Bon Voyage
Join Gary, General Manager at Nature Discovery, as he attempts to summit as part of one of our Kilimanjaro Group Treks. We slept so well last night. After the physical exertion, the lack of sleep and cold temperatures, to have an amazing steak dinner and being at a lower altitude, what a joy to have almost 9 hours sleep. We feel a little sad as it’s our last day on the mountain, and for the others, their last day with this amazing, strong and friendly crew.
THE FINAL TRAIL
We set off at about 8am from camp heading towards the Mweka gate. We are at 3810m in the Heather vegetation zone and after about an hour we come to Mweka camp and start packing away our beanies and gloves, removing a top layer, zipping off our trouser legs and getting out our caps and sunglasses.
We drop down further and are soon in the forest vegetation, which is lush and green and filled with the colours of so many flowers. Impatiens endemic to Kilimanjaro, Gladiolus and Protea and the vibrant Red Hot Poker. The bird life is amazing and their songs so beautiful as they thrive in the lower altitudes and warmer temperatures.
Gladiolus watsonioides
Red Hot Poker
Hebenstretia dura
Protea Kilimanjarica
Impatiens Kilimanjaro
St. John’s Wort
At around 11.30 after a very slow walk enjoying the scenery, wildlife and plants, we come to the Mweka Gate. The final destination and the end to this amazing adventure. We have smiles from ear to ear as we pat each other on the back, shake hands and hug. A celebratory Kilimanjaro Lager is in order and tradition to be photographed at the final gate with a Kili in hand.
Success!
The crew are way ahead of us and have already started doing gear checks as they load the vehicles that will bring the gear back to the base. They have transport waiting to take them back home and we also have our safari vehicle, with a smiling driver asking how it was and how do we feel?
We head off to the lunch venue where we shop for souvenirs and have another beer or 2. Lunch is served and it is a delicious beef curry with rice and salad, with avocado on the side and a bottle of bubbly. We pop the bottle and celebrate each other and we thank the guides for the invaluable leadership and care they have shown us on the past 8 days.
Certificate Time
Polite hands out certificates to us all for successfully summitting the Roof of Africa as the crew sing and dance and encourage us to dance along. It is quite emotional having spent every minute over the past 8 days with this amazing team, as it dawns on us the incredible feat we have accomplished, battling altitude and the elements and realizing what some of us thought was only a dream, is now so real.
If this has inspired you to start planning your ultimate Kilimanjaro experience, or if you have any questions, please contact us below and our expert team will assist.
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