Kilimanjaro Climb Season 2008.
The end of 2008 and the advent of 2009 saw the onset of the Kilimanjaro long rain season and signaled the time to look back on our 2008 Kilimanjaro Climb Season!

The 2008 climb season was another resounding success for Adventure Afrika and we were blessed with a high success rate on our Kilimanjaro climbs with the majority of our Climbers making it to Uhuru Peak.

Climbers young and old summit Kilimanjaro!
For our January 2009 group of 27 intrepid climbers, their climb started in icy and windy conditions. Unlike the 2008 January climb, there was only a smattering of snow along the ridge to Uhuru Peak. Surprisingly, where snow and ice had stretched over extensive areas of the summit and to the Uhuru sign for the previous 3 years, there was little or no snow and ice this climb.

We were excited to once again have a wide range of ages in some of our groups…our youngest climber was 14 years old whilst our oldest ranged to the other end of the scale at 72 years! It was remarkable and incredibly uplifting to witness, yet again, how human resolve can carry a weary soul to achieve extraordinary feats, driven by strength of character, determination and self motivation.

For those who have climbed this wonderful mountain, they will understand this rare “inability” to clearly express the singular sense of elation at achieving this Greatest of New Heights – in a Spiritual, Emotional, Physical and Geographical sense.

Exotic Zanzibar is Calling!
Our cycling experience in Zanzibar has shaped up fantastically this year and we will be riding along that beautiful coastline and indulging in some white sandy beaches and hot sun in 2009! Our test runs in 2008 were rated a great success. Designed to be the ultimate family activity holiday, our Zanzibar cycling route truly offers something for everyone in the family! It’s local, it’s lekker and it’s lazy – with rides on beaches and backroads and with accommodation that has been carefully chosen to ensure the sea is on your doorstep at every resting point!

Although we did not get the opportunity to run a fully “commercial” trip in 2008, we are looking forward to hosting one or two introductory groups in 2009, so get hold of us and become part of a unique and memorable holiday option.

Giving Back…
Giving back some of the money we earn from the wonderful cultural and natural resources East Africa has to offer, we have introduced the Adventure Afrika Charity Challenge Fund. This is an exciting new project which we are currently formalizing as a registered charity.
Just briefly, it sometimes takes the threat of “human sacrifice” to kick start a program like this. For us, it was as simple as a throw away comment on Kilimanjaro in January by a young man who wanted to know from a Doctor in another group if he could get US$600-00 for one of his kidneys! Why? because he needed the funds to complete his studies in 2009 in order to qualify for a Bursary to go to University in 2010. Many will feel skeptical about now, but a number of us witnessed this young man sitting with his physics books, calculator and note book long into the very cold nights. Combined with an air of sincerity and sheer determination he exuded every time we encountered him, it was not difficult to be convinced. We are hoping to make him the first beneficiary of the AACCF.

2009 – The Year to Be Extraordinary...
We have already scheduled our 2009 climbs and we are planning talks for 2009 which will be designed to inform people about the thrill, the practicalities and the adventures that can be had with Adventure Afrika’s Kilimanjaro and other Climbs, as well as the other eco-tourism packages.

Once again our Challenge is simple, why be normal?! Make 2009 the year to be truly extraordinary…you really can be…..if you choose to be!