Trip Reports

Kilimanjaro Umbwe Route - 12 to 24 September

Kilimanjaro - Umbwe Route, Andy Chapman, Sep 2025 5
Trip Report

Written by Leader Andrew Stuart Chapman (Andy), September 2025

The expedition was successfully completed with six team members summiting Mount Meru 4556m and five reaching the top of Mount Kilimanjaro 5895m (one team member had joined the 'Climb Mount Meru' 7-day trek).

First we travelled to Mount Meru. With our Tanzanian guide Moses we trekked to Mirikamba Hut and on to the Saddle Hut. Leaving at midnight on 15 September we set off on the scrambling route to Meru reaching the summit betwen 0630 and 0710. The ascent served as an ideal acclimatisation trek and provided excellent preparation for Kilimanjaro. Conditions were stable and the group moved strongly together to the summit.

Following our successful ascent of Meru the team proceeded to Kilimanjaro on a five-day trekking itinerary. The route and pacing allowed for continued acclimatisation. We started the final summit push at midnight on 22 September, arriving at Stella Point on the crater rim at 0600, just as the sunrise started to warm us. The ascent to the crater rim was made in particularly challenging weather: strong winds and temperatures dropping to -10°C. Despite the cold and windy conditions, all the members successfully reached the summit at 0700hrs. It took 3 ½ hrs to return to Barafu high camp and by 1400hrs we had descended 2000m all the way to Millenium Camp at 3800m.

This was my 7th Kilimanjaro summit with Jagged Globe and it was the coldest conditions I have experienced on Kilimanjaro. All members did well and had a successful adventure. Three of the team stayed on to experience more of Tanzania with a safari. We were well supported on our Kilimanjaro climb by our amazing Tanzanian guides Moses, Clemence and Charles, all of whom have made multiple ascents of Kilimanjaro and who said that our ascent was one of the coldest that they'd experienced.

Andy Chapman

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