Toubkal and Kilimanjaro

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 paul walters 08 Nov 2015
My wife and I are planning a possible ascent of Kilimanjaro in 2016, probably with a company such as Exodus. We did Mont Toubkal in 2014, and although I followed that with an ascent of Mont Blanc, my wife hasn't done anything as high since. She would like to attempt Kili, but would like to speak to someone who has done both Toubkal and Kili, so she can compare the efforts required and decide whether she has the stamina and aptitude for altitude that Kili will need.

Can anyone offer personal experience of both ? You can contact me by PM through here, or email me at

paulwalters1967@hotmail.co.uk

Many thanks.

 mountainbagger 08 Nov 2015
In reply to paul walters:

Yes, absolutely. Both my wife and I have done Toubkal and Kilimanjaro within a few months of each other. In fact we did Kili first and Toubkal in winter. About 9 years ago mind, but I remember it well.

Kili is all about the acclimatization. Nail that and it is easy. You don't really exert yourself much each day, except summit day. It's hard to predict how you will cope even from one trip to the next.

As an example, I do a lot more exercise than my wife, run marathons, etc. and was the driving force behind our various mountaineering trips, but it is fair to say she was by far the better performer at altitude. On Kili I was empty and practically crawled around the crater rim looking miserable. She was happy as Larry taking photos!

I will PM you tomorrow if you like so you can ask any specific questions, but I would say just go for it. Just choose a longer trip to improve your chances of acclimatizing. Whilst it's just a walk, the views from the top are totally epic, plus you can spend a few days on safari afterwards. I have wonderful memories of that trip, more poignant now as one of our best friends who came with us passed away this year at far too young an age (not from mountaineering I should add).
 THE.WALRUS 08 Nov 2015
In reply to paul walters:

I've climbed both mountains, many times. Kili is much tougher because the climb from the highest camps to summit is longer, colder and much more arduous.

The main problem is acclimatisation. The best advice would be to pick a longer route on Kili, 7 days minimum. Or, better still, climb Mt Meru first..
 splat2million 09 Nov 2015
In reply to paul walters:

I've worked as a doctor on trips up Kilimanjaro. The physical difficulties on Kili are almost nil (if you are a hillwalker) apart from summit night and even that is not a huge distance. Days are often long, but the pace very slow. The altitude, however, makes it really tough if you are badly affected and it's pretty unpredictable who will suffer. People not fit enough to do it are few and far between, but many people have to go back down from the summit attempt due to altitude sickness.
I've not done Toubkal, but I don't think experience there is likely to help predict response to the altitude on Kili as it is significantly higher and the rate of ascent is pretty quick on most routes. I've met clients who were fine on Mt Blanc for example who really suffered on Kilimanjaro. I've also had clients suffer AMS on day 2 of the trek at about 3500m who acclimatise ok over the next few days and make the summit feeling fine.
The rate of ascent is the biggest danger (I was up there a few weeks ago and saw 2 people from different groups being dragged down from the summit who from afar looked like they had HACE...).
Choose the longest route you can (or as The Walrus says climb Meru first) so you have time to acclimatise and you'll enjoy it much more. Kilimanjaro is a great mountain, and the local guides are awesome. Hundreds of people per day climb it, many with no experience walking in the hills (never mind at altitude). I'd say go for it!
 earlsdonwhu 09 Nov 2015
In reply to paul walters:

Climb Meru first...it is a great mountain in its own right. Take one of the the longer routes. We even had a rest day on the Shira plateau.
 pass and peak 09 Nov 2015
In reply to paul walters:

I've worked on both. Toubkal is excellent prep for Kili, if you where both OK on Toubkal then there's a good chance you'll be OK on Kili. As others have said pick a trip with the most days for acclimatization, Meru is excellent prep and by all accounts a great mountain in its own right. Just expect summit morning to come as a bit of a shock to the system, as up until then the walk in is a bit of a breeze. Take warm kit, its colder than you think, especially mitts, but you can hire them in Moshi or even at the gate as a last resort. Just one thing about Tanzania; it seams to harbor a lot of nasty stomach bugs, so be careful with your hygiene!
Enjoy
OP paul walters 09 Nov 2015
In reply to paul walters:

Thanks for all the replies... my wife acclimatized much better than I did; on Toubkal I climbed Tizi'n Ouanoums on the day before summit day, and had a horrendous headache at 3800m, though we did that climb during the afternoon in high sun, so it was possible it was simply from exertion and heat rather than out and out altitude. Mrs W rested at "base camp" and made the summit OK the following morning. She was totally knackered though, and her descent down the screes was very slow. Once down, and after resting for the rest of the day, she was fine, and by the time we'd returned to Aroumd, she was back to normal, and elated.

Her main worry is the sheer physical effort needed on summit day. Thanks Mountainbagger, perhaps I'll ask her to PM you directly so she can express her concerns.

We're leaning toward Exodus as the operator as they use the longer Lemosho Route. It's a 12 day trip, taking 6 days walking in for acclimatization before summit day on day 9. Other companies summit on day 8, 6 or even 5.

Thanks again.
 wert 09 Nov 2015
In reply to paul walters:

Have you looked at KE Adventure Travel's Mt Kenya and Kili trek? You acclimatise doing Mt Kenya in the first week then follow it with Kili in the second week. We did it about 15 years ago and it was great.
https://www.keadventure.com/holidays/tanzania-kenya-trekking-kilimanjaro

(We've done Toubkal in summer too and agree with comments above. Kili is harder (on summit day) and longer than Toubkal but as long as you go slowly and acclimatise it's shouldn't be a problem.)

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