Descending from Kilimanjaro’s summit, Uhuru Peak – the roof of Africa, began around 20-30 minutes after we had arrived at the summit. Such is the story of ascending Kilimanjaro for many. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could picnic up there or, at least, at Stella Point and soak in the achievement taking it all in??
Yes, it sure would be nice. Except the thin air would begin doing a number (a deadly number, potentially) on most people so it is not recommended. Being well-led, we began the descent from the summit of Kilimanjaro as soon as all the picture-taking at the summit was completed. All sorts of photos with the famous sign (since replaced from the one in my pics): individual photos, group photos, and best friends/couples photos. Our group and everyone else who had shown up at the summit at that time competed for the real estate in front of the sign but, it was orderly and people were considerate of those waiting. And those waiting were happy to have made it there so they were patient. All-around feel good moment for everyone on top of this massive rock!
Outline of the descent of Kilimanjaro
As I wrote this post, I struggled with what to name the post as I had been using “day X” in every post leading up to this moment in the hike. How should I count the days to properly cover the descent? I chose day 6 and 7 based on how things took place for the final push to the summit and the ensuing descent:
- On day 5, we arrived at base camp in the early afternoon.
- At midnight, or the very start of day 6, we left base camp to start the ascent towards the summit, Uhuru Peak.
- In the early morning, we arrived at the summit.
- Then, we started the descent from Kilimanjaro’s summit – still day 6.
- The descent went on until we got to the final camp where we would stay at during this climb, Mweka Camp.
- On day 7, we left Mweka Camp for the final stage of the entire adventure to get off the mountain.
So, this post covers the full descent – from leaving the summit until leaving the mountain, hence “Day 6 and 7” on the title.
How long does it take to come down Kilimanjaro?
In total, coming down from the summit was a process that would take us about eight hours that day 6. YES, that SAME day we had just walked up 8 hours without a full night’s sleep to each the summit.
Plus, add 3 to 4 hours the next day (day 7).
Think about it: 5 days and 8 hours to ascend to the summit but about 12 hours to come back down all the way.
In reality, altitude issue aside, Kilimanjaro can be climbed within a day or two if you are fit enough (like, you had been at the summit the day before!). But altitude acclimatization (and common sense to combat a Darwin award nomination) requires time if one wants not just to make it to the top, but to survive the experience to be able to tell (or blog!) about it.
Descending from Kilimanjaro’s summit is a bit like skiing
We passed Stella Point again on the way down but, this time, without much fanfare – or picture-taking; a case of been there, done that. We were now on a mission to lose altitude quickly and stop the brain cells from dying. And our guides REALLY meant “quickly”!! I had not been prepared for what came next (I probably missed the explanation during the prep talk the night before, a nightly thing with our guide to ready us for the following day).
We supposedly had crossed a field of scree (small pebbles) on the ascent (I mentioned not remembering that part; or perhaps there was another path up without scree? I doubt we walked on scree on the way up). Well, it was time to come DOWN the field of scree whether we had gone on it before or not. I was very unprepared on what technique was required here to succeed without injury. All I knew is that it was like skiing except you had to watch out to not pop out a knee (a terrifying thought, really).
So I began to walk down the scree, putting one foot down, using my hiking pole to stop its slide (as you step on the scree it shifts down, taking your footing with it), then moving the other foot and repeating the process. Well, this was taking quite a bit of time and other trekkers were passing me fast. After maybe five minutes of this, the same guide who had carried my daypack on summit night locked arms with me and proceeded to take me down the scree. Drive me down maybe is more like it. It was an exhilarating and scary ride!! We were going very fast and we were mainly sliding downhill, much as you would do when skiing.
I have never experienced this mix of thrill and almost-panic at the same time. Looking back, it was rather fun and there was no risk to my knees – unless I had suffered a spectacular fall. If I were to do it again, I think I would see it as something fun and highly recommend you go with that perspective.
Read more what about preceded descending from Kilimanjaro’s summit!
- Want to start on day 1 of this hike? Start the series here.
- Back to the night we climbed the summit? Click here.
- Read about what to wear during this trek here.
- And, check out the top 14 items to take on this hike here.
Coming down Kilimanjaro: a break at Barafu Camp, just a break
Soon enough we sighted Barafu Camp from where we had departed not quite 12 hours before. A break was coming! This was where we were going to have lunch, change out of the warm clothes we had worn for the ascent, replenish water bottles, etc. There was a little delay in the lunch being prepared so the stop was about an hour longer than expected. No complaints from me…
On my way down the scree, based on the drama of the descent, I failed to pay attention to my feet and two-thirds of the way down, I realized I had a blister and was at risk of acquiring two more. I stopped, got some duct tape, and took care of the potential blisters-to-be, as I learned from the Trekking for Kids lead when I hiked in Romania last summer. Duct tape over a burning sensation anywhere on the feet helps prevent further development of a blister – if caught on time.
Once I was at camp, a fellow trekker had some magical thing she had bought at REI and she SO kindly took care of fixing the blister I had developed. Whatever it is she had gotten at REI worked like magic (I have never had to use moleskin before but she said this was better). The remainder of the hike after lunch, I did not even feel my blister!! I felt awful a fellow trekker had to deal with my dirty feet but she said she sees worse every day at her job: she is a dental hygienist! Plus my feet don’t smell… 🙂
Should I stay or should I go?
Though we were tired, we had to keep going to reach our camp for the evening: Mweka Camp. Mweka Camp is named for being the first camp on the same-named route for those who enter the Kilimanjaro through the Mweka Gate. Some were asking why we could not stay in Barafu that night and get some well-deserved rest. I was quite happy not staying for several reasons. Here are the reasons that I was OK not staying in the Barafu Camp:
- We had arrived before noon. Staying would represent a loss of an entire afternoon of moving and getting closer to exit the mountain. While I needed rest, I figured we could knock out some distance.
- Getting to a lower camp than Barafu meant that day 7, the last day on the mountain, would be a short one. A downhill hike of 3 or 4 hours and – bam! – off to the hotel, a great lunch, and most important: the first shower in a week!
- But my most important reason not to want to stay at Barafu Camp was that I hated its inhospitable environment, being so rocky and so dusty. The latter bothered most of us the most. I was done with the dust. And didn’t want to have a fall like I almost had suffered the day before when I tripped on a tent cable while minding the uneven rock terrain I was trying to navigate.
So I was quite happy with moving on. If I had only known what was coming our way, I may have held a different opinion…
From Barafu Camp to Mweka Camp: a rocky road…
Pretty quickly after leaving Barafu Camp the second part of our descent from Kilimanjaro’s summit on day 6 became a nightmare of sorts. Though the views were great most of the time, the terrain was so rocky that you had to navigate carefully (at least for those of us not super experienced) and you could not really enjoy the vistas. Some of us started feeling that our knees were being hit hard (read: pummeled) and had to slow down some. My legs were extremely tired at this point. And my knees, though not hurting yet, were wearing out with every step.
A glimmer of hope!
After a couple of hours or more, we saw in the distance a colorful array of tents. Yessssss! We weren’t terribly far! As we cheered our good luck, our guide quickly (all too quickly…) replied: “That’s not our camp, that is base camp for the Mweka Route ascent and we are not allowed to stay there since we are no longer on the ascent. You see that piece of metal over there (he pointed to a structure far, far away)? That’s where we are going.” Our collective jaws dropped (and almost hit the rocks, I am sure). NO WAY, José! (OK, his name was Luis, not José.) That was a massive bummer.
Not quite a trail of tears but it may have been close at that moment
We continued our descent and, at times, it felt that that piece of metal was actually getting further away (I swear that it did look that way). A couple of times our path became a smooth dirt trail which would thrill us tremendously only to turn a corner and resume the very rocky terrain. It was an exhausting, frustrating, and demanding-on-the-knees 4.5 hours walk down.
I almost wished I were back in the Barafu Camp, resting and breathing dusty thin air at 15,000 ft+ altitude. But not quite. Remembering that helped me push forward knowing that what we were doing was the best approach and the camp we were going to was much better than Barafu.
The most difficult part of MY climb – the descent from Uhuru Peak
Most of these 4.5 hours actually were the most mentally and physically difficult part for me of the entire 7 days. For sure, the accelerated heart rate on day 4 slowed me down and made me worry. Yes, on ascent night, I wondered if I would make it when I surrendered my backpack to my guide.
Yes, we were getting more and more oxygen on the descent as we went. To the point where, somewhere along these 4.5 hours, we must have reached an altitude to which our body had acclimatized to already. I am sure were not adjusted to 15,000 ft though we had spent part of the day on day 5 there so it was possible.
But, I just didn’t see an end to the rocky path on day 6 and the Mweka Camp kept looking very far away any time we spotted it. It was a true test of will power for me to finish that path. At this point, the group was not together. It had splintered some but always in small groups with one or two guides along them so never not-taken-care-of. I walked with a fellow trekker most of these last few hours and one or two guides (it varied). I took some Advils (ibuprofen) along the way to lower my knee pain and prevent it from getting worse. That helped with the physical part but I was mentally running out of gas.
Finally, camp!
But, all good things (ha!) come to an end, and we reached our destination for the day: Mweka Camp. It is certainly not the most amazing camp in the mountain. But, at that precise moment, it was heaven. The customary “signing of the guestbook to prove we had been there” done, we approached our tents for a final night of camping. Hot water was brought to us and I happily washed off my face and did what I could to clean myself before having dinner. One final night of dirty Raul. LOL…
That meal may not have been spectacular by most standards but we were exhausted and we loved sitting around that mess tent one last time on the mountain, eating and reflecting on what we had just done. The amazing feat and experience that was reaching the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, of getting to the roof of Africa. I didn’t linger though, I was tired and wanted to get everything ready and go to bed.
Getting off the mountain
On day 7, we woke up all ready to go: This was our freedom day! Don’t get me wrong, I was eager to climb Kilimanjaro and enjoy the mountain. But once we had reached the summit, we were ALL about getting to the hotel and a nice shower.
We trekked down for maybe about 3 hrs from an altitude of 10,000 ft or so to the Mweka Gate at an elevation of 6,000 ft (3,800 m). The climate zone went to full forest again, as we had experienced on day 1 and the moorlands were done. The clothing was lighter and so was our mood. Someone even rode the emergency stretcher that was laying about during one of our breaks…
I found my happy place: the Mweka Gate hut!
Finally, the sight we wanted and were ready to see. The Mweka Gate hut where we would sign in one last time. That signature proving we made it to that gate. The gate also being the place where we would sit around for an hour+ to wait for the certificates that would prove we HAD climbed Kilimanjaro (though there was no book to sign at Uhuru Peak…). We were not getting those certificates just yet as that took time. Our local outfitter, Zara Tours, would also be issuing us a certificate since their guides knew we did make it. We would receive both certificates that evening at the celebration with our guides and porters.
While waiting to leave the mountain, folks would come by selling us stuff but we knew we could get all that cheaper elsewhere.
However, one of my fellow trekkers eyed a beer seller. He looked at me and, of course, I wouldn’t leave a buddy drinking on his own. Especially after a week of no alcohol and a hike of 3 hours… That’s when the first beer was bought. Others in the group looked at us like “really?” Fast forward 20 minutes and most everyone had a beer in their hand! And off we went to the bus, to get to the Springlands Hotel and back to being clean!!!
The descent, as you can see, was a mixed set of emotions and terrains. It is amazing how little time it takes to descend. The feeling of accomplishment once you get to the Mweka Gate is incredible. And so is the entire experience of spending seven days on this incredible mountain, home to the roof of Africa: Kilimanjaro!
If you are planning your own climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro, I would appreciate letting me know via the comments if the info here (or in my other posts about Kili) has been helpful or what else may help you dream of or plan for the hike! I have described what descending from Kilimanjaro’s summit felt like to me. Would really enjoy reading how that went and felt for others. I am sure there are different experiences!
Looking down after the scree field crossing towards our former basecamp (Barafu Camp) where we would stop for lunch. Pin this image and stay focused on this as your goal after reaching the summit!
An incredible adventure Raul. Seriously, 5 and a half days up and only a day and a half down? Plus only a few minutes at the top? Clearly all worth it though:)
D.J. – The World of Deej recently posted..The 17th Hole at TPC Sawgrass – Picture of the Week
@DJ, yes, totally worth it all! The memories will live with me until the day I lose my memory!
Wow – no one ever talks about the descent! I think it would be the toughest part for me too….my knees are happy climbing, but rarely are they happy coming down. Have to find a way to get there soon. Your Kili series has been so inspiring.
Anita Mac recently posted..Monday Morning Series: Sunset over the Adriatic, Croatia
@Anita, thank you!!!
You must really all connect with each other and form lifelong friendships going through so much!
@Heather, indeed! The hike and orphanage work truly create a good bond – likethe Nicaragua mission trips!
such an incredible achievement, raul! you deserved twelve beers!
thelazytravelers recently posted..legends of the na pali coast
Wow.. talk about will power. I don’t think I’d be able to do this but so proud of you for completing the journey. I bet that hotel/shower was amazing.. as was that beer. 🙂
Kieu ~ GQ trippin recently posted..Hong, Samui, Phi Phi: Koh hopping in Thailand
Amazing adventure! The descent is ALWAYS the worst part of a climb. I remember when I climbed Mt Marcy a few weeks ago, it was torture! I commend you on this accomplishment and hope to do it sometime soon! Hopefully also with Trekking for Kids! 🙂
The World Wanderer recently posted..Interview for Marco Polo Travel Magazine.
LOVE the close up photo of you and on the bus too. you must have been so happy! the moleskin tip is great….in case i ever decide to be as adventurous as you!!
I lapped up every word of your blog but it has left me seriously terrified! I fly off to Tanzania in 8 weeks and don’t feel anywhere near prepared enough. The distances involved seem deceptively small each day but I’m pretty certain I’ll be one of the stragglers over rocky areas and higher altitudes. Here goes nothing 🙂
Oh, no, Franko! My goal is not to terrify you! Hopefully, you will be better prepared for having read it. The most important things are to go slowly (pole, pole – you will hear this a LOT) as it is not a race and easy does it; and, to stay hydrated (drink a liter to 1.5 liters every morning BEFORE you set out and then drink throughout the day). I was not able to train properly due to sore Achilles tendons but with general fitness level, I was able to do it, though it was not easy. Let me know if you need any other info, questions – or just a good dose of moral support 🙂 Good luck and enjoy it (camp on day 2 was my favorite on the Machame Route)
Hi,
The best thing that ever happen to me. I come from Malta, a small Island with no mounatins. For me it was a great a challenge but I would not it change a single moment of it. What an experience, what a challenge.
I would tell everyone don’t lose heart if I did it you can.
Marthese, I can relate to what you share. I had never been interested in climbing a mountain like Kilimanjaro. Not on my list of things to do. But friends insisted on going, so I went for it wondering if I was crazy. It was one of the best experiences of my life. And it taught me I could do more than I ever understood! Thanks for your note.
Incredible! I am going to Kili in Feb-2018 via Northern Circuit… your experience lifts my spirit. This is the first time I am going to Hike, I have never gone above 2,000 feet SL. I shall be back with my experience too……
It will be amazing! Focus on training (being aerobically fit, working on your core, etc.) and on having the right clothing and other gear. Then hydrate and ‘pole pole’ (go slowly)! Best of luck and let us know how it goes!
Hey Raul, glad I stumbled on to your brilliant post devoted exclusively to the descent. Did the guides recommend any contraption (a knee cap etc.) or other advice to lessen impact on the knees? What would be your own suggestion on the same and did you dispense of the hiking poles altogether for the remainder of the descent after the guide helped (or flew :)) you down for a few hours? I face the same problem while coming down on local treks and since I’m heading to Kili this August, am understandably worried on this account. PS that picture on the ‘approach to Barafu camp’ just made me more concerned 🙁
Hi, Vijay. Thanks for the question – and glad to hear you are embarking on this adventure! While on the scree (between summit and basecamp), the poles were not needed (they’d be a hindrance as if I fell, one of my hands would “occupied” with holding them, so they were packed away; balance is more important). After leaving basecamp, when the terrain was not scree, the hiking poles came back out as they were very important to lessen the impact of every step down. Whether a knee brace could be useful may depend on what type of issue you actually have related to you knee. I don’t know that it would have helped me in particular but I do use a strap when I jog because it does help in that situation; so it all depends. My advise would be to bring one just in case you need it; better to have it and not need it than the reverse… The hiking poles with shock absorbers were likely more important to lower the chance that I’d have an issue. An some anti-inflammatory so that if the knee started getting aggravated, at least I could keep the inflammation down (otherwise, the pain would be worse). And on your P.S. – trust me, when you see basecamp (Barafu) that close again, you will be too happy to think of anything else! And that part is not as bad as it may seem from the angle of the photo. If you notice to the left, you can see a little of the trail and it was fairly smooth at that point; if I remember correctly, the trail is not a straight down at that point! Let me know if you have other questions and write back after you do it and let me know if you went for a brace and how your knees fared!
Really loved your decription. Thanks sooo much. I am a parent of an 18 year old who has climbed Meru previously and is doing Kili with 3 18 year old friends. They are on the ascent and are still yet to reach Stella Point. I hope they make it.
Michael, I bet they are having the time of their life! It is a wonderful experience. It’d be disappointing if anyone has to turn around but, with a good slow pace, the odds will be in their favor. Let me know once they summit! And thanks for the note!
Do you have any photos looking down from Stella point? I’m trying to decide if the descent would be too steep for me (vertigo & knee issues) do you know roughly the lncline? It’s really hard to get solid info on this section! Great posts btw, the most helpful so far! Thanks
Hi, Emma. Great question. I have a big blank in between summit photos and the photos as we approached base camp coming down. The middle seems to be non-existent. Let me ping my fellow trekkers and see if anyone paused for a photo. What I can tell you is that for me (who had minor knee issues), the knees were NOT an issue between leaving the summit area and base camp. That was sliding down more than stepping down so the knees were fine. BUT, between base camp and the camp we would sleep that night, it was rocks galore and I did pop Advils (ibuprofen) every hour or so to preempt any issues as the rocks were endless. Now, the good news on that second part is that I imagine vertigo would not be an issue. I think the first part may have more possibility of that. All that said, adrenaline and exhilaration at the feat just accomplished and the thrill of sliding down may override anything else! I will let you know if I get any photo to share with you. And THANK YOU for giving me feedback – that’s exactly why I took the time to detail out my experience – so others could use it to plan their own trek!!!
We summitted on 1/2/19 and that descent was something else. I don’t think I have ever been that tired. We slid along, as you did. We did not go all the way down to Mweka Camp. We were able to stay at the Millennium Camp. It was a 2 hour trek. It was great to be able to stop hiking that day but it did make our last day of hiking a little longer. We left Millennium at around 6 AM the next day and we made it down in just under 5 hours so we beat the crowds at the gate. Pros and Cons to stopping at Millennium but for us, it was well worth it because we needed the rest.
I wish I had been able to stop earlier that day on the descent – it was way too hard on my knees and I was so exhausted! What surprised you the most about the entire experience?? Thanks for sharing, Sandra, and congratulations!!!
As an 84 year old arthritic woman I am not planning to attempt the top of Africa just now but have appreciated reading of your experiences and am very grateful to you having taken the trouble to share with us. God bless you as you continue on your travelling adventures. Please keep us posted!
Thank you, Daphne, for the note. I wrote hoping to 1. help anyone planning doing it, 2. help anyone who knows someone going so they understand what the experience is like and that it is much safer/easier than they may think (which I did not fully understand before I went!), and 3. anyone with just curiosity about what it takes and how it feels!
Most people don’t know that Kilimanjaro is actually the worlds highest free standing mountain its quite an achievement that you have climbed this magnificent mountain.
I just came back from Kilimanjaro via the Lemosho route. It’s funny how I researched everything I needed but not actually what I would find there. I don’t know why I am reading about it now but I am glad to be reading it. After climbing the wall, we didn’t have many people like you did as it’s low season so no wait, the part that came after it totally broke my spirit. I was not prepared for my first descent into The Valley and since it was just two of us, reading your experience kind of makes me happy because it was my same feelings so I am glad people feel like I did and it’s natural. I actually cried that day. My summit day was good, until we had to come down to Mweka and like you I got excited when I saw High camp and it wasn’t it. Like you, my knees are now on fire still … second time I cried haha. In fact my first descent into The Valley gave me a glimpse that I would do well going up but terrible going down. Thank you for writing this post, totally makes me feel better about my experience. Like I said it’s low season and for example at base camp there were only 3 small groups going up, at picture time it was just us…so other than my brother I had no one to talk about the experience with.
Evelyn, thanks for sharing. Yes, there is comfort knowing it’s not one who is “off”! I think right after getting up the Barranco Wall and that dread of seeing a camp on the descent that was not our destination were the two hardest moments for me of the whole experience. But, I am sure you feel the same way, looking back, I would not have it any other way. I learned that I can overcome moments of desperation and trial!!!
My husband and I are leaving to climb Kili on this same route July 17, 2019, and I greatly appreciate the time and detail (and pictures) you have provided. Your advice here and elsewhere on the site will be incredibly helpful with packing, but even more so helpful for our mental preparation. Thanks so much for the insight!
Thank you for taking the time to let me know! I enjoy sharing what I learned and experienced. As you can read, the mental prep is as important as the physical one. If you have any questions or need other info, do not hesitate to ask away!!
Oh and I hope you write back after you are done to let me know how it went – best of luck and enjoy every minute of the experience!
Hi Raul,
I climbed Kilimanjaro in September 2019 with a group of 25 and even now, weeks later memories come flooding back and all of a sudden I’m back there, trekking in Africa!
Climbing Kili was one of the most incredible, most magical and most spectacular experiences, but also at the same time, one of the most excruciating and horrendous at times. In fact, when one of our guides asked me on top of Uhuru Peak what I thought, I said to him that I’d much rather give birth to twins than doing this again! He laughed so hard and he told all the Rafikis too!
We climbed the 7 day Machame Route and I totally agree with you, the hardest part, that no one told us about, was the descent from Stella Point! I honestly thought that I won’t make it back to Barafu Camp. It took us all night to reach Uhuru Peak, and it took us only 2.5 hours to reach Base Camp again. What was that terrain?!? We ran, we rolled, we laughed, we cried, some people passed out, we breathed in the heavy volcanic dust and ash, and even days later I was blowing dust out of my nose. We ran out of water and we were sleep-deprived and totally under fuelled. It was thanks to our amazing guides and our dogged determination that we made it back to Barafu before a freak snowstorm hit us!
Be aware…everything seems to be only 20 minutes away when you speak with the guides….they know how to keep your spirits up…and 2 hours later you are still walking. I burst into tears when we glimpsed a camp on our descent and it turned out to be the wrong one…it was Kosovo Camp, and Barafu was…yes you guessed right…another 20 minutes away!
Saying that, you will have the most amazing time. Tanzania with its smiles, smells, culture and charm will get under your skin and you’ll have the biggest smile every time you talk about the time you climbed the top of Africa.
Gabriella, thanks for sharing your experience. It feels good to know I am not the only for whom that descent was so hard! YES, the answer was always 20 minutes – I totally forgot about that. Psychology at its best! You sum up the experience best: Tanzania, its people and its big mountain always bring a smile to my face. How fortunate we are to have experienced all three!