Follow along on MountainZone.com beginning July 9 as Alpine Ascents International founder and guide Todd Burleson, and senior guide Allen Carbert, lead a group of climbers on a summit attempt of 19,339-foot Kilimanjaro, the highest peak on the continent of Africa.

Burleson and the Alpine Ascents group will be on the flanks of Kilimanjaro for approximately seven to nine days, before descending to spend a few days on safari. Guide Allen Carbert will lead the second expedition to Kilimanjaro, beginning July 20. Two successive expeditions to the peak, on August 3 and August 18, will be led by Alpine Ascents Everest guide Vern Tejas.

Follow along with MountainZone.com as we accompany the climbers on these exciting adventures. The parties drive from Nairobi, Kenya, to Arusha, Tanzania, and begin trekking up the mountain via the Machame Route for the technically easy, but aerobically challenging, ascent of Kilimanjaro. The parties will then make their descents via the more-direct Mweka Route.

The round-trip climb usually takes six days up and one day down. After that, the parties travel via Land Rover to Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Ngorongoro, and Lake Tarangire game parks to view wildlife. From there it's back to Arusha and on to Nairobi for the trip home.

Stay tuned to MountainZone.com for all the climbing action during the expeditions.

— MountainZone.com Staff