New Zealand has plenty of awesome hiking trails to choose from and would be a perfect addition to any itinerary. Besides the health benefits, hiking is free and can provide epic experiences during your travels. It’s hard to resist the stunning views of turquoise lakes, incredible glaciers, luscious mountains, and more that New Zealand has to offer!

Life Of Doing and 10 travel bloggers share 16 amazing hiking trails in New Zealand’s North Island and South Island.  Check out the unique New Zealand day hikes or multi-day hikes trails below and visit the bloggers’ website for more information on their travels. New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC) is another great resource for the hikes that require permits/overnight stays. We hope you get some great inspiration for planning your next hike!

Before you check out these amazing hiking trails, read our New Zealand South Island one week road trip itinerary for tips on where to go.

Map of the New Zealand Hiking Trails

We included a map of the New Zealand hiking trail locations that are mentioned in the post.

Hiking New Zealand North Island

1. City to Sea Walkway in Wellington

Recommended by Nicole from Travelgal Nicole

Distance: 12km / 7.5 miles | Duration: 6-8 hours | Difficulty: Moderate

The City to Sea Walkway in Wellington starts near Parliament in town and ends in Island Bay about 12km away. The City to Sea Walkway is a day walk that takes 6-8 hours to complete and can be done in stages.

Along the way, you’ll pass the Botanic Gardens, historic cemeteries, the cable car, and the green belt of the city. There are also scenic views throughout the walk.

The City to Sea Walkway is classified as a moderate walk and you need a good level of fitness to complete the walk. The views along the way are definitely worth it.

Photo by Travelgal Nicole

2. Tongariro Alpine Crossing in Tongariro National Park

Recommended by Dave from Dave On Arrival

Distance: 19.4km / 32 miles | Duration: 5-9 hours | Difficulty: Moderate

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is a 19.4km hike through the Tongariro National Park in the center of the North Island. It takes anywhere from 5-9 hours to get from one end to the other depending on your fitness level and how many side trips you take. Without the side trips, it’s a medium difficulty level with plenty of uphill parts.

It’s highly recommended to climb Mount Ngauruhoe, aka Mount Doom, from the “Lord of the Rings” movies. If you’re in decent shape it takes 3 hours to go up and down by itself. The route is a difficult climb.

The whole trek is one way so it’s best to arrange a shuttle to drop you off at one end of the trail and pick you up from the other. Shuttles can be arranged online or at any of the i-Sites in the surrounding towns.

The views along the hike are breathtaking. You’ll love the various terrain from volcanic wasteland to lush rain forest and yellow dirt to red rocks to green lakes. No wonder it’s rated as one of the best day treks in the world.

Photo by Dave On Arrival

3. Coast to Coast Trail in Auckland

Recommended by Jub from the Tiki Touring Kiwi

Distance: 16km / 9.9 miles | Duration: 4 hours | Difficulty: Easy

The Coast to Coast Trail is a 16km section of the Te Araroa Trail taking you from one side of Auckland’s coastline to the other in 4 hours or so for the average hiker.

The best part is you get to see pass through some of the cities must-see attractions like Mount Eden (196 meters / 643 feet in elevation) and One Tree Hill. You can start the hike from downtown Auckland and catch the train back once you’ve completed it. Make sure to take some food along so you can have a picnic along the way (with the sheep at Cornwall Park perhaps).

Photo by Tiki Touring Kiwi

4. Mount Eden in Auckland

Recommended by Jackie & Justin from Life Of Doing

Distance: 3.2km / 2 miles | Duration: 30-45 minutes | Difficulty: Easy

Short on time? Consider the hike on Mount Eden in Auckland. The trail itself is easy with nicely packed dirt and mostly a flat trail. It takes about 15 minutes to climb up if you park along Batger Road or one of the side streets along Mount Eden Road. At the top of the summit is Mount Eden, an inactive crater, that overlooks Auckland’s Central Business District and the city. If you have extra time, hike the Coast to Coast Trail which passes Mount Eden and is mentioned above. 

5. Rainbow Mountain Summit Track Hike in Rotorua

Recommended by Jackie & Justin from Life Of Doing

Distance: 6.4km / 4 miles | Duration: 1.5 hours | Difficulty: Moderate

If you’re in Rotorua and need a break, consider hiking on the Rainbow Mountain Summit Track on the Rainbow Mountain Scenic Reserve. You can easily miss the entrance to this place as it’s off of the main road (SH-5) in Rotorua. At the beginning of the hike, there is a viewpoint to oversee a lake and the colorful red and green mountains.

Continue on the path to reach the summit, Maungakakaramea (Rainbow Mountain) at 743 meters / 2438 feet. There are two routes that you can take which reaches to the summit –  a mountain bike or a shared mountain bike/walking path. At the summit, you’ll love the overview of the city with another lake and rolling green hills and forests. The featured image at the top of the post is the view from the summit!

If you need more greenery and rolling hills, check out our Hobbiton Movie Set post.  

Hiking New Zealand South Island

1. Abel Tasman Coast Track in Abel Tasman National Park

Recommended from Mags from The Family Freestylers

Distance: 51km / 32 miles | Duration: 3-5 days | Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

The Abel Tasman Coast Track is one of the easiest and most stunning trails in New Zealand. With its white sand beaches, dazzling turquoise water, secluded bays, and natural rock pools, it’s an extremely popular trail. Access is either on foot or by boat as the route is closed to vehicles.

Walk the whole track in either direction or mix it up by taking one of the many water taxis or kayak between different locations.

Stay at one of 4 huts or 19 campsites, which needs reservations. All equipment and food need to be carried in. The trail is one way so transport needs to be arranged on either side of the trail. There is one compulsory tidal crossing so consult a tide timetable before booking your trip.

Photo by The Family Freestylers

2. Mount Robert Circuit in Nelson Lakes National Park

Recommended by Sarah from ASocialNomad

Distance: 9km / 5.6 miles | Duration: 2.5-5 hours | Difficulty: Hard

The Mount Robert Circuit in the Nelson Lakes National Park of New Zealand’s South Island is classified as an advanced hike. It’s 9km long and combines a couple of tracks. One of the tracks, Paddy’s Track is pretty exposed, so you’ll want to ensure that you’re doing this in decent weather. That exposed walk up lends itself to glorious views of the beautiful Lake Rotoiti. The trail is mostly well-formed, although loose shale means you’ll need to watch your step as you head down. Along the way, rest at the Bushline Hut.

Beware that water may not be available, so take enough along with you for the entire tramp.  The Department of Conservation (DOC) estimates that this will take 5 hours to complete, however, 2 hours and 30 minutes plus rest stops are doable.

You can do this easy day hike as part of the Angelus Hut tracks if you want to head further afield. Stop by and check out the historic KEA hut, built by skiers in 1931.

Photo by ASocialNomad

3. Mueller Hut Hike in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park

Recommended by Andra from Our World To Wander

Distance: 10.4km / 6.5 miles | Duration: 3-4 hours | Difficulty: Moderate

One of New Zealand’s most famous treks, the Mueller Hut trek will steal your heart. It’s an accessible one-day trek located in the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, in the South Island. You can also try and sleep in the hut, but make sure you reserve in advance from the Department of Conservation (DOC).

What makes this trek so attractive is that it offers some magnificent views over the Mount Cook Range. The starting point for the trek is in the car park at the White Horse Hill Campground, close to Cook Village.

And although it’s not a challenging trek, you might want to take it easy on the first part that involves around 1806 steps. However, the rewards you get from the top are not bad at all for a hike of 3-4 hours.

Photo by Our World To Wander

4. Hooker Valley Track in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park

Recommended by Jackie & Justin from Life Of Doing

Distance: 10km / 6.2 miles | Duration: 3 hours | Difficulty: Easy

Hooker Valley Track is a popular day hike and one of the must-do activities at Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. The out and back hiking route is straightforward when starting from the White Horse Hill Campground car park. The route itself is flat and non-technical. You’ll pass through picturesque moments of mountains with glaciers, beautiful wildflowers, and even walk across three suspension bridges.

The final destination is Hooker Lake where you can have a picnic or take a break. It’s lovely to see the lake and have Aoraki/Mount Cook in the background. Unfortunately, Hooker Lake didn’t have any glaciers during our visit.

You may consider bringing a jacket for the hike. The open area has a high chance of gusty winds along the walking path. The weather may change drastically, even during the summertime.

5. Tasman Glacier Hike in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park

Recommended by Clemens from Travellers Archive

Distance: Various depending on heli-hike tour companies | Duration: 2 hours | Difficulty: Easy

The Tasman Glacier Hike is one of the most impressive hikes you can do in New Zealand. It’s part of the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park on New Zealand’s South Island. The area is not only very picturesque, but offers some great scenery with the snow-capped mountain in the back.

You can reach the Tasman Glacier itself only by helicopter. After a 10 minutes helicopter flight it will land on the ice and leave the hiking group to the eternal ice. Packed with spikes, a thick jacket and walking sticks, the group now walks on the ice, discovers glacier caves and jumps over ice crevices. The hike takes about two hours and you don’t need to be a professional or advanced hiker to do it. It’s not about distance but about discoveries.

Photo by Travellers Archive

6. Key Summit Track in Fiordland National Park/Milford Sound Road

Recommended by Sonja from Migrating Miss

Distance: 8km / 5 miles | Duration: 3 hours | Difficulty: Moderate

The Key Summit Track is one of the best walks along the road from Te Anau to Milford Sound, and well worth making the stop for! The walk begins at The Divide, and it takes approximately 3 hours round trip.

The first part of the walk is under the cover of a lush forest with small waterfalls trickling down. It’s mostly all uphill with a lot of switchbacks. You then emerge above the forest into the more mountainous terrain and make the turn off to Key Summit for a steep 20 minutes.

The panoramic views from the top are well worth the effort! There is a small tarn and a boardwalk with signs explaining the different flora and fauna that you can see. It’s also wonderful to just sit and enjoy the views. Keen hikers continue on from here to do the multi-day Routeburn Track, but for the day walkers, it’s all downhill back to the car park.

Photo by Migrating Miss

7. West Matukituki Track in Mount Aspiring National Park

Recommended by Julie from NOMAD/nester Travel

Distance: 9km / 5.6 miles | Duration: 2.5 hours | Difficulty: Easy to Moderate

The Mount Aspiring National Park should be more popular than it is. With its crystal turquoise rivers, towering snow-covered peaks, and wild-flower adorned fields you could be forgiven for thinking you had been transported to Switzerland.

It’s recommended to take the West Matukituki Track through this park to the Mount Aspiring Hut. This deep valley meanders for 9km to the hut from where you get jaw-dropping views of Mount Aspiring itself. The track takes you through farmland and then into the national park proper. It’s a mostly level walk with just a couple of not too steep hills and is a perfect introduction to overnight trekking for the novices.  

This area is readily accessed from Wanaka via Mount Aspiring Road, around an hour drive down mostly dirt road with a number of fords to cross. It can be easily done in a conventional car but check road conditions as this road can flood after bad weather. Once you reach the car park for East Matukituki Valley, keep driving till the end of the road where you will find Raspberry Creek car park. This is the access point for the West Matukituki Valley as well as the Rob Roy Glacier walk.

The area is accessible most of the year, although there is a danger of avalanche in some areas during winter. The walks heading up out of the valley should only be attempted in the summer months of December to March and even then only in good weather.

Photo by NOMAD/nester Travel

8. Rob Roy Glacier Track in Mount Aspiring National Park

Recommended by Chris from Explore Now Or Never

Distance: 10km / 6.2 miles | Duration: 3-4 hours | Difficulty: Easy

Rob Roy Glacier Track is one of the most stunning and scenic hikes in New Zealand. Located an hour drive north of Wanaka at the gateway to the gorgeous Mount Aspiring National Park in the West Matukituki Valley on the South Island. (There is a reason it was used as a filming location for the “Lord of the Rings” movies. The landscape here is out-of-this-world beautiful!)

This rewarding day hike begins in the lush Rob Roy valley where you’ll stroll past cavorting sheep and perhaps cows and their calves drinking from the Rob Roy stream. Over the next 3-4 hours, you’ll traverse any number of swinging bridges over turquoise streams and climb high into a dense beech forest until you can see the summit of the snow-capped glacier. Plan on 6.2 miles round trip.

Photo by Explore Now Or Never

9. Roys Peak Track in Wanaka

Recommended by Jackie & Justin from Life Of Doing

Distance: 16km / 9.9 miles | Duration: 4.5 hours | Difficulty: Hard

If you had one hike to do in Wanaka, definitely consider Roys Peak Track. It’s one of the hardest hikes due to the steepness of the trail. The track doesn’t have any shade so start early in the morning or in the late afternoon. The weather can be finicky so prepare for cold and rainy weather even during the summer.

Along the trail, you’ll see the beautiful views of Lake Wanaka, Mount Aspiring, other mountains, and herds of sheep munching on the grass. When you’re 75% of the way to the top, there is a section that overlooks the lake and is the perfect photo-taking place. You may see a line queued up at this spot. The last 25% to reach the summit is challenging with the steep gradient. The summit is at 1578 meters / 5177 feet and most people hang out around the tower for a 360-degree overview of the area.

10. Mount Iron Track in Wanaka

Recommended by Jackie & Justin from Life Of Doing

Distance: 4.5 km / 2.8 miles | Duration: 1.25 hours | Difficulty: Moderate

Mount Iron Track is within the city of Wanaka and easy to complete if short on time. There are two ways to take the trail. You can do a clockwise or counterclockwise loop from the carpark. If you do counterclockwise loop, you’ll have a steeper route going up to the summit.

One of the best parts about this track is the amount of shade along the trail. It’s nice to have the coverage during the steep sections. Once you reach the summit, you’ll be in awe of how beautiful Wanaka city, Lake Wanaka, and the surrounding mountains area. There is also a podium at the summit where you can take a photo.

11. Rocky Mountain Summit Track in Diamond Lake Hospital Flat Conservation Area/Wanaka

Recommended by Jackie & Justin from Life Of Doing

Distance: 7 km / 4.3 miles | Duration: 2 hours | Difficulty: Moderate

Rocky Mountain Summit Track is an awesome hike if Roys Peak Track isn’t an option. The views are outstanding along the Rocky Mountain Summit! The first half of the trail is where you’ll climb up to see an overview of the huge Diamond Lake.

The second half of the trail is where you’ll reach the summit at 775 meters / 2543 feet. You can take either the East or West route to reach the summit. The West trail has more shade as you travel through the forest. The East route is better for the views. The summit overlooks Lake Wanaka, Mount Aspiring, and other mountains.  Hikers can easily rest here for a snack and break and enjoy the views. You may consider taking either East or West route for the return trip back down.

Now that you’ve read through these hikes, it’s time to plan your hiking adventure to New Zealand’s North Island and South Island! We hope you enjoyed reading through these 16 amazing hiking trails. Although this is a snapshot of the trails available, there are many more to explore in New Zealand! Happy hiking!

Which hikes would you like to do on your next visit to New Zealand? If you’ve been to New Zealand, which hikes would you recommend? Let us know in the comments below.

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The post 16 Amazing Hiking Trails in New Zealand’s North Island and South Island appeared first on Life Of Doing.

The Mount Whitney hike itself wasn’t easy in one day. In fact, it was purely miserable for us. Although the weather was absolutely beautiful with clear blue skies, the altitude, long distance, and fatigue took a toll on us. Our feet also hurt. We originally estimated 12-15 hours to complete, however, it took us almost 21 hours (a very long day hike)! Yes, it was snail-paced slow and a really long day. We didn’t train enough at altitude to prepare for Mount Whitney. In the end, it was well worth the experience as the hike tested our mental and physical strengths. We’re glad that the hike is over!

We’ll share more of our experiences below.

*Disclosure: Links in this post are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. There is no extra cost to you. Appreciate the support.

Mount Whitney Lottery and Permits

All hikers must participate in a lottery in order to get a permit for Mount Whitney. More information about the lottery process is here. We chose dates in the Fall season as there would be fewer people on the trail and cooler weather. For some hikers, this time may be too cold.

Permits must be picked up at the Visitor Center in Lone Pine (off of US-395 and CA-136) 1-2 days prior to the hiking date. If the group size is confirmed prior to arrival, you can pick up the permit the day of the scheduled hike until the Visitor Center closes at 5pm. Since our hiking day was on Sunday, we spent 6.5 hours to drive up from San Jose Bay Area to the Visitor Center in Lone Pine on Saturday.

At the Visitor Center, hikers receive a tag for their daypacks which has the hiking date and must be visible along the trail. In addition, the leader of the group holds onto the official permit (paper copy). No one checked the permit during our time on Whitney, but you’ll need to have it just in case.

We had a yellow tag for our daypacks

Mount Whitney is one of the cleanest and most respected areas. Since Mount Whitney is “pack in and pack out / leave no trace behind” where you carry all garbage with you in and out of the park, the park rangers give everyone a WAG (Waste Alleviation and Gelling) bag at the Visitor Center to hold poop and other waste. These can be disposed at Whitney Portal once the hike is done. We saw no more than 5 pieces of trash on the trail which was amazing! As with doing your business, there aren’t a lot of hidden places except in the campground area where you can go behind a tree. If you need to urinate, you can go anywhere off the trail and just need to be 100 feet away from a water source and campground. 

Mount Whitney Accommodations

Motels

We stayed in Lone Pine for two nights – the day before and the day of the hike. Lone Pine is a very small city as it is only five blocks or so. It has the cutest Western theme facade on the buildings and restaurants. There are plenty of motels to stay at and are close to the Whitney Portal Road. There are no motels or hotels on Mount Whitney. Book your accommodations early.

We stayed at Trails Motel which was basic but was fine for the stay. We didn’t have a lot of options as we booked three weeks prior to the trip. Reserve your motels in Lone Pine here. There weren’t any Airbnbs available during our dates.

Camping at Mount Whitney

If you have a two-day permit for the hike, there are camping accommodations on Mount Whitney. You can either reserve at the official campsite at the Whitney Portal Campground, or hike up Mount Whitney and stay at the non-reservable campsites either at mile 4 (Outpost Camp) or mile 6 (Trail Camp). The Outpost Camp at mile 4 is less windy compared to the Trail Camp. Plus, you can leave your stuff at the campsite while you summit Mount Whitney.

Mount Whitney One Day Hiking Experience

It was an early start for us as we left our motel at 12:30am, and arrived at Whitney Portal just before 1am. The drive from the main Lone Pine area to Whitney Portal Road was steep and curvy and had amazing views of the stars. At Whitney Portal, there were plenty of free parking spots available next to the start of the trailhead.

We started the hike at 1:10am thinking that we would reach the summit at sunrise and to beat the crowds. In the beginning of the trailhead, there is a scale so you can weigh your daypack. Our backpacks weighed 18.5 pounds and filled with 3.5 liters of water, 2 water bottles, jackets, and lots of snacks.

Ladies, if you need a new backpack, consider one of these travel backpacks to bring with you on your hike.

The best snack that we had were a DIY trail mix of Jelly Belly jelly beans and king cashews, a special gift from Vietnam.  

The first four miles were awesome. We had our headlamps on, felt good and upbeat, passed by multiple waterfalls and streams, and encountered some switchbacks in the forest area. The route itself was not even marked, so we relied on well-traveled sections to get to the next spot. It was a quiet early morning and our minds started to change after seeing two groups trudging down the hill past 3am. One of the groups started at 8am the previous day and then planned to end their hike at the Outpost Camp at mile 4. Yikes, what a long day for them.

The wind and cold weather kicked as we approached the Trail Camp at mile 6. At that time, the sun rose, so we definitely missed the opportunity to see it at the summit. Our heads started to hurt with the altitude, and our walking pace slowed down. We both ate a Diamox pill to help with altitude sickness, however, we realized that we were supposed to consume it 24 hours prior to the hike. All this did was made us the bathroom a lot as a side effect. 

Once we passed the campsite, we reached the “99 switchbacks of hell.” The switchbacks tested our patience as the route was less steep but so long. There were lots of resting times here since I especially was mentally drained already.  

We finally reached the top of the mountain which ended the switchback. Excitement rushed in as we saw the “Entering Sequoia National Park – Trail Crest and John Muir Trail.” However, it was another 1.9 miles to the trailhead which seemed like 20 miles. The walking pace was slow and steady. The tiny granite rocks didn’t help as our hiking poles got stuck a lot. We had to rest a lot due to altitude sickness, but we were determined to reach the summit. Many people who passed us on the way up were already on their way down.

Yes! Finally at the Trail Crest sign

Beautiful lake

Yay! After 11 hours hiking up, we reached the summit at 14,505 feet. The summit was super windy so we didn’t stay that long. We took several photos with the Mount Whitney sign in the rock and also explored the overlook.

We made it to the top of Mount Whitney in one day!

The way down was the exact path as coming up. It was painful as our bodies hurt a lot, especially our feet. We were impressed at the many hikers who wore Vibrams and Nike Free shoes while we wore heavy duty hiking boots.

It was a slow pace going back down with the small rocks everywhere. At this point, I pretty much hated every single rock on the ground and didn’t want to talk to anyone due to the fatigue. The 1.9 miles between the Trail Crest sign and the summit was the most difficult part. We took many breaks throughout the way down and luckily the altitude sickness got better. It eventually became dark and we brought out our headlamps once again.

Beautiful view of the lake yet rocks everywhere!

The last stretch to the car was so close. We saw the moon and stars again, just like how it was when we started earlier in the morning. Somehow, my pace picked up faster even though my feet throbbed. Justin sped down the mountain as he had extra motivation from the sunset, though he did wait for me at an unmarked location where he took the wrong fork and got lost. He came back to make sure I didn’t have to repeat his same mistake. Three hikers hiked up along the trail as we were going down.

Our hiking time ended when we reached the car past 9pm. Yes – 21 hours of completion! We instantly collapsed in the car for 10 minutes and took off our boots and socks. Our feet finally breathed! No loss of toenails or bloody feet this time. Although we were one of the last groups to arrive at the Whitney Portal trailhead this evening, we felt victorious with our accomplishments! We’re finally done and ready for the well-deserved sleep.

What We Would Do Differently with Hiking Mount Whitney

If we are to do the hike again, we would have done it in two days. The hike from Whitney Portal to Outpost Camp at mile 4 and Trail Camp at mile 6 is doable for the first day to acclimate, and then spend the next day finishing the rest of the 11 miles hike to the summit. We would need to bring food with us and leave them in a bear canister. We saw lots of people reach the summit full of energy as they had the two-day permit.

It is highly important to train at elevation and also the distance. We hiked Mission Peak in Fremont, California which is known to be a steep route, 2 times on the same day for training prior to Mount Whitney. The training was 12.6 miles and at 4146 feet elevation gain. However, we should have done 3 or 4 times a day to practice the elevation gain. We would also take a weekend trip to Tahoe to prepare for the altitude.  

If you want a longer trip in Southern California, consider stopping by Joshua Tree National Park for more hiking opportunities. Or, consider heading to Oregon to check out the hiking opportunities at Newberry Caldera and seeing the nearby beautiful Paulina Lake and East Lake. We love seeing blue waters anywhere!

Let’s hike another mountain again!

Have you hiked Mount Whitney before? How was your experience?

The post We Hiked Mount Whitney in One Day and Survived appeared first on Life Of Doing.

“If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them something more than the miracles of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.”

“We must not only protect the countryside and save it from destruction, we must restore what has been destroyed and salvage the beauty and charm of our cities … Once our natural splendor is destroyed, it can never be recaptured. And once man can no longer walk with beauty or wonder at nature, his spirit will wither and his sustenance be wasted.”

– Lyndon B. Johnson, President of the United States

We are so lucky to access the wilderness and experience the natural beauties of the U.S. National Parks. From popular to overlooked National Parks, President Johnson had the right mindset to embrace nature and preserving it for future generations. The National Park had its 100th birthday on August 25, 2016, and we wanted to join in on the celebration. We drove over 400+ miles from the Bay Area to Joshua Tree National Park after the Thanksgiving holiday and spent three days exploring the park.

Joshua Tree National Park is beautiful! From the numerous hikes, camping, rock climbing, and seeing unique plants and animals, there are plenty of fun activities for everyone to enjoy the desert. We had our fun seeing the famous Joshua trees and Mojave yucca (and always mixing up the two plants since they look similar) everywhere in the park and scattered across the Mojave Desert. If you’re into landscapes, the park is unique with having two landscape ecosystems of the Mojave (western side of the park) and Colorado Desert (eastern side of the park). The evenings are quiet and a great opportunity to stargaze. No light pollution here!

One of the best parts about visiting at the end of November was the fewer crowds and easier access to parking at the trails. Some of the trailhead parking lots were full. The weather varied greatly due to being in the desert environment. We experienced sunny, crisp and cool air, and even high gusty winds and rain in the evenings.

Below is our suggestion on how to spend 3 days at Joshua Tree National Park, especially if you want to maximize the time hiking. Plan accordingly due to weather, the time of year visiting, breaks, etc. If you have a shorter amount of time at the park, consider this day trip or 2 days in Joshua Tree itinerary.

(*Disclosure: We have affiliate links in this post. If you click on them and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. There is no extra cost to you. Appreciate the support.)

Joshua Tree National Park in 3 Days

Joshua Tree National Park Itinerary: Day 1

Start the day at the Visitor Center and talk to a park ranger to get your questions answered, hear about upcoming ranger events at the park, or get hiking recommendations. The four visitor centers are: Joshua Tree Visitor Center, Oasis Visitor Center, Cottonwood Visitor Center, or Black Rock Nature Center. More info on the visitor Center’s locations and hours here.

Starting at the northern entrance station, our strategy was to drive to the farthest hiking trails in the southern part of the park and work our way back to the northern entrance stations. Here are the hikes that we took for the day:

Keys View (.25 miles round trip)

Take an easy stroll on the paved trail which overlooks the San Andreas Fault, Mount San Jacinto, Mount San Gorgonio, and the Salton Sea. It’s a beautiful overlook of the valley and you’re at an elevation of 5,185 feet!

Lost Horse Mine (4 miles)

Start this trail early as there is very limited parking for 10-20 cars. Otherwise, park on the main road and walk to the trail. The trail has rolling hills which connect with the Lost Horse Loop (6.5 miles) if you want a longer hike. At the summit, you see a former mill and gold mine that is fenced off.

Cap Rock (.4 miles)

Huge boulders are everywhere in the park. Follow the flat path and climb on as many boulders as possible.

Can you see us?

Hidden Valley (1 mile)

This is a popular trail where you’ll see lots of rock climbers on the boulders. It was recommended to see the sunset from Hidden Valley trail.

Barker Dam (1.1 miles)

We were excited to see the water as the park pamphlet had a photo of the dam. However, it was underwhelming as the dam was dried up. This wasn’t one of our favorite trails.

Ryan Mountain (3 miles)

This trail is awesome to photograph the sunrise and sunset. It’s one of the challenging trails as you have inclines with 1000 feet in elevation gains. The summit is at 5,458 feet of elevation and is super windy at the top.

Joshua Tree National Park Itinerary: Day 2

The second day was to visit the East and South parts of the park. The schedule included more driving on this day. We hiked the following routes:

Skull Rock (1.7 miles)

It’s the famous rock that looks like a skull. Visit this rock early in the morning or evening when there are fewer people, or stay patient to get your group photo. Most people visit the rock and leave, however, there is a nice flat trail around the boulders.

Split Rock Loop (2.5 miles)

It’s one of the least visited trails. You drive on a gravel road for 5 minutes before reaching the parking area. We loved the trail as it had various inclines and you walk over boulders. Follow the signs and you won’t get lost. Plus, you can see “Face Rock,” the side profile of a rock that has facial features.

There are fun rocks along Split Rock Loop

Arch Rock (.3 miles)

Somehow we got lost and off of the path for Arch Rock and ended up doing longer than .3 miles. This is a cool spot to see a natural arch. Some scrambling required to get up to the arch spot.

Cholla Cactus Garden (.25 mi) & Ocotillo Patch

Prepare yourself for the long drive down from the center of Joshua Tree to Cholla Cactus Garden and Ocotillo Patch. The Cholla Cactus Patch is a great place to see lots of cholla cacti (aka a jumping cholla) and is fun to photograph. They are adorable and look fluffy and fuzzy like a teddy bear. Watch your shoes and clothes as the cute cholla cacti may stick, thus the “jumping” action. I had one stuck on my shoe and the needle didn’t come out unless we used tweezers.

Not too far from the garden is the Ocotillo Patch. The tall plants are spiny and have green and red leaves, and located in the Colorado Desert. Some of the plants had red flowers which come out after the rain.  

The jumping cholla is on my hiking boots!

Up close shot of the ocotillo leaves

Lost Palms Oasis (7.2 miles)

We finally made it to the Cottonwood area to take the trek. You see palm trees on the start of the trail. It’s a moderately difficult trail with several inclines and some scrambling. In the middle of the trail, you walk through a slot canyon and eventually get the summit to see the palm trees. There is a scrambling trail to get closer to the palm trees. Since we started the trail in the late afternoon and the sun was setting, we observed the trees from afar then hiked back to the car.

Lost Palms Oasis Entrance

Joshua Tree National Park Itinerary: Day 3

On our travel day back to the Bay Area, we stopped by one hiking trail and also did a side trip to the Noah Purifoy Foundation Outdoor Museum in Joshua Tree.

49 Palms Oasis (3 miles)

If you don’t have the time to do the long Lost Palms Oasis trail, the 49 Palms Oasis is the best alternative. The trail is off Highway 62 and Canyon Road. No need to show your entrance ticket to a ranger. The incline is steep at the beginning of the trail, however, you reach the palm trees quicker.

Noah Puroy Foundation Outdoor Desert Art Museum

Are you an art lover? We recommend making a side trip in Joshua Tree to visit the Noah Puroy Foundation Outdoor Desert Art Museum. Admission is free and feel free to make a donation in the collection box. The entrance has a map of the artwork for a self-guided tour, or just explore on your own. The museum has artwork everywhere and made out of random stuff, such as toilets, bicycles, and pipes. They are interesting and open to interpretation.

To get to the museum, you’ll drive through dirt roads and residential area. It is at least 15 to 20 minutes away from Joshua Tree National Park. There are signs pointing to the direction of the museum as you’re closer. The museum is next to someone’s house, so please be respectful when parking.

We came across this spray-painted Joshua tree during our exploration. We found out through social media that a singer spray painted the tree for a music video and didn’t receive permission. Vandalism is not cool. Please respect nature, wildlife, and plants for future generations. Harming the living things causes stress and as travelers, we must be sensitive to our surroundings and environments. We all make an impact no matter how large or small.

Helpful Hints

• There is no cell phone service at Joshua Tree National Park. You’ll be truly unplugged.
• The weather changes at any time. It is recommended to dress in layers. If you visit during the fall or winter, there are random rainstorms.
• Bring enough food and water as there isn’t any restaurants or convenience stores in the park.
• Visit the park during the non-peak seasons for fewer crowds.

Logistics

• The park entrance fee is $20 which is good for 1 week. Credit cards are accepted.
• We stayed in Twentynine Palms which is 10 minutes away from the North Entrance Station. Otherwise, you’ll drive 20 minutes to the West Entrance Station. There are plenty of hotels available. Our budget hotel, America’s Best Value Inn, was $50 per night. Find hotels in Twentynine Palms here.
• A car is needed in the park as everything is spread out.

Have you been to Joshua Tree National Park before? What are your favorite hiking trails?

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The post Spending 3 Amazing Days at Joshua Tree National Park appeared first on Life Of Doing.

Jade Mountain (玉山) is a top hiking challenge in Taiwan and highly recommended if you have the chance to do it. There are about 100 peaks higher than 3000 meters (9,843 feet) in Taiwan to add to the hiking bucket list. Jade Mountain’s main peak tops off at 3,952 m (12,966 ft), the highest in Taiwan, and gives hikers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.

We decided to hike Jade Mountain in one day which was quite an adventure.  It’s no easy task climbing up this mountain!

Why only one day?! Work gives me the chance to travel to Asia few times a year and I had a trip scheduled for Taiwan in May. My friends who are avid hikers planned a Jade Mountain hike at the start my trip. 

If you’re able to do the Jade Mountain hike in 2+ days – go for it! You’ll have a better time acclimating to the altitude and can take your time hiking. 

Continue reading on how we hiked Jade Mountain in a day and the process for climbing this place. For the adventurers and hikers, this place is the perfect addition to your Taiwan itinerary, especially if you have two weeks!

(Disclosure: Several links in the post are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. If you click on them and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. Appreciate the support.)

The Jade Mountain Process

The process is well regulated as hikers need permits (park entry and mountain climbing) to reach the summit. My friends applied for the permits and submitted the proper paperwork to the police office.

To complete the paperwork at the police office, check in on the website 5 days early. Within five days of the trip, submit your information to nearly police office.

Read more about the process here. The website is in English.

How Many Days are Needed on Jade Mountain?

Most hikers spend 2 days on Jade Mountain:

• Day 1: Hike from Mt. Jade Trailhead to the Paiyun Lodge.
• Day 2: Hike from Paiyun Lodge to the summit and back down the mountain.
• Day 3 (optional): After reaching the summit, spend one night at Paiyun Lodge before heading down Mt. Jade Trailhead.

Paiyun Lodge is the only lodge for the Jade Mountain climb and requires a lottery for bunk bed spots. As the demand was high, we applied for the lottery for a Thursday or Friday.

We were unable to get spots, so our last option was to attempt the summit in one day. This is not recommended for everyone as the climb is strenuous.

How We Hiked Jade Mountain in One Day

For the one day attempt we did the following:

Day 0 – Travel Day

We drove to Dongpu Villa Hostel (東埔) to spend the night. 

Tip: You’ll need to call them to see if there are beds available. Once there is a confirmation, you’ll pay for the beds in advance.

The lodge was basic. At $300TWD ($10 USD) per bunk bed spot, we could not complain. The beds had some slight padding, a pillow, and a comforter.

Bathrooms were typical squat toilets, urinals, showers (hot water after 6pm).

As with food, some groups brought food and cookware to cook in designated places. Our group chose to have the hostel cook our dinner. The meal cost $200TWD ($6.60 USD) per person and was expensive for Taiwanese standards. Due to the remote location, there weren’t many choices.

Dinner (from bottom going clockwise): fried fish, cabbage and carrot stir fry, bittermelon and salted duck egg, pork chop, and boiled taro

Steamed sticky rice with pork and gingko nut

We all tried to sleep around 8:00pm due to our early planned wake-up at 1:00am. The room was noisy and bright. Earplugs and eye covers are recommended. I slept well due to jetlag as I arrived in Taiwan the day before, and was told that I was the loudest guy in the room. Sorry guys! I should have followed some of these tips to overcome jetlag. 

Day 1 – Summit Day

Waking up at 1:00am should have been tougher, but that’s where my jetlag worked in my favor. As we dragged ourselves out of bed and ate our hostel’s porridge breakfast for $80TWD ($2.70 USD) per person, we were anxious to get started.

Breakfast: congee/porridge

We finished packing up and moved our cars about a ½ mile from the hostel which was closer to the main entrance.

The morning was brisk. Temperatures started around 6°C (42°F). For my upper body, I wore a long-sleeve baselayer and my Patagonia Houdini jacket knowing I would heat up later.

The hike officially started at 2:00am. We hiked 2km (1.6miles) up the hill to the Mt. Jade Trailhead which we arrived at 2:30am. Headlamps are required.

Having hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro 5 months prior to this, I knew the importance of going “Pole Pole” (“slow slow” in Swahili) and not rushing up the mountain, especially with a group of various physical strengths.

Our group of 9 quickly split into 3 groups- the fastest, the medium, and the slower paced. To ensure a higher rate of success, we had at least one “sweeper” in each group. I chose to stick with the medium pace group and led with a “Pole Pole” fashion. Some experienced altitude sickness within the first hour of hiking and had to take altitude medication. It was important to eat snacks for fuel, drink plenty of water, and take breaks as needed (not too long though).

Along the way, there were a few ECO-restrooms as well as a larger rest platform that people can spend the night on.

Eventually we arrived at the Paiyun Lodge around 7:00am which we were unsuccessful in booking. We stopped for a brief amount of time for a snack break before the summit attempt.

Paiyun Lodge is at 3402 m (11,161 ft)

I packed a Taiwan style sushi lunch that I bought the day before and definitely savored it during this trip.

The section between Paiyun Lodge and Mt. Jade’s main peak was much steeper and more challenging than the previous section. Gloves are recommended as they give your hands protection while scrambling up rock faces and grabbing chains.

With enough determination, you are rewarded with a spectacular view at the top of Taiwan. We reached the summit at 10:00am. We spent some time here to rest and take pictures.

If you want cell phone reception to post that awesome photo on social media, there is a spot marked on the top of the mountain. My Google Project Fi phone plan worked flawlessly here and also in various spots along the trail. (Receive a $20 credit if you click on the link! We’ll write about Project Fi soon.)  

It was time to head back down at 11:00am. Trekking poles were not helpful during the hike up so I kept them strapped to my day pack. On the descent, I whipped them out in hopes of saving my knees. The temperature steadily increased so having layers of clothes helped.

Going down was quicker than coming up. My group was tired, but motivated to move more quickly as we realized we were near the shuttle cutoff time of 5:00pm.

This shuttle (cost $100TWD/$3.30 USD) will bring you from the trailhead down to the parking area (2km down the hill). Hikers who finished around the time we did all decided to take the shuttle. If you do not catch the last shuttle, you need to walk the last 2km to your car. If you do not drive your car past the checkpoint gate by 5:30pm, you must spend one more night at Dongpu Villa Hostel.

I was ready to sleep on a real bed back in Taichung, so I sped down the hill with an hour to spare. The slower group also decided they didn’t want to spend another night at the hostel and burned through their energy reserves to, arrive in time for the last shuttle.

Our entire team of 9 was successful in reaching the summit of Jade Mountain’s main peak and descending in one day!

This is a challenging hike as it was about 31km (19.2 miles) long and ascends from about 2590 m (8497 ft) to 3952 m (12,966 ft). This is achievable if you are physically active and love to hike. A little bit of training beforehand will help.

I am happy we got to tackle this together and thanks to my friend, Kozi, for planning this trip of a lifetime. One of our future adventures is to climb Taroko George’s marble mountain in Hualien, Taiwan.

Packing List for Jade Mountain

Here is a recommended packing list of what I brought for the hike including the exact items brought.

Clothing

• Baselayer (wool or synthetic)
• Light Wind Jacket (Patagonia Houdini)
• Hiking Pants (The North Face Horizon Cargo)
• Insulating layer (Patagonia Nano Puff for summit, though Patagonia R1might have been better for breathability)
• Wool Hiking Socks
• Hiking Boots (Salomon Quest 4d 2 Gtx)
• Light duty gloves – for gripping chains and rocks
• Sun Hat
• Rain Jacket (Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket)
• Rain Pants (Marmot Precip Pants)

Others

• Backpack- 20 to 30L (Osprey Talon 22)
• Headlamp (Black Diamond Iota Headlamp)
• Sunglasses
• Hydration pack and/or water bottles (3 liters)
• Trekking Poles
• Altitude sickness medication – Diamox (optional)
• Lots of snacks – candy, energy bars, food
• Cell Phone
• Camera and extra batteries
• Camping towel
• Earplugs and eye covers
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Sunscreen

Have you done other hikes in Taiwan? Do you want to hike Jade Mountain in Taiwan? Let us know in the comments where you would recommend. See you on the next hike!

The post How to Hike Jade Mountain, Taiwan in One Day appeared first on Life Of Doing.

Related post: Why Mount Kilimanjaro is Awesome and Challenging

Day 6 – January 3, 2017

Summit Day was similar to running a marathon:

• You have a hard time sleeping the night before due to the excitement and anxiety.
• Once you start the race, you feel strong and run/sprint past everyone. The pace is blowing away what was done in training.
• In the middle of the run, the pace slows down due to the cockiness of running fast in the beginning and you wonder why you put yourself through torture.
• Once you cross the finish line, you’re over the run and vow never to do another one.
• After some sleep and rest, the high endorphins kick in and you instantly want to sign up for another one.

What a slow climb up the mountain. Hundreds of people walked up, and we looked like ants marching up the hill with their headlamps. From Top Climbers Expedition, we had Jacob, Ally, and Meck, a guide in training, join us for the hike.

Thank goodness our Top Climbers Expedition team chose a camping location at the highest camping area possible. We didn’t have to make the long journey up the mountain from the bottom (and past the registration area).

Barafu campsite on a clear afternoon

Jacob and Ally reminded us prior to the hike to keep on going. We didn’t need to stop whenever someone had to turn around back down the mountain or if groups needed to pass.

Even though we were prepared with our layers of clothes, the weather was blisteringly cold and super windy. Fingers and toes were continuously cold and hard to wiggle while loosing feeling. Luckily this was the first the rain clouds decided to take a break.

We wore 6 layers of clothes – wool long sleeve baselayer, R1 jacket, Houdini, Nano Puff, Marmot Windstopper, and rain jacket with hoodie. For pants – wool baselayer, Uniqlo leggings (not moisture wicking or wool, but I needed another layer), hiking pants, and rain pants. I had a Windstopper beanie and fleece ear covers, while Justin’s R1 and Nano Puff were hoodies. A Buff neck gaiter helped with covering my face, but my nose dripped every second due to the wind. I had to breathe through my nose and out through my mouth, making my Buff a “humidifier.” More information on our packing list is here.

The pace was extremely “pole pole” for the first half of the hike almost to the point of sleepwalking. Leslie, my sister, had challenges such as overheating from her long parka and frozen Camelback tube, so we separated. Jacob and Meck stayed with her, while Ally took Justin and I. Oxygen levels were so low that Justin had to take three breaths for every step; and every three steps he took a few seconds break.

We saw the beautiful sunrise at 6:30am. We proceeded along the trail and didn’t stop to enjoy or take a photo. Ally said to continue to the Summit sign and not stop, even though many groups stopped at Stella Point (5756m / 18,885 ft elevation) first for a break.

It was another 15 to 20 minutes to reach the summit sign. It was extremely cold. Our sunglasses had frost and ice over the lenses. We took off our gloves to insert the batteries into our GoPro and camera and our hands felt like they would freeze off.

We did it! Once we reached the summit, we hugged Ally and snapped our picture at Uhuru Peak (5895m / 19,341 ft elevation). What a sight and relief! The celebration was short-lived since we couldn’t stay at the top too long due to winds.

On our way back down, we saw Leslie, Meck, and Jacob. We took a photo at Stella Point and continued down the mountain. It was extremely steep. We didn’t realize how steep it was on the way up and in the dark.

What comes up, must come down

Barafu campsite is down there

At this point, we were fatigued and had altitude sickness with headaches. Going down in the beginning of the descent was slow due to the small rocks. Ally helped me “ski” (more of a fast shuffle) down together on the scree slope. We lost Justin along the way as he took rest breaks and found cell phone signal to post on Instagram. Thank you, Project Fi! (Use our referral link if you’re interested.)

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The Top Climbers Expedition team congratulated us when we reached back to camp. Leslie also made it back an hour after we did. What a long journey! We had lunch at Barafu Camp even though we weren’t too hungry.

We headed to our next and final camp. Whoever designed the trail from Barafu must have wanted to torture everyone. The distance to Mweka Camp written at the Barafu Gate was written purposely shorter than the actual distance to encourage visitors to take the path. It took 3-4 hours to arrive at Mweka Camp (3100m / 10,171 ft elevation). The first quarter of the hike was flat as we came down from Barafu Camp. We passed another camp, but it was still at high altitude over 4000m. Most people didn’t stay here overnight. Then, we went down a path with lots of big rocks. It was hard on the knees even with hiking poles. I was hoping my left knee wouldn’t give out especially after my recent scooter crash and surgery.

Don’t get hurt on the mountain. Otherwise, you’ll be rescued on this steel chariot (a wheeled stretcher).

“V” for victory with the completion of the summit

At Mweka Camp, one of the porters, Mandela, showed us the secret spot to receive data for our smartphone. We updated our status with completing the summit!

We collapsed and slept at 8pm.

Total walking distance covered: 18.1km / 11.3 miles (10.6km / 6.6 miles Summit & 7.6km / 4.7 miles to Mweka Camp)

Day 7 – January 4, 2017

Sleep never felt so good! Woke up refreshed and ready to climb another mountain. Just kidding.

It was bittersweet to have our last porridge meal for breakfast. We were used to eating it for the week.

As the final farewell and celebration of our experience, Top Climbers Expedition team sang the Mount Kilimanjaro tipping ceremony song. You’ll hear the same song echoed throughout the campsite from other groups. Ally, one of our guides, led the song and he did an awesome job! Each of us expressed our gratitude and many thanks to the team, and ended with calling out everyone’s names to distribute their hard earned tip.

We took a few group pictures before everyone packed up and headed to Mweka Gate. We hustled/trotted down the hill in a walk/run pace to arrive at the registration desk before the large crowds arrived. Otherwise, it would be waiting for a few hours like on the first day at the Londorossi gate.

Our group photo before departure

As we journey through the alpine forest we can still see the peak of Mt Kilimanjaro in the distance and appreciate our accomplishment which feels like a far off dream.

Sign out area

Mweka Gate

Once we reached the gate, Ally and Jacob signed a registration book, and we also signed the visitor’s book and our Summit Day completion time. The Top Climbers Expedition team left prior and we headed back to Moshi in a separate vehicle.

Manase Mwaga, Top Climbers Expedition owner, delivered our laminated certificates of completion at the hotel. Each certificate is customized with our names, times, and own serial number.

The experience on the Mount Kilimanjaro is treasured in our hearts. It was worth the journey and stormy weather to reach the Summit. We can’t express enough how much fun (yet sometimes miserable with the weather) it was to spend on the mountain.

Thank you Mount Kilimanjaro! You will be missed, but never forgotten.

Total walking distance covered: 8.5km / 5.3 miles

Would you consider hiking Mount Kilimanjaro? Let us know why you would like to climb it in the comments.

The post Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Trip Report (Days 6-7) appeared first on Life Of Doing.

Related post: Why Mount Kilimanjaro is Awesome and Challenging

Day 3 – December 31, 2016

Happy New Year’s Eve! The theme of the day was: “Rain, rain go away. Come again, another day.” It was another gray day with the rain.  

After breakfast, we trekked across more moorland to the Shira 2 Camp (3850m / 12,631 ft elevation). The course was flatter than yesterday. On arrival, we noticed that Shira 2 had an amazing view of the mountain compared to Shira 1.

Moorland

Which way shall we go? The mountain cycling route looks interesting.

Note to self: Chocolate bars are harder to chew once the temperature gets cooler. It took a while to melt the chocolate in my mouth!

Our chef made us pizza for lunch!

We took an acclimatization walk in the late afternoon after the rain stopped. Appreciated the clear skies for an hour. Jacob and Justin sped up the hill and Leslie and I tried to keep up. It was not the “pole pole” (slow in Swahili) as practiced. Our stopping point was an area with an array of meditation rocks (different rocks stacked on top of each other).

Not surprising. It rained while we headed back, yet saw one of the most beautiful sunsets as we reached camp. (See above in our featured image of the post).

We didn’t officially meet everyone from our Top Climbers Expedition team in the first few days, so we hung with the rest of the crew at their tent. Plus, it was nice and warm with the propane gas on! We introduced ourselves and the crew members did the same. We heard how some of the porters wanted to be a guide and asked questions on why he wanted to pursue the field. What a fun learning experience from ours and TCE perspectives to hear about each other’s cultures. We received interesting questions and our viewpoints on U.S. politics (this was before Trump sworn into office.)

Selfie with Top Climbers Expedition Team

The rest of the evening was quiet with dinner and sleep. No New Year’s celebration for us, but we woke up to shouting, cheers, and noise around 12:15am from others in the camp.

Total walking distance covered: 8km/4.8 miles

Day 4 – January 1, 2017

Happy New Year! It was a hard day due to the high altitude and the crazy weather. On the agenda, we hiked to Lava Tower (4600m / 15,092 ft elevation), the highest point of the day.

It rained, hailed, and snowed on us for hours. There was at least 2 hours of hail and we didn’t wear gloves. Hail on the hands hurt! We switched off with exposing one hand to the blistering hailstorm and the other hand to the jacket pocket. The original plan was to eat a box lunch at Lava Tower but that did not occur due to the weather.

It’s hailing!!!

The second half of the trail had more descents and more technical. We crossed over rocks, rushing streams, mud, etc on our way down the mountain. Justin reminded us that we had waterproof boots on so we didn’t need to be as worried about getting our feet wet. It’s amazing to see how the porters go across these conditions with fairly basic footwear.

Crossing a stream

Not quite a palm tree

We arrived at the Barranco Camp (3960m / 12,992 ft elevation) which was huge (and also with more trash) compared to the other campsites. The Machame route also connected with the route. It was a maze trying to find the campsite that TCE set-up.

The sun came out for an hour and everyone dried their clothes on their tents, rocks, or anywhere flat. Yay for the sun! Our clothes never dried completely from the previous nights. When the clouds rolled in, everything was rushed back into the tents.

Drying clothes pronto

Huge campsite

Had an early dinner of potato stew, chapati, mango, cake, and sparkling grape juice. It was such a treat to see a cake made using the propane gas stove. After dinner, we shared the cake with everyone and the juice. Thanked everyone for their support and their efforts. It was a fun way to celebrate the New Year’s.

Jacob went to our tent to share an opportunity to climb up the summit faster. With our walking pace, he suggested to combine Day 5 & 6 on the itinerary into one day so we’d arrive at the summit a day early. Day 5 and 6 had a total of 10k (6.2 miles) of walking, and most outfitters skipped staying at Karanga Camp (for day 5). The best part was if we did not reach the summit the first time, then there was a second opportunity to climb the summit. Therefore, we’d finish the hike in 7 days/6 nights instead of 8 days/7 nights (as originally planned), and pay for an additional night for the hotel in Moshi. We were fine with the suggestion.

Total walking distance covered: 10k / 6.2 miles

Day 5 – January 2, 2017

Good Morning Barranco Camp

It was an early morning to beat the crowds leaving Barranco Camp. We left around 7:45am as there is only one path to get to Karanga (“peanuts” in Swahili) Camp.

We started in the Great Barranco, a huge ravine, and climbed/scrambled over lots of rocks. No trekking poles needed. It was fun to scramble! Everyone passed through the “kissing rock” section where you bear-hug a rock, and it almost looks like you’re kissing it. Luckily it didn’t start raining until after we finished the challenging sections. We can’t imagine scaling the slippery rocks in the rain.

“Kissing” rock

Porters are amazing

During one of the rest breaks, we took photos from a higher peak and had a view of Mt. Mera in the background. The skies were clear!

We arrived at Karanga Camp (3995m / 13,107 ft elevation) after four hours. Most people tend to not stay over at this camp and continue to Barafu Camp. We had lunch of fried chicken/potato with egg frittata, fries, coleslaw, and pineapple. Afterwards, everyone packed up and went to Barafu Camp.

It was a slow and steep hike to Barafu Camp (4673m / 15,331 ft elevation) on a full stomach. Snow fell on us during the walk and took about three hours to arrive to the camp. This was another large campsite since it was the “base camp” before summit day. The team chose a good spot for our campsite as it was halfway up on the mountain trail to the summit.

We were anxious due to the Summit Day. The cold and the windiness at camp didn’t help. To prepare for the summit attempt, we slept with most of our layers on so we would be ready at midnight. We had off and on sleep for 2-3 hours before the 11pm wake up call with hot tea and biscuits for breakfast.

Total walking distance covered: 8.5km / 5.2 miles (5.5km / 3.4 miles to Karanga & 3km /1.9 miles) to Barafu)

The post Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Trip Report (Days 3-5) appeared first on Life Of Doing.

Related post on Why Mount Kilimanjaro is Awesome and Challenging.

Day 1 – December 29, 2016

It’s the first day of our Mount Kilimanjaro hike and we’re excited for the journey! We met our guides from Top Climbers Expedition, Jacob and Ally, at Key’s Hotel and had a quick luggage and gear check. Jacob emphasized that we needed 4 layers for pants, 5 layers for upper body, a windproof hat, and scarf or something to cover the face for Summit Day. Check! Everything was ready in our Patagonia Black Hole 60L duffel bag and daypack.

We went to Top Climbers Expedition’s office at 9:30am to meet the team, drop off extra luggage (so we didn’t need to leave it at the hotel), and left around 10:30am. The top of the van was similar to playing Tetris since everything fit somehow. The van’s seating arrangement was cozy with 18 people – Justin, my sister Leslie, and I, 14 from Top Climbers Expedition, and the driver.

One of our stops was in the city of Sanya Juu. As the TCE team took a break for breakfast/lunch, Jacob, Ally, and other TCE members invited us to eat Tanzanian BBQ beef (nyama choma) with dense maize bread. Eating beef and BBQ meats is expensive as many people eat a plant based diet by growing their own veggies and meat is free range. Justin and Leslie gave the snack two thumbs up with the delicious BBQ flavor. Due to my dietary restriction, I didn’t eat any and enjoyed the maize bread with the tomato salsa.

After a few hours on the road, we arrived at the Londorossi gate (2250m / 7382 ft elevation) around 2pm for registration and weighing the bags. We were the last group to arrive and leave the inspection area. It took over 2 hours for processing as there were issues with the weight of the bags with how much porters were allowed to carry. We overheard that some groups arrived at 10am and left at 3pm.

The time passed by hanging out in the waiting area along with five other groups and eating our box lunch. It was the same lunch as the prior day on the Coffee and Materuni waterfall tour.

Leslie noticed something moving in trees far away. We debated for a while. She said a large squirrel, and I said that it could be a flying squirrel. It ended up as a family of black and white colobus monkeys.

Kilimanjaro National Park Fees Per Day

Cute little mouse

This raven wanted attention and made a lot of noise.

Twin bananas

After receiving the “okay” to proceed, we took a group photo at the gate sign and drove another 20 minutes to the start of the trail.

Our “Dream Team” for the Mount Kilimanjaro hike

Other groups leaving the gate

Innovative way to store eggs during the car ride – chicken feed in a box!

The sun started to set as we began hiking at 4:30pm at the Lemosho Gate (2100m / 6890 ft elevation). It was amazing to see the porters whiz by with the 20kg (44 pounds) of gear on their heads and/or upper back in addition to their personal daypacks. So strong!

We went through the forest area with luscious green trees and plants. A colobus monkey surprised us and “hello” during the hike. Darkness surrounded us around 6pm and used our headlamps for light.

Our last stop was at Big Tree Camp (2780m / 9121 ft elevation) where we signed our names in a visitors’ book. The TCE team set up the sleeping tents, amazingly thick sleeping pads, portable toilet, and our mess tent on arrival.

Our cute portable toilet

We had tea time at 8:30pm and started the habit of drinking Tanzanian black tea with honey at every meal. Dinner followed with vegetarian spaghetti with veg sauce and soup. A healthy and delicious meal to end the day.

Jacob took our health metrics using an oximeter to determine blood pressure and oxygen amount. This part of our daily checkup. He explained the reason for taking the health numbers; mostly to not get sick on the mountain with severe altitude sickness, high altitude pulmonary edema, or high altitude cerebral edema. All scary stuff. Justin had a low heart rate (from lots of cardio workouts) as he normally does and Jacob was concerned that it was too low. We were told to drink more water to have a higher oxygen amount!

We were advised in the evening to “Wear your headlamp whenever you’re outside and in the dark.” For protection, the park ranger has the authority to shoot anything that is moving in the dark and may confuse a human with a wild animal.

Total walking distance covered: 7km/4.3 miles

Day 2 – December 30, 2016

We’re not morning people so our wake up call was bright and early at 6:30am. Frank, our friendly and awesome server, gave us hot tea and hot water to wash up. Our hearty breakfast included eggs, toast, porridge, and fruit (the recurring breakfast for the rest of the week.)

The start of the hike was beautiful as we passed through the luscious green forest and then the moorland terrain. The noticeable difference was the tall trees disappeared and shorter shrubs and plants appeared. The route had more uphills than the previous day, but wasn’t too bad. It seemed more crowded with hikers due to the narrow path.

Lots of uphill and downhill

The weather changed after completing the first hour and rained for 3 straight hours till we reached camp. Justin and I didn’t use our rain gear as we underestimated how much it would rain. Our Patagonia Houdini, baselayers, and backpacks were soaked. The rain covers were not so effective for our backpacks. My sister had a genius idea of creating a full body poncho out of a garbage bag, so she was dry.

Once we arrived at Shira 1 Camp (3610m / 11,844 ft elevation), we did the ritual of signing in the visitor’s book. It was colder at Shira 1 due to the higher altitude and we quickly changed out of our wet clothes. For lunch, we had chapati (my favorite!), carrot sandwiches, beans, and pumpkin soup.

It was nice to take a short afternoon nap and snapped photos once the rain ended.  

We had tea time and popcorn at 4:30pm and dinner at 6:30pm. Dinner was potato soup, spinach, steamed potatoes, fish, and fruit.

Total walking distance covered: 8.5km/5.2 miles

The post Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro Trip Report (Days 1-2) appeared first on Life Of Doing.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was one of the most memorable and challenging experiences that we’ve had during our 7+ years of traveling internationally together. It’s a long journey where you spend hours hiking “pole pole” (slow in Swahili) in crazy, unpredictable weather and various terrain. We appreciated the pristine conditions of the mountains and how the National Park was unaltered – no paved roads or ropes to make the hike easier.

Below is our top 8 list of what the mountain taught us, and in no particular order.

1. The hike is not a race.

You’ll stay in shape throughout this trip with walking at least a 10k (6.2 miles) for 4-6 hours each day. Some days will have flatter trails or you may feel the urge blaze up the mountain.  Our guides and passing porters encouraged us to go “pole pole” due to the altitude and reminded us that it isn’t a race to get to the campsite first. We saw many hikers speed past us and would later see them again taking extended breaks as they were out of breath or had headaches.

Lots of uphill and downhill. Trekking poles rock!

2. You, your traveling companions, and your tour operator/outfitter are one family.

We had an awesome time with our tour operator, Top Climbers Expedition. We had a team of 14 from Top Climbers to support our group of 3 (Justin, my sister, and I), so we were one big family of 17 for 7 days/6 nights. Our guides, Jacob and Ally, were patient with us, especially when we had to take frequent bathroom breaks and also walking the snail pace up a hill. Plus, safety is a big deal as they monitored our vital signs every evening with an oximeter for our heart rate and oxygen level.

Our porters and chef also made our experience memorable. We’re still in shock how quickly our porters had tents and portable toilet ready when we arrived at our next campsite. It was also fun to hang out with them in their tent to chat. Our chef, Priver, magically made a cake in a pan over a propane stove for the New Year holiday. It was thoughtful and we shared the delicious cake and sparkling grape juice with our family.

We couldn’t have done it without their motivation and support.

Our “Dream Team” for the Mount Kilimanjaro hike on the first day

Our group photo before departure

3. If you can believe it, you can achieve it.

Summit day is mentally and physically draining, but don’t forget about the overall goal!

It is the most exciting and exhausting day. With 2-3 hours of sleep the prior night and the start time of midnight, the goal is to reach Stella Point (5756 m/18,885 ft) and Uhuru Peak (5895 m/19,341 ft) along with hundreds of other people. There is a second time of an 8am start to the summit, but we didn’t see anyone coming up.

Mentally and physically prepare yourself for the cold and windchill. No matter how many layers you wear, your fingers and toes will still be cold! It does help to have the right gear for the job. Layer up!

Our guides said to not stop at Stella Point as everyone stops there. Continue to the Uhuru Peak sign so you don’t have to wait as long in line for the photo opportunity.

It was amazing to reach the summit along with everyone else and to see the pristine white snow. The celebration was short lived as we rushed back down the mountain after taking our photo. It was too cold to hang out on the summit. Be careful with going down the mountain. There is lots of loose gravel and the tiredness plus hunger don’t help. I slipped over 5 times and had to “skate” down the mountain with Ally, one of the guides, holding onto my arm.

Once we reached the basecamp, we rested for an hour, ate brunch, and then walked another 4 hours to our next campsite. What a long day!

We reached the summit!

Took a photo with Stella Point sign after we reached Uhuru Peak

Pretty glacier to admire for a minute or so

4. The mountain is unpredictable.

Prior to the hike, we asked the guides what the weather was like. Even though the main city, Moshi, was 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit, they said that Mount Kilimanjaro could be sunny or rainy, but otherwise unknown. We experienced all four seasons on the mountain. After 4 days of hiking through nonstop rain, hail, and snow, we were over the wetness. It was so cold and wet that even hanging up wet clothes in your tent overnight won’t dry them. We figured out that wearing our wet clothes and drying them with our body heat was the most effective.

Cherish the sunshine when it appears! We arrived at Barranco Camp on the fourth day of the hike. We went through a hailstorm on Lava Tower earlier in the day, and was thrilled to see one hour of sun. Everyone rushed to place wet gear and clothes on top of tents and rocks to dry the items. What a sight to see and the change in mood with the sun!

Drying clothes pronto

5. Get the right equipment for the job.

Research the gear and clothing that you need and test them out in similar conditions back at home for training. Go with the quality stuff. You wouldn’t want items to fall apart on the mountain. We did weekly hikes prior to our trip to break in our hiking boots and experimented with different layering configurations. Layers are important as we saw those who were unprepared struggle in quickly changing weather conditions. In addition, we also simulated the weight of the daypack with lots of water bottles and collapsible water bottles. Forget something? You can easily rent gear in Arusha/Moshi through your tour operator.

6. Get dirty.

Embrace nature, break a sweat, get dirty and stinky, and experience the freedom of the outdoors. Baby wipes will feel like a first world luxury. We had a private portable toilet at our campsite so we didn’t have to find and use the public ones in the middle of the night. Definitely worth splurging on. Thank goodness for wearing technical/wool baselayers and socks to lessen our stench.

Our cute portable toilet

7. Drink lots of water and eat even if you don’t feel the need.

Our guides reminded us to drink at least 3 liters of water everyday, while the Mount Kilimanjaro National Park sign said to drink 4-5 liters (must be for the summertime). It is a lot of water! We tried to drink at least 3 liters of water through tea time, meals, and throughout the day. Water is good for the body and provides extra oxygen to prevent altitude sickness. Don’t worry about bringing water as you’ll receive boiled mountain water from chef everyday. We used Katadyn Micropur purification tablets as extra precaution but wasn’t necessary since the water was clean.

Meals were healthy and delicious from chapati and egg for breakfast to rice and curries for dinner. We had an occasional treat with pizza and kabobs for the meals. The only day that we didn’t eat much was after we summited the mountain. We had a slight case of altitude sickness and didn’t feel like eating.

Lunch selfie

8. Enjoy the journey.

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” Greg Anderson

No matter which route you take, each day is a milestone. Mount Kilimanjaro is beautiful with the snow capped peak and to climb one of the Seven Summits is a huge achievement. There are plenty of stories, photos, and emotions throughout the trip. Proudly display your certificate of completion once you receive it. The certificate is personalized with your name and has its own serial number to show your ranking with reaching the summit sign.

Good luck!

Have you hiked Mount Kilimanjaro? What are your tips that you recommend for future hikers?

The post Why Mount Kilimanjaro Hike is Awesome and Challenging appeared first on Life Of Doing.