Trailblazer Guide Books

Practical guidebooks for the more adventurous traveller.
 — The Herald

With a group or on your own?

INDEPENDENT TREKKING NOT AN OPTION
In 1991, the park authorities made it compulsory for all trekkers to arrange their walk through a licensed agency. Furthermore, they insist that all trekkers must be accompanied throughout their walk by a guide supplied by the agency. Even after these laws were introduced, for a while it was still feasible to sneak in without paying, and many were the stories of trekkers who managed to climb Kilimanjaro independently, tales that were often embellished with episodes of encounters with wild animals and even wilder park rangers.
    Fortunately, the authorities have tightened up security and clamped down on non-payees, so these tedious tales are now few in number. Don’t try to climb Kilimanjaro without a guide or without paying the proper fees. It’s very unlikely you’ll succeed and all you’re doing is freeloading – indeed, stealing isn’t too strong a word – from one of the poorest countries in the world. Yes, climbing Kilimanjaro is expensive. But the costs of maintaining a mountain that big are high. Besides, whatever price you pay, trust us, it’s worth it.

WITH FRIENDS . . .

It’s Kili time! Time to kick back, relax and take it easy with your friends.
Printed on the labels of Kilimanjaro Beer

So you have decided to climb Kilimanjaro, and have thus taken the first step on the path that leads from the comfort and safety of your favourite armchair to the untamed glory of the Roof of Africa. The second step on this path is to consider with whom you wish to go.
    This may not be as straightforward as it sounds, because Kilimanjaro breaks friendships as easily as it breaks records. The tribulations suffered by those who dare to pit themselves against the mountain wear down the most even of temperaments, and relationships are often the first to suffer. Idiosyncrasies in your friend’s behaviour that you previously thought endearing now simply become irritating, while the most trivial of differences between you and your chum could lead to the termination of a friendship that, before you’d both ventured onto its slopes, you thought was as steadfast and enduring as the mountain itself. Different levels of stamina,different levels of desire to reach the top, different attitudes towards the porters and guides, even differences in your musical tastes or the colour of your socks: on Kilimanjaro these things, for some reason, suddenly matter.
    Then there’s the farting. It is a well-known fact that the regular breaking of wind is a sure sign that you are acclimatizing satisfactorily (for more about acclimatization, see pp222-30); while the onset of a crushing headache, combined with loss of sleep and a consequent loss of humour, are all classic symptoms suffered by those struggling to adapt to the rarified atmosphere. Problems occur, of course, when two friends acclimatize at different rates: ie, the vociferous and joyful flatulence of Friend A is simply not appreciated by Friend B, who has a bad headache, insomnia and an ill-temper. Put the two parties together in a remote, confined space, such as that provided by a two-man tent on the slopes of a cold and lonely mountain, and you have an explosive cocktail that can blow apart even the strongest of friendships.

It rained terrible all night, and we put most of the Wachaga porters in our tent. It was rather distressing to the olfactory nerves ... At 4am a leopard visited us but did not fancy our scent.
Peter MacQueen, In Wildest Africa (an account of an expedition of 1907, published in 1910)

Of course, the above is just one possible scenario. It may be that both of you adapt equally well/badly to the new conditions and can draw pleasure/comfort from each other accordingly. People from Northern Europe seem particularly good at making the best of the windy conditions: while researching the first edition of this book we encountered a party of four Germans holding a farting competition, and one particularly talented Dutch pair who even managed a quick game of Name that Tune. (It probably won’t surprise you to know that all but one of the participants in these events was male.)
    And there are plenty of advantages in going with a friend too. There’s the companionship for a start. It’s also cheaper, because you’ll probably be sharing rooms, which always cuts the cost, and if you are planning on booking your climb after you’ve arrived in Tanzania your bargaining position is so much stronger if there are two of you. Having a companion also cuts the workload, enabling, for example, one to run off and find a room while the other looks after the luggage. It also saves your being paired with someone you don’t know when you book with an agency; someone who may snore or blow off more violently than your friend ever would. And, finally, if you do both make it to the top, it’s good to know there will be somebody to testify to your achievements upon your return.
    Climbing Kili with a companion has its problems, but there’s no doubting the extra pleasure that can be gained as well. As the graffiti on the walls of the Kibo Huts tells us: ‘What does not break us makes us stronger’. If you are planning on travelling with a friend this, perhaps, should be your motto for the trek.

 . . . OR ON YOUR OWN?

Those without friends, or at least without friends willing to climb a mountain with them, should not worry. For one thing, you’ll never truly be on your own, simply because the park authorities forbid you from climbing without a guide (see p17) and you’ll probably need at least one other crew member to act as porter/cook. Furthermore, planning to go on your own means you can arrange the trek that you want; you choose the trail to follow, the time to go and for how long; the pace of the walk, the number of rest-stops, when to go to bed – these are all your decisions, and yours alone. You are the boss; you have nobody else’s feelings to consider but your own.
    If you want to join up with others, for companionship or simply to make the trek cheaper, that’s not a problem (after all, a private trek for one person is always the most expensive option). You can book your trek in your home country with a tour operator (they nearly always insist on a minimum number of participants before the trek goes ahead); or you can book in Tanzania and ask to be put with other trekkers (which will often happen anyway, unless you specifically say otherwise). And even if it does transpire that you are walking alone, you can always meet other trekkers at the campsite in the evening if you so desire.
    Trekking by yourself is fun and not the lonely experience many imagine; unless, of course, you enjoy the bliss of solitude and want to be alone. That’s the beauty of walking solo: everything is up to you.

Budgeting

The most significant cost of your holiday, unless you opt for a few days at one of Tanzania’s top-of-the-range safari lodges (US$3000+ per night is the highest – and most ridiculous – rate I’ve heard for a night’s accommodation, though there are probably other, even higher ones), is the walk itself. Set aside US$900-plus for the absolute cheapest budget trek (though double this is usual), more if you plan on taking more than the minimum – and not recommended – five days, or if you’re ascending by the Lemosho/Shira or Rongai routes (which both have higher transport charges). You will also need to plan to spend more on your trek if you insist on walking without other trekkers. Once on the mountain, however, you won’t need to pay for anything else throughout the trek (save, of course, for tips for the crew at the end – see p42-3), especially as the rangers at the huts and campsites along the way are no longer allowed to sell drinks and snacks.
    Away from the mountain and the other national parks, by far the most expensive place in Tanzania is Zanzibar. Elsewhere, you’ll find transport, food and accommodation, the big three day-to-day expenses of the traveller’s life, are pretty cheap in Tanzania and particularly in Moshi and Arusha – it’s just unfortunate that Zanzibar and the national parks are pretty much all most visitors want to see of the country!

ACCOMMODATION

Basic tourist accommodation starts at around £5/US$7.50. You can get cheaper, non-tourist accommodation, though this is often both sleazy and unhygienic and should be considered only as a last resort. We have not reviewed these cheap hotels in the book. At the other end of the spectrum, there are hotel rooms and luxury safari camps going for anything up to US$3000 or more per night in the high season.

FOOD

Food can be dirt cheap if you stick to the street sellers who ply their wares at all hours of the day – though dirt is often what you get on the food itself too, with hygiene standards not always the highest. Still, even in a clean and decent low-budget restaurant the bill should still be only around £5/US$8 and in a local place it can be as little as a dollar.

TRANSPORT

Public transport is cheap in Tanzania, though it could be said you get what you pay for: dilapidated buses, potholed roads, inadequate seating and narcoleptic drivers do not a pleasant journey make, but this is the reality of public transport, Tanzanian style. Then again, at around one dollar per hour for local buses and Coasters (the local minibuses that ply the route between Arusha and Moshi; see p184), it seems churlish to complain. That said, given the appalling number of accidents on Tanzanian roads (they say that after malaria and AIDS, road accidents are the biggest killer in the country), if your budget can stretch to it do consider spending it on transport: extra safety and comfort are available on the luxury buses, and at only a slightly higher price.

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