The Mighty Mt. Kilimanjaro

Mt. Kilimanjaro - The largest Mountain in Africa

This month’s newsletter is covering the mighty Mt. Kilimanjaro. You’ll find out what there is to know about the mountain and important facts that may influence your decisions when prepping for the different routes!

1st things 1st - Mt. Kilimanjaro stands at a whopping 5,895m / 19,240.55ft! This put you in what’s known as extreme altitude. At this elevation people can begin to experience a number of symptoms ( headaches, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, nausea / vomiting, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, swelling, insomnia, nosebleeds, disrupted breathing, low blood oxygen levels ). It’s important to note that choosing a knowledgable and experienced guide is highly recommended. There are a number of things to prepare for and having the right company plan your summit is vital. Undugu Safaris promises to provide all the necessary personnel, tools, food + beverage, medical equipment, and flying doctors insurance for all of our mountain guests.

Why the need for precaution?

Kilimanjaro is a tall mountain - here at US, we say it is better to plan for failure than to fail to plan. That doesn’t mean we plan to fail your summit, it means that when we run into emergency scenarios - we have plans in place. We simply plan for failure in order to insure your successful summit.

So what does that include?

• Experienced Head Chief Guide - The Head Chief is the overseer of all crew and personnel on the mountain. He organizes your crew, secures all permits, and makes all of the important decisions. He will also monitor your blood oxygen levels and make sure that everyone is medically cleared to continue their summit.

• Head Guides - For every 3 guests we have summit the mountain, there is 1 head guide to summit with the team. We have these professionals in place to both monitor and assist your summit. They are there to insure your success while summiting the mountain and will do whatever it takes to assist you.

• Head Chef - Our head chef organizes all food and beverage. You can expect hearty meals, no caffeine, and lots and lots of water. The head chef will go before you each day to get to the planned camps and organize the camps setup before your arrival. That way once at camp, you’ll be able to rest and refuel before continuing on your summit.

• Porters - For every guest one the mountain, there are 3 porters to assist carrying all of the necessary equipment for all crew. They work very diligently to insure the camps setup / breakdown as well as assisting you if help is called for along the way. Porters will actually head back down after camps setup to assist guests that are falling behind or need help carrying their gear.

• Flying Doctors - We provide this insurance to cover medical emergencies. At every ranger station there are helicopter pads that our doctors will be able to reach you at if there is an emergency. Your Chief Guide will make all the necessary arrangements in this scenario and will do everything it takes to insure your safety and wellbeing.

The 3 Routes

1. Marangu Route a.k.a. the Coca Cola Route - https://www.undugusafaris.com/marangu-route

2. Machame Route a.k.a. the Whiskey Route - https://www.undugusafaris.com/machame-route

3. Lemosho Route a.k.a. the Scenic Route - https://www.undugusafaris.com/lemosho-route

Find our Gear List attached below for a list on what to pack!