
Kilimanjaro Diaries
Or, How I Spent a Week Dreaming of Toilets, Drinking Crappy Water, and Making Bad Jokes While Having the Time of My Life
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Vanessa Johansson
About this listen
When expat blogger and mother of four Eva Melusine Thieme first harbors the idea of ringing out her three years in Africa on the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, it sounds easy. In fact, it has all the trappings of a dream vacation: no cooking, no fighting kids, and an army of porters to lug everything up the mountain. What can go wrong?
Tag along as Eva takes you on her journey up the slopes of Kilimanjaro together with her teenage son and a group of hilarious South African friends. From planning the trip to shopping for supplies to trudging uphill wishing with all her heart for an ice cold sip of water untainted by chlorination tablets, you will follow her step by step on her quest to scale the world's highest free-standing mountain. But the list of challenges is long: sub-zero temperatures, blistered feet, long drop toilets (of which, you may learn, the drops are not nearly as long as they had once been, if you get the drift), and the ever-threatening altitude sickness no one can quite escape from. Eva's climb turns into the most difficult test she has ever faced, and ultimately she must make a fateful decision on that mountain.
Thieme's debut travel memoir is equally poignant and laugh-out-loud funny. Part guide book, part travel memoir, and part history lesson, her story will keep you hooked - whether you're a seasoned hiker nodding your head in recognition, an aspiring Kilimanjaro trekker searching for tips, or an armchair traveler reveling in adventure stories from the comfort of your home.
©2014 Eva Melusine Thieme (P)2018 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Kissing Kilimanjaro
- Leaving It All on Top of Africa
- By: Daniel Dorr
- Narrated by: Daniel Dorr
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mount Kilimanjaro is sometimes called "Everyman's Everest" because it is possible for a novice climber to reach the summit. And every year, more than 30,000 adventure tourists try. But for each person who goes to the mountain, there are thousands more who chat about it at parties, making plans to go...someday. That's how Daniel Dorr got started: flirting with a beautiful brunette and spouting impressive plans. Six months later, he was lying on the gravel trail at 18,000 feet, panting and hacking in the darkness.
-
-
Great travel narrative.
- By Amazon Customer on 03-07-14
By: Daniel Dorr
-
The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories
- By: Ernest Hemingway
- Narrated by: Stacy Keach
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The ideal introduction to the genius of Ernest Hemingway, The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories contains ten of Hemingway's most acclaimed and popular works of short fiction. Selected from Winner Take Nothing, Men Without Women, and The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories, this collection includes "The Killers," the first of Hemingway's mature stories to be accepted by an American periodical.
-
-
Extraordinary reading.
- By Septimus MacGhilleglas on 05-18-11
By: Ernest Hemingway
-
Tanzania - Culture Smart!
- The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
- By: Quintin Winks
- Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Don't pack anxiety in your suitcase! Listening to Tanzania - Culture Smart! before you go, will ease your travel, help you to make friends, and avoid confusion. Tanzania - Culture Smart! will help you to understand local manners, customs, and laws. Tanzania - Culture Smart! goes the extra mile to help you brush up on your cultural small talk and will make you confident in leaving your comfort zone far behind.
-
-
Like I’ve already been there....
- By Martin F. Abbiss on 05-19-20
By: Quintin Winks
-
Left for Dead
- My Journey Home from Everest
- By: Beck Weathers, Stephen G. Michaud
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1996, Beck Weathers and a climbing team pushed toward the summit of Mount Everest. Then a storm exploded on the mountain, ripping the team to shreds, forcing brave men to scratch and crawl for their lives. In this powerful memoir, Weathers describes not only his escape from hypothermia and the murderous storm that killed eight climbers but the journey of his life. This is the story of a man's route to a dangerous sport and a fateful expedition, as well as the road of recovery he has traveled since.
-
-
Bait-and-switch
- By Reggie on 05-07-19
By: Beck Weathers, and others
-
Gorge
- My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds
- By: Kara Richardson Whitely
- Narrated by: Kara Richardson Whitely
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kara Richardson Whitely knew that she could reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. She had done it once before. That's why, when she failed in a second attempt, it brought her so low. As she struggled with food addiction and looked for ways to cope with feelings of failure and shame, Kara's weight shot to more than 300 pounds. Deep in her personal gorge, Kara realized that the only way out was up. She resolved to climb the mountain again - and this time, she would reach the summit without waiting for her plus-sized status to disappear.
-
-
The audio was so slow and stilted
- By Erica Fischer on 04-22-16
-
Beyond Possible
- One Man, Fourteen Peaks, and the Mountaineering Achievement of a Lifetime
- By: Nims Purja
- Narrated by: Shridhar Solanki
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nepali climber Nims Purja is the first man ever to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter "Death Zone" peaks. He did so in less than seven months, breaking the previous record of seven years.
-
-
5 stars for the achievement 3 stars for the book.
- By fostesa on 01-11-22
By: Nims Purja
-
Kissing Kilimanjaro
- Leaving It All on Top of Africa
- By: Daniel Dorr
- Narrated by: Daniel Dorr
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mount Kilimanjaro is sometimes called "Everyman's Everest" because it is possible for a novice climber to reach the summit. And every year, more than 30,000 adventure tourists try. But for each person who goes to the mountain, there are thousands more who chat about it at parties, making plans to go...someday. That's how Daniel Dorr got started: flirting with a beautiful brunette and spouting impressive plans. Six months later, he was lying on the gravel trail at 18,000 feet, panting and hacking in the darkness.
-
-
Great travel narrative.
- By Amazon Customer on 03-07-14
By: Daniel Dorr
-
The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories
- By: Ernest Hemingway
- Narrated by: Stacy Keach
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The ideal introduction to the genius of Ernest Hemingway, The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Stories contains ten of Hemingway's most acclaimed and popular works of short fiction. Selected from Winner Take Nothing, Men Without Women, and The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories, this collection includes "The Killers," the first of Hemingway's mature stories to be accepted by an American periodical.
-
-
Extraordinary reading.
- By Septimus MacGhilleglas on 05-18-11
By: Ernest Hemingway
-
Tanzania - Culture Smart!
- The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
- By: Quintin Winks
- Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Don't pack anxiety in your suitcase! Listening to Tanzania - Culture Smart! before you go, will ease your travel, help you to make friends, and avoid confusion. Tanzania - Culture Smart! will help you to understand local manners, customs, and laws. Tanzania - Culture Smart! goes the extra mile to help you brush up on your cultural small talk and will make you confident in leaving your comfort zone far behind.
-
-
Like I’ve already been there....
- By Martin F. Abbiss on 05-19-20
By: Quintin Winks
-
Left for Dead
- My Journey Home from Everest
- By: Beck Weathers, Stephen G. Michaud
- Narrated by: Roger Wayne
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1996, Beck Weathers and a climbing team pushed toward the summit of Mount Everest. Then a storm exploded on the mountain, ripping the team to shreds, forcing brave men to scratch and crawl for their lives. In this powerful memoir, Weathers describes not only his escape from hypothermia and the murderous storm that killed eight climbers but the journey of his life. This is the story of a man's route to a dangerous sport and a fateful expedition, as well as the road of recovery he has traveled since.
-
-
Bait-and-switch
- By Reggie on 05-07-19
By: Beck Weathers, and others
-
Gorge
- My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds
- By: Kara Richardson Whitely
- Narrated by: Kara Richardson Whitely
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kara Richardson Whitely knew that she could reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. She had done it once before. That's why, when she failed in a second attempt, it brought her so low. As she struggled with food addiction and looked for ways to cope with feelings of failure and shame, Kara's weight shot to more than 300 pounds. Deep in her personal gorge, Kara realized that the only way out was up. She resolved to climb the mountain again - and this time, she would reach the summit without waiting for her plus-sized status to disappear.
-
-
The audio was so slow and stilted
- By Erica Fischer on 04-22-16
-
Beyond Possible
- One Man, Fourteen Peaks, and the Mountaineering Achievement of a Lifetime
- By: Nims Purja
- Narrated by: Shridhar Solanki
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nepali climber Nims Purja is the first man ever to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter "Death Zone" peaks. He did so in less than seven months, breaking the previous record of seven years.
-
-
5 stars for the achievement 3 stars for the book.
- By fostesa on 01-11-22
By: Nims Purja
-
Into Thin Air
- A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
- By: Jon Krakauer
- Narrated by: Philip Franklin
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The definitive, personal account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed journalist and author of Into the Wild. Read by the author. Also, hear a Fresh Air interview with Krakauer conducted shortly after his ordeal.
-
-
Audio version RUINED with new narrator!
- By Shannon Ellis on 02-06-16
By: Jon Krakauer
-
A Walk in the Woods
- Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Rob McQuay
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America - majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way - and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).
-
-
Informational
- By Amber C on 03-29-17
By: Bill Bryson
-
Unlost
- A Journey of Self-Discovery and the Healing Power of the Wild Outdoors
- By: Gail Muller
- Narrated by: Gail Muller
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gail Muller was told she’d be in a wheelchair by the age of 40. At 41, she set out to hike one of the world’s toughest treks: the Appalachian Trail - a 2,200-mile journey that would help her reclaim her life and heal her mind and body. An inspiring, moving, and uplifting memoir for fans of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love.
-
-
Excellent!
- By Heather H. on 10-14-21
By: Gail Muller
-
Waypoints
- My Scottish Journey
- By: Sam Heughan
- Narrated by: Sam Heughan
- Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this intimate journey of self-discovery, Sam sets out along Scotland's rugged ninety-six-mile West Highland Way to map out the moments that shaped his views on dreams and ambition, family, friendship, love, and life. The result is a love letter to the wild landscape that means so much to him, full of charming, funny, wise, and searching insights into the world through his eyes. Waypoints is a deeply personal journey that reveals as much about Sam to himself as it does to his audiences.
-
-
Go on a Walkabout with Sam and the other Graeme!
- By R. Hall on 10-25-22
By: Sam Heughan
-
Only When I Step on It
- One Man's Inspiring Journey to Hike the Appalachian Trail Alone
- By: Peter E. Conti
- Narrated by: Peter E. Conti
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It was 23 months after his accident, and Peter was still dealing with constant excruciating pain. He'd seen dozens of doctors and tried a myriad of medications, but nothing seemed to work. Faced with the impossible choice of suffering through the rest of his life, he had an unlikely epiphany, "If I could somehow hike 2,000 miles on the Appalachian Trail, then my leg will have to be better." He set a starting date three weeks out, cobbled together a novice's pack, and set off on a journey destined to change his life forever—though not exactly how he had envisioned it.
-
-
Inspiring story
- By D Williams on 05-29-22
By: Peter E. Conti
-
The Trail
- A Novel
- By: Ethan Gallogly
- Narrated by: Jake Hunsbusher
- Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Trail is a moving story of how nature helps us find what’s missing in our lives. The tale begins with Gil, who in the wake of his father’s death and recently fired from his job, agrees to accompany his father’s old hiking partner Syd on a month-long trek on the John Muir Trail. There’s just one problem: Gil hates camping and is woefully unprepared for the rigors of the journey. Moreover, he soon learns Syd may not survive the hike.
-
-
Audible version - excellent!
- By JocelynF on 02-24-22
By: Ethan Gallogly
-
North
- By: Scott Jurek, Jenny Jurek
- Narrated by: Scott Jurek, Jenny Jurek
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scott Jurek is one of the world's best known and most beloved ultrarunners. Renowned for his remarkable endurance and speed, accomplished on a vegan diet, he's finished first in nearly all of ultrarunning's elite events over the course of his career. But after two decades of racing, training, speaking, and touring, Jurek felt an urgent need to discover something new about himself. He embarked on a wholly unique challenge, one that would force him to grow as a person and as an athlete: breaking the speed record for the Appalachian Trail.
-
-
Couldn’t take Jenny
- By M. Bissett on 08-27-18
By: Scott Jurek, and others
-
Bliss(ters)
- How I walked from Mexico to Canada One Summer
- By: Gail M. Francis
- Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Just before her 40th birthday, Gail Francis quit her perfectly good job and set out to hike one of the great trails of the world. Carrying everything she needed on her back, Francis spent five months walking from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail. Along the way, she lost her pack scrambling over scree in the desert, struggled to navigate high mountain passes, and wore the soles off her boots trekking across lava fields - all within some of the most pristine wilderness in the nation. Though she set out alone, her story includes an eclectic cast of characters.
-
-
Bummer
- By CHRISTOPHER on 03-14-19
By: Gail M. Francis
-
Running Up That Hill
- The Highs and Lows of Going That Bit Further
- By: Vassos Alexander
- Narrated by: Vassos Alexander
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vassos Alexander shares his insight from interviews with legends of the sport and his own gruelling but rewarding experiences of extraordinary endurance racing - including the legendary 152 mile Spartathlon, widely regarded as the world's most relentless race. Vassos dissects and explores the tenacity that propels many to keep on running and running and running....
-
-
Enjoyable
- By Paul on 05-28-23
By: Vassos Alexander
-
No Shortcuts to the Top
- Climbing the World's 14 Highest Peaks
- By: Ed Viesturs, David Roberts
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 18 years, Ed Viesturs pursued climbing's holy grail: to stand atop the world's 14 8,000-meter peaks, without the aid of bottled oxygen. But No Shortcuts to the Top is as much about the man who would become the first American to achieve that goal as it is about his stunning quest. As Viesturs recounts the stories of his most harrowing climbs, he reveals a man torn between the flat, safe world he and his loved ones share and the majestic and deadly places where only he can go.
-
-
Big Ego conquers Big Mountains
- By Cassi on 07-25-09
By: Ed Viesturs, and others
-
Dories, Ho!
- By: Matt Smith, Karen Smith
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Matt and Karen experienced the trip of a lifetime with 14 friends and a crew of 10 while traveling in wooden dories down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Dories, Ho! is a story of their adventure and discovery. While not intended to be a traditional guidebook, anyone contemplating a river trip through the Grand Canyon will benefit from this firsthand account. Listeners will feel as if they've traveled with the authors on their journey to and through Grand Canyon National Park.
-
-
Dories Ho review
- By Amazon Customer on 05-17-19
By: Matt Smith, and others
-
Alone on the Wall
- By: Alex Honnold, David Roberts
- Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Will Damron
- Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Only a few years ago, Alex Honnold was little known beyond a small circle of hardcore climbers. Today, at the age of 30, he is probably the most famous adventure athlete in the world. In that short time, he has proven his expertise in many styles of climbing and has shattered speed records, pioneered routes, and won awards within each discipline. More spectacularly still, he has pushed the most extreme and dangerous form of climbing far beyond the limits of what anyone thought was possible.
-
-
love climbing and Alex honnold, dislike this book
- By Jennifer on 12-04-15
By: Alex Honnold, and others
What listeners say about Kilimanjaro Diaries
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- book reader
- 05-18-24
Entertaining and real
The author doesn’t mince words in describing the challenges of climbing Kilimanjaro, but makes the trek sound doable and worthwhile for (almost) everyone.
You will definitely have your toileting questions answered! (We all have those questions, don’t we…)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- RicoRoxy
- 05-07-22
Terrific story
This is a well written and entertaining account of climbing one of the world's greatest mountain. Highly recommended for anyone planning to take this journey or who just wants to experience almost firsthand what it is like. It's funny, witty, full of sarcasm and humor. Love it!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J_Direct
- 04-21-24
A little bit Guide and a little bit narrative
I enjoyed this adventure tale told by a “regular” person who has every-person worries and life challenges. I empathized, smiled, chuckled, and learned a bit. The little bit guidebook is where the author focuses on very specific details such as the ins and outs of different medications available for altitude sickness. It’s all interesting but pauses the story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rebecca
- 01-30-19
Delightful Journey Full of Practical and Profound Wisdom
This book takes you on an amazing journey beyond the tips and good advice for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. It captured my attention with humor and insight. I would recommend this book to all readers who wish to take an adventure of the mind and soul.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John
- 04-25-21
Good story
Good story and well read, although I could have done without all the anecdotal side thoughts which were emphasized by the reading style.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ChingTeacher
- 04-08-21
What an engaging and enjoyable audiobook
Eva Melusine Thieme treats the reader/listener as a friend, easily immersing us into her world where she, a wife and mother of four, decides to hike up Africa's highest peak. The book is at its best when she is telling personal stories of her family or her preparations for the hike or the friendly socializing with her fellow hikers and the guides who she comes to admire and respect. That the problems she runs into (unexpected visa problems, the issues with toilets or lack thereof) are so relatable to most of us is what makes the book so enjoyable. The only time the story lags is when Ms. Thieme digresses into travelogue/guide mode, going into great (and unnecessary, to my mind) detail about the different routes up Kilimanjaro. Vanessa Johnson as the narrator is superb, perfectly capturing the casual, conversational tone of the author.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Monica Morrison
- 01-20-24
Loved this book!
Loved the honesty and rawness of the book. Nothing was left out as to how it is on setting up and completing a climb like Killi. Loved the info on the bathroom situation. I have always wondered how it was with like the pioneers on their westward trek or others without facilities. Thank you!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ben
- 05-14-21
Not the best for those seeking an adventure book.
I couldn't complete this book. it is less about adventure and exploring a new country and more about the writer explaining her vacation.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 06-03-22
Author grated
I did not really enjoy the author’s attempts to be cute. I did not like her no training bragging. I also was shocked by her decision not to descend with her son. It gave me a lot of respect for the guiding company. I was disappointed by her entitled, cavalier attitude to climbing such a high mountain. I guess it shows total cardio weaklings can climb Kilimanjaro with a good guiding company, which squares with what I observed from another KIli vet on Ranier.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful