Kissing Kilimanjaro

Leaving It All on Top of Africa

By: Daniel Dorr

Narrated by: Daniel Dorr

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 cocktail parties, making plans to go...someday. That's how Daniel Dorr got started: flirting with a beautiful brunette over hot cocoa and spouting impressive plans. Six months later, he was lying on the cold gravel trail at 18,000 feet, panting and hacking in the darkness. Dorr is a typical marketing exec by day but, amped up by his re-acquaintance with a romantic interest; he gained the determination to pursue one of his lifelong dreams - summiting Kilimanjaro. When Dorr left behind the familiarity of his weekend-warrior lifestyle in Southern California to reach the top of the 19,340-foot peak, he didn't realize he would cross a threshold to a new way of life. As he fondles expensive hi-tech gear, gets vaccinated for the jungle, travels local-style across East Africa, and vomits on top of the African continent, listeners share in the rewards, both large and small, of reaching for personal fulfillment through adventure travel.

©2010 Daniel Dorr (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Great book

Loved listening to this book. It has gotten me wanting to climb in the near future!

I love happy endings

It's an inspiring story for anyone that has a mountain to climb, whether that mountain is literal or figurative. Enjoyable and easy to listen to.

Good story good narrator good lessons

I love this type of book about adventure travel. Africa in particular. The story is inspiring, interesting, and fun. Well written well narrated audiobook that held my interest and Satisfies the reader

The book emphasizes that Kilimanjaro is a tough mountain

I think many people including myself think that Kilimanjaro would be an easy climb. Yes when it comes to the terrain and weather stability compared to other summits higher than 5000m. If there is only one thing you can learn from this book, it’s the preparation, especially the mental presentation. Overall, good book for climbing Kilimanjaro.

Great Epic Tale

I enjoyed the story. Well told and wonderfully engaging. Have now listened twice and will surely do so again.

Interesting idea, but author's ego is always in the way

Perhaps I have more of the attitude of the author's girlfriend in the book--I'm Into adventure travel for the enjoyment and experience of the people and natural beauty of places. The author seems to be constantly in competition--judging himself against others, evaluating everyone else's (and his own) shortcomings, constantly taking the measure of things. It is irritating. Does he ever stop to take a look at his surroundings and appreciate where he is? Not often, it seems. The book is a great depiction of just how challenging the actual climb can be, but I appreciate the attitudes of nearly everyone else he climbed with far more than the author's own.

Great travel narrative.

Where does Kissing Kilimanjaro rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best travel narratives on Audible. I love a good non fiction travel book but, if you are a fan of the genre, you realize there aren't many "good" ones out there. The authors are either tragic hipsters trying to write ironically, arrogant and cocky rich kids trying to seem cool, fake, or any combination of the above. Its rare to find a good honest travel story by a guy on a budget who financed it himself. Kissing Kilimanjaro is one of the good ones

Who was your favorite character and why?

Daniel Dorr is honest about his motivations for going (I won't share them here). He comes across as a regular hard working guy and he is honest about his failures and emotions. He never comes across as trying to be too cool or pretentious.

Which scene was your favorite?

Dont want to give any spoilers.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Its a good story about the realities of traveling, the interesting people you meet along the way, the interesting places you see, and most importantly how it can change your life.

Any additional comments?

You don't have to love Africa or mountaineering to enjoy this book, just have a love of travel. I bought the audible version and found the quality very good. It's narrated by the author and he did a good job with it. It doesn't get 5 stars because I wanted a few more details and perhaps an even longer version of the story, but I guess that is also a sign I enjoyed it.

Very good book!

I am climbing Kilimanjaro so I thought this looked interesting. To my surprise it was. Great book thank you!

annoying

poorly written, boring narration . this guy is full of himself. the journey was not really a part of this book, it was really disappointing.

Let down

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

We really wanted to like this book, but the story and the reader weren't compelling. We stopped listening after 45 minutes or so, skipped ahead, but still could not get into the book. Maybe this is one of those times where it's better to read the story than listen.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

We are big travelogue readers. This book just didn't capture us.