As I keep talking about my Climb2Remember challenge, I realised that most people won’t even know what the Climb2Remember is or entails. This is a Climb to Kilimanjaro and it will run over 2 weeks. I will be doing the trek to the summit and back over 7 days and the adventure is run via Inspired adventures with the beneficiary being Alzheimer’s Australia NSW.
Here is my itinerary so you know exactly what’s involved:
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14 September: Day 1 Depart Australia (Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne)
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15 September: Day 2 / Marangu
On arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport, you will be met and transferred to Hotel Nakara in Marangu, approx 85km from Kilimanjaro airport. The rest of the day is at your leisure. Please note this is an arrival day. In the evening there will be a briefing on the trek. You will be able to leave your normal travelling bag and any excess luggage at Hotel Nakara to be collected upon your return.
Meals included: none
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16 September: Day 3 / Simba Camp
After breakfast at your hotel you will meet up with your porters and guides and transfer to Rongai Gate where you will complete registration procedures. The climb begins from the village of Nale Moru at around 1950 metres. Today’s walk is about three to four hours, beginning on a small path that winds its way through fields of maize and potatoes before entering pine forest. A gradual ascent through attractive forest brings us to the edge of the moorland zone at around 2600 metres. Extensive views over the Kenyan plains will be a highlight of today’s camp. Note that it can be wet in the rainforest. The night is spent camping at Simba Camp. Meals included:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Image found here
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17 September: Day 4 / Kikelewa Camp After breakfast, you will set off at around 8am to head up to the Kikelewa Caves. Today your walking time will be about six to seven hours. From your overnight campsite a steady ascent is made up to ‘Second Cave’ at 3450 metres. Here you are rewarded with superb views of Kibo and the Eastern icefields of the crater rim. Leaving the main trail after lunch we travel across the moorland on smaller paths towards the jagged
Mawenzi peaks. Tonight we camp near Kikelewa Caves at 3800 metres. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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18 September: Day 5 / Mawenzi Tarn
Today’s walk is a shorter one at three to four hours but involves some steeper sections. After leaving camp, a short but steep climb up grassy slopes is rewarded by a real sense of wilderness and stunning all-round views. The vegetation zone is left behind shortly before we reach our next campsite at Mawenzi Tarn at around 4330 metres. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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19 September: Day 6 / Mawenzi Tarn
Today will be spent acclimatising to maximise your summit success chances. Acclimatisation walks will be planned with plenty of rest. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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20 September: Day 7 / Kibo Camp
Today we will walk for four to five hours as we cross the lunar desert of the ‘Saddle’ between Mawenzi and Kibo. Our camp tonight is at Kibo Camp at about 4730 metres. This campsite is spectacularly located at the bottom of the Kibo crater wall. The remainder of the day is spent resting in final preparation for tomorrow’s summit ascent. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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21 September: Day 8 / Summit and Horombo Camp Every year on 21 September, World Alzheimer’s Day unites people living with dementia around the world. There are more than 36 million people with dementia worldwide and by conquering the world’s highest free-standing mountain on World’s Alzheimer’s Day, you will be helping to fight to make sure that dementia is recognised as a global health priority.
Today will be a big day, and a climb to remember as we challenge ourselves with 11-15 hours of walking! We will start the final and by far the steepest, most demanding, part of the climb by torchlight at around 1am. We walk very slowly in the darkness on a switchback trail through loose volcanic scree to reach the crater rim at Gillman’s Point at 5685 metres. We will rest there for
a short time to enjoy the spectacular sunrise over Mawenzi. Those who are still feeling strong can make the three hour round trip to Uhuru Peak at 5895 metres, passing close to the spectacular glaciers and ice cliffs that still occupy most of the summit area.
The descent to Kibo, at 4700 metres, is surprisingly fast and, after some rest, we continue the descent to reach our final campsite at Horombo at 3720 metres. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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22 September: Day 9 / Nakara
A final day of five to seven hours walking precedes a well earned rest at Hotel Nakara in Marangu. A steady descent takes us down through the moorland to Mandara Hut at 2700 metres. The descent continues through lovely lush forest on a good path to the National Park gate at Marangu at 1700 metres where you will be met by the vehicle and transferred back to the hotel. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
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23 September: Day 10 / Arusha
Today you will be transferred by a private 25 seater coaster van from hotel Nakara to the Arusha Hotel. The rest of the day will be a free day to rest and recover from the climb. Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
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24 September: Day 11 / Departure Day
Today you will be transferred from the Arusha Hotel to Kilimanjaro airport by private coaster van for your flight to Australia. Meals included: Breakfast
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25 September: Day 12
Travelling via Nairobi and Bangkok back to Australia.
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26 September: Day 13
Welcome home!
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So that’s quite an adventure right!! I’m looking forward to it, but also reading this makes me a bit nervous as there is still a lot of preparation I need to do. Going to get my walking boots on now!!
I will be taking on my biggest Adventure yet, Climbing Kilimanjaro for Alzheimer’s Australia NSW! I will Climb Kilimanjaro in honour of my Grandpa who passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2008. I was in Africa when I found out and I said at the time I would one day do this for him, in his memory! We are raising money for Alzheimer’s Australia NSW to raise awareness and the necessary funds for prevention of the disease that affects so many. Dementia is the third leading cause of death in Australia, after heart disease and stroke. We must prevent and find a cure as it’s not a normal part of aging, and does affect 100,000’s of Australians.
Help me reach my $10.000 target by donating to my online fundraising page:
http://my.artezpacific.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=357503&Lang=en-CA
Lovelly Travels 
