Day six. The climb to Barafu Camp. The final camp before summit night. The point at which the mountain stops being beautiful and starts being serious.

Kilimanjaro is not a technical climb. It does not require mountaineering experience. It does not require exceptional fitness. It requires the ability to walk uphill for six to eight hours per day across eight consecutive days.

A responsible operator does not send one guide with ten climbers. The guide ratio matters enormously. At Vertical Sky, our lead guide is supported by assistant guides in a ratio that ensures every climber is properly supervised throughout the expedition.

I climbed Kilimanjaro on Mounjaro, 20kg lighter than my last attempt, and told absolutely nobody. Here is what actually happened.

There is no upper age limit on Kilimanjaro. And in several important respects, older climbers have a significant advantage over younger ones.