Interesting Comments

I asked a fellow runner in the San Francisco Road Runners Club with whom I run regularly on Saturdays if she would be interested in joining our climb. I knew that she had been to Africa several times and that she liked to hike. I also knew that she had run the Double Dipsea multiple times so it seemed like a perfect fit. Later she sent me these comments:

Looking again at a map, I see now that I was correct: flying into Nairobi could be reasonable -- it might actually be closer to Mt. Kilimanjaro than Dar Es Salaam, as it is in southern Kenya near the border with Tanzania. On a previous trip to Africa, I flew on British Airways (SF to London non-stop, transfer from Heathrow Airport to Gatwick Airport (short ride by cab or shuttle bus), then non-stop from London to Nairobi. That was a few years ago. I just checked the British Airways website this morning, and they now have flights to both Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam that go direct from SF to London Heathrow, have a layover there, then fly direct to either city in Africa. So no more changing airports in London. Depending on the length of the layover at Heathrow, sometimes it's nice to sleep for a few hours at the Heathrow Hilton between flights -- I've done that before, and feel much more refreshed when I get on the connecting flight.

I have a Lonely Planet book on East Africa, which has a few pages on climbing Kili, but they recommend buying their book "Trekking in East Africa" for more detail. They offer some good bits of advice and cost info, and I thought you'd find this quote on climbing to Uhuru Peak on Kili particularly interesting:

"If you're interested in reaching the top, seriously consider adding at least one extra day onto the "standard" climb itinerary, no matter which route you do. Although paying an additional US$150 or so per extra day may seem like a lot when you're planning your trip, it will seem a relatively insignificant saving later on if you've gone to the expense and effort to start a trek and need to come down without having reached the top....Another perspective on it all: Uhuru Peak is several hundred metres higher than Everest Base Camp in the Nepal Himalaya, which trekkers often take at least two weeks to reach from Kathmandu."

Thanks, Sue, for the information. I'll add the book to our list.