DAY 1

Drive to Rongai gate from Moshi for registration process. Start climbing through the rain forest “pole pole”. The trail finally leads to Simba camp to arrive in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at the campsite

DAY 2

Hike from Simba campsite “pole pole” while noticing changes in vegetations. The trail leads to second cave to have a lunch break. Proceed with the climb to arrive at Kikelewa campite in the evening. Dinner and overnight stay at the campsite

DAY 3

Hike onto the Alpine zone the steep climb towards the Mawenzi tarn hut. Arrive in the afternoon time for lunch. Have the rest of the day off resting and gain some energy for the next day. Set camp for an overnight stay

DAY 4

Climb gradually through the saddle area between beautiful peaks of Kibo and Mawenzi. Proceed with the trail while displaying beautiful views of Kibo and Mawenzi peak. Arrive at kibo hut at afternoon for the hot lunch. Take as much rest and drink enough water upon arrival to prepare your body for the summit. Dinner and overnight stay at the campsite. It’s recommended to sleep early around 7:00pm for the summit

DAY 5

Wake up around 23:00 for adding more warm clothes and head lamp. Leave the campsite and start summiting by midnight onto the glacial zone. The path leads to Gilman’s point 5681Mand then to Stella point 5756M. Have some time for pictures and hot tea or drinking water at Stella point. For climbers who have experienced AMS are advised to start descending, however for those interested can take a round trip along the crater rim to reach Uhuru Peak 5895M. Proceed by descending to Kibo hut again for 3 walking and 2 hours of short rest at the campsite. After a short rest wake up and repack all stuffs in the sleeping tent have branch and start to descend to Horombo hut for overnight and dinner

DAY 6

After the hot breakfast, continue hiking through the beautiful rain forest to arrive at Marangu gate. Get awarded with certificates whereby golden certificates are given to hikers who reached at Uhuru peak and green certificates for Stella point hikers. Retreat back to Marangu village for a drive to Moshitown for resting or airport for a flight back at home. “Normally tipping can be done to the last campsite or at the gate”

Kilimanjaro Climbing Packing List

Kilimanjaro climbing is one of the adventurous tour activity that one shouldn’t miss. However to make it more entertaining, it’s required to pack the right and necessary equipment.
The following list will be of a great help:-

Clothes

Trekking Equipment

Accessories

Electronic devices

PRICE INCLUDES

PRICE EXCLUDES

Kilimanjaro is the tallest free standing mountain on earth and the highest mountain in Africa. It stands at 5895 m above sea level making it unique by providing a challenging and interesting climb.
The mountain is one of a kind since it passes through five different climatic zones. The trek is challenging though worth it since it provides an accomplished feeling standing at the roof of Africa.
The following guidelines will help trekkers prepare for the climb for higher summit success rate.

Mental And Physical Preparation

A clear mind is most crucial for the climb. A good mental preparation will provide higher summit success rate. This is through listening to what the guides tell you and having a positive mind since you are on vacation.
However physical preparation is not to be set aside. Prior to the climb, it’s important to do physical exercises including taking long walks with a backpack. Also to do lung exercises to help you breathe normally in reduced levels of oxygen.

Acquire The Right Trekking Gears

It’s important to pack the right clothes which are to be used through different climates on the mountain.
Consider the following before packing:-

Being Aware of AMS

(AMS) Acute Mountain Sickness is a pathological effect on humans caused by high altitude effect resulting in lower oxygen levels which makes it hard to breathe normally.
It has several symptoms like headache, dizziness, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and rapid heart rate. However being physically fit doesn’t guarantee a hiker not getting AMS since anyone can have it.
The following are to be done so as to avoid AMS:-

Taking It Slow

On the mountain, it is important to walk slowly since it’s not a race but rather a holiday. Walking slowly will help hikers acclimatize properly and avoid exhaustion.

Maintenance Of Personal Hygiene

It’s important to know that you will not shower while on the mountain.
You need to consider:

Personal Hydration

It’s recommended to drink lots of water while on the mountain. This will help giving you strength and reduce fatigue. The amount that is recommended is 5 liters a day.

Summit Preparation

The last day of the climb is very challenging and takes a lot of walking hours hence it’s required to do preparation. Take time to allow your body to rest prior to the summit. Also drinking lot of water will provide your body with strength and energy to move on.
Above all, it’s required to sleep very early the day before summit so as to avoid exhaustion.
Climbing Kilimanjaro provides you an amazing feeling especially standing at the roof of Africa. To make it more adventurous, one may opt for a wildlife safari in the national parks or a beach vacation in Zanzibar.

ALTITUDE SICKNESS

Sometimes called “mountain sickness,” altitude sickness is a group of symptoms that can strike if you walk or climb to a higher elevation, or altitude, too quickly.

WHY IT HAPPENS?

The pressure of the air that surrounds you is called barometric pressure. When you go to higher altitudes, this pressure drops and there is less oxygen available.

If you live in a place that’s located at a moderately high altitude, you get used to the air pressure. But if you travel to a place at a higher altitude than you’re used to, your body will need time to adjust to the change in pressure.

Any time you go above 8,000 feet, you can be at risk for altitude sickness.

TYPES:

There are three kinds of altitude sickness:

SYMTOMS

You might have:

Symptoms usually come on within 12 to 24 hours of reaching a higher elevation and then get better within a day or two as your body adjusts to the change in altitude.

If you have a more moderate case of altitude sickness, your symptoms might feel more intense and not improve with over-the-counter medications. Instead of feeling better as time goes on, you’ll start to feel worse. You’ll have more shortness of breath and fatigue. You may also have:

If you develop a severe form of altitude sickness like HAPE or HACE, you might have:

WHO GETS TO?

Anyone can develop altitude sickness, no matter how fit, young, or healthy they are -- even Olympic athletes can get it. In fact, being physically active at a high elevation makes you more likely to get it.

Your chance of getting altitude sickness depends on a few other things: how quickly you move to a higher elevation, how high you go up, the altitude where you sleep, and other factors.

Your risk also depends on where you live and the altitude there, your age (young people are more likely to get it), and whether you’ve had altitude sickness before

Having certain illnesses like diabetes or lung disease doesn’t automatically make you more likely to develop altitude sickness. But your genes could play a role in your body’s ability to handle higher elevations.

TREATMENT

If you get a headache and at least one other symptom associated with altitude sickness within a day or two of changing your elevation, you might have altitude sickness. If your symptoms are more severe, you’ll need medical attention.

Your doctor might listen to your chest with a stethoscope or take an X-ray of your chest or an MRI or CT scan of your brain to look for fluid.

Knowing the symptoms of altitude sickness will help you seek treatment early, while the condition is still mild. The most important treatment for any level of altitude sickness is to go down to a lower elevation as soon as possible while remaining safe.

If you have severe altitude sickness, you’ll need to be taken down to a lower elevation right away -- and it must be lower than 4,000 feet. You’ll have to see a doctor as soon as possible and you may need to go to the hospital.

If you have HACE, you might need a steroid called dexamethasone. If you have HAPE, you will need supplemental oxygen and may need medications, as well as moving to a lower altitude.

PREVENTION

The best way you can lower your chance of getting altitude sickness is through acclimatization. That means you let your body slowly get used to the changes in air pressure as you travel to higher elevations.

You’ll want to climb to higher altitudes gradually. Going slowly helps your lungs get more air through deeper breaths and allows more of your red blood cells to carry oxygen to different parts of your body.

Some of the basic guidelines for acclimatization are: