Suffolk Schools Kilimanjaro Challenge 2011

Every school in Suffolk has been invited to be part of the Suffolk Schools Fundraising Challenge 2011.
This page is for all those game, willing and brave possible contenders who are considering rising to the challenge on behalf of their local school.
Welcome, read on, take heart - you CAN do it!! 

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Climb Kilimanjaro and raise funds for your local school

The challenge: Reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro (5895m).

The cause: Your local school / college / nursery.

The difficulty: It's tough, but not impossible.

The dates:
Easter climb -     9th to 18th April 2011
Summer climb - 25th July to 3rd August 2011
The above dates are for Suffolk schools open challenge (ie climbers raising money for any Suffolk school can join).
Some schools have dedicated dates: Dates will be written here once set.

The cost: £1575 pp for the climb, plus about £800 for the flights. Plus sponsorship money.
(NOTE: Flights are subject to availability and prices vary depending on dates too).  If you prefer to get your own flights, please consult with us first so that we can advise you of the best routing and so that you don't miss the first day.

Safari or beach extension: 3 night extensions, or tailor made extensions also available. See below.

Sponsorship:   Each school can set its minimum preferred sponsorship level. £1000 would be a great goal!

Download:          Suffolk Schools Fundraising Challenge 2011 information pack (pdf)
                           Booking form (pdf)
                           Booking conditions (pdf)
                           Tips on raising sponsorship (pdf)
                           Sponsorship Form (pdf)
                           Insurance information

 

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About Mount Kilimanjaro The Machame Route             Your itinerary Costs Add-on beach or safari Informative slideshow evening

How to Book Raising sponsorship Getting fit The Tribes Foundation Contact us

 

Mount Kilimanjaro

The origin of the mountain’s name is unclear, but it is thought to derive from the Swahili word Kilima, meaning little mountain, presumably ironically. Njaro is similar for the Chagga word for caravan, and indeed the mountain was an important landmark for trading caravans over the years.

Situated south of the equator, this is Africa’s highest mountain and the highest freestanding mountain in the world. It is a Biosphere reserve and a World Heritage Site too. It was first summited in 1889. Huge permanent glaciers flow down from the summit, and spectacular views and beautiful ice formations are the reward for the successful trekker, as well as the satisfaction of conquering this mighty peak. However this is not for the fainthearted, as the mountain will test you to your limits, mentally as well as physically.

Kilimanjaro has three main volcanic peaks, Kibo (the highest and youngest, and classed as dormant), Mawenzi, and Shira (both extinct). In between Kibo and Mawenzi is the ‘Saddle’ - a flat area of high altitude tundra.

Some of the main points on Kibo that you’ll become aware of are: Gillman’s Point (5690m), Stella Point (5795m), and Uhuru Peak which is the highest part of the southern crater rim. Uhuru is at 5895m and this is the aim for most people when talking of summiting the mountain.

 

The Machame Route

This is one of the most beautiful routes by which to ascend the Kilimanjaro. It has a number of other good points too, such as the fact that it is out of the prevailing winds due to being mostly on the south side of the mountain (the winds hit the north - ie Rongai route, and also whips across the Saddle). It offers a good chance to acclimatise due to the ups and downs of the landscape here, and this means it is a route which has a generally high success rate - certainly with Tribes anyway! It is also a relatively short transfer to get from Moshi to the Machame gate. All good reasons for climbing via this route!

 

Your itinerary

We will endeavour to stick to the itinerary shown below and provide all services described, but we reserve the right to alter anything should circumstances dictate this to be necessary.

Day 1: Depart from the UK for Kilimanjaro airport.

Day 2: Arrive in Kilimanjaro and transfer to Moshi. The hotel is walking distance from the centre of town where you will find a few restaurants and shops. There is a good and inexpensive restaurant, a bar and a pool at the hotel. Relax after your flight and prepare for the climb.
In the afternoon or evening you will have a climb briefing. Get a good night's sleep!

Day 3: Set off to Machame Hut. After breakfast you will be driven to Park Gate (approx one hour) where you will meet your guide and porters. The guide has an amount of paperwork to do at the gate, as well as organising the porters.  A five or six hour walk through the spectacular forest will bring you to Machame Hut at 3000m.
Camp will be set up by the porters and your meals will be prepared by the guide. Eat well - at higher levels your appetite will diminish.  

Day 4: Ascend to Shira Hut, 3800m. A short descent from Machame Hut followed by an hour or so of hard uphill to the top of the forest, then 2 hours at a more gentle angle through the lower moorlands brings one to the top of a rocky bluff. Lunch is normally taken here. From here, descend 50ft then start traversing westwards, up towards Shira Cathedral. The last section of this route is relatively flat and easy - but once again, take it very slowly. Total walking time is about five hours today.

Day 5: Shira to Barranco. From Shira you will set off to Barranco (3900m), skirting just below Lava Tower - you are now walking at approx altitude of 4000m, around the southern side of the mountain. A few steep sections and valleys, a small section of scree and rock, some sand ‘dunes’ - it’s a long and fairly tiring day. There is a total of about 7 hours walking today. This is part of your acclimatisation - walking in height from 3800m up to 4800m, and then overnighting at 3900 m.

Day 6: From Barranco to Karanga Valley. Today you will cross the Barranco Wall. It’s a climb over rock - not technical, but tiring and hard/long - ending up in the Karanga Valley for lunch. This is your extra acclimatisation day. Camp at 4200m.

Day 7: From Barranco to Barafu. Today you continue up towards Barafu Hut (4600m). You start to ascend along a ridge and finally reach Barafu. It is a long walk taking about 8 hours today. You will be walking through the cloud. After supper, settle down for an early night. Drink plenty of fluids, as you are in a ‘desert’ area - albeit cold, and tomorrow will be a long hard day.

Day 8: Barafu to summit to Mweka. Today is a very long and strenuous day. You will be woken perhaps before midnight but certainly by 00h30 with tea and a biscuit. Put on all your clothing ready for the final ascent.
You will be climbing up scree for approximately 4-5 hours. The guide will stop frequently to rest and check on his group. The views from the mountain (on the way up) are spectacular - you gain incredible height over a short distance.
You arrive at Stella Point (5750 m), just at the top of the crater. Have a rest - the sun should be shining! It may have taken you 6 or 7 hours to get to this point. From here continue on a relatively easy path up to Uhuru peak (5895 m), the highest point in Africa.
You will descend from Stella to Barafu which takes between 1-3hrs and then, after a short break, you’ll head south east on the Mweka Route. Tonight you’ll overnight at High Camp (Mweka Camp), which is at about 3100m above sea level, back on the edge of the forest. It takes about 4hrs from Barafu to walk down to this camp.

Day 9: Mweka to Moshi. This morning you’ll make your descent to the gate. About a 3 or 4 hour walk down to the gate at Mweka Village. This walk through the forest can be quite muddy and slippery depending on when the recent rains. Hotel staff will meet you at the gate which is a short drive from Moshi.
Your night at the Hotel is based on a dinner, bed and continental breakfast basis. You will probably feel a mixture of exhaustion, relief and elation!

Day 10: Transfer you to the airport for your onward travel arrangements. 

 

Costs

The cost of the climb is £1575 per person for the 9 days (based on twin share)
Flights are about £800 (to be confirmed)
Sponsorship money is extra to the above.

Climb cost includes: 2 nights hotel, 6 nights camping, all meals from dinner on day 2 to breakfast on day 10, porters and guides, all camping equipment (except sleeping bag), park and climb fees, transfers, standard mountain rescue fee.

Cost excludes: visa (£50), tips (about £120), insurance, items of a personal nature (eg laundry, phone calls, drinks,)

If you would like a single room in the hotel or indeed a single tent (if available), we may be able to provide this (at extra costs shown below, though we cannot guarantee this until we know the numbers involved in the climb.
Single room - £35 (for 3 nights)
Single tent -   £35 (for 6 nights)

 

Beach and Safari Add-ons

If you're going all that way to Tanzania you might want to consider seeing a little more of the country than just Kilimanjaro.

We have planned two extensions which you can add to this climb, a beach extension and a safari extension.  The other alternative you have is to simply ask us to plan something specifically to your needs. Tribes is a tailor made travel company, so working to personal wishes is what we do most of.

Beach extension - 3 nights.  £xxx per person (based on twin share). Read more.

Safari extension (camping) - 4 days. from £xxx per person (based on twin share). Read more.
Safari extension (lodges) - 4 days.  £750 per person (based on twin share). Read more.

For more information about Tanzania and all it has to offer, please see our general Tanzania pages - click here.  These pages will help you decide what other things you might want to see after or before your climb.
And of course, we're always on hand if you'd prefer to call us for advice.

 

Informative slideshow evening

We will be having a few slideshow evenings around the county.  You can use these evenings either as a way of deciding whether you're going to go for it, or, if you've already decided, simply as a source of information about what the experience is like and how you should prepare.

The slideshows will be presented by a speaker who has successfully tackled the climb, and you can come armed with as many questions as you like!

DATES AND VENUES TO BE CONFIRMED BY END MAY.

 

How to Book

1. To book your place on the challenge, first download the booking form (above) or ask us to email or post it to you if you prefer. 
2. You need to decide if you're adding any extra time before or after the climb. Feel free to consult us about this at any time.
3. We then need to hold a flight space for you. This could either be one of the group flights we've held, or if you're adding extra time, we need to arrange a different flight for you. We will give you a quote for the flight and you can decide whether to buy from us, or from elsewhere.
4. The booking form should be completed and returned to Tribes with a deposit of £500 per person. Please be sure to read our booking conditions before signing the booking form.
5. Insurance is compulsory. We can offer a very good policy, or you can buy your own.
6. On confirmation of your trip in writing from us your place is non-refundable.
7. Full payment (not sponsorship money) is required 10 weeks before the start date of the trip.
8. You will get a full information pack and get aks us for advice at any time.

 

Raising sponsorship

Tribes is not overseeing the raising of sponsorship money, nor collecting it.  This will be the role of each individual school.
The minimum sponsorship requirement is £500 for most schools.
You can download our tips to raising sponsorship money (above).

 

Getting fit

You need to be fit to udertake this challenge. If you have any health issues you should talk to your doctor before deciding to join the trip.

General fitness
Certainly you need to have a decent level of fitness to attempt this climb. However having the self-discipline not to go too fast, and the ability to retain good morale tend to help you up the mountain more than being super-fit. So, yes, do some walking before you go, but then when you get there, go slowly, drink plenty, and keep a positive frame of mind!

Walking programme
Most of the Kili climbs are not actual climbs but treks. So the very best thing you can do to prepare is walk, walk, walk. Get used to long walks and hikes, go to the gym and walk or use the stepper. Try to get your legs used to walking uphill and downhill, and perhaps carry about 3kgs with you in a day pack (say 3 litres of water) when you’re walking.
We suggest a programme such as walking briskly for 30 minutes to 1 hour on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday do more strengthening exercises in the gym. Then each weekend, try a long hike. If you are not used to exercise, always check with a medical or sports professional for specific advice.
Your aim should be to be able to walk for 6 hours slowly (or 3 hours quickly) without feeling stiff the following day.
We’d recommend doing this walking preparation for about 8 weeks before you go, BUT make sure you stop about 4-5 days before you travel so your body can rest. You need to start the climb in the best possible way, so starting with a tired body is not ideal.

 

 

The Tribes Foundation

Whilst the prime reason for taking this challenge is to raise money for local schools, we'd like to ask that some funds be set aside for grassroots development projecs in Africa.

The Tribes Foundation is a small UK charity whose principle aim is to relieve the poverty of indigenous communities in areas outside of the UK which are affected by tourism. The charity backs poverty alleviation, education, cultural preservation and conservation projects within these regions.

The charity has no paid staff and the admin is undertaken voluntarily by the two trustees, Amanda & Guy Marks. Volunteers are alsways welcome!  In addition, most of the admin costs (eg phone calls, office space, paper, printing etc) are covered by Tribes Travel. This means that nearly 100% of funds raised for Tribes Foundation projects actually reach the projects.

Rather than starting new ventures in the places we work, we back small grassroots charities which are already set up. Why re-invent the wheel? There are so many great people doing great things on a small level, and they really need help.  So this is what The Tribes Foundation does. We find the local projects that desperately need backing, and we try to bring them some funding.

We have roughly 15 different projects on our books to date from all over the world. And there are always more wanting help.  Please have a look at our site, and hopefully some of the money raised during this challenge can go to some of these worthwhile projects - many of which are schools.

Registered charity no: 1101766
For more information, please see our website at: www.the-tribes-foundation.org

 

Contact us

Tribes is the local Suffolk company organising this event. We are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5.30pm.  Our office is in the Business Centre at Earl Soham near Framlingham.
Call us on: 01728 685971
Contact us