Have Camera Will Travel | Places HomepageHave Camera Will Travel | Places

David Coleman Photography

  • Places
  • Washington DC
  • Cherry Blossoms
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Photos
  • Africa
    • Tanzania
  • Americas
    • Mexico
    • Guatemala
    • Nicaragua
    • Panama
    • United States
      • Washington DC
        • Cherry Blossoms
    • Argentina
    • Chile
    • The Caribbean
    • Canada
  • Antarctica
  • Asia
    • Myanmar (Burma)
    • Vietnam
    • Laos
    • Japan
  • Australasia
    • Australia
    • Vanuatu
  • Europe
    • Denmark
    • Norway
    • Turkey
    • Belgium
    • Greece
    • United Kingdom
      • England
      • Wales
    • Czech Republic
    • Austria
    • Portugal
    • Poland
    • Italy
    • Germany
    • France
    • Russia

Lemosho Route / Day 7

Crater Camp (18,769 ft) > Uhuru Peak (19,341 ft) > Mweka Camp (10,448 ft)

Mt Kilimanjaro Summit Uhuru Peak

Climbers clustered around the sign that marks the summit.

Tanzania // Mount Kilimanjaro Tanzania Location: [post_gps_latitude], [post_gps_longitude]

It’s summit day. We’ll reach 19,341 feet, by far the highest any of us has been without being in a plane.

It was cold last night. Our water bottles froze solid inside the tents. And it’s cold as we head off before sunrise.

Compared to yesterday’s climb up the Western Breach, the uphill part of today’s climb is much easier. But there’s still a steep section of scree and rocks to go before we reach Uhuru Summit.

We start early–it’s going to be a long day. And by getting to the summit early, we hope to beat the rush. Unbelievably, even up here, there are traffic jams of climbers getting their photos taken at the sign marking the highest point. We’re the only ones this morning making the ascent from Crater Camp–everyone else is coming from the other direction, taking the Marangu Route, having started their day’s climb around midnight.

The landscape up here is harsh but beautiful. There are no clouds, and not a lot of atmosphere above us to soften the sunlight. There are no plants or trees–just sharp rock and scree covered by snow and thick ice glaciers. But the air is crystal clear–who knows how many miles away the horizon is, but it’s a long way.

There’s some snow and quite a lot of ice, but apparently it’s much less than there used to be. Thanks to climate change, the melting is accelerating. Estimates vary on how long it will be before the ice is gone, but nearly all of them measure it in decades, not centuries.

We have time to take photos with the sign and take in the view. But there’s not a lot of time to dawdle. We still have a 9 hour descent. Before the day is out, we’ll have gone from Crater Camp at 18,769 feet to Uhuru Summit at 19,341 feet and then down to Mweka Camp at 10,448. It’s a long day.

Going down, we pass a lot of people heading up. We pass a couple of people using oxygen tanks. Some climbers look strong; more look like they’re struggling.

We don’t envy them going up that that route. It’s steep and it’s covered in a thick layer of loose scree. Going down, using the natural slide of the scree works to our advantage–a bit like walking down a steep hill with a thick blanket of snow. But walking up, each time your foot slides down a little bit you have to exert that much more energy to make any progress.

We have a few hours heading down through this steep scree. It puts a lot of strain on our knees, and muscles we haven’t really used for almost a week suddenly come into play. As we move out of the scree, the path remains steep and rocky, but at least doesn’t move quite so much underfoot.

We pass through an overcrowded Millenium Camp, with tents perched precariously on top of each other on any available space, and stop for lunch a little below the camp. And then we have several more hours heading downhill. By the time we reach Mweka Camp, just before dark, we’ve passed completely through the heath zone again and are in the upper reaches of the forest zone.

Mt Kilimanjaro Summit Sign with Climbers

Mt Kilimanjaro Summit Hiking

Mt Kilimanjaro Summit Glaciers

Mt Kilimanjaro Summit Starting the Descent

Mt Kilimanjaro Summit Glaciers and Mt Meru

Mt Kilimanjaro Approaching the Summit

Mt Kilimanjaro Summit Ice and Snow and Mt Meru

Mt Kilimanjaro Descent with Glaciers

Mt Kilimanjaro Fog

Mt Kilimanjaro Millenium Camp Fog

Mt Kilimanjaro Guide on Rocky Outcrop

Mt Kilimanjaro Steep Descent

Climbing Kilimanjaro

This is part of a climb diary I put together with photos from each day on the Lemosho Route. You can find the other posts below. I’ve also included some gear tips for climbing Kilimanjaro and some ideas on what to expect from your climb.

  • Lemosho Route / Day 1
  • Lemosho Route / Day 2
  • Lemosho Route / Day 3
  • Lemosho Route / Day 4
  • Lemosho Route / Day 5
  • Lemosho Route / Day 6
  • Lemosho Route / Day 7
  • Lemosho Route / Day 8
  • Tips, Gear Recommendations, and What to Expect When Climbing Kilimanjaro

Where to Next?

  • Mt Kilimanjaro Stars and Camp at Lava Tower
    Climbing Kilimanjaro
  • Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro Footprints in the Dirt
    Lemosho Route / Day 3
  • Mt Kilimanjaro Rainforest
    Lemosho Route / Day 8
  • Mt Kilimanjaro Tents and Stars
    Lemosho Route / Day 4
  • Mt Kilimanjaro Beautiful Sunset Above the Clouds
    Lemosho Route / Day 5
  • Mt Kilimanjaro Crater Camp Ice Glacier
    Lemosho Route / Day 6
  • Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro Tanzania Hikers on Plain with Peak
    Lemosho Route / Day 2
  • Mt Kilimanjaro Lemosho Glades Trailhead Forest Trail
    Lemosho Route / Day 1
  • Mt Kilimanjaro Stars and Camp at Lava Tower
    Climbing Kilimanjaro: Tips, Gear Recommendations, and What to Expect


Travel Advice for Tanzania

You can find the latest U.S. Department of State travel advisories and information for Tanzania (such as entry visa requirements and vaccination requirements) here.

The British and Australian governments offer their own country-specific travel information. You can find the British Government's travel advice for Tanzania here and the Australian Government's here.

Health & Vaccinations

The CDC makes country-specific recommendations for vaccinations and health for travelers. You can find their latest information for Tanzania here.

David Coleman Photography

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between. You can find my main site at havecamerawilltravel.com. Or check out what’s in my go-to travel photography kit. Or get in touch here.


Location:
Country: Tanzania
Coordinates:
      Latitude:
      Longitude:

      # Mount Kilimanjaro Tanzania


About David Coleman

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living.

I’m based in Washington, DC.

You can find my photography gear reviews and tips at havecamerawilltravel.com/photographer.

David Coleman Photography

I take photos. I travel. I write. I do it for a living. Seven continents. Dozens of countries. Up mountains. Under water. And a bunch of places in between. You can find my main site at havecamerawilltravel.com. Or check out what’s in my go-to travel photography kit. Or get in touch here.

Licensing & Prints

Looking for travel stock photos or prints? I might be able to help. You can search my collection here:

If you already have a buyer account with Alamy and would prefer to use that, you can search my images directly here.

Get in Touch

Member

© 2009–2021 David Coleman · Have Camera Will Travel LLC · all rights reserved


Photos by David Coleman. Please contact me for licensing images.
All images are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.


Privacy & Disclosure · Cookie Declaration · Disclaimer · Terms of Service · Copyright · Contact


XML Sitemap