BootsnAll's Travel Community

Hi

Possibly bizarrely for someone with no love of heights, I'm considering a trip up Mt Kilimanjaro - on the grounds that I would prefer not to let my fears rule out something that I would love to do.

Rather than height per se, it's precipitous drops that cause me an issue - are there any routes where this is more or less of an issue?

Also, nearly everywhere, I've read Baranco Wall as being described as "easier than it looks" or variations thereon - how much of a challenge is this for someone with an issue with heights?

I'm sharing your fear, especially since I lost my broyther-in-law in a hiking accident many years ago. I described the traversing of Barranco Wall to my friends as:
"The most grueling part for me was the Barranco Wall. I have immobilizing fear of looking down when the mountain falls off sharply right next to the trail. If it wasn’t’ for my son and the guide, I would still be clinging to the lava rock face we had to scale at Barranco. Needless to say, I had no recollection of the immense scenery that day – which I now enjoy through my son’s pictures. He is the mountain goat in our family."

I do encourage you to climb Kilimanjaro. Tell your guide to be helping you step for step when you get to Barranco Wall. You can do it! Face the rock, rather than looking down - and yes, it IS easier than it looks, especially if you have somebody right in front of you. When you reach the summit, you will have long forgotten about Barranco Wall.

You can always do either the Marangu or Rongai route and never really have to worry about heights. You just don’t get that close to any real drops on those routes. But the Baranco Wall is really no big deal either. There are only two places where you need to be careful. The first one is where you’ll have to sit down and slid yourself down the incline of a bolder. You are NOT going to fall anywhere but your view is down to the bottom of the valley. Your guide will be at the bottom of the bolder to support you. Its only 8-10 feet. The only other place on the wall where real care is needed is a one step (yes just 1 step!) around a rock outcropping. It’s a drop under the rock but again your guide will be there to support you and hold your arm if needed. You’ll have one foot on one side, and your belly to the rock, as you step across. Its not a big gap, just one simple step. But the rock protrudes a little so if you have a big belly like me you’ll need to mind your balance. A skinny person might not even notice. All other parts of the Baranco Wall trail are pretty straight forward with really no danger.

I also don't like heights at all but barely noticed the Barranco Wall. One part that another person mentioned involved stepping around an outcropping but I don't remember the drop being anything special. It wasn't a worry at the time anyway, I stepped around easily. There was a fair bit of clambering up rocks but if you slipped you'd just bounce a few feet, not plummet over a cliff. Tie those poxy walking poles to your pack and have your hands free in case you slip and you'll be grand.

John

The risk of falling is about zero. You have nothing to fear. If you did fall, you'd scrape yourself up, but not plummet to your death.