Time to climb! We left the Dik Dik hotel early today and headed to Kilimanjaro. We passed many tea, coffee, and banana plantations before we arrived at the southern gate called the Machame gate. Which is also the name of the route we will be climbing. Our team checked in with the local agency that manages the climbs, while our local guides hired porters and split up the 60+ loads that will follow us up the mountain. We hiked through soaring rainforest and giant heather in route to our camp for the night. It took us just over four hours to reach camp, where we were delighted to find camp already waiting on us. The staff provided yet another amazing meal for the team and we were even fortunate enough to glimpse a view of the "Roof of Africa" right after dinner. Everyone is in great spirits and are looking forward to some well earned sleep. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

On The Map

Hello everyone, RMI’s Kilimanjaro expedition is underway. The team members arrived late last night after some very long flights, two back to back 9 hour legs to be precise. Needless to say we didn’t do much other than check into our hotel and head to bed. We started today off with a team meeting/orientation to the program and gear check. After getting to know one another a bit we explored the beautiful grounds of the Dik Dik Hotel, which was teaming with monkeys and exotic birds and some views of the surrounding mountains. The team had a nice lunch then headed off to visit the nearest town of Arusha, a bustling city of about 1.2 million people. Its a diverse culture made up of Christians, Muslims and local tribes people from the Chagga and Masai. We had a quick stop off at the local grocery store called Shop Rite to pick up a few last snacks, then visited the local cultural museum. We also picked up a few umbrellas to protect us from any rain that might try and dampen our spirits on tomorrows trek. Last but not least we finished up the night with a delicious five course meal that left everyone with a smile on their face. Just a few last minute touches on packing and its off to bed. Everyone is doing great and we are very excited for tomorrow's start to this grand adventure. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew