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Kili 2022

Members of our 2012 Team with their Expedition Guides

Back in 2012 a group of Scouters from across Kent took part in the county’s very first expedition to Mt Kilimanjaro. The 2022 expedition is part of a 10 year anniversary climb where the dates are aimed to match the expedition from 10 years prior.

Mt Kilimanjaro

The team will scale not only Mt Kilimanjaro, but also a nearby Active Volcano called Mt Meru to help with their acclimatization. The Mt Meru climb will take the team 3 days up and down, while the Kilimanjaro climb will take the team a total of 6 days to get up and down! After the climb the team will take a relaxing safari to celebrate and learn about local wildlife which is dwindling in numbers due to poachers.

We still have space on our expedition too for more participants! To take part you need to be over 18 by the October 2021 when we start our group training, and still have a valid UK scouting role when we go on the expedition. You do not need to be part of Kent to apply! Visit our dedicated site to apply! https://kilimanjaro.sevenoaksscouts.org.uk/

On Mt Meru our team will start their hike early in the morning to reach the first base camp for dinner and sleep. Typically on Meru climbers stay in bunkhouse style huts. On the second day the climbers will head for the second base camp, and if they get there in time will have a chance to visit “little meru”, a nearby lower peak of Mt Meru. Then in the middle of the night (about 10pm) into the third day, our climbers will head all the way to the summit of Mt Meru for about 8am, and then spend the rest of their day making their way off of the mountain!

Mt Meru Route
Machame Route

On Mt Kilimanjaro our team will be taking the famous Machame Route up the mountain. This route takes between 6 to 7 days, though our team will be going for 6 days. On day 1 from the Machame village Kilimanjaro gate they will head up through the rainforest to the Machame camp. On day 2 they will head a little further up the mountain and out of the rainforest section to Shira camp on the far west side of the mountain. Day 3 will take our team all the way to Barranco camp though the Lava Tower, a tower formation of rock formed by lava. On day 4 the team will start their day by climbing Barranco wall that is directly next to Barranco camp… Don’t worry though, this zig zag path is more of a bouldering session than physical climbing! From their they will skip Karanga camp to reach Barafu camp, their last stop before the summit!

Mt Kilimanjaro Summit

During the evening of day 4 (about 10pm), after a little nap, the team will start their climb up to the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro reaching their target for about 8am on the 5th day. After celebrations and photos they will head down very quickly to Mweka camp. Day 6 will take them all the way off the mountain from Mweka camp to Mweka village by lunchtime.

You may notice on the route map that the team take a path that goes up and down the side of the mountain. This is to help with their acclimatisation. Oxygen levels at the top of Mt Kilimanjaro are very low, so the team have to get used to this by hiking up during the day and coming back down a little bit to sleep.

To find out more about the Kilimanjaro 2022 expedition you can click here