06.December:
I got up at about 7 am and when I stepped out of the tent the sun was shining and the sky was crystal clear making it possible to easily spot the very top of Kibo – the snowcapped peak of Kili! It was a beautiful sight and the air felt quite warm. A perfect start of a new day! I packed my stuff and had a delicious breakfast consisting of porridge, egg, sausages, bread and tea.
We left the camp at 8.15 am and started the walk from an altitude of 2980 meters. At first the walk was a bit steep while we went through a truly unique terrain mainly consisting of heath forest, erica arborea and the palm-like giant groundsel (senecio kilimanjari). After a short rest we traversed the Shira plateau and continued west. At this point the ascent became gentler as we approached the camp site and the terrain transferred into alpine moorland. We then crossed a small river gorge before reaching the highest peak of the day at 3900 meters. The last hour or so of the walk, I wandered together with Frankie (my guide) and got to know him a lot better as we talked about all kinds of things (that is mostly hot chicks, great movies and his background from the Chagga tribe). We then arrived the Shira camp II at 3840 meters. Today’s walk was very enjoyable! We covered a total distance of nine kilometers and reached the camp site after only three hours 
porters moving through the heath land
the end of the heath forest & erica arborea and the start of the moorland
At the camp I met up with the Russians again and had some tea and candy hehe. These guys were what I’d call properly prepared, they even had a dedicated bag for liquor! Me and Christian then chilled out for a bit and had a tasty lunch. While finishing up our lunch, we heard some locals singing and went into the open to check it out. We followed the sound and found a bunch of porters dancing in a circle with a guy in the middle singing. Every time he finished a phrase, the dancing circle would reply in unison. It was really entertaining to witness and they kept going for another twenty minutes or so while transferring into new songs and dances. More people joined in the circle, tourists as well, and everyone was having a good time enjoying the moment. Afterwards, I got some rest until dinner, had a great meal and got back into the tent.
singing and dancing porters at the Shira II camp
The night at this place was very cold as the camp site is very open and thus highly exposed to the wind. The temperatures dropped well below zero and I had to wear my long trousers and two layers on my upper body to get warm and comfy in the sleeping bag.
an iglo tent at the Shira II camp site
windy weather at the camp site
a bit cold even inside the tent
Filed under: Kilimanjaro Tagged: | heath-land, lower alpine moorland, Machame Camp (2980m.a.s.l.), Shira II Camp (3840m.a.s.l.), Shira plateau
