Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro
Hiking the trail to Mountain Kilimanjaro - The Highest Peak in Africa
About Trekking the Kilimanjaro Mountains (Tanzania)
Kilimanjaro, an in-active strato volcano, is located along the border of Tanzania with Kenya and, stands at 5895 meters (19341 feet) above the sea level making it the highest peak in Africa and the second highest in the world. It comprises of majorly three volcanic cones namely; Shira, Mawenzi and Kibo. The tip of Mountain Kilimanjaro is covered by Glacier (ice), throughout the year.
There are many different trekking routes for climbing Kilimanjaro; from the southern side of Tanzania (Marangu, Machame, Umbwe routes) and from Northern side of Kenya (Rongai, Kikelewa, Nalemoru routes). Most climbers consider the Tanzanian route, through Marangu, as the most popular. The tours are usually divided into 5-day to 9-day stages, with a possible slow ascent which is advantageous for the height adjustment, and experience.
Kilimanjaro Routes:
Marangu route; very popular route with gentle gradients and long sections of up to 4700m. Beautiful forests and moorlands, comfortable but basic huts. The 6 day variant provides good time for acclimatization.
Machame Route; is the second most popular route nicknamed the Whiskey route. Has beautiful forests in which wild animals can be sported along the trek, it offers best chances for acclimatisation, and is recommended to good trekers.
Umbwe route; the shortest, steepest and toughest route of all other routes. Also has beautiful forests and spectacular ridge and is good for acclimatization.
Rongai route; this involves a long drive to the gate, remote beautiful scenery and is not a frequently used route. Wild animals might be seen along the way. Route has high altitude but fairly easy to go through, making it good for acclimatization.
Lemosho route; just like the Rongai route, this also requires a long drive to the trek starting point. It is the longest trekking remote route, not commonly in use, has beautiful forests with a number of wildlife and offers great views of the southern Ice fields. Excellent for acclimatisation.
Though the mountain can be climbed all year round, the best time of doing the mountain trekking is either between December to February (dry, warm and clearest months) or between July to September (cold but advisable). March to June and November are wet months in the rain forest hence they are not recommended for mountain climbing. The Kilimanjaro summit can be conquered in a period of 3 days (climbing) and 2 days (descending) by any reasonably fit person with the assistance of a guide and porters. The youngest person to have won this honour was an 11 years old, while the oldest to make the summit was 74. The Machame route is the most scenic route up the mountain and can be done in 6 or 7 days. The Rongai route is the easiest camping route and the Marangu route is also easy, but accommodation is in huts hence making it a very busy route.
Although the climb is technically very easy, the low temperature and altitude make the entire trek dangerous and difficult. Kilimanjaro summit is above the altitude at which HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema), or HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema) occurs. All climbers will suffer considerable discomfort like shortage of breath, hypothermia and headaches, and though most young, fit people can make the Uhuru summit, a substantial number of trekkers will abandon the attempt at a lower altitude. It is therefore highly recommended that climbers ensure they are well equipped and physically capable of trekking this amazing summit.
Altitude Hazards:
During ascending, the oxygen in the air keeps decreasing hence resulting in oxygen shortage in the circulating blood, resulting in breathing difficulty. It is recommended that you acclimatise inorder to adapt to altitude by ascending slowly and maintaining the pace, breathing regularly and deeply, avoiding exertion.
Acute mountain sickness; is caused by the inability of the human body to adjust to a rapid gain in altitude. Symptoms include headache, exhaustion, nausea, reduced or loss of appetite, vomiting, swelling of the face and hands, body weakness, a rapid pulse even at rest, reduced urine output, and insomnia. When symptoms exist stop ascending and descending to a lower altitude, usage of DIAMOX drug to help reduce the severity.
Pneumonia; caused by the inflammation of the lungs. Symptoms include shivering, increase in body temperature, pain in chest, dry cough sometimes with red mucus, and rapid breath. Cure includes providing warm drinks and antibiotics to the patient, keeping patient warm, getting patient to lower altitudes, and beating the patient’s chest to encourage coughing.
Tips:
Crucial to the success of trekking the Kilimanjaro summit are; slow walking through the entire trek, and reasonable fluid taking of at least 3 liters during the trek. To prevent blisters on the feet caused by erosion, use thin wool. To prevent jeopardizing the utmost recovery sleep, it is recommended carry a warm sleeping bag. Given that the luggage shall not exceed 20kg of load, don’t compromise on the weight of equipment, but instead pay for an additional carrier - which will cost you an extra $30 only.
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