Preface

I remember growing up surrounded by wildlife books and watching wildlife documentaries. The National Geographic show, and “El Hombre y la Tierra” (Spanish for The Man and the Earth) were on the TV every Saturday morning.

While watching these shows when growing up, Africa and the Kilimanjaro National Park were always portrayed as magical places, where the Savanah meets the snow.
Later in my life, I start reading Ernest Hemmingway and discovered his book “The Snow of Kilimanjaro”, where a few of the opening chapters of the book continue adding to that mystery:

“Kilimanjaro is a snow-covered mountain 19,710 feet high and is said to be the highest mountain in Africa. Its western summit is called the Masai ‘Ngaje Ngai’, the House of God. Close to the western summit, there is a dried and frozen carcas of a leopard. No one has explained what the leopard was seeking at that altitude.”

In 2022, after a few months of planning, I was lucky enough to finally go to Africa and hike Kili, with the intent of having seven days of uninterrupted hiking and photography time. The journey to the “roof of Africa” is an amazing experience that you will remember for the rest of your life. The mountain itself is a sight to behold, and the climb is a great adventure.

The seven-day trek to the summit is not easy, but it is doable for most people with a medium level of fitness. Probably the most important tip is to take your time and drink plenty of water. The hike is composed of 5 major climate zones, from the Rainforest Zone to the Artic Zone. For photography, it feels like having 5 trips in 1, where if you have the time (and the energy) the landscape photography opportunities will be endless.
You will also find lots of species of flora, like the “Impatiens Kilimanjari” and if you are lucky, fauna, that is endemic to Kilimanjaro National Park.

But, above all, what surprised me the most, is that Kilimanjaro is a mountain of People.
The Tanzanian people are truly what makes the mountain come alive. They work tirelessly, to make sure that everyone that visits the mountain has a great experience, always with a smile on their faces and open to help, supporting thousands of tourists per year on their summiting attempts.

On any given day, there will be people from all walks of life, countries, and cultures, that have come together to attempt to summit the mountain.
This is what makes the experience unique, the interactions and stories that you will have with the other hikers.

Some people will make the summit, some will have to turn back, but everyone will have a story to tell.

If you are considering summiting Kilimanjaro, I urge you to do it, and if you can, try to do it with a local company, to help support the tourism industry in Tanzania.
And if you are a photographer, you will surely not be disappointed.
Happy Hiking!