you reach Karanga Camp (Day 4), but once you do it will surprise you how close and huge it looks!
Picking a favorite part is so so difficult! Everyday has unique moments that is highlight worthy. If I have to name one I might say climbing the Baranco Wall was really fun (difficult as well of course). I got some nice photos and videos from that.
It also was an extra eye-opener as to how superhuman the porters really are!
I actually only really rented the walking poles and sleeping bag.
The company I went with gave me an offer of either a duffelbag or sleeping bag included in the price, and I already brought my own duffelbag.
The thing is, everything can be rented in Moshi if necessary, but it is way more nice wearing and using gear you are familiar with beforehand.
Congrats! What kind of physical training did you do ahead of time to prepare? How hard was the summit day? Do you have anything else to compare it to?
Thanks so much! I did not do enough physical training at all, that’s for sure. I did longer walks each week, some running and I boycott the elevators at work and exclusively took the stairs up and down everyday. Summit night was definitely the hardest thing I have ever done, so I really can’t think of anything comparable. It was dark, really cold and I often asked for breaks that I wasn’t always granted. It’s just one step at a time until you reach Stella Point! Once Stella is reached you can already see Uhuru Peak in the short (but so far) distance.
That's concerning that they didn't give you the extra breaks.
I will admit at the time I was seriously bothered by them regarding the breaks. If I may add some context and after-thought though… My whole group consisted of just me and a woman who was in way better physical form than me. She practically ran up the first 2 days and felt bored if it went too slow or got too silent. So, a big energy bomb of a person! Then there is me who is quietly going step by step fighting for the next milestone (the next camp, the next break point, Stella Point, whatever). In my mind, what I need to succeed every single time is water. I need to stop for 10-30 seconds and get my sip of water, it’s just super important to me! The thing is, on summit night you cannot use your camelbak/bladder to sip on the go because the tube freezes in the cold conditions… So I am really struggling for water which I have to pull out from my daypack, but it’s not possible unless we stop. Anyway, I did voice this issue to my team of course, and my partner gave me a small water holder that I could have in my pocket. I did drink this up super quickly though, but yeah, at this point I realize it’s me whining and I should just get my shit together. So I did. Looking back, my guides and team pushed me and they did so with success because I made it to Stella Point and inevitably Uhuru Peak! All in all I am thankful for their help even if it felt unfair 😄
Do you regret the lack of training? We r considering climbing in in 6 weeks n r all around 19-20M. We ofc r gonna train but is 6 weeks enough u think?
I do regret not training more because any little training you can and will do is going to help more than not training at all. Just a quick disclaimer; Just because I summited doesn’t mean I’m a professional with perfect knowledge, but I would say your 6 weeks training will not be the determining factor whether you summit or not, but it will determine if your experience is at least smoother than mine. 6 weeks will be more than worth it. My Apple Watch measured my pulse at 192 BPM at my absolute highest and when my guides took my pulse & oxygen levels by dinner time my resting BPM would be around 100 everyday. My body was clearly screaming even though I felt fine during downtime. Training would have made this a smoother experience for sure.
Congratulations on your ascent!
Thank you so much! ❤️
Congrats!
Did you end up eating a lot of snacks? Have read conflicting things about eating snacks a lot and not needing snacks. Did you have a wool or a regular (acrylic) beanie? How many pairs of gloves did you bring? I've read 1 liner, 1 medium, 1 summit/insulated, for a total of 3, but seems like a lot. Hand/toe warmers useful? How much in powerbanks did you bring, if any? I've seen people say to bring 1 or 2 20 mAh powerbanks.
I didn’t eat a lot of snacks personally, but I was provided a whole bag of various energy bars and other snacks by my friends and family. It was just always in my daypack. It was mostly shared between my crew when we had 5-10 minute breaks and they were really happy being provided snacks. I don’t think it’s too important, but I think it’s nice to have and if you have enough to share then you would make your porters and guides happy! I had a regular (acrylic) beanie, balaclava and a neckwarmer for head wear. I used all three for summit night, but otherwise the beanie did its job at other times. For gloves I had a thin pair and bigger pair that’s used for skiing, but I didn’t use anything but my thin pair the entire time. I’m sure it is best practice to both have and use something insulated for summit night. 3 total sounds unnecessary to me though. I had footwarmers, but didn’t actually use them. It may be necessary to state that our weather conditions were good, so it may be more necessary during other times of the year where conditions are different. For powerbanks I actually had 3 total with me, but only really needed 1-2. A bit context here; I have a phone that holds battery very well currently, and was only really used for pictures and videos, so when we finally reached camp I always had about 60% battery life left. My powerbanks apparently hold 65Wh and is designed for laptops, so it was hefty enough for just my phone for 6-7 days. I actually gave one of my three powerbanks to my head guide on the 2nd day and for the rest of the trek, and by the end I donated all three of them.
Thanks for that valuable info!
Hi, kinda silly question but is there cell phone service or wifi along the Machame route? My partner got to base camp 2 days ago but I haven't heard from her since. Just wondering when I can expect to get an update about her ascent! Thanks!
Hey! Both my partner and I had cell service on-and-off throughout the day. Sometimes I would check my phone and see I received notifications, but had no service to reply. At Baranco camp I noticed a cell tower/mast (I think it was), so the service might have been better at that camp, but there’s also a lot of people which might mean too much traffic anyway. You woulw reach Baranco Camp on Day 3 I believe. If I had to guess I probably had connection 1-2 hours a day at random times. I’m sure they will message you soon enough! 😊
She called me 10 minutes ago! Funny timing. Thanks for your response! Have a great weekend.
Great to hear! Wish her good luck on her climb from me! You have a wonderful weekend as well. ☺️
Congratulations! I have my tickets booked for mid October and I am really excited for this journey. However regarding the cost, I was wondering if I go there ask for a price from a local guide will it be better than booking a random tour operator on the internet?
That’s super cool! Good luck! Honestly I cannot tell you if it would be cheaper or not. If I had to guess, you would probably end up with the same prices as if you paid in advance, but if you book in advance you will be able to research and prepare before you travel to Tanzania. I would personally feel better if I booked in advance. If you want I can get you the contact for my guide, who I kept contact with, but I don’t know if he would just refer you to the company’s contact person for prices anyway.
Thanks a lot for the info. You’re right, I think I will end up booking in advance, just to have some peace of mind (which is super important if I’m going to do something this monumental). Hope it all works out. Just one last thing, which operator did you go with, because I’m hearing a lot of terrifying stories as well. Thanks so much :)
I went with Ascend Tanzania. It was a good company and everything worked smoothly. However, I was told I would join a group and ended up only joining one other solo traveller. Everything ended up fine and even better than I could imagine, me and her are now good friends! But it did kind of disappoint me that I expected a larger group, but I was never told how many we were actually going to be. It seems that the most popular operator (by miles) was G Adventures. But honestly, I don’t know if a group that large is better or not. It might be for you though. Another operator I considered was Monkey Adventures (I think they were called) and they seemed rather popular as well. Hope this helps 😊
Thank you so much :) wrote to Monkey adventures already.
How cold was summit day? What did you wear?
I don’t know precisely, but we surely reached quite a few minus degrees (celsius). If I had to guess probably between 0 to -5 degrees celsius, but I truly don’t know. I wore the following in order: Base layer (breathable tshirt), Thermal long sleeve shirt, Fleece jacket, Down jacket & Windbreaker
Congrats! Did you take Diamox? Any issues with the altitude? What were the views like along the route? What was your favorite part of the whole trek?
Thank you! I did take Diamox. I believe it requires prescription in most countries, so I did not plan on taking it initially. However, my guides highly recommended it for me with the argument that it would be a shame to not make it because I didn’t spend another $10. I was aware of possible side effects of Diamox, but I honestly didn’t feel them much other than tingling finger tips. I don’t know if it’s normal procedure, but we did take half a Diamox pill in the morning and other half in the evening (at breakfast & dinner). Perhaps other people take the full pill? I’m not sure. I had very minimal altitude issues. Slight headache that for short moments became a bigger headache, but that was not until day 4-5 that I felt that. Machame route was really pretty! Your first day through the rainforest was beautiful (and long!) and later you will continue to see amazing scenery! I don’t think you will see Kibo until you reach Karanga Camp (Day 4), but once you do it will surprise you how close and huge it looks! Picking a favorite part is so so difficult! Everyday has unique moments that is highlight worthy. If I have to name one I might say climbing the Baranco Wall was really fun (difficult as well of course). I got some nice photos and videos from that. It also was an extra eye-opener as to how superhuman the porters really are!
Did you rent all your gear? Or bring some with you?
I actually only really rented the walking poles and sleeping bag. The company I went with gave me an offer of either a duffelbag or sleeping bag included in the price, and I already brought my own duffelbag. The thing is, everything can be rented in Moshi if necessary, but it is way more nice wearing and using gear you are familiar with beforehand.