Kilimanjaro

Climb Kilimanjaro (Optional Safari and/or WFR / WEMS Upgrade Course)

 

Reach the peak of Africa and one of the Seven Summits!

 

Do you have dreams of climbing high mountains? Kilimanjaro, at 19,340 feet, is a great place to nurture your mountaineering goals. Besides being one of the “Seven Summits” it is also the tallest free standing mountain in the world. It rises starkly out of the African landscape and is capped by a drapery of rapidly disappearing snow and ice. Along it’s shoulder are multiple ecosystems.   

Acadia Mountain Guides is excited to add Kilimanjaro to it's program of offerings. Although the ascent is non-technical it requires the skill and experience of high mountain guides to improve the chances of a successful ascent and descent. We have chosen to ascend the the Rongai route and to descend the Marangu Route as for a variety of reasons:

  • The Rongai is the only route on the north side. By ascending it and descending the Marangu you will see both sides of the mountain and not repeat your footsteps.
  • It ascends through multiple ecosystems through farmland, pine forest, heath and finally a barren moonscape capped with snow.
  • Rongai is also one of the routes where wildlife may still be seen. The Mawenzi camp is one of the most scenic on the mountain.
  • It typically has less traffic than routes on the south side of the mountain.
  • It is a more gradual ascent than other routes and has less strenuous and shorter days than other routes allowing for good acclimatization.
  • The camps are well spaced and the day before summit day is short making for a good pre-summit rest.
  • Being on the north it is generally drier meaning less likelihood of getting wet if it rains.


We take an extra day to either cover medical skills or to simply relax at the Mawenzi camp thus improving our chances of a successful summit.

This high altitude trekking expedition also includes an optional Wilderness First Responder / WEMS Upgrade for those interested in wilderness medicine or medical continuing education. The course will be entirely field based and taught during the mountaineering expedition.

As a company we are required by the Tanzanian government to hire local guides and staff. Many of them have limited skills in client care, expeditioning, medicine or climbing. We have chosen to work with local guide Charles Godson Mbaga (Ally), who we met while on an earlier trip to Kilimanjaro. Ally, along with his team of chefs and porters who cook and carry your gear, is not only super friendly and engaging but has demonstrated a high degree of competence to us.

In addition, and unlike many companies, AMG also provides a U.S. based guide to accompany the trip to further insure a high quality experience with nutritious meals, exceptional expedition leadership, and medical care if needed.  While this adds to the cost of the trip, it creates a unique blend of talent to insure a professional experience and increase your chances of a successful summit.

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Date & Location

September 30 – Oct 13 – Trek with wilderness medical course and 3 day safari.

September 30 – Oct 10 – Trek with wilderness medical course.

September 30 – Oct 10 – Trek only.

 



Tuition

$7000.00

 

$5000.00


$4700.00

 

 

 

The goods in the woods!
Champ de Mar glades.
Hogsback

Specific Info

General Info

Any with a passion for high mountain landscape who is in excellent shape and would like to be part of an expedition. Climbing Kilimanjaro, while physically and mentally challenging, is not a technical ascent. 

Sample Outline:

Day 1 – 2 – Leave country of origin. Travel often takes over 20 hours from the U.S. to reach Kilimanjaro International Airport, Tanzania (JRO). Try to arrive in the late afternoon / evening of day 2. Meet guide for transport to Usa River or Arusha. Dinner (D)

Day 3 –  A flight recovery day and chance to orient and organize. After grabbing breakfast and meeting everyone we will have and orientation and gear check. In the afternoon enjoy a little free time or begin you wilderness medicine learning. Breakfast (B), Lunch (L) and Dinner (D)

Day 4: Rongai gate (1996m) and hike to Simba camp (2626m), appx 6.5 km and about 4 hours hiking time.  

Load up and travel to the Rongai park gate for registration. Begin the trek through the countryside amid pine forest and corn fields. Occasionally pass a local residence. After a few hours, reach Simba Camp where we will relax in camp prepared in advance by our porters. (B, L, D)  

Day 5: Hike from Simba camp (2626m) to Kikelewa Camp (3679m)

One of our longer hiking days with about 6 hours and 12km of trail travel through moorland. Along the way we will pass the First Caves then reach the caves at Kikelewa Camp. (B, L, D)  

Day 6: Kikelewa Cave Camp (3679m) – Mawenzi Tarn camp (4303m)

Wake up freshly charged for 3 hour climb (4k) to Mawenzi Tarn. Transition to above tree line with stellar views of Mawenzi Peak and Kilimanjaro. (B, L, D)  

Day 7: Light exploration and relaxation around Mawenzi. Taking an extra day here is much nicer than at Kibo camp and sets us well with regard to acclimating. (B, L, D)  

Day 8: Mawenzi Tarn camp (4303m) to Kibo Huts (4730m)

Arrive at high camp mid day. Settle in among the crowd to rest for the upcoming summit bid. (B, L, D)  

Day 9: Kibo Huts (4730m) to summit of Uhuru Peak of Kilimanjaro (5895m)

Starting in the wee hours of morning we scramble up rock and scree passing Han Meyer Cave enroute to Gilman’s Point on the crater rim (5681m). From here traverse along the often snow laden crater rim to the top of Africa. Cheer, celebrate, hug and take many pics. After a rest back at Kibo Camp we will continue our descent down the Marangu route to Horombo Camp. Estimated time to the summit is around 8 hours. (B, L, D)  

Day 10: Horombo Huts (3705m) – Marangu Gate (1860m), return to Arusha.

Several hours of steady, but gentle downhill hiking gets us 20km back to the Marangu gate. Here you will get your summit certificate before shuttling back th Arusha for dinner and rest. (B, L, D)  

Day 11
Those not continuing on the Safari depart for airport. The rest of us travel to the Ngorongori Crater to observe an abundance of wildlife. You may see zebras, cheetahs, elephants, wildebeests, and lions. (B, L, D)  

Day 12: Visit the Serengeti. (B, L, D)  

Day 13: Finish safari and return to Arusha for flights out. (B, L)  

  • Personal care during an expedition
  • Navigation skills
  • Camping skills
  • Equipment preparation and care

Participants taking the wilderness medicine component will be exposed to a wide array of topics including:

  • Management of a backcountry accident
  • Patient assessment
  • Identification and management of critical system injuries such as shock, respiratory failure, and brain failure.
  • Recognition and treatment of stable vs. unstable orthopedic injuries
  • Determining a spinal injury and spine care
  • Backcountry wound care and object removal
  • Prevention, recognition and care of environmental injuries such as hypothermia, heat injury, frostbite, drowning, lightning.
  • Prevention, recognition and care of common ailments such as UTI; blisters; eyes, ears, mouth and nose problems; abdominal distress, etc.
  • Treatment of allergic reaction
  • High altitude medical problems, recognition and treatment.
  • Basic life support
  • Moving and evacuating an injured patient

Motivated skier or rider who can ski or ride ♦ trails with reasonable control at major New England resorts. 

Please try to meet in late afternoon at our hut (called La Bruant). The huts are located just a couple minutes up the road from the Gite du Mont-Albert hotel. There is a large parking area with telephone booths. Google maps should get you to the Gite. Approximate travel time from Burlington, VT – 9hrs, Boston, MA – 10.5 hrs, Bangor, ME – 8 hrs.

Personal Equipment 

Any gear you may need can be purchased ahead of the course from our gear store – Alpenglow Adventure Sports – where you get a 25% off purchases made prior to the course and up to a week later as well as 15% discount off MSRP for life!!!  Purchases may be made in-store or online. Gear purchased in advance of course can often be brought to you on the course. Alpenglow will also price match any in stock inventory if you find a better deal on the web for the same item. Simply send a link when you are ready to order to shop@alpenglowgear.com.

It is about 100yds to the hut from parking area. Please try to pack things in a pack or tote that can be easily carried or dragged on the snow.

Travel

  • Passport

Ski Clothing

  • soft shell
  • soft shell pants
  • 1 R1 top or similar mid weight base layer
  • 1 light top or similar baselayer
  • Base layers
  • 2 prs of ski socks
  • Heavy gloves
  • light gloves (soft shell, windstopper)
  • Ski hat/helmet
  • Down coat/puffy/insulation layer
  • Goggles
  • Sunglasses
  • Balaclava

Lunch Food, Snacks and Drinks (as desired)

  • cliff bars/energy bars
  • jerky
  • Mixed nuts (put into 5 baggies)
  • Chocolate
  • Hot chocolate/tea/coffee/etc

 In the Hut

  • 30 degree sleeping bag or sheet/blankets, pillow
  • Hut shoes or slippers to hang out in the hut
  • A boot or overboot to walk to the bathrooms / down bootie.
  • pants
  • Shirt
  • Shorts
  • T shirt
  • Socks
  • Personal Items – Towel, Toothbrush, etc.
  • Canadian quarters for shower
  • Plate, Cup, Utensils

In the field

  • Skis, poles, boots or splitboard
  • Probe, transceiver, shovel if you have or we supply
  • Ski crampons (nice to have)
  • Skin wax glob stopper
  • Skins
  • Ski pack (30 L or bigger)
  • Thermos
  • Compass with baseplate
  • Sunscreen / lip balm

Pre-trip Preparation and Resources

On line learning: AIARE offers an online learning component is great for getting an understanding of avalanche terrain, avalanche problems and how to recognize suspect areas.  We strongly suggest looking at this in advance. Plan about 2 – 4 hours to work on the online content ahead of the class.

Recommended texts: You will receive a hardcopy of the AIARE Level 1 manual at the course.

Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain, 3rd Edition. Bruce Tremper
This edition features a wholly new chapter in which Bruce pulls all the pieces together to create an organized, step-by-step system for making decisions off, and on, the mountain.

Avalanche Essentials : A Step-by-Step System For Safety & Survival, Bruce Tremper
This is the companion to Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain the bestselling avalanche text in the U.S – with easy-to-understand safety tips and checklists to help anyone stay safer in avalanche terrain. It is a small, take-along resource to reference in the field and assist decision making. Winter athletes don’t necessarily want to be snow scientists, but playing in avalanche country does require basic knowledge of the risks in order to stay safe.

Be sure to check out the Avalanche forecast for Chic Chocs

Tour Planning: we will be doing some sample tour planning during the course. It is helpful if you are able to bring a laptop computer. We suggest downloading the following programs and apps which are useful for digital mapping:

To your laptop: Caltopo
To your smartphone: Avensa, Caltopo, Gaia and Windy apps.

Getting There:
Please try to meet in late afternoon at our hut (called La Bruant). The huts are located just a couple minutes up the road from the Gite du Mont-Albert hotel. There is a large parking area with telephone booths. Google maps should get you to the Gite. Approximate travel time from Burlington, VT – 9hrs, Boston, MA – 10.5 hrs, Bangor, ME – 8 hrs.

Includes lodging along with breakfast and dinner.

Hut Information:

·       Huts sleep 8 people in bunks with mattresses

·       Huts are heated by wood stove, wood & kindling are provided.  Overall we find the huts are warm. 

·       Huts have electricity/lights.

·       Bathrooms are 50 yards from the huts.

·       Huts have showers available in the bathrooms. $1 or so gets a fine shower. Bring lots of Canadian quarters.

·       Gear drying is accomplished in elevated racks that work on a pulley system.

Food Information:

·       Breakfasts & dinners will be in the huts.

·       Student are responsible for lunches (eaten in the field) & beverages (coffee, Gatorade, evening alcohol if you desire)

·       Food list will be provided separately prior to the trip – we will eat well!

·       Please let us know if you have any food allergies or requests. We will do our best to accommodate various food requests and preferences.

Staying Connected:
Cell service has not been available in the past while in the heart of the Chic Chocs. In the evening we allow time to head down to the Gite de Mont Albert where free WIFI is available along with an evening drink or snack if you desire. The Gite is about a 5 minute drive from our hut.

Enjoying the outdoors necessitates a certain degree of risk-taking. You are participating in this trip and entering the winter backcountry environment at your own risk.  You are choosing to engage in an activity in which participants have been injured and killed. While such accidents are rare, they may occur at any time and be out of our control. Our guides draw upon solid guide education coupled with extensive experience to manage significant hazards inherent to mountain travel.  Some of the hazards that can lead to injury or death associated with this trip include but are not limited to extreme weather, demanding physical travel, avalanche, wild animal attacks, vehicle transportation and falls while climbing. Please be sure that you are fully aware of such risks. It is our goal to interpret the environmental, situational and group variables and to make educated decisions to minimize dangers to you while at the same time providing an enjoyable and memorable experience.

Ultimately, it is your responsibility to minimize various hazards through the application of good judgment gained from a foundation of education and experience.

Self-reliance in the face of adversity is expected on the part of the wilderness traveler entering the wilderness. Rescue is not automatic. For all practical purposes, our party is alone and must depend upon our own resources for self-rescue and be equipped for an extended emergency. Cellular phones and radios should not be relied upon in an emergency.  

Finally, this is a group trip and good expedition behavior is critical. Participants are asked to stay with the group until everyone has safely exited the backcountry.

A 50% deposit is required for registration. Balance due three weeks (21 days) before the beginning of program.

Cancellation:
When you book a course with Acadia Mountain Guides you are agreeing to our cancellation policy. Please realize that if your travel does not go according to plan in any way and for any reason, we are unable to provide credits or refunds outside of what is described below. We strongly recommend that you purchase trip insurance to protect your activity purchase against unforeseeable circumstances which include but are not limited to:

  • Anticipation of Inclement Weather
  • Flight and Travel Delays and Conditions
  • Personal or work schedule changes
  • Injury or illness of self or family member
If you cancel more than 21 days in advance you may put the deposit toward a future course or receive a refund of 50% of your deposit. Cancellations made within twenty-one (21) days of program forfeit full tuition rate. Alternatively, if you find a replacement you will receive a 100% refund. A full refund will be given if Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School must cancel the course.

Inclement weather is to be expected at this time of year. Snow is what we want. Please adjust your travel plans to accomodate weather and travel conditions

Tipping is never expected but always greatly appreciated. Like many in service industries, instructors and guides supplement their income with tips generated from satisfied clients.

There are several potential summits we can reach and areas we could potentially travel in. We will make every reasonable effort to reach desired summits and provide great lines of descent, however, extreme weather, avalanche conditions, inadequate personal fitness, difficult terrain, or park weather / travel closures may make it impossible to achieve our desired summit or descent objectives.

 

A minimum of four (4) participants are needed to run this program and there is a maximum of seven (7). The decision to run the program will be made at three weeks prior to the start date. In the case of low registration, you will have the options of joining another trip, receiving a refund or possibly paying an additional amount to allow the trip to run with low numbers.

Are you part of a college organization, ski club, etc.? We are happy to schedule a customized course for organizations, small groups, and individuals through New England and Eastern Canada. Of course, if you would like to schedule a course or trip in Iceland, Colorado, or Japan, etc. we would be very pleased to work with you.

Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School is certified through the
American Mountain Guide Association and the Professional Climbing
Instructor Association. Acadia Mountain Guides actively supports
furthering their guide’s development throughout their career. That means
our guides are constantly taking steps to progress their skills and
will provide you with an exceptional experience. AMG is also a proponent
of helping clients reach their goals, whether its having an epic day in
the mountains or gaining skills to get into other terrain, Acadia
Mountain Guides Climbing School can get you there!

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A History of
Leading the way…

Acadia Mountain Guides Climbing School is the preeminent frontrunner in climbing instruction and guiding in Acadia and across Maine. Since 1994 we have specialized in designing customized experiences or training for you, your family, your group or company.

AMGA ACCREDITED

• Since 1994 •

AMGCS is one of 32 AMGA accredited programs in the US and was one of the earliest to pursue and achieve accreditation. AMGCS is the only climbing school in Maine to remain continuously AMGA accredited. We have had one or more full time AMGA rock guides on staff each year since 1994.

 
IFMGA Led
 
Owned by internationally recognized IFMGA/AMGA Mountain Guide Jon Tierney who has been climbing in Acadia since 1982. Jon has over 30 years of local and worldwide experience. The IFMGA requires full AMGA certification as a rock, alpine and ski mountaineering guide.
 

All instructors are certified as AMGA or PCIA Single Pitch Instructors and all guides have been trained or certified by the AMGA.

PCIA Accredited

• Since 2007 •

AMGCS has the distinction of also being accredited to the highest standards of the Professional Climbing Instructors Association. The PCIA requires all staff to be individually trained and certified.

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