Safety and Preparation

Kilimanjaro is a non-technical climb but goes to very high altitude, so the Kilimanjaro safety measures need to be taken very seriously. It is important to climb Kilimanjaro with an experienced leader and crew who are rigorously trained in high altitude issues, bring the necessary medical equipment, and have the skills to monitor their clients daily as well as having the backing of an experienced team on the ground who can handle all types of evacuations.

 

Kili Treks Tanzania guides are the most experienced on the mountain, our reputation after 30 years of running expeditions is what sets us and our Kilimanjaro safety standards apart from the rest of companies. All our guides are certified Wilderness First Responders, and their high mountaineering training goes far beyond the normal scope of just this wilderness specific first aid. Our guides are trained to identify and carefully monitor developing high-altitude issues and discuss them with you continually. They understand the importance of gathering all your health data when evaluating potential altitude sickness not just relying on single factors such as the daily collected pulse oximeter data. As additional Kilimanjaro safety guidelines, we carry a Gamow bag which is a hypobaric chamber and oxygen on all ascents to aid in safe and expedient evacuation to lower altitude, day or night, even in adverse weather conditions.

 

On every Kili Treks Tanzania Kilimanjaro climb we provide the following safety equipment:

 

Kilimanjaro safety guideline 1: We carry a Gamow bag for emergency evacuations
A Gamow bag is an inflatable pressure bag large enough to accommodate a person inside. It is a hyperbaric chamber used for the treatment of Acute Mountain Sickness. By increasing air pressure around the patient, the bag simulates descent of as much as 7,000 feet, thus relieving AMS symptoms. At Kili Treks Tanzania these are standard for all climbs.

 

On the expedition, the Gamow bag will be demonstrated to the group during each climb and have each trip member get in it for a short trial period, so they know what it is like. This is an important Kilimanjaro safety guideline since it reduces a high degree of stress if a climber needs to use it on the mountain.

 

Kilimanjaro safety guideline 2: Pulse Oximeter and twice daily report
A pulse oximeter is a non-invasive sensor device that is placed on the fingertip to monitor a person’s oxygen saturation. Every morning and evening, each trip member uses the oximeter, and the leader records the reading on a report. This allows our guides to track everyone’s O2 history and help them identify the climbers who may be falling behind in acclimatization, and subsequently help in better acclimatization as per our Kilimanjaro safety protocol.

 

Kilimanjaro safety guideline 3: Emergency Oxygen
Each expedition departs with a 3 Litre canister of compressed pure oxygen that is administered in emergency situations only.

 

Kilimanjaro safety guideline 4: VHF radios, cell phone and HF radio or satellite phones
Our guides are in daily contact with our base in Moshi and give updates on each trip member’s progress up the mountain.

 

Kilimanjaro safety guideline 5: Wilderness First Responders training and beyond
Our guides undergo extensive training to provide the safest Kilimanjaro climbs. Every year we operate an annual Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and Wilderness First Aid (WFA) training in Arusha, Tanzania. This certification is critical for all professional guides (and we consider it mandatory for our Kilimanjaro safety training). The WFR course is well known internationally and often regarded as the world standard in outdoor medical care. We fly in experienced instructors to run this course to exacting standards and re-certify our guides every other year. We teach them together to make the course more rigorous and include 3 additional days of specialized scenario training on the mountain. At least once every year, our guides are asked to help another company evacuate one of their clients off the mountain because they don’t have the training or expertise in Kilimanjaro safety protocol to handle the emergency.

 

Our guides closely monitor each climber’s health as they make their ascent. Our guides are trained to detect early signs of altitude sickness and are well versed in protocols for emergency evacuation. Our goal is to make you as safe as possible so you can relax and enjoy the climb experience.