year.
Crossing the Saddle from Horombo Huts to Kibo Huts on the Marangu Route (photo: Vadim Petrakov/Shutterstock.com)
At the start of each day, talk through your itinerary with your guide. Pay particular attention to the amount of height to be gained and how quickly. Don’t over-estimate your own physical ability or that of your group; it is far better to be realistic than optimistic in these circumstances. Make an allowance for delays, bad weather and innumerable photo stops to ensure that you have sufficient time to enjoy the day.
When trekking it is essential to remain hydrated. This is even more true at altitude, where the regular consumption of water helps to combat the effects of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). Drink water regularly and continually throughout the day. Although mountain water and runoff is generally okay to drink, it is well worth treating all drinking water before you consume it. Boil the water for three minutes, treat it with iodine or filter it using a portable filter to ensure that it is free from contamination by bacteria. Bottled water should come with an unbroken seal (equally true for water drunk in the towns). A host of organisms are active in the waterways of Tanzania that could lay you low with a variety of ailments. The same precautions should be borne in mind with regards to ice or water used for cleaning your teeth.
A good standard of personal hygiene throughout the trek will also minimise the risk of you becoming ill or suffering from gastro-intestinal problems. Try to clean your hands and fingers before you eat. Carry a pack of baby wipes for this purpose.
Various pieces of rescue equipment at Kibo Huts
Carry a few emergency, high energy foodstuffs and a first aid kit with you on the trek. Keep an eye on the weather and be aware of the sudden build up of cloud or a rapid drop in temperature that may herald the onset of bad weather.
While following the routes up the mountain, stick to the approved paths. Try not to leave the clearly marked track and resist the urge to take a shortcut. At higher elevations don’t try to venture onto the glaciers unless you are properly equipped and experienced enough to do so safely. Make sure that you keep an eye on all of the members of your group and watch out for anyone flagging or showing signs of distress.
In the unlikely event that you become separated from your group or have an accident, stay calm and try to draw attention to yourself. The international distress signal is six blasts on a whistle or flashes of a torch after dark, spaced evenly for one minute. Wait for a minute and then repeat the sequence. Continue to do so until you are spotted. The appropriate response to the signal from someone who recognises what it means is three whistles or flashes evenly spaced throughout a minute, followed by a minute’s pause and a second set of three.
While climbing Kilimanjaro you will be subjected to extremes of temperature. Consequently, you must be conscious of the dangers of sunburn and hypothermia. Sunburn occurs quickly, particularly in the rarefied air and deceptive coolness of the mountain. Make sure that you wear the appropriate clothing and use sufficiently strong sun cream to protect yourself. Sunglasses can also protect your eyes from damage when walking on or near snow or ice. If you do get burnt, aloe vera or calamine lotion will soothe the burn. Continued exposure to high temperatures coupled with a low water intake can sometimes result in heatstroke. At the other end of the temperature gauge, hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it and the person’s core temperature drops. A combination of wind, wet clothing, fatigue and hunger usually bring on the condition. To combat mild hypothermia, retreat out of the wind, put on dry, warm clothing and drink warm fluids. Do not rub the casualty, allow them to warm up slowly instead.
Camp on the Shira Plateau (Machame Route) (photo: Potifor/Shutterstock.com)
Mountain Sickness (AMS)
‘Haraka haraka haina baraka’
‘Hurry hurry has no blessings’
Swahili proverb
One of the main fears that people have when climbing Kilimanjaro is that they will succumb to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). This is a very serious condition that can affect anyone. However, it is alright to get AMS in its mild form, and by being aware of the symptoms and by adhering to the rules of acclimatisation you can significantly reduce the likelihood of suffering adversely. Other forms of varying severity of this condition, which are described later, include High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE).
As you gain altitude, the air gets thinner, the pressure drops and less oxygen is available in the atmosphere. The drop in oxygen is noticeable above 2500m. ‘High altitude’ extends to 3700m and ‘very high altitude’ extends to 5500m, at which point there is only half the oxygen in each breath. ‘Extreme altitude’ is defined as being above 5500m. Consequently, as you gain altitude your heart and lungs have to work harder to oxygenate the body. Unfortunately, as you climb, this coincides with an increased requirement for oxygen in the tissues, resulting in a deficit. If you ascend slowly and carefully, your body adapts to the rarefied atmosphere and continues to deliver the necessary amount of oxygen to the blood cells. Most people have the ability to adapt to altitude, if they expose themselves to it sufficiently slowly. However, acclimatization takes different lengths of times for each individual and there is no hard or fast rule as to how long it ought to take to ascend a mountain. It is impossible to predict who will suffer from AMS. Neither youthfulness or physical fitness are guarantees that you won’t be affected. In fact, those young trekkers who forge ahead are the most likely to succumb to the debilitating effects of altitude. Generally though, effective acclimatization to any given altitude takes about a week while full acclimatization can take up to six weeks.
Another vital consideration is water intake. When climbing at altitude, you must consume three to four litres of water per day in order to avoid dehydration. A lot of moisture is lost as you breathe or sweat during the climb. Thirst is not a reliable indicator that you are suffering from dehydration. Instead, look out for signs that include peeing infrequently, in small amounts and the urine being darker and stronger smelling.
A failure to allow sufficient time to acclimatise is almost certain to bring on AMS. The best way to avoid it is to ascend slowly. In this respect, the Kilimanjaro mantra, ‘pole, pole’ meaning ‘slowly, slowly’, is wholly appropriate and accurate. However, there is no optimum period for acclimatisation. A conservative recommendation for climbing high is that above 3200m (10,000ft) you should ideally only increase the sleeping altitude by around 350m (1200ft) per day. It is also recommended that while ascending you take a break every two or three days by sleeping at the same altitude as the previous day. To maximise the benefit of this, you should climb higher during the day, exposing your body to greater altitude, before returning to sleep at the lower elevation. In this way, an ideal ascent of Kilimanjaro should take seven to 10 days to acclimatise properly.
Most ascent routes on Kilimanjaro give you a fraction of that time to reach the top. The ascent is generally far too rapid and side effects of this are inevitable. The summit bid on the standard Marangu Route begins after three days. This is almost three times as fast as the recommendation.
At altitude, it is best to assume that any illness is AMS, until proven otherwise. Early indicators that something is amiss include extreme fatigue, persistent headache, dizziness, a loss of appetite and disturbed sleep caused by irregular breathing. In its mildest form it feels akin to a hangover. A tendency to run out of breath after minimal exertion is also an indication. If any of these symptoms become apparent, the trekker should pause until
