Mount Kilimanjaro - Tanzania

I knew just about every glimpse of Tanzania would take my breath away, but I didn't think it would leave me literally gasping for air.

I was 4,700 metres up Kilimanjaro at Kibo Hut, the last stop before the final, gruelling seven-hour trek to the peak, the roof of Africa, at 5,895 metres. It had taken three days to get this far with 10- to 14-kilometre treks each day, ascending 1,000 metres at a time.

The low-lying forest, leaves damp from the frequent rains, morphed into fields of giant spider-like heather, thinning into the moorland, where the giant lobelia tree reigns and tenacious grasses laugh off the regular frost.

At Kibo, there is only alpine desert, with nothing but rocks and moss dotting the grey landscape. Here, the temperature can dip below freezing at night and soar to 35C during the day.

Sitting in the hut, I thought I was just out of breath. It had seemed to take forever to cover that last few hundred metres to camp.

"Pole, pole," said my guide, meaning "slowly, slowly" in Swahili.

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