PASSPORT & PIXELS
Tanzania
Ol Doinyo Lengai – Climb the Mountain of God

Ol Doinyo Lengai – Climb the Mountain of God

Most climbers travelling to Tanzania have only one target in mind: the towering summit of the six-kilometre high Mount Kilimanjaro.  Ask them if they’re planning on climbing Ol Doinyo Lengai and odds are you’ll get a blank stare.  Ol Donny-who?! But if you want a serious challenge, in …
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Kilimanjaro
An Overthinker’s Kilimanjaro Packing List

An Overthinker’s Kilimanjaro Packing List

In September I finally got round to ticking one of the top things off my bucket list – I climbed Kilimanjaro. I’m an organiser and planner by nature, so before I went I did a LOT of research to work out what should be on my Kilimanjaro packing list –…
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Photography
13 Top Tips for Taking Photos of Markets

13 Top Tips for Taking Photos of Markets

I’ve photographed markets from Cuba to Myanmar, and from Tanzania to Hungary, and I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of them.  Taking photos of markets is definitely one of my favourite types of photography.  Markets are so buzzing and vibrant, there’s so much going on, …
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Tanzania
Behind the Scenes on Safari in Tanzania

Behind the Scenes on Safari in Tanzania

Africa. The Serengeti. The Ngorongoro Crater. The names alone conjure up thrilling images of vast open plains, with hundreds of wildebeest peacefully grazing while a dignified herd of elephants cuts a ponderous path across the landscape.  Or of nature, red in tooth and claw: a cheetah stalking noiselessly through swaying&…
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Tanzania
How to Prepare & Train For Kilimanjaro – Part 2

How to Prepare & Train For Kilimanjaro – Part 2

This is the second part of my guide to how to shop, prepare, pack and train for Kilimanjaro, doing the Lemosho Route with Exodus Travels*.  Read the first part here. Four Weeks To Go I’m starting to get really nervous now. I keep waking up in the middle of …
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Tanzania
Preparing and Training for Kilimanjaro – Part 1

Preparing and Training for Kilimanjaro – Part 1

In September I will be climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.  At 5895m above sea level it’s the highest point in the African continent, and certainly WAY higher than anything I’ve ever scaled before.  I’m not an experienced hiker: I live in London, which is pretty much entirely flat, and …
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Tanzania
The Unsung Heroes of Kilimanjaro

The Unsung Heroes of Kilimanjaro

No one survives even a day on Kilimanjaro, let alone making it to the top, without a frankly embarrassing amount of support from an enormous team of guides and porters.  It’s their job to carry your stuff, cook your meals, supply you with safe drinking water, put up your …
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Tanzania
How To Climb Kilimanjaro In 10 Steps

How To Climb Kilimanjaro In 10 Steps

So your itchy feet have got the better of you and you’ve decided you want to climb Kilimanjaro?  Excellent decision!  But now you’ve got to actually organise and (eeek!) do the damn thing!  Here’s how… (Disclaimer: it does take a few more than 10 steps to get to …
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Tanzania
Descent | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 8

Descent | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 8

This is the eighth and final part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb the Lemosho Route on Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, click here for Day Seven. Today’s post covers the descent. What it’s like to finally go down after all …
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Tanzania
Summit Night | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 7

Summit Night | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 7

This is the seventh part of my day-by-day account of what it was like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, Day Six is here. Today: the day we’d all been waiting for. Kilimanjaro Summit Night! If you think it’s hard having to wake up at 4 am …
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Tanzania
Base Camp | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 6

Base Camp | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 6

This is the sixth part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb the Lemosho Route up Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, Day Five is here. I woke well before the morning wake-up call on Day Six to a weird feeling in my face.  I …
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Tanzania
The Terrifying Barranco Wall | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 5

The Terrifying Barranco Wall | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 5

This is the fifth part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb the Lemosho Route up Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, here’s Day Four or start from the beginning with Day 1 – Getting Started. Today I’ll talk about the dreaded Barranco Wall. How …
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Tanzania
Lava Tower | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 4

Lava Tower | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 4

This is the fourth part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb the Lemosho Route up Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it click this link to go to Day 3 – Shira Plateau.  Today I’ll talk about the walk up to the Lava Tower. Altitude…
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Tanzania
Shira Plateau | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 3

Shira Plateau | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 3

This is the third part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, Day Two is here. As dawn broke on day three, and with barely a cloud in the sky, we got our first proper look at where we …
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Tanzania
The Forest Zone | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 2

The Forest Zone | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 2

This is the second part of my day-by-day account of what it was really like to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  If you missed it, Day One is here. It’s not something that had occurred to me before starting, but the nights on the mountain are LOOOONG.  The sun set at …
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Tanzania
First Day | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 1

First Day | Kilimanjaro Lemosho Route 1

For several years I had talked occasionally about how ‘One Day’ I would climb Kilimanjaro.  It was one of those challenges that sounded like it might be a Good Thing to do (in a totally bonkers-painful, crazy-yet-hopefully-rewarding kind of way) but for a long time looked like it would be …
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