Karen Rusiniak is part of Mountain Travel Sobek's sales team. She climbed Kilimanjaro in September 2002. Here she is in front of Kilimanjaro after her climb posing with "The Egg Man" (whose real name is Joshua) - one of the expedition's cooks. Karen will be happy to answer any questions you may have about our Climb Kilimanajro adventure. Please contact her at karen@mtsobek.com.
If you choose to climb Kilimanjaro via the Western Breach Routes you start off the trip by staying in Arusha National Park at the private MTS deluxe safari camp for the first two nights. On the second day we do a conditioning hike part way up beautiful Mount Meru, passing through an African cedar forest.
There is a dining tent set up for meals while staying in the safari camp with sitdown meals that include wine at dinner and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, soups, pasta, meat dishes, and Ugali for those who want to try the national staple of Tanzania, a white cornmeal mush.
My group of 15 participants met the rest of our expedition: the support staff of porters, cooks, and assistant guides. It was exciting watching them get ready for our expedition. And under the clear blue African sky we began the climb and started to bond as the "Summit Team".
Here is one of our camps (night two) above the Shira Plateau where we are already above the clouds at 13,000' and have a lovely view of Mount Meru where we had just hiked two days before. We had Mountain Hardware tents and ate our meals in a dining tent. That night the porters sang songs performing their bonding ritual in this eerie alpine moorland that I will never forget.
Above the moorland is the alpine desert, far above any trees and where many rocks are covered in moss and lichen. You actually pass through five vegetation zones on the climb up Kilimanjaro.
If you choose to climb Kilimanjaro via the Western Breach Routes you start off the trip by staying in Arusha National Park at the private MTS deluxe safari camp for the first two nights. On the second day we do a conditioning hike part way up beautiful Mount Meru, passing through an African cedar forest.
There is a dining tent set up for meals while staying in the safari camp with sitdown meals that include wine at dinner and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, soups, pasta, meat dishes, and Ugali for those who want to try the national staple of Tanzania, a white cornmeal mush.
Giraffes and others animals roam the "Little Serengeti" in the Eden-like setting of Arusha National Park.
My group of 15 participants met the rest of our expedition: the support staff of porters, cooks, and assistant guides. It was exciting watching them get ready for our expedition. And under the clear blue African sky we began the climb and started to bond as the "Summit Team". 
Here is one of our camps (night two) above the Shira Plateau where we are already above the clouds at 13,000' and have a lovely view of Mount Meru where we had just hiked two days before. We had Mountain Hardware tents and ate our meals in a dining tent. That night the porters sang songs performing their bonding ritual in this eerie alpine moorland that I will never forget.
Above the moorland is the alpine desert, far above any trees and where many rocks are covered in moss and lichen. You actually pass through five vegetation zones on the climb up Kilimanjaro.
A typical lunch on the climb consists of hot soup, fresh fruit and vegetables, items to make a sandwich, hot drinks and desert.