Mountaineering Kilimanjaro is undoubtedly one of the riskiest adventures on your bucket list. In addition to the fact that only approximately 50% of climbers ultimately reach the top, more than thousands of people are rescued from the peak each year. And there have reportedly been about ten fatalities every year.
Before you hop on the adventure, it’s important to conduct research on the safety and risks while climbing Kilimanjaro. Here are some precautions you must take before climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Regular Health Examinations
Altitude sickness is one of the major complications that most climbers face on Mount Kilimanjaro. The guides on the climbing trips should be skilled at diagnosing the symptoms and helping climbers recover. On the journey, they’ll keep an eye on everyone and keep talking to assess the health of the climbing group.
Moreover, the companions from the climbing agency must conduct routine checkups, day and night, to record the vitals of the climbers. They have the basic apparatus to monitor all clients’ blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen saturation.
Pulse Oximeter
A pulse oximeter is the most useful apparatus while climbing a mountain as high as Kilimanjaro. It monitors oxygen levels in the blood and gives the reading of heart rate when placed on the fingertip.
The oximeter uses two light beams to illuminate the microvascular in the finger. The sensor displays the blood’s oxygen content. The oxygen saturation of blood at sea level should be 96-100%. The oxygen saturation levels drop with increasing altitude.
Upon acclimatization to higher altitudes, the oxygen levels start to increase. At Mount Kilimanjaro, oxygen levels fluctuate between 80-90%.
The point at which a person may be labeled at-risk or safe depends on various factors. The tour guides attentively watch a climber whose oxygen level falls below 80%.
Oxygen Cylinders
As a precautionary measure, Kilimanjaro climbers must have bottled oxygen.
Bottled oxygen is for emergencies and shouldn’t be used for acclimatization to higher altitudes. Descending to lower altitudes is an effective short-term remedy for mild to severe altitude sickness.
Some tour guides encourage using supplemental portable oxygen devices to treat Acute Mountain Sickness. Because it is a short-term remedy for altitude sickness, administering oxygen in this way is risky. It makes acclimatization difficult at higher altitudes.
Medicine, Trauma, and First-Aid Kits
Tour operators have received training in the treatment of minor accidents and pain. For any emergency circumstance, they also have canvas stretchers and other essentials. They cannot, however, provide or prescribe medications to anyone. If you have sensitivity to any drug, the outcome might potentially be more damaging than AMS itself!
Ask your doctor to prescribe Diamox or any other alternative medicine that will suit you. Diamox is an FDA-approved medication for treating and preventing altitude sickness. The drug makes the blood more acidic, which increases respiration and speeds up acclimatization. Also, take all the medications your doctor has prescribed for you.
Tanzania Trekking Tours
While keeping the precautions in mind, hiring a certified Kilimanjaro trip agency is important as your trekking companion. Afrilion Expeditions offer affordable Mountain Climbing Tours in the wilderness of Tanzania.
They’ve taken thousands of climbing enthusiasts to Mount Kilimanjaro through the Rongai and Lemosho routes. Check out their website www.afrilionexpeditions.com to see what they’ve got in store for you.
