This May Be a Long Shot but Has Anyone Ever Been on a Major High Altitude Trek?
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As we’ve missed holidays this year OH thinks it would be a good idea to do something different next or year after combining all the ‘holiday fund’ into one.
He has these in mind (I think he’s either been locked in too long or needs locked up)!
- Annapurna Circuit
- Mount Toubkal
- Kilimanjaro
My daughters friend did one of these types of holidays and hadn’t taken into account how tough it would be not just the terrain but camping. Found it very difficult and not enjoyable at all. Good luck, you’ll need it.
I've climbed Kilimanjaro. He will need to go with an organised tour company like Explore, Exodus, Ke Adventure, etc as there are park entry fees and you are required to use local guides/porters when you're on the mountain. I'd recommend doing a longer trip that also includes scaling Mt Meru or Mt Kenya as you're body needs time to acclimatise to the altitude. A longer trip also includes hiking, safari, etc, so it won't feel like a waste of time and money if you're unable to reach the summit.
Wow ACR that is cool to be able to say you have climbed mount Kilimanjaro! How long did it take you and how did you find it?! I havent even made it to the top of Snowdon because of my dogs and their sheep chasing habits.
AliceBell64468 It takes days to climb to allow your body time to deal with the altitude. From the summit camp to the highest point and back to the summit camp I think took 14+ hours. You set off in the dark with the aim of reaching the top at sunrise. You have an amazing view of the stars. You're above the clouds and can see the top of Mt Meru poking out in the distance. It's really cold at the top.
ACR Thanks, it would/will certainly be an organised tour. The only one he's looked at is Evertrek so will check the others out. Then we have to decide if we agree a) on going b) which trip 
ACR ah wow that sounds like an amazing experience, and also it sounds like the views you had were great. I love the idea of seeing the stars. I can imagine it is very cold, but still something I would love to do
Yes, I've trekked a lot of high altitude. Everest Base Camp, Annapurna, Kilimanjaro and quite a few others and hiking in general. As avid hikers most holidays include hiking. I did Kili in December.
There is a lot to consider. Is it your first time hiking at altitude? Do you hike generally? Are you use to hiking holidays, e.g. camping, lack of sleep etc?
Even just choosing one and then deciding, e.g. if you decide Kili, you then have a massive choice of routes. Also consider cost. Nepal will be cheaper than Kili. We booked with a Tanzanian outfitter which is far cheaper than say Exodus etc but the costs were significant and if you then choose to add safari etc it's even more. We again booked with a local outfitter and did a safari first (Serengeti, Crater and Tarangire) before Kili but some people do it the other way round and then also head to a beach trip like Zanzibar after. We headed to Uganda, Rwanda and DRC after for gorilla trekking and hiking to a very active volcano.
Is it just high altitude hiking you are interested in? Have you thought about Peru and the Inca Trail? Facilities are generally good and it's a shorter trek.
Thanks for all that info rararachel Hiking and climbing is not a problem, sleep is another, we are getting on. This is a 'once in a lifetime' thing, that was the start of his list, I would add the Inca Trail, Great Wall, also going back to the Rockies or Australia. You just know there's a disagreement looming
lilyflower oh dear!
I personally preferred Nepal, because you were hiking though villages and to some extent had a taste of Nepalese life, eg. schools and villages although you will encounter a lot of tourists (and that was 10 years ago)! We did 18 days to Base Camp and I loved every minute.
In Tanzania we got to go on safari which was amazing, but we had been to Kenya before so it wasn't our first time. I'm not going to say Kili wasn't special because it was but I missed the interaction with locals because ultimately there is just you and other tourists (though we went in low season so only encountered 6 other tourists and that was hiking down on summit morning, we were the first to arrive at the summit at 6am). You don't pass villages and schools and other locals. We also picked Rongai route which is a shorter route and not the very touristy one but if you haven't hiked altitude before I wouldn't recommend it as it has an increased failure rate.
I loved Canada for hiking too. Have you been to New Zealand? I'd also recommend Iceland. Lots of hiking and it's where we got married too so I am bias (hiking boots under our wedding dresses)!
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