So some lessons learnt from the trip...

1. Instead of a backpack for the porters to carry all your stuff that is not in the day pack...use a DUFFLE bag. Easier for one to pack and unpack. The porters consolidate bags and carry them in their packs on their head...so even if you have a great pack its not very useful for them.

2. Use compression bags to store your things which will not only reduce volume but also protect from rain.

3. Invariably socks soak up moisture...to reuse the same ones just tuck them at the bottom of the sleeping bag at your feet. Next day morning they are dry.

4. Tuck the clothes you are going to wear the next day in your sleeping bag at night..they are warmer when you put on the next morning. Or wear them at night so you get extra 10 mins of sleep.

5. Carry some Gum.

6. Carry water flavouring and gatarode. Use them if you cannot drink iodine treated water.

Hydrate! Hydrate Hydrate!

7. Carry extra items..u never know who might need it!

8. Bring some non caffenie tea bags.

9. Try and re-use the baby wipes.You know what I mean.

10. Don't forget knee braces and elastic bandages. You will need them while coming down. Your knees will thank you.

Have fun!!!!!!!

don't underestimate how cold it will be! i was talking to freddy about how marisa got frostbite o nher fingers. he said that he tries to not wear the thick gloves until at least halfway through the hike for the day. if you wear the thick gloves the whole time, your sweat will seep into the glove and it won't help as much keeping your hands warm. he said he just put his hands in his pockets and alternated between hands. or you could always wear a lighter glove and then switch them when it starts to get really cold.

trekking poles rock. except on the barranco wall.

my camelbak was insulated, so it didn't freeze (and i know a lot of people had nalgene bottles and whatever else that froze over). the top part wasn't insulated, so i tucked it underneath my balaclava.

you can never have enough water, toilet paper, wet wipes, and diamox!

a lot of people that wore contacts during the summit attempt actually had their contacts pop out of their eyes (probably from the wind?).

(i wonder if we can just get this moved to either africa travel, or adventure travel forums? i think this forum's only accessible to people on the kili trip and i'm sure a lot of other people would benefit from this.)

1. pack super essentials on your carry on bag in the plane with you!!! (ie. 0 degree sleeping bag, sleeping pad, gaiters, down jacket, etc)

2. don't forget the poncho (and don't buy a cheap one!!!)

3. don't forget the duck tape

4. don't forget your meds, snacks, energy drink powder

5. anticipate extreme cold and wind just in case (better to be prepared) -- bring 1 pair of expedition weight socks and 1 pair of thick gloves/mittens (those, I wish I had for the trip!)

6. for the girls...dig a hole in front of your tent between the tent door and the outer fly, make a 'dam' on the downward slope. To dig and cover, a random rock or thick stick works well. This is great if you need to pee in the middle of the night and you don't want to walk to the long drop (bleh), find a bush, or it's freezing cold outside. Cover your pee with dirt when your done. And the peeing technique...get as low as you can, knees literally on the ground and lower legs splayed out to prevent splashing and waking up your neighbors. Yoga helps give you the flexibility to do this pose

7. don't be afraid to immodium up

8. if you miss a meal (sick, etc), take a glucose tablet once you feel better. It's a little boost of quick energy

9. altitude sickness sucks, but try not to mask the symptoms with powerful pills so that you can tune in to how it is affecting your body

10. stretch, stretch, stretch!!! before hiking, breaks, after hiking. your body will love you for it.

marisa, don't you mean the short drop?

(oh god. right when i typed that, i all of a sudden remembered the smell of ammonia.)

I put this article up last week - Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro Tips. I'll move this thread to the adventure forum in a few days once you guys all know I've put it there!

Court

Here's one tip for now: no matter how much you plan and prepare in advance, never take your health for granted. Things can change quickly and very unexpectedly and quite possibly put a damper on your trip. You must physically and mentally prepare for every scenario imaginable.

A few other basic tips ...

1) bring twice the water that you think you will need (and take heed of the 'no more water available past this point' on the Morengo trek ...

2) book your climb after you arrive in Moshi, if possible ... granted I summitted in 2002, but my entire trek cost $505 apiece with three friends after we were solicited by a "fly-catcher" on the street ... the food was not lavish, but we stayed in the same triangular huts as did the people spending a heck of a lot more on the Morengo Route ... and all three of us made it to the top, so spending extra money for the experience is not necessarily the way to go ...

3) go down into the craters after summiting Uhuru ... arrange this in advance (unless you want to bargain at the summit, as I did, for the additional price of $30 -- to go down to the glacier below and then down one crater and then down the second, is an experience above and beyond just reaching ths summit ... you will be in the middle of the focal point of every postcard you see, the tourists will be away from you and it is pure magic (albeit, climbing out is a bit of a chore because of the ash-like surface you are digging into) -- or even arrange camping just below the summit ... I did not ... would if I could do it again ...

4) go at your own pace -- do you let your guide tell you what the proper pace to go ... you know your body and you know how long it takes you to get from 'a' to 'b' ... keep in mind Kili is not a difficult climb (save the last night and morning), so waking up at 6:00 is only valuable if you want to enjoy a sunrise, but not necessary to get to the next camp ...

5) HAVE FUN

AaA

1) Listen to your guide. They are (at least usually) experts to say when you're too sick to continue, don't try to hide symptoms of altitude sickness.
2) Pole pole. Go as slow as you can. When attempting the summit it's better to keep walking very slowly than to have a lot of breaks. When we went for the summit, everyone passed us, but in the end we were the second ones to reach the peak that morning. So no breaks, just slow and steady.
3) Take snacks for the summit attempt. It takes some 5-6 hours and 2-3 to come down!
4) Flavored vitamin C tablets for the water are the best. You get better flavour and some vitamin boost at the same time.
5) Use all of the water the cook boils for your tea. Put it in your camel back (essential item by the way) and use it as a hot water bottle until it cools down!
6) Have a bottle of desinfecting hand gel or something always there. There's not many places to wash your hands before lunch/after toilet.
7) Take it easy

Here's my five tips (two cents)...keep in mind that we did the Marangu Route and went in August, so if you're headed up Umbwe in the middle of the winter or the rainy season or something, you may want to take all of this with a grain of salt.

1) BRING A CAMELBACK. Of all the gear my wife and I had, we both agreed that the Camelbak was the one item that had the greatest benefit. Hydrating on the go is way easier with one of these than trying to dig water bottles out of your pack, plus on summit day you can wear it under your jacket so it doesn't freeze (like everyone else's water bottles did).

2) ON SUMMIT DAY, DON'T DRESS TOO WARMLY. I know it's freezing at Kibo, but once you start moving, you warm up quick. We had people getting overheated 20 minutes into the climb. Dress warmly, but you should be a little chilly before you start moving. If you're toasty warm and you're standing still, you're overdressed.

3) SLEEP WITH YOUR CAMERA BATTERIES INSIDE YOUR SLEEPING BAG, AND CARRY YOUR CAMERA IN YOUR COAT. Otherwise, the batteries get cold, die, and you won't be taking any pictures at the top. Similarly, because your headlamp is exposed, the batteries get cold and like to die at the worst times, so bring an extra set.

4) BRING EXTRA HAND SANITIZER. Those pocket sized alcohol based hand sanitizer bottles are quick, clean, and easy to use. We were religious about using that stuff, and we didn't get sick. Maybe it's because of the sanitizer, maybe not, either way bring an extra bottle or three, because once you whip it out, everyone around wants a little bit.

5) IF YOU'RE USING POWERGEL OR ANY TYPE OF GEL PACKETS, STORE THEM IN ZIPLOCK BAGS. I didn't do this, and on the last 2 days the lower air pressure was exploding them inside my pack. I was licking gel off of the inside of my daypack. It was messy. Be smarter than I was.

Take an extra day to acclimatise - it made all the difference for me...

Kilimanjaro Blues

PAY THE EXTRA MOOLAH TO HAVE YOUR OWN POTTY!

It was so nice to sit and think about the day's activities on your groups own personal pooper. And it only cost us about $20 a piece - if that!

Besides, being a girl, my aim isn't that great.

wrldtrvlr

I did not realize that you could pay extra for your own toilet. Excellent idea, and this will make the trek all the more pleasant for my wife who was not all that keen on the long drops.

Thanks!

I am not saying anything too different than anyone else but I really enjoyed my time and these are the main things I realized afterwards that can maybe help others

1. Drink a lot

2. Bring a camelback

3. Bring subtle flavoring powders, not harsh raspberry like I did that I can still taste writing this 2 months later

4. Bring a good poncho that won't rip and can be re-used

5. Bring warm clothes and gloves in your day pack because it gets cold out of nowhere even if it's warm early

6. Bring Diamox and use if you need it.

7. Bring extra camera batteries

8. Don't bring your iPod with you on summit night-the batteries will freeze

9. Don't waste money on Gaiters-nobody we met used them and we all bought them

10. There's no rush, take the extra day to acclimitize, it will help you in the long run. You spent a lot of time and money getting to Kili, give yourself the best chance to succeed by taking the extra day

Disagree about the Gaiters...we used ours 2 hours into our Hike till we descended. So I think it depends on the season.

I'm with Madhu on this one; it was dry as a bone and we still wore ours the whole way to keep dust/rucks out of our boots.