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| Course
overview |
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Kilimanjaro
is is the “Seventh Summit”
of Africa, and the highest free standing
in the world. At nearly 6000m high,
it is a high altitude ascent, though
essentially a non technical one. |
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As
we run expeditions to high altitude
peaks, such as Aconcagua and Mount Elbrus,
we are very aware of the importance
of acclimatisation, and so this itinerary
has been carefully designed in order
to prepare you as well as possible. |
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At
the equator the seasons are different,
and it is key to avoid the rainy seasons
of mid-October to mid-December, and
April to June. During these months there
is often too much snow on the upper
mountain. Our scheduled dates and private
expeditions are all operated outside
the rainy seasons. |
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This
expedition will appeal to those who
really want to explore this region and
who wish to experience the thrill of
high altitude climbing for the first
time. This especially appeals to those
with aspirations of higher peaks such
as Aconcagua or Denali, who are either
working towards ascents of the "Seven
Summits" (the highest peak on each
of the continents), or those who only
have Alpine mountaineering or trekking
experience. |
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We
offer two options for our Kilimanjaro,
either a standard trip from Saturday
to the following Sunday (9 days), or
you have the option of extending the
trip by four days to take in the ascent
of Mount Meru beforehand. |
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Many
companies state that they are 'experts'
in a mountain. We truly are, as every
e-mail you send, or phone call you make
to a course advisor, will be answered
by someone who have actually climbed
the mountain, so can genuinely give
expert advice. |
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Dates
not suit?: For groups of just two
or more, we will run bespoke trips on
any dates outside the rainy seasons
for exactly the same price as the standard
courses. This offers exceptional value
for money for those seeking a more exclusive
experience as a couple or in a small
group of friends. |
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Dates:
these
are listed in the column on the right,
and they show the live availability
from our secure online booking system.
When you book online, you receive immediate
confirmation, your Kilimanjaro trip
dossier, course specific kit list and
invoice. |
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What
route do we use on Kilimanjaro, and why?
Our most popular route on
Kilimanjaro is use the Machame Route for ascent,
and the Mweke Route for descent. There are many
reasons for this, perhaps none greater than the
acclimatisation potential in that you ascend to
around 4000m, then spend three days traversing around
the mountain at this altitude before ascending to
the final camp at 4600m. This means you are very
well acclimatised to move to the top camp just before
the summit day. Clearly this works as we have had
a 95% success rate on the mountain since 2001.
The route also allows an extra day on the mountain
to prepare you, compared to itineraries from many
other operators. We avoid the 'normal' Marangu Route,
often called the "Coca-Cola" Route, as
it gains height every single day, not allowing your
body any time to acclimatise. For the descent the
Mweka Route offers the quickest method of losing
height, which is an essential method of avoiding
potential altitude sickness issues that may affect
people after their summit bid. The route also descends
through some amazing jungle scenary on the way to
the park gate, and it is highly likely that you
will see Blue and Gibbon monkeys swinging through
the trees. |
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| Mount
Meru pre-Kilimanjaro Expedition Itinerary |
| Tue |
Fly
to Kilimanjaro International Airport, where
typically the KLM flight arrives around 19:00.
Transfer to the hotel in Moshi, evening meal,
expedition briefing, and equipment queries.
Night in hotel. |
| Wed |
Drive
2½ hours to park gate and ascend to
Mirikamba Hut 2520m. This trek through the
jungle forests takes c.3 hours. Night in the
dormitory style accommodation in the hut,
or in a tent at the camp. |
| Thu |
Trek
up to the Saddle 3566m on Mount Meru, and
arrive at Saddle Hut after c.4½ hours.
After lunch do an acclimatisation trek to
Little Meru 3820m. Return to the Saddle Hut
for the night in the hut or camp. |
| Fri |
Very
early start to reach Rhino Point 3800m after
c.1 hour, then after c.6 or 7 hours, you reach
the summit 4556m on the crater rim. After
summit celebrations, you descend to Mirikamba
Hut for the night. |
| Sat |
Today
it is an easy walk back to the park gate,
and the return drive to Moshi for the night,
where you meet the other group members, and
start the itinerary below from the Sunday.
Night in Moshi hotel. |
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| Standard
Kilimanjaro Expedition Itinerary |
| Sat |
Fly
to Kilimanjaro International Airport, where
typically the KLM flight arrives around 19:00.
Transfer to the hotel in Moshi, evening meal,
expedition briefing, and equipment queries.
Night in hotel. |
| Sun |
Drive
to Machame gate 1800m, obtain permits, than
trek to Machame camp through rainforests.
Lunch boxes are provided for the trek which
takes c.4 hours. Night in Machame camp 3100m. |
| Mon |
Trek
from Machame camp up to the Shira camp. Trek
involves some easy rough ground, and takes
c.3 hours. Lunch at camp, then a acclimatisation
walk to 4000m. Night in Shira camp 3860m. |
| Tue |
Today
you trek up to the spectacular Lava Tower
at 4600m, then descend into the Barancco valley,
famed for its Giant Lobellea trees. Trek takes
c.6 hours. Night in Barancco camp 3950m. |
| Wed |
First
you start with the long scramble up to the
Karanga plateau. This is easy but exciting
scrambling. Today's trek takes c.3 hours.
Acclimatisation trek up to 4200m. Night in
Karanga camp 3961m. |
| Thu |
Short
hike to the Barafu camp, followed by a hot
lunch, then an acclimatisation trek up to
4900m. Sleep in the afternoon, then early
dinner at around 17:00. Night in the Barafu
camp 4600m. |
| Fri |
Get
up at midnight for summit bid. Most of the
ascent is in the dark, by headlight, and takes
c.6 hours. You normally reach the summit 5895m
for sunrise. Descend to Mweka camp 3100m. |
| Sat |
Final
trek down to Mweka gate, which takes c.3 hours.
From the gate you check out of the park, and
are driven to the hotel in Moshi. In the evening
there's a celebratory meal in the hotel. |
| Sun |
Option
of morning safari (fees apply) before your
airport transfer. The KLM flight usually leaves
in the late afternoon, arriving back in the
UK on Monday around 06:00, so you could go
to work! |
| ITINERARY
NOTES: Where possible we follow the itineraries,
but as mountaineering is always weather and
conditions dependant, we are sometimes forced
to alter the plans. If this is the case, a
suitable different route will be attempted,
and you will be informed at the first suitable
opportunity. Please use this outline course
itinerary as a guide to the style of expedition,
with good conditions, as it will not necessarily
be an exact blueprint for the exact routes
and schedule that you will follow on the expedition. |
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Accommodation &
upgrades
On your first and last night in Tanzania, you are
based in a comfortable hotel in Moshi on a half
board basis (evening meal, bed and breakfast). We
vary the hotels that we use, but we always try to
ensure that you stay in a hotel with a swimming
pool and stay in twin rooms. Airport transfers to
and from either hotel are included in the expedition
price. The two hotel nights are half board, so your
evening meal, bed and breakfast is included.
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I
just wanted to say a big thank you to you,
Evance and the Icicle team for the great
experience we had climbing Mt Kilimanjaro.
The trip could not have gone better, from
the initial help with kit, training and
preparation to how we were looked after
in Tanzania. Evance
was superb and from picking us up at the
airport he always ensured we were well briefed
as to what would be happening each day.
On the mountain Evance and his team were
incredibly professional, keeping a close
eye on us and making sure we were fit for
each day. The camps were always well placed
and the food was excellent considering how
far we were from resupply. The route and
days we spent on the mountain meant we felt
little if any altitude sickness and on the
summit night, when alot of climbers turned
back due to the strong winds, he guided
us safely to the summit perfectly timed
for the sunrise on our fathers 70th birthday.
It capped a perfect week. We would definitely
recommend Icicle in the future to anyone
wanting to climb Kilimanjaro.
Adam,
Michael & Jolyon B , Kilimanjaro
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| Course
Prices |
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Kilimanjaro
Expedition
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7
days guiding, 9 days in total
(Standard Kilimanjaro trip) |
£999
(or £1799 with park fees)
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Kilimanjaro
+ Mt Meru
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11
days guiding, 13 days in total
(Standard Kili trip plus 4
day Mt Meru ascent) |
£1899
(or £2999 with park fees) |
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Secure
online booking system |
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| Standard
Course Inclusions: 1) Kilimanjaro guides
for daily leading, 2) Icicle rep if a mixed scheduled
group (not a bespoke or private group) has ten or
more clients, 3) Pre expedition Info Booklet, 4)
Equipment discount voucher for in UK, 5) All mountain
tent accommodation in Africa on a full board basis,
6) Two nights hotel on a half board basis, 7) Road
transport in Africa to national parks and airport
transfers, 8) All costs for expedition leaders,
local guides and porters, 9) Personal certificate
for all those who reach the summit, 10) We provide
all communal equipment such as tents and cooking
kit (you provide your own clothing, walking boots,
and sleeping bag with mat). |
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| Exclusions:
1) Air travel to & from Kilimanjaro International
airport, 2) Travel insurance, 3) Bar / restaurant
bills & tips, 4) UK and foreign airport taxes,
optional trips, souvenirs and tips, 5) Peak permit
for Kilimanjaro / Meru parks, 6) Optional day safari
on last day, 7) Your personal laundry, telephone
calls, and any purchases in mountain huts / hotels
/ restaurants, 8) Extras before course: personal
activities insurance, & excess baggage charges. |
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| Notes:
This trip has guaranteed departures for group sizes
of 2 people or more. If you are booking alone, please
e-mail to confirm availability and numbers before
booking the trip or flights to Kilimanjaro. If there
is just 1 person looking to travel on a particular
date, we can operate the trip, but the price rises.
Contact us for details. |
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Group
leaders can go for FREE
If nine people
book together, the group organiser (tenth
person) goes for FREE. This offer applies
to either the Kilimanjaro or Kili+Meru trips.
Sounds too good to be true? Well it is as
simple as it sounds, and there is no catch.
You get the £999 (Kilimanjaro) or £1599
(Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru) completely for
free. We only ask that all the booking forms
are sent together, and you can take advantage
of this amazing offer.. |
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Icicle
expedition kit bag for FREE
All those booking
on this trip are entitled to a free Icicle
expedition kit bag. This tough c.65 litre
capacity kit bag is designed for full expedition
usage and is made out of durable fabric, and
features carry straps. It normally retails
at £50. Postage within the UK is included
in the prices. If you live overseas, it's
not a problem at all. We'll let you know the
price for postage. Want a second bag? Order
another, click
here. |
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| Upgrade
options |
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Flights
UK to Kilimanjaro
From £600
(inc. airport taxes) |
Icicle
is fully bonded with ATOL, and so we are able
to offer flights to Kilimanjaro International
Airport. This is served by KLM, and flights
from the UK are via its main hub at Schipol
Airport in Amsterdam. See our ATOL licence,
details. |
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National
Park Fees
Valid for 2019
Kilimanjaro c.£800
Mount Meru c.£300 |
We
do not force clients to have these obligatory
park fees included in the prices, as they
are paid locally in US Dollars, and some clients
may benefit from the exchange rates by opting
to pay these directly at the park gate(s).
Note that we only accept Park Fee upgrades
for trips during the current year, to allow
for price changes by the Tanzanian National
Parks which are made annually. |
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Current
course availability
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| Testimonials |
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| Press
& media |
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| Films
& videos |
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| Photo
gallery |
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| Acclimatisation
on Kili |
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Unlike
some operators, we avoid the infamous four or five
day summit dashes, as this gives you a very low
chance of summiting, and a very high risk of mountain
sickness. |
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As
you can see from the altitude graphic below, our
expeditions spend seven days on the mountain and
four days around 4000m before the summit bid. |
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Our
acclimatisation programme works. We are very aware
of the symptoms and effects of altitude sickness
(AMS), and will be briefed on this. |
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| Climate
change on Kili |
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weather patterns on Kilimanjaro are changing, and the
icefields are shrinking. Generally it is not necessary
to use an ice axe or crampons on the mountain. The typical
weather at present is clear mornings, then an afternoon
cloud build up (often with short shower), then the clouds
break in the evening and over night. This pattern explains
why the day of the summit bid commences at midnight to
take advantage of the clear skies. |
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| Groups
and experience |
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formula is to restrict the group sizes, so that there
are a maximum of 10 clients. The small group sizes enable
us to run specialist ascents, where the group can bond
well, and each expedition member has great access to all
the Icicle staff, local guides and porters. On the summit
day the guiding ratio is one guide per two clients. This
is more intimate than the mass group commercial style
expeditions run by some operators, where the individuals
needs and speeds cannot be catered for. Although
you require no previous mountaineering experience for
this expedition, you are advised to be a competant trekker
who is familiar with up to six hour days with 1300m height
gains. As you will note from the itinerary, this expedition
is quite intensive in order to ensure your acclimatisation.
Upon booking you will be sent an expedition dossier &
training training schedules. |
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| Guides
and porters |
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every two clients on an expedition, we use one local guide
and up to three porters. The porters
carry these tents and the sleeping bags,
as well as the mess / cook tents and food, so you need
not worry about carrying any major loads each day. When
you stay in camps on Kilimanjaro, the tents are high quality
tents designed for altitude use, such as the Mountain
Hardwear Trango series tents. The porters pitch and strike
the tents for you each day. At each camp site on the mountain,
there are basic toilet facilities. We
recommend you carry only a 20 litre bag at most, the size
of a typical day sack for hillwalking in the UK. Evans
is the Icicle head local guide, and he is ably supported
by other guides such as John, McMillan and Rushtal. We
ensure that all the guides and porters are suitable fed
and clothed, and have forged close links with the Kilimanjaro
Porters Assistant Project (KPAP), www.kiliporters.org. |
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| Suggested
reading and kit |
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View
full course equipment list,
with examples of kit, click
here |
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| Any
further questions? |
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A
key part of choosing a company is being able to come and
talk about your plans with an experienced course advisor
face to face. In an increasingly virtual world, we know
our clients value speaking to real people, getting open
and honest advice. The vast majority of our clients are
British, and our office and outdoor store is based in
Windermere in the English Lake District.
 
Get
in contact to arrange a meeting, and come in for a coffee
to discuss your course in person with a trip
advisor. Many people opt for this service,
and it is an integral part of what we offer, as we are
keen to ensure that you are prepared as possible, and
that you select a course that is suitable for you. It
makes it easier and more enjoyable for you and us, if
you are on the right trip. |
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