A brief introduction to Kilimanjaro’s volcanic crater

January 25, 2017 Opinion and advice africa, bill tilman, climate change, glacial erosion, hans meyer, kilimanjaro, tanzania, volcanoes 4 Comments

Last week I enthused about Kilimanjaro’s inner crater, and said that I considered it to be the jewel in Kilimanjaro’s crown. Yet the overwhelming majority of people who climb mountain don’t see it. This week I will talk in more detail about what they’re missing out on.

The best way to climb Kilimanjaro

January 18, 2017 Trip reports africa, edita, kilimanjaro, mount meru, seven summits, tanzania, trekking, volcanoes, zara tours 5 Comments

I’m convinced that for adventurous people who are experienced at high altitude, to camp at 5800m and look into the inner crater is the only way to experience Kilimanjaro, for the inner crater is Kilimanjaro’s secret jewel. Here’s the story of how we did it.

The Tanzanian Mount Meru

January 11, 2017 Trip reports africa, edita, kilimanjaro, mount meru, safari, tanzania, trekking, volcanoes, wildlife 11 Comments

Thanks to a hardcore climbing movie, an obscure peak in the Indian Himalaya is now the most famous Mount Meru in the world. But for many years a far more accessible and attainable peak in northern Tanzania was much more widely known.

Kilimanjaro: returning to the crown of Africa

December 21, 2016 Expedition dispatches africa, east africa, kilimanjaro, mount kenya, mount meru, seven steps from snowdon to everest, tanzania, trekking, volcanoes 5 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot about Kilimanjaro this year. I first climbed it in 2002, and I was long overdue a return. Back then I didn’t know whether I would be strong enough. This time it should be a different story, and we hope to explore a bit of the crater while we’re up there.

Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa – a film review

June 8, 2016 Reviews and tributes africa, audrey salkeld, david breashears, east africa, kilimanjaro, mountain films, tanzania, trekking, wildlife 3 Comments

While surfing YouTube the other day, feeling nostalgic for the mountains of Africa, I stumbled across David Breashears’ 2002 IMAX documentary Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa. It was an enjoyable film which had me yearning to go back.

My 5 wettest mountain adventures

August 12, 2015 Humour africa, andes, bhutan, chile, himalayas, kyrgyzstan, manaslu, nepal, pamirs, patagonia, peak lenin, rwenzori mountains, snowman trek, torres del paine, uganda, weather 2 Comments

I expect most of us have experienced it at some time in our lives: escaping the office for a few weeks of sunshine, only to end up somewhere wetter than a haddock’s bathing costume. Nobody likes rain, but sometimes it just won’t stop.

An extraordinary case of mountaineering integrity

June 10, 2015 History africa, eric shipton, felice benuzzi, history of mountaineering, kenya, mount kenya, mountain literature, mountaineering ethics 3 Comments

With a drip feed of FIFA corruption allegations hitting the headlines, I’ve decided to use this week’s blog post to highlight a case of sporting integrity beyond the call of duty, and in doing so salute Italian mountaineers.

Creative peak bagging is the way forward

January 21, 2015 Opinion and advice 8000m peaks, africa, cholatse, edita, everest, gasherbrum, kilimanjaro, lhotse, mafinga hills, malawi, morocco, mulanje, nepal, ouanoukrim, peak bagging, peru, safari, seven summits, toubkal, trekking, zambia 5 Comments

Last year was an unusual one for me. There were few real plans, and my travels ended up evolving out of necessity and opportunity, but I kind of liked it that way and I believe a combination of loose planning and going with the flow is the way forward in travel.

Bill Tilman: Nepal’s very first trekking tourist

January 7, 2015 History africa, bill tilman, book extract, eric shipton, history of mountaineering, history of nepal, kilimanjaro, mount kenya, nanda devi, nepal, noel odell, rwenzori mountains, travel writing 14 Comments

A few weeks ago I wrote about the history of Nepal and how it came to open its doors to tourism. In the second post in this series I introduce you to Nepal’s very first trekking tourist, who was already a Himalayan veteran and an interesting character.

Merry Christmas from Morocco

December 24, 2014 Expedition dispatches africa, atlas mountains, first ascents, jebel toubkal, mont blanc, morocco, old post, ouanoukrim, ras dashen 1 Comment

The title is not a line you expect to hear in a Muslim country, but I’ve made an exception. If all goes to plan by the time you read this I’ll be resting at Toubkal Refuge ready to make a Christmas Day ascent of the highest peak in North Africa.