Planning

High on Africa  is not the kind of expedition which one approaches in isolation. There is always something about which someone else knows a little more than you do. This is true for almost every aspect of the expedition, from hiking and climbing in cold conditions to the smaller details of getting the information onto the Internet from the middle of Africa. It seems as if putting this expedition together has harnessed an incredible pool of talent just waiting for this kind of impetus. We've been fortunate in that almost every person we've introduced High on Africa to, has grasped its attraction and has joined in the planning with great excitement.

There are a multitude of different categories to plan for on such an adventure. Just take the actual physical action. First, there is a 5 896m trekking peak to start off with. Mt. Kilimanjaro takes one through several different climatic conditions, starting off in tropical rainforest and topping out in a glacial wonderland at minus 29 degrees C at times. The clothing required at the summit gets rather specialised and one needs to take the necessary precautions against not only the cold, but also the altitude. At 5 896m, Kilimanjaro's summit definitely falls into the category of "Don't take Lightly !"

Then comes the second phase of the expedition, that of scaling Mt. Kenya at 17 058 ft. This is the second highest mountain in Africa, but an entirely different kettle of fish. Whereas on Mt. Kilimanjaro you are simply required to hike hard for the prize of the summit, Mt. Kenya demands a little more respect in that the last two peaks of Nelion and Batian require some technical climbing skills as well.

Lastly, and possibly as exciting for us, is actually producing the expedition from our location and bringing it to you on the Internet. We're not professional cameramen and journalists, but our passion for the adventure has brought us to the point where we can bring you the two highest mountains in Africa in the comfort of your home or office. The hard work (we'd like to look at it as fun) will be done by us and we'd like you to enjoy every minute of it. Of course you are most welcome to join us in person next time!

Our planned route is as follows :

24/07/99    Depart from Johannesburg International airport for Kilimanjaro International.
25/07/99    Start on day 1 of the Machame route, Kilimanjaro. Overnight at Machame camp.
26/07/99    Day 2 on Machame, overnight at Shira camp
27/07/99    Day 3 on Machame, overnight at Barranco camp
28/07/99    Day 4 on Machame, overnight at Barafu camp. (Midnight bid for the summit)
29/07/99    After reaching the summit, descend to Mweka camp, day 5 on Machame
30/07/99    Descend from Mweka camp to Mweka park gate and then back to the hotel.
31/07/99    Drive through to Nairobi after saying goodbye to friends and clients on Kili
01/08/99    Depart Nairobi for the park gate at Chogoria and start climb.
02/08/99    Ascending via the Chogoria route, we camp at various locations until reaching Pt.                       Lenana on 05/08/99. This is partly made possible by our acclimatisation on Kili.
06/08/99    Start out for Point Nelion
07/08/99    Attempt Point Batian and with luck, descend again same day.
08/08/99    Descend further via the Naro Moru route.
09/08/99    From the park gate, we depart for Amboseli National Park.
10/08/99    Amboseli National Park and then back to Tanzania.
11/08/99    Depart from Kilimanjaro International back to South Africa with hopefully a                       successful High On Africa expedition behind us.

We'd like to measure our success by not only achieving the two highest mountains in Africa in two weeks, but also in our success at providing you with the excitement we experience from thousands of miles away. Safari On-line aims to achieve that and we would like your thoughts on the expedition and perhaps a next destination which you'd like to see us at.

You can e-mail us on adventure@tribesafari.com for support, questions or simply sharing a piece of your mind, provided it's about adventure!

Satellite communication courtesy of Station Africa Telecomms