CLIMBING AND TREKKING IN EAST AFRICA – where, how and why.
Part Three – Climbing Kilimanjaro
In the third of our blogs on climbing and trekking in East Africa, Jeremy Gane looks back fondly on 30 years of leading and organising Kilimanjaro climbs.
I often think of the vast, wild, high slopes of Kilimanjaro. Volcanic rock broken down by millennia of cold and wind to become a moonscape of fractured pinnacles and high-altitude desert. I love so much those higher slopes when I climb Kilimanjaro, these wild and wonderful places, where solitary raptors soar above, shy antelope, and occasionally even a leopard may cross the trail. It is peaceful there.
Continue reading Climbing Kilimanjaro →
CLIMBING AND TREKKING IN EAST AFRICA – where, how and why.
Part Two – Trekking and climbing in Kenya
South of Ethiopia is found Africa’s original safari destination and also a mecca for rock climbers, mountaineers and trekkers. My first visit to Kenya was in the late Nineties when the famous climber Mark Savage helped me organise a trek on Mount Kenya to Point Lenana – the trekkers’ peak . I recall a leaky tent, awful food and reaching Point Lenana in a heavy snowstorm. Yet, the incredible beauty of the Mount Kenya massif enthralled me. In particular the twin peaks of Nelion and Batian – the technical summits of the mountain. Back then I had no experience of rock climbing and those awesome peaks were totally off limits for me. Much later in 2015 and 2016 I was to return to attempt the technical summits of Mount Kenya – Batian and Nelion. My first and poor attempt on Batian was followed by a happier climb up to Nelion Peak and the Gate of Mists.
Continue reading Trekking and climbing in kenya →
In almost 30 years of working in adventure travel – from 1991 to 2020 – I have had the luck to climb across East Africa, in the Himalayas, in South America, in Europe and the UK. I learned to climb and trek at high altitude when I was middle-aged, and even now in old age I hope to carry on climbing for as long as possible. In fact, a return to Kilimanjaro and a third crack at Mawenzi – little known, but still Africa’s third highest peak – is next on my list! In this series of posts, I will look back on some of my climbing experiences so far. In doing so, I hope to illustrate how middle and old age need not be a barrier to climbing, and how anyone can also climb and trek these wonderful worldwide peaks. The posts will also look forward to after Corona, when climbing and trekking peaks will once again be open – and wild and beautiful as ever.
Continue reading FROM KILIMANJARO TO THE MATTERHORN – By Jeremy Gane →
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