In 2001, Bruno Brunod from Italy ran up Kilimanjaro in 5 hours, 36 minutes and 35 seconds. Definitely nothing for the average trekker, I think, and continue reading the fully revised and expanded “Kilimanjaro: The trekking guide to Africa’s highest mountain” by Henry Stedman, a passionate trekker, author and travel writer. An informative and enjoyable read, this bestselling guide offers invaluable tips for complete beginners as well as experienced trekkers - giving you everything you need to know to reach Africa’s highest summit.

Providing detailed examples of costs, what to pack, when to go, recommended trekking agencies, up-to-date maps and descriptions of available routes, and much, much more, the guide helps you plan and complete your trip in the best way possible. You will learn the main reason for failing to reach the top, the meaning of the name Kilimanjaro, the history of Kili, useful expressions in Swahili, and interesting facts such as youngest versus oldest person to reach the top.

I especially liked the chapters on minimum impact trekking, how to keep Kili clean, the porters’ daily life, and ways to help porters whose lot is often not a happy one. The new updated version also includes Mount Meru and guides to Marangu, Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

After reading this well-put together and brilliant guidebook I was curious to hear more about Henry Stedman’s passion for trekking and Kilimanjaro.

E.J: When did you first decide you wanted to climb Mount Kilimanjaro? Has it been a childhood dream or is your passion for Kili something you discovered later in life?

H.S: Visiting Africa was always my main dream. I remember being a small boy and watching one of David Attenborough’s wildlife programmes (‘Life on Earth’, I think it was) on television and wishing I could see all those wild animals for myself. I’m afraid I was a bit of a nerdy kid in that way; while my friends were all collecting football stickers, I collected a series of stickers on ‘Animals of Africa’ (I’ve still got the collection - and am still missing the mountain gorilla and the bushbaby, if anybody can help).

So Africa was always an obsession with me, and as I read more and more about the continent, so it didn’t take long, of course, before I stumbled across Kilimanjaro. And boy, the first time you see even a picture of Kilimanjaro is something you never forget - well, for me anyway.

So if you take my childhood love of Africa and combine it with my job as a travel writer that specialises in trekking, I suppose you could say it was inevitable that I would end up making a living (or trying to at least) on Africa’s highest mountain - and greatest trek: Kilimanjaro.

E.J: For how long have you been climbing?

One of the beauties of climbing Kilimanjaro is that there’s no actual climbing involved - just trekking. I’m no climber myself, and I wouldn’t know a belay.

Suppose my first serious trek would have been when I first went travelling after university at the age of 21. I went travelling with my mate Dave and, as part of our trip, visited Nepal where we completed the famous Annapurna Circuit - a three-week yomp around one of the most spectacular corners of the planet. Then, when I started travel writing about a dozen years ago, almost by accident I found a niche as a writer on trekking - and it’s what I’ve been doing ever since.

E.J: I have to say, your guide is very extensive. How was it to carry out the research?

H.S: Actually, it was actually just about the easiest book I’ve ever written. There were some difficulties - in the book we include a chapter on Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, as many people fly into these places before making their way to Kili - and the Kenyan capital in particular can be a pretty dangerous place.

But overall, it was really straightforward. I’d already been writing guidebooks of about six years or so, and so I knew what I was doing. And because the book is about just one mountain (well, two if you include Kili’s neighbour Mount Meru, which we also write about), rather than an entire country, so as you can imagine the workload was as consequently less. Furthermore, the people in the region are also very helpful and willing to impart information, which made my job easier. And while the trekking itself can be a little hard, it’s also an incredible experience, which makes it is easier to write about.

But the main reason I found this book relatively easy to complete was because I just became obsessed with the mountain, so that even when I returned home I spent many hours poring over these dusty old books in the British Library reading everything I could about the place. When you have an infatuation like that, writing a book about it doesn’t seem like work at all.

E.J: You write in your book, “climb up Kili is to walk through four seasons in four days”. What is your favourite part and why?

H.S: My very favourite part of the walk is the moment when one leaves the forest and enters into an area of wild, flower-filled grasslands just before the heath and moorland zone properly begins. The forest itself is fascinating, with plenty of plants and animals to keep your mind off the fact that you’ve been walking uphill for the past few hours and your calf muscles are starting to scream. But then, after spending the entire first day marching in the shadow of these giant trees, you suddenly break out of the forest into these grasslands which glow orange in the early evening sun. On many of the routes this sudden break into the open is accompanied by one’s first view of the summit of Kilimanjaro itself - a suitable reward for all the efforts you’ve made during the day.

E.J: With so many agencies offering climbs to Kilimanjaro, why do you think people should opt for your tours?

H.S: To be honest I think there are many reasons. I’ve been writing about Kilimanjaro for over eight years now, and in that time I’ve climbed the mountain many times, with many different trekking agencies. So having been a client many times myself, I know what trekkers want - and what they don’t!

Perhaps the greatest advantage we have over other agencies is the new route that we are pioneering. When people think about climbing Kilimanjaro, they dream of several things: a true wilderness experience away from the crowds; the chance to see some of Africa’s famous native wildlife; and the cachet that comes with standing on the summit of Africa’s highest mountain.

With our new Unique Rongai Route, we’ve taken into account each of these dreams: because it is a unique route that other agencies don’t know about, so we manage to keep away from the crowds that swarm onto the Machame or Marangu trails. By avoiding the crowds and starting on the northern side of the mountain, which is bordered by Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, so our chances of spotting the local fauna is greater. And finally, by studying the topography of the mountain we have devised a route that we believe minimises one’s chances of contracting altitude sickness - and thus maximises people’s chances of reaching the summit.

Another advantage that we have is that I climb with every group. I know that just sounds like a boast, but I think it has important practical repercussions too. For if you book a climb in the States, UK or indeed anywhere outside of Tanzania, the tour operators you book with are actually just acting as middlemen. In other words, they take your money and sort out your trip, but when it comes to actually climbing the mountain you’re handed over to a local agency who sorts out the trek. As a result you’re placed in the hands of people whom you’ve probably never heard of, and have no idea if they are any good or not.

By insisting that I climb with every group, however, I can check that the standards of service, safety, food, etc. are maintained on the mountain and throughout the trek. I can also act as an extra pair of eyes and ears, spotting wildlife, checking on the health and fitness of the group, and can answer any questions people have about the mountain, its history, geology, flora and fauna etc.

Other advantages? Well, we have always taken the issue of porter welfare and safety very seriously, which is becoming an increasingly important concern amongst trekkers. In the book we write at great length about the work of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP) and we continue to work closely with them and implement their recommendations.

Lastly, having climbed the mountain so many times I know who are the best guides, cooks, porters etc. - and I think I’ve gathered a great team together to accompany us on the trek.

Editor’s Note: For more information about Henry Stedman and how to join him on a trek to Kilimanjaro, visit Climb Mount Kilimanjaro.