Mt. Kilimanjaro Mountain Warnings on Kili
6 Day Machame Route - Is It Smart?
There are some mountaineering companies on Mt. Kilimanjaro who sell 6 days treks on the Machame route. The idea is to present tourists with more options, creating a cheaper price, and shorter amount of days. In my opinion, you should not attempt this route in 6 Days, as you are dramatically decreasing your chance of making it to the summit and dramatically increasing your change of getting altitude sickness.
The Machame route is best done in 7 days, as typically on the 6 day route, you are trying to compress 2 days into one, skipping Karanga Camp. Don’t get me …
Date: January 15th, 2008 |
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Rongai Route: A Story
I stumbled upon a good story in one of BootsnAll’s blog about hiking the Rongai route of Mount Kilimanjaro. If you want to read a day-to-day account of this guys experience climbing Kilimanjaro, you might want to check it out. It’s pretty good. I like how his guide got pissed off because the tip was too little. It’s really important to set the expectation with the guides that tips are “earned” not just given. If the guide gives you any slack, tell the company he works for.
Read the Rongai route story.
Date: January 19th, 2007 |
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Want to feel like shit? Climb Kilimanjaro, mate.
Just because Mount Kilimanjaro is one of those well-known mountains that everyone likes to climb, you should be forewarned that it’s not always a happy experience. Climbing Kilimanjaro can, and will, kick your ass - and can make you feel like shit. You probably are wondering why I am on this rant about the mountain? Well, I stumbled across this great blog of a guy’s experience climbing Kili. He had a really tough time and, in the end, it was hard on him physically and mentally. Not even the climb, but …
Date: December 29th, 2006 |
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Guide Scam - Have clients descend the mountain early
Another fairly good scam on Mount Kilimanjaro, often orchestrated by the guides, is to basically have the people come off the mountain earlier than planned.
Here is how it works. The guide usually pays for the least amount of day possible before the climb begins. If it’s a planned eight-day Lemosho or Machame route, the guide will pay for seven days. If the clients spend the entire eight days on the mountain, the guide will pay the difference at the exiting gate.
If, however, the clients decide to come down the mountain early since they are tired, hungry, or whatever, …
Date: December 6th, 2006 |
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Pulse Oximeter
Some of the mountaineering companies in Tanzania have introduced a system of checking the climbers - throughout the day - by using a Pulse Oximeter. A Pulse Oximeter is used to check blood oxygen saturation during the climb. This allows the mountain guide to see how their body is adapting to the reduced amount of oxygen at the higher altitudes. If the climbers oxygen saturation is below an acceptable level, they have emergency oxygen for their safety.
Date: December 1st, 2006 |
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Climber Dies on Kilimanjaro
It’s always sad to see this happen, but a climber on Kilimanjaro died. This seems to happen a few times per year, but it should not discourage you from going to climb the mountain yourself. There is a small handful, possibly 10, that die on the mountain each year - and it’s usually from summiting the mountain to fast.
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Kilimanjaro Climber Dies
Date: March 26th, 2007 |
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Travel Insurance: Should you have it?
While Kilimanjaro is one of the easier mountains to climb in the world, it does not mean you should forgo travel insurance. Travel insurance is usually required by all foreign expeditions companies, but not required by local companies (generally speaking). Fortunately, since you do not use any specialized equipment going up Kilimanjaro, it’s considered that you are hiking, or trekking, and therefore you can get most travel insurance that covers outdoor adventure.
Travel insurance is pretty cheap normally - and the extra $50 you spend, is well worth the safety and security to know that you are covered. One …
Date: January 12th, 2007 |
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Missing Climber Body Found in China
Sorry folks, this is non-Kilimanjaro related story, but does go to show you the power of mountains - something you should consider when climbing Kilimanjaro. As many of you know, one of the owners of Mountain Maddness, Christine Boskoff, has been missing for the last few week in China, having not come home from a climbing expedition. Well, it looks like they found one of the bodies. This is very sad, as Christine was a integral part of the mountain and adventure community.
Read CNN Story
The thing about this, and the recent story on Mt. Hood in Oregon …
Date: December 27th, 2006 |
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Scams on Kilimanjaro - Guides Take The Entire Tip, Promises To Distribute
As part of my week profiling scams on Mount Kilimanjaro, this is perhaps one of the worst scams. Like I mentioned in my last post, many porters rely on the tip as their many source of money, from their week of lugging gear up and down Kilimanjaro.
Most people tip the porters at the end of the trip - on the last day at the exit, or at the last camp, usually Mweka Camp if you on the Machame route, or at Mandara Hut.
Often tourists feel uncomfortable with tipping the porters directly, this is for a number of reasons.
1. Most …
Date: December 1st, 2006 |
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Health Precautions On Kilimanjaro
If you are climbing any mountain - not just Kilimanjaro or Mt. Kenya, you should always keep this in mind.
Do not go higher than 10,000 feet if you have any of the following conditions:
1. A nose bleed
2. A cold
3. A sore throat
4. Respiratory infection
5. A High Temperature
6. A cough
From time to time on Kilimanjaro, you might wake up with a sore throat or a small cough, but if it persists for more than 24 hours, you should get down the mountain as soon as possible.
Date: November 22nd, 2006 |
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