Sheila MacDonald: The First Woman to Climb Kilimanjaro

On 30 September 1927, a 22-year-old Londoner named Sheila MacDonald stepped onto the summit of Kilimanjaro and became the first woman on record to do it. A century later, almost to the day, we're sending a group of women back up the same mountain to mark it.

This is her story — and how we're celebrating her a hundred years on.

Who was Sheila MacDonald?

Sheila MacDonald was a tall, athletic 22-year-old from London with a habit of doing things most people her age, and most women of her generation, weren't expected to do. She'd been climbing since she was twelve, taken up the sport in Scotland with her father, Claude MacDonald of Lancaster Gate, a member of the Alpine Club. By her early twenties she'd already climbed Etna and survived a rough Mediterranean crossing back from Stromboli in a small open boat.

In the summer of 1927, she travelled to East Africa to visit relatives — and, while she was there, decided to take on Kilimanjaro.

📷 Photograph: Wiki

The 1927 ascent, as reported by the Manchester Guardian

The climb was covered by the Manchester Guardian on 30 September 1927, under the headline "Climbing in East Africa: Woman's Ascent of Kilimanjaro." The report was based on an account from Sheila's climbing companion, Mr William C. West, F.R.G.S., also a member of the Alpine Club. The third member of the party was Major O. Lennox Browne.

The trio set out from Mombasa, travelling to Marangu and starting their ascent through the forest to Bismarck Hut, then on toward Mawenzi and Kibo. They tackled a technical rock chimney to access Mawenzi's north-west couloir, found a natural rock staircase leading almost to its summit, and discovered records left by two 1912 expeditions still preserved in a food tin at the top — to which they added their own names before celebrating with wine drunk from enamel cups.

The push for Kibo's summit was harder going. A lantern failure forced the party to shelter overnight in the open, and at around 19,000 feet, Major Browne was overcome by exhaustion and couldn't continue. Sheila carried on. West described her setting the pace from there, climbing, in his words, "with wonderful grit" all the way to the top, where they found that a German missionary, the Rev. R. Reusch, had beaten them to it by two weeks. They signed the record book, drank champagne from the bottle at altitude, and began the long descent — reaching Pieters Hut after dark, without a lantern, having to feel their way down.

West noted only a slight touch of altitude sickness between them. The total cost of the trip, door to door from Mombasa to Nairobi, came to £96 — about £22 of which went on car transport alone. The entire expedition cost the equivalent of around £7,800 today.

It's a small, human account of a very big first. No fanfare, no expedition sponsorship, just three people, a couple of tents, and a woman who kept going when one of her companions couldn't.

📷 Excerpt from the Manchester Guardian

Why her climb still matters, 100 years on

Kilimanjaro today is one of the most climbed mountains in the world, and women make up a huge share of the people who summit it. That wasn't remotely the case in 1927. Sheila MacDonald wasn't attempting a record for its own sake — by all accounts she simply went out to East Africa, heard about the mountain, and climbed it. That's arguably what makes it worth marking: an ordinary trip that turned out to be a genuine first.

Marking the centenary: our Kilimanjaro Women's Centenary Climb

To mark 100 years since Sheila MacDonald's summit, we've put together a women's-only departure timed to reach the top on the same date she did.

Originals: Kilimanjaro Women's Centenary Climb – 9 Days

• Summit date: the morning of 30 September 2027 — exactly 100 years after Sheila MacDonald's ascent
• Route: the 8-day Lemosho Route, chosen for its acclimatisation profile, quieter trails and varied scenery
• Crew: a women's-only group of travellers, supported as far as possible by Kilimanjaro's own female guides and support team
• Group size: 2–30, average age 35
• Includes: all camping and hotel accommodation in Moshi, 8 breakfasts, 8 lunches and 9 dinners, park fees, guiding, summit certificates and medals, and a farewell dinner
• Optional extension: a 3-day Big Five safari through the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater
• Departs: 23 September 2027, returning 2 October 2027 (or 4 October with the safari extension)
• From £2,300 per person

It's a nine-day trip built around one sunrise: reaching Uhuru Peak, the highest point in Africa, on the same date Sheila MacDonald got there first. No technical climbing experience is needed — Kilimanjaro is a high-altitude trek rather than a technical ascent — but a good level of fitness and some hill-walking preparation beforehand will make a real difference on summit day.

Frequently asked questions

Who was the first woman to climb Kilimanjaro? 

Sheila MacDonald, a 22-year-old from London, is recorded as the first woman to summit Kilimanjaro, reaching the top on 30 September 1927.

Is this trip only for experienced climbers?

No. Kilimanjaro is a high-altitude trek, not a technical climb, so no mountaineering experience is required. A good level of fitness and some pre-trip hill training are recommended, particularly for summit day.

Will the guides really be female?

We're crewing this departure with female guides and support staff as far as possible, in keeping with the spirit of the trip.

Can I extend the trip with a safari?

Yes — a 3-day Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater safari is available as an optional add-on after the climb.

Sheila MacDonald's climb wasn't the beginning of women on Kilimanjaro — it was the start of a hundred years of them. Join us on the Kilimanjaro Women's Centenary Climb and be part of the ascent that marks it.