Safety on Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro Safety Information and Rescue

Climbing Kilimanjaro is a special challenge and also a life experience, both for novices and active mountaineers. Unlike the rest of the world's mountains, Kilimanjaro has its own special climate. On the lower slopes around the town of Moshi and at the entrance gates of Machame, Shira and Rongai, the weather is tropical and temperatures range between 20 degrees to 30 degrees Celsius. The higher you climb, the more the temperatures drop and the colder it gets. At the summit, temperatures normally drop to -5 degrees Celsius and, when there is wind, can be felt as low as -20 degrees Celsius.

Altitude sickness is caused when the body cannot adjust quickly enough to the reduced oxygen levels in the air as you gain altitude. It is likely that you will experience a form of mild altitude sickness once you start walking at higher altitudes on Kilimanjaro. If this happens, please do not panic. Our expert mountain guides will help you reduce the symptoms. The most common symptoms or the beginnings of altitude sickness can be headaches, dizziness, nausea, insomnia, loss of appetite and balance problems. In most cases, these symptoms can be managed with rest, plenty of fluids and minor medication.

In principle, all mountaineers are advised to have their physical condition checked before the tour and to ask our guides as many questions as possible if anything unusual occurs. Our guides are experienced mountain guides and undergo regular training on various problems that arise on the mountain, including rescue operations.

We strongly recommend that you check your travel insurance (foreign health insurance and accident insurance, including rescue costs), seek medical advice before departure and follow the advice of your guides after you arrive in Moshi.

The most important thing is to climb Kilimanjaro slowly and steadily. The well-known "polepole" step is a guarantee for a successful climb. We strongly advise against taking medication whose effect on the body at altitude cannot be predicted. This includes Diamox! Taking any medication is at your own risk!

Important information for on the go!

The motto is to eat enough and drink a lot. To successfully climb Kilimanjaro, every guest should drink at least 4 to 5 liters of liquid to keep their circulation going. Due to the increased heart rate and the associated faster breathing, you lose a lot of fluid at altitude. If you start to get altitude sickness, you may lose your appetite. The guides will therefore remind you to eat as much as you can to have enough energy. Our mountain chefs are masters of their craft and know how to cook tasty food "up there". Whether for vegetarians or non-vegetarians!

A slow walking pace (as already described) is recommended and you should walk slowly from one camp/hut to the next. Firstly, this will maximize your acclimatization, minimize fatigue and secondly, you will have enough time to enjoy the beautiful scenery on Kilimanjaro.

Accommodation

With the exception of the Marangu route, where overnight stays are in huts, all other routes are camp sites. We usually encourage our clients to walk high and sleep low in such situations, which is the best technique to acclimatize the body. On all our Kilimanjaro routes, it has been observed that this is the most successful way to climb Kilimanjaro. However, this is not possible every day!

Precautions

Do not smoke or drink alcohol while climbing Kilimanjaro. You will lose vital physical energy and become unnecessarily weakened. This may prevent you from successfully completing your great adventure.

Rescue measures

Climbers who have to abort a climb on Kilimanjaro will be led down by an experienced guide/assistant guide and a number of porters. In the event that one or more clients fail to climb Kilimanjaro and cannot continue their journey, a responsible guide/assistant guide will stay with the client and return with them to the entrance gate of the national park before they are taken to Moshi for check-in at the university or back to their hotel. Another assistant guide will continue to climb to the summit with the rest of the group. The guest who was brought back earlier will wait in Moshi (hotel overnight stay at own expense) for the return of the rest of the group. In the event that guests suffer a serious illness or accident, the guest will be assisted down to the entrance gate on a "drag stretcher" by porters assistant guide. From the gate they will be taken to a hospital, either in Moshi or Arusha, for further treatment, depending on the situation and the condition of the client.

The latest rescue option (since 2018) is a rescue flight with a helicopter. This requires that the helicopter can fly under optimal conditions. If there is wind and fog on the mountain, a rescue flight is not possible! It also requires travel insurance (accident insurance, including rescue costs!). This is checked for validity before every rescue flight!

Subject to change!