Kilimanjaro Altitude Sickness which is also called acute mountain sickness is the Physical distress caused because of difficulty in adjusting to the lower oxygen at higher altitude level, especially while Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
You may feel the symptoms within a few hours once you arrive at a higher elevation and the symptoms include headache, shortness of breath, nausea, and inability to exercise.
The main cause of Kilimanjaro Altitude Sickness would be shorter itineraries, as this will not give you the Best Acclimatization For Climbing Kilimanjaro and make you feel uncomfortable to intake oxygen.
There are many things that you can do to avoid the symptoms of acute mountain sickness while Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
How To Combat With Kilimanjaro Altitude sickness
Choose A Longer Route:
A longer Kilimanjaro Route will give you more time for acclimatization and also allow you to spend more time on the mountain and sleep on lower elevations. This helps to avoid Mount Kilimanjaro Altitude Sickness and gives a high success rate compared to other shorter routes.
- It has a lesser crowd as the route is longer.
- The proper time for acclimatization with longer itineraries
- Top success rate with above 95%.
More time for climbing the mountain, more is your success rate for the summit. So, it is recommended to choose a longer route of 8-9 days on any of the Best Kilimanjaro Routes.
Add One More Extra Day:
You can choose any Kilimanjaro Routes to reach the summit but for a successful summit, you will need to add an additional day for any of the routes. This will;
- Give you more time for acclimatization
- Allows you to sleep on the lower elevations
- Gives time to spend more time in the mountains
- Will give more success rate compared to shorter routes.
It is also recommended to refer to the Altitude Sickness Guide for Kilimanjaro Climb to know how many days is better to avoid Altitude Sickness and reach the summit without any problem.
Walk “Slowly Slowly”:
This is the old practice of Kilimanjaro Porters, as they always say “pole pole”, which means “slowly slowly” in the Swahili language. As the proverb, “Slow and steady wins the race”, walking slowly on the mountains will give you more chances to reach the summit. Walking slowly will also help;
- To communicate or build bonding with fellow climbers.
- Keeps your body more hydrated
- Helps to reduce Kilimanjaro Altitude Sickness
- High success rate
If you are wondering; Is Climbing Kilimanjaro Safe, then yes, if you are following all the things which your operators and guides say you, and walk along with them. It is really safe to climb Kilimanjaro and easily reach the summit without any technical skills.
Use Diamox:
The usage of Diamox is one of the Kilimanjaro Altitude Sickness medication. It is a proved preventive for altitude sickness. The drug helps to improve the acidity of the blood by acting as a diuretic and promoting urination. It is preventive medicine for acute mountain sickness. Advised to consult a doctor before using Diamox as it is a prescription medicine.
It is suggested that one should not be taking Diamox if you have cirrhosis, Severe liver or kidney disease, an electrolyte imbalance, adrenal gland failure, or an allergy to Diamox.
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro For Beginners can be an easy task with the help of a Diamox dosage and it is recommended to try the medicine prior to 2 weeks to check if you have any side effects.
Drink Every Few Minutes:
Staying hydrated will help you be out of any Kilimanjaro Altitude Sickness Symptoms. It is advised to drink water regularly while you are Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Symptoms of dehydration are similar to Acute Mountain Sickness.
You will need to drink adequate water and not extra water. Too much of water may also be harmful as it can dilute your body’s sodium level which may further cause weakness, confusion, seizures, and coma.
The best way to check your body’s hydration level is to check your urine. Clear urine indicates adequate hydration and dark urine indicates dehydration and the need to drink more water. You can check Climb Kilimanjaro Guide to know how much water intake should be done while on higher mountains.
Altitude Training:
The main cause of altitude sickness is ascending to a great height too rapidly. So, prevention is better than cure. You will need better Altitude Training For Kilimanjaro before you ascend to the highest peak in Africa.
- Pre-acclimatize yourself before attempting Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru would be a good option for pre=acclimatization.
- Cardio is one of the best training to do as it uses more oxygen to meet the energy demands of exercise via aerobic metabolism.
- Build the strength of your core muscle and upper shoulder muscle for carrying bags.
- It is recommended to run long distances and particularly marathon.
The better you are trained, the lesser is the risk to call a Kilimanjaro Rescue team to help you.
Always remember, the best Kilimanjaro Tour Operator will allow you to choose the longer itineraries and also will give you extra time for proper acclimatization and allow you to sleep more time on lower elevations and spend more time on mountains to protect you from Kilimanjaro Altitude Sickness.
If you have any pre-existing health conditions, it’s better to consult a doctor before booking the trip.
We at Jerry Tanzania Tours give first priority to your health and safety. Our team is professionally trained to take you to the roof of Africa and get back safely.
