Mt. Kilimanjaro 2008 - who wants to come?

Geoff and I are in the initial planning stages of our big 2008 vacation to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania! I'm sooo excited! This has been on my "list of things to do before I die" for a long time and it's cool that it might actually all come together soon.

We're considering 2 options:

1. end Aug/beginning Sept 2008
2. Feb 2008

The first option is the ideal one since I will also get to see the wildebeest migration (another thing on my list of things to do) so I can kill two birds with one stone so to speak.

But if for some reason this doesn't work out because of jobs, etc. then Feb is still a good option. It's high season for East Africa because the weather is hot and dry (perfect for tourism) so it will be busy but we'll get to see lots of baby lions and other large cats at that time of year.

So for the 2 week trip I estimated a cost of about 5000 USD/person:

2000 USD for flight
1500 USD for 1 week trek up Mt. Kili (gear not included)
400 USD for 3 day camping safari in Mara or Serengeti with Best Camping Tours
100-150 USD for Kenya and Tanzania visas
1000 USD for hotels, meals, souvenirs, entry fees, transportation

General itinerary:

Day 1 Arrive in Nairobi
Day 2 Tour operator drives us to Tanzania to start trek
Day 3-10 Summit Mt. Kili
Day 11-12 Relax on beach in Watamu/Mombasa, Kenya
Day 13-15 Safari in Mara (Kenya) or Serengeti (Tanzania) depending on the migration
Day 16 Depart Nairobi

Kilimanjaro itinerary:

*There are 3 different routes for Kili:
Marangu - the 'Coca-cola Route', most heavily travelled, can stay in huts
Machame - 'Whiskey Route' is moderate and considered more of a challenge than the Marangu, some think it's the most beautiful route, tents only
Rongai - the easiest and one of the most picturesque routes, tents only

Day 1-4 Hike
Day 5 Acclimatization day
Day 6 Overnight hike to the summit for dawn
Day 6-7 Descent

Here's an example of hiking times for the Rongai route:

* Day 1: Rongai Gate (1950m) - 1st Caves camp (2600m) 5 hours
* Day 2: 1st Cave (2600m) - Kikelewa Cave (3600m) 6-7 hours
* Day 3: Kikelewa Cave (3600) - Mawenzi Tarn camp (4330m) 3-4 hours
* Day 4: Mawenzi Tarn camp (4330m) - Kibo hut (4700m) 4-5 hours
* Day 5: Acclimatization day
* Day 6: Kibo hut (4700m) - Uhuru Peak (5895m) - Horombo hut (3720m) 14 hours (8 hours to peak, 6 hours for descent)
* Day 7: Horombo hut (3720m) - Marangu Gate (1980m) 6 hours

We're trying to get a large group of friends together, it will be so much fun! You can bring your friends/family, basically whoever you want! The only conditions are that you need to have about 5000 USD by next year for the trip, and you need to be in relatively good shape in order to make the week long trek to the summit at 5895 metres. Training starts this summer in the Rocky Mtns with several hikes and backcountry camping trips. :)