| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 89 | 73 | 0.93 |
| Feb | 90 | 74 | 0.97 |
| Mar | 90 | 75 | 1.28 |
| Apr | 88 | 75 | 4.08 |
| May | 85 | 73 | 6.80 |
| Jun | 83 | 70 | 2.73 |
| Jul | 82 | 68 | 1.95 |
| Aug | 82 | 68 | 1.76 |
| Sep | 83 | 69 | 1.35 |
| Oct | 85 | 71 | 3.37 |
| Nov | 87 | 73 | 2.92 |
| Dec | 89 | 74 | 2.30 |
As I rounded the last ridge the stone beneath my foot slid out from under me. My heart missed a beat but I quickly regained my footing, knowing the summit was now minutes away.
It is just after midnight, and we begin to make our way to Socialist Peak, the summit. Scaling the side of the mountain, which resembles a letter C with its hollow middle and ash cone, proves to be a bit tricky. We pick our way along ridges that are no more than six feet wide, careful not to take a wrong step that could send us plunging into darkness. The sun begins to rise just as we make the final ridge to the peak, illuminating the sheer drop-offs on either side of the path we just followed.
At Kilimanjaro International Airport you are met by an Extreme Adventures guide and transferred to your lodge, set in the flowered gardens of a coffee planter's farmhouse and surrounded by rolling groves of wax-green coffee bushes.
Mountain Village Lodge DSet out to the Momella Gate, positioned between the peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru in Arusha National Park. Start your climb with your expedition guide and an armed ranger at your side. The forest is home to a wealth of birds and other animals, including Cape buffalo, giraffe, waterbuck, warthog and baboon. Pause for a boxed lunch and then continue to climb through montane forest, searching for colobus monkey and hornbill along the way.
Miriakamba Hut Camp (elevation 7,218 feet) B L DTrek through primeval landscapes into Meru Crater and up the looming walls that lead to the summit via the Little Meru outcrop to your camp.
Saddle Hut Camp (elevation 10,499 feet) B L DAt midnight, set out with your guide up the narrow ridge toward Socialist Peak. Your route requires precision and care, but as the sun rises and euphoria kicks in, you reach the summit. Look down below to see Tanzania spread out before your eyes and Moutn Kilimanjaro standing at your side. Descend down the same ridge as the wind begins to pick up, passing Saddle Hut to Miriakamba for a celebration dinner and a well-earned rest.
Miriakamba Hut Camp B L DFinish the trek in the morning when you arrive at Momella Gate. Return to Arusha in time for a farewell lunch at Mountain Village before you board your homebound flight.
