There’s a certain type of silence at 5,895 metres above sea level. It is not exactly the absence of sound, but the kind that wraps around your thoughts, muffles your words, and makes everything feel a little surreal.
When our UK Sales Leader, Oren Blindell, reached the summit of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, it all came into focus. A full moon lit the way through her final push. The sun was just beginning to rise. And when the clouds cleared, it felt as though she could see the curvature of the Earth.
Looking back, she said, “It’s hard to explain how it felt and just how special it was. The group was great. The guides were incredible – it all just came together. It’s three years on and I’m still talking about it every week.”
The climb may have started at Londorossi Gate, but the journey began months earlier with a tough decision: Everest Base Camp or Kilimanjaro? Oren and our Head of Sales, Jess Dillon, were trying to decide which trek they should book onto next.
“We were initially thinking of Nepal, because it’s one of the world’s most iconic hikes,” she says, “but the moment we started looking into Kili, something clicked. We both got excited, and it just felt right.”
After travelling to Zambia as a teenager, Oren had long held a soft spot for Africa. So, the idea of returning – this time to take on the world’s tallest free-standing mountain – was too tempting to pass up.
They both decided to join Exodus’s Kilimanjaro Climb – Lemosho Route, drawn by its high summit success rate and the chance to take things a little slower.
“You’re going around the mountain, not straight up like the Marangu ‘Coca-Cola’ route or the more challenging Machame ‘Whiskey’ route”, she explained. “It gives you enough time to acclimatise and take in the scenery.”
Passing through five distinct ecological zones, Kilimanjaro offers one of the most varied mountain treks when it comes to shifting landscapes. “At the base of Kili, we passed through rural farmlands, and we saw monkeys, giraffes and zebras near Londrossi Gate. When we started trekking, we moved through moorland dotted with giant groundsel, then onto large stretches of alpine desert and up to glaciers above the clouds – the whole trek was incredible.”
With 12 climbers on the trip, Oren said, “The group were all legends – a complete mix of ages and backgrounds, which made it interesting”. There were the two Simons, sharp-witted Jane from Edinburgh, Mark, an Englishman who lived in Bulgaria (and credited his altitude resilience to living at 500m), and a couple who got engaged when they reached the summit.
“We still chat sometimes and share travel photos in the WhatsApp group,” Oren said. “It just worked from day one.”
Preparation, as it turns out, had been fairly minimal. “We both had a good level of fitness to start with, though.” Oren explained, “Jess runs a lot, and I used to play rugby. We did a few walks in the UK – like the Seven Sisters coastal hike.”
Oren also joined our Mt Toubkal Long Weekend in June to test her stamina at altitude before the main event in September. It helped, but the final push was still a challenge.
“Summit night is hectic. You’re climbing 1,000 metres over seven hours in the dark, so there are a lot of changes that can happen to your body during that time. Altitude sickness can hit you quite suddenly – at least it did for me and Jess. The funny thing is, nearly everyone else in the group was fine. It just shows you that altitude sickness doesn’t discriminate!”
She continued, “When you start the trek, you’re really hot – because the guides instruct you to wear so many layers – but then halfway up, you’re freezing. I remember not saying much for a while. I think I just went into myself and focused on putting one foot in front of the other.”
The final push began at midnight. “We’d booked to go on the full moon departure, and it was absolutely beautiful” she said. “The light was so strong we didn’t even need the head torches we brought.”
As dawn started to break, the group reached Stella Point – the false summit – where emotions began to catch up with them. “We had a cry, and then we were given some piping hot soup, which really helped. After this, we knew it was only 40 more minutes to Uhuru Peak.”
Overcoming challenging moments like that tends to stay with you, but it wasn’t just the final push to the summit that left a lasting impression. It was the rhythm of the trek itself, the small comforts and the camaraderie between the group, guides and porters.
“The chef was amazing. She had her own little dedicated chef tent. I was surprised at how varied the food was”. Oren continued, “We even had fish and hand-cut chips one night. Every day, there were three-course meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner – and it always started with soup. Trust me, they make sure you never go hungry.”
The porters were also extraordinary. Not only for their physical stamina – racing ahead to set up tents, collecting water, carrying gear – but for the sheer scale of what they managed behind the scenes.
Oren commented, “There were 46 of them for our group of 12. It was wild – and it worked seamlessly. The porters come and replenish the stock halfway through your trek. This means they have to literally run down the mountain and bring it up again before you reach the next checkpoint.
“Every day, they make sure all the tents and equipment are packed away after your group sets off, then they somehow overtake the group on the trek, and ensure your tent is already prepared by the time you meet the next campsite. I don’t know how they manage to do it all at altitude.
“At the end of the trek, all 46 of them stood together and proudly sang traditional Swahili songs at the tipping ceremony, where the group had the opportunity to thank our guides, porters and staff for their support. Everyone around just stopped and watched – even other tour groups. It was clear, in that moment, that there was something special about the team we had.”
Guidance on the mountain was also key. “There was one moment when we spotted a woman from another tour group who clearly wasn’t well, and our guide didn’t hesitate to act. She immediately went over and told the other team leaders that she thought she was showing early signs of pulmonary oedema, and that for her own safety, she had to go down the mountain immediately. She was calm but firm. This interaction really brought home what we were paying for: safety, experience and proper care.”
For Oren, meeting graduates of the Mountain Lioness Scholarship an Exodus-supported initiative that funds training for Tanzanian women to become certified porters and mountain guides on Kilimanjaro – was a standout moment. “We were lucky enough to have Happyness and Lucia (the original ‘Lioness’ who spearheaded the scholarship back in 2019) as our guides, and both of them were brilliant.”
“They were full of stories too – Lucia told us how she started as one of the helpers prepping gear at the bottom for trekkers, then became a porter, then an assistant guide, and now she’s leading treks. She’s a real inspiration for women on the mountain. The whole team dynamic felt inclusive – everyone pulled together like one big family – there was no hierarchy, no ego.”
There were other small victories too, like learning to sleep through the cheerful clatter of dishes thanks to wax earplugs (“not the foamy kind”) – but that wasn’t the only essential item Oren brought with her.
She laughed, “We had so much with us, the group started calling us ‘the pharmacy’. If you needed ibuprofen, paracetamol, Tiger Balm for your temples, you’d know to come to us. But we were glad we came prepared. The equipment list on the online trip notes was pretty extensive.”
Being unreachable also turned out to be another unexpected plus on the trek. “No phone signal meant no updates, and no doom scrolling. You’re just there. Completely present. It felt like we were away for so much longer than 10 days.”
And when the trip ended, it ended properly – with a cold Kilimanjaro beer, Wi-Fi and the odd emotional wobble. “Your body’s finished, but your brain’s still processing – it’s a strange mix of emotions!”
So, would Oren recommend the Lemosho Route? “Absolutely. If you’ve got the time, take it. The route is really scenic, and it gives you the best chance of reaching the top.”
If you’re thinking about extending your trip, Oren recommends heading to Zanzibar. “I always like to reward myself for completing hard things – so I booked five days to relax in Zanzibar. Why not? After the challenge of Kilimanjaro, you’ve earnt it.”
Kilimanjaro may be behind her, but it’s left a lasting mark. “It’s still the best trip I’ve done to date,” Oren says. “It was something else.”
The experience hasn’t just stayed with her, it’s inspired her to take on other challenging hikes, including the Tour du Mont Blanc later this year with Jess. But Kilimanjaro, she says, set the bar high.
If you’re thinking of testing your stamina to make it to the “Roof of Africa” like Oren, check out our Kilimanjaro Climb – Lemosho Route or browse our other Kilimanjaro treks.
