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  • Kilimanjaro Climbing Tips

For all those climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with us and with other tour operators, we have prepared the following insider tips:

  1. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is not about your level of fitness only. Determination, motivation and well-planned acclimatization transition are more important.
  2. Do not save up on your personal equipment. Branded high-quality clothes and sleeping bags often have decisive impact on successfulness of your climb. All personal equipment is available for rent in our office.
  3. Be ready to have no shower for a week or so. Portable showers are, however, available for extra fee.
  4. Public toilets may be uncomfortable, especially for the ladies. Thus, renting a portable toilet makes sense.
  5. Taking an mp3 player or an IPod is a good idea. Enjoy the sceneries on the way and better preserve battery for the summit rush.

How Difficult is the Climb?

It is difficult to ascertain how hard it is to climb Mount Kilimanjaro because everyone has different expectations as to what they feel is strenuous exercise! If you are physically fit and healthy you should be able to manage it without problems, however, sometimes even the most physically accomplished athletes struggle when there is a change of altitude.

It is best to prepare yourself with suitable fitness training to allow you to get into good shape for hiking. You should be in good physical, healthy shape because it will help you to cope with daily hiking, walking and climbing.

It’s wise to strengthen your legs with the right type of exercise. It’s also a very good idea to take up some form of aerobic fitness that enables your body to work efficiently when there is less oxygen available.

Additionally, keeping a positive mental attitude is very important because the days are long and there will be times when you feel very tired.

What is the Best Exercise to Get Ready to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro?

We would suggest you definitely take up hiking because it is the most similar form of exercise to the real thing! Climb hills or mountains that are accessible to your local area. Try some day hikes or if you just don’t have access to real hills and mountains, use the step machine as much as possible at your gym. You should also walk as much as possible and keep extending out the time of your walks until you can comfortably walk for a few hours. Make sure to incorporate steep walks as well, because there will be many steep climbs on Mount Kilimanjaro.

Safety precautions

Mylo Africa Safaris delivers the highest quality safety measures on Kilimanjaro. We take the following steps on your climb while you enjoy your adventure in Tanzania:

  1. We carry oxygen tanks on all our climbs.
  2. We carry a portable hyperbaric chamber (Gamow bag) on all our climbs and have a system in place for immediate evacuation off the mountain.
  3. We are using a pulse ox meter we will monitor your oxygen saturation and heart rate twice a day or more often if necessary.
  4. Every morning we listen to your lung sounds with a stethoscope to assess if there is any fluid on the lungs, a sign of HAPE.
  5. We will monitor your water intake to assure proper hydration. Safety precautions on Kilimanjaro climb.
  6. Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). If AMS is not treated it can lead to more serious conditions like High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) and/or High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) each year a very small number of climbers die on Kilimanjaro. These deaths could be avoided if all licensed first aid guides who had high altitude medical training and carried oxygen and a portable hyperbaric bag. We travel with lifesaving equipment at all times when at high altitude. This equipment includes oxygen tanks, and a pressure bag, which are only used in the most life threatening altitude sickness cases.
  7. As part of our daily safety routine, we record and monitor various information pertaining to your body’s reaction to increasingly higher elevations.
  8. Our trips have been arranged to use daily climbing schedules and sleep to enhance your body’s acclimatization.
  9. Our meals emphasize carbohydrates and other foods that increase the generation of heat and energy as we move to higher altitudes.
  10. Moreover, we move slowly with light exercises and celebrations at every camp to make your trip in the mountains enjoyable.