Day 6 Mount Kilimanjaro – Barafu Camp to Mweka Camp

12:05 pm, it has only been 5.5 hrs since we arrived at the summit. We have hiked down to camp, had a nap and lunch and have already been hiking for another 40 minutes.

Barafu Camp (4640 m) – Mweka Camp (3080 m), 11 km, 1560 m elevation loss, 3hrs 20 min. Total trip distance so far: 57.6 km, total elevation gain 5032, total hiking time 33 hrs 30 min.

We slept until about 11 am. The sun was shining and intense, making the tent hot, so I’m not sure how much sleep we really got. We packed up and had a hot lunch. By the time we had finished lunch our tents had been taken down. It was now time to head down to Mweka Camp.

Tents all packed up. Our gear that we need every day, sleeping bags, clothes and such, are in the four duffel bags at centre right. The porters carried those bags from camp to camp.

While the sun was shining, the thin air made it cool as we started out.

Camp was quite spread out along the ridge.

A last look at Mt Meru above the clouds. It took us 6 min to walk through camp.

The arrivals to Barufu Camp. Goodbye Mt Kilimanjaro.

Amiri leading. The trail goes straight down. No switchbacks. We are going to lose 1600 m in only 11 km.

The trail was straight and dusty. The trail had been used as an ascent route in the past, but was now used exclusively for descents. The initial trail was not overly interesting but we were all pretty quiet, buried in our thoughts of the previous few days. It was interesting to watch the vegetation return. Other than a few small flowers hiding out of the wind we saw no vegetation for just over an hour.

A flower finding an existence against the odds. Helichrysum cymosum.

We passed a porter struggling with a one wheeled stretcher that he was attempting to bring up the mountain. At 1 hr and 5 min into our descent we came across the first concentrated group of plants.

The trail heads up the rise on the left. Can just make out little figures on the hill. The porter working with his mono-wheeled stretcher in the centre of the frame.

A little warmer out, Laura has taken off her hood. The trail goes up the little rise then down the little valley and off to the right.

Layers of volcanic rock highlighting different lava flows from when Mt Kilimanjaro was an active volcano.

The plants started appearing as we approached a trail junction. According to my topo map this would have been at about 4100 m elevation. We dropped over 500 m in just over one hour of hiking. The elevation also correlates nicely with the transition from the Alpine Desert to Moorland Climate Zone, which is supposed to occur at around 4000 m.

Mawenzi rising over the horizon. The first few shrubs are appearing. You can just make out a trail heading off in the distance centre right .

Junction with the trail. We could be descending into the clouds soon.

A further 20 minutes down the trail we were surrounded by human sized trees as we approach Millennium Huts. Millennium Huts is at an altitude of 3820 m, another 200 m of elevation loss, and is used by groups wishing to break up the descent. We would continue on to Mweka Camp.

The hillside in the distance demonstrates how quickly the landscape transforms from barren desert to moorland.

The roof of Millennium Hut is just above Siobhan’s head. The trees are now as tall us us. Micah’s knees are sore and they have borrowed Laura’s hiking poles.

We continued down, not taking many breaks. We zoomed through the Moorland and into the mist-shrouded Heath Zone. It only took us another 1 hr 40 min to arrive at camp situated in the upper reaches of a rain forest.

Siobhan and Micah taking a breather on the trail

I thought this looked like a person diving.

The trail is rougher than at higher altitudes but the plants are taller and denser.

Arriving at Mweka Camp. Trees indicate we have entered the Rain Forest Zone.

We arrived at Mweka Camp 3 hrs and 20 min after leaving Barafu Camp. We are dirty and dusty but happy.

We are all a little dirty after 6 days on the trail.

After a very hearty meal I remember reading for quite a while before bed. Just one more short hike and we will have finished our adventure to the Summit and back of Mt Kilimanjaro.

Day 7 Mweka Camp to Mweka Gate

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