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Popular Warnings or Dangers | Other Warnings or Dangers Tips | All Tips (17) Accute Mountain Sickness, or AMS is the effect on the body of depleted oxygen as you climb higher. It is caused by ascending too quickly, but unfortunately on a mountain like Kilimanjaro where you are paying by the day for the trek it is impossible to ascend only 300m per day with a rest day every 1000m as is recommended. AMS is no respecter of age, sex, or fitness levels and can strike anyone. You can begin to experience symptoms from around 2500m above sea level and these will most likely consist of a headache (like a constriction around your whole head) nausea and vomiting, combined with a lack of appetite and lethargy. The lack of appetite could potentially cause problems with energy as you climb towards the peak, and meal breaks will not always correspond with when you need to eat so I recommend that you carry some high energy snacks with you can snack as and when you need energy. The packed lunches we were given provided us with the nutrients we needed, but when I was feeling queasy I was completely unable to force down a cold, fried butter sandwich! I found relief from my initial bout of AMS by resting, and luckily it happened on the night when we descended into Barranco valley, thereby allowing my body to acclimatise overnight. My appetite never returned however and it was this which finally beat me as I was depleted of energy. If you suffer from AMS you should stop further ascent until your conditions improve and descend if you begin to feel worse. Time is the only thing which will allow you to acclimatise properly. Give yourself as long as possible to complete your climb...even if you think you won't need it. Leave a Comment
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It's caused by the body's reaction to lack of oxygen at higher altitudes.
The incidence and severity of A.M.S. are related to altitude, speed of ascent, physical exertion and prior acclimatization.
The most common symptoms are headache, nausea, loss of appetite and trouble sleeping. If left unheeded, it can cause pulmonary edema.
To prevent AMS or altitude sickness:
1) Hydrate yourself. Drink atleast a minimum of 3 liters a day while on the mountain. On summit night, carry atleast 2 liters with you in either insulated containers or insulated hydration packs.
2) Eat plenty of carbs and avoid excess fats. Loss of appetite is very common at high altitudes. In spite of not being very hungry, wolf down everything that's served you. It helps!
3)Dont exert yourself. Do the kili shuffle .........."Pole, Pole" should be the motto!
4)Avoid alcohol at all costs. It will decrease ventilation and make things worse.
5)Ascend very slowly - Let the body acclimatize to the altitude by going slow. Rapid ascent can not only be uncomfortable, it can only turn out to be dangerous. If it's possible to spend an extra day acclimatizing on Kili, by all means do it!
For headaches, take some Acitominophen(Tylenol) , Ibuprofen (Advil) or Aspirin (Excedrin). Take different pills with you and see which one works best. I found Excedrin works best for me at high altitudes.
If in spite of popping pills every few hours, the headaches dont cease and get more painful, you need to inform your guide. You might have already succumbed to AMS and you need to either take it slow or descend to lower altitude.
Of course, there is the controversial drug DIAMOX (generic name azetazolamide).
Symptoms of AMS may be prevented by taking Diamox. The drug helps the body to use oxygen more efficiently. However the drug is a diuretic and the fact that it changes the body's normal metabolic activity has made it very controversial among hikers and mountaineers.
For a more detailed look and understanding of AMS visit http://www.high-altitude-medicine.com/ Leave a Comment
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Although AMS is not in itself life threatening, it may progress if the symptoms are not recognised to either Pulmonary or Cerebral Oedema. Pulmonary Oedema affects the lungs and breathing, causing sufferers shortness of breath, coughing, or excessive tiredness. the symptoms of Cerebral Oedema are a worsening headache, unsteadiness on the feet, altered behaviour, hallucinations, disorientation or confusion, and drowsiness progressing to coma. Descent and medical assistance are vital at this stage. Leave a Comment
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Kilimanjaro is over 19k ft (6km) high so altitude sickness is quite common. It can range from headaches and nausea to deadly pulmonary or cerebral edema. The slower you ascend the better you will acclimatize, so a 6 or 7 day climb is better than the standard 5 day climb. We did the 6 day climb, but every day adds to the already steep cost.
Our strategy for combatting altitude sickness was 2 ibuprofin every 4 hours and 1/2 a diamox tablet twice a day. That allowed me to reach the summit with no problems
other than fatigue.
We even took the ibuprofin at night so we were taking 12 per day. You might want to consult your doctor about this. I have had lots of experience with using ibuprofin on one day climbs to 14,500 ft where no acclimatization is possible. It works well there for me also. Leave a Comment
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At the Londorossi Gate, we were amused by the toilet (if you can call it that) which was basically a porcelain hole in the floor. No big deal for men, but a bit more unusual for women. We hike and camp enough to have seen a quite a variety of toilets, so without giving it a much thought, we continued on our way. In retrospect we should have considered that a warning. It turns out that the bathroom at the gate was relatively upscale, which we should have guessed since things in the woods are always more primative.
At camp that night we tested out our first outhouse. It didn't seem very unusual from the outside. Although it didn't appear to have door, it was a familar shape and size. But what a suprise we got upon stepping in around the privacy corner. Again we have a hole in the ground, but this time no porcelain, just a sawed out rectangle in the wood. It was about 6" by 12" which seems big enough until trying to aim! It was quite a challenge not helped by those with poor aim who had gone before!
The further up Kilimanjaro we went, the smaller the outhouse holes got. This might have made sense since everyone's aim was improving with time, but didn't take into account the shaking legs and sore thighs we got from some of our more strenuous days.
This is certainly not a good enough reason to forgo the climb, but we felt we should pass along a warning! Leave a Comment
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At the briefing at the hotel we talked quite a bit about altitude sickness (AMS). We were informed that the best ways to prevent AMS is to take it easy (to walk in a pace where you can still breathe through the nose), eat well, drink lots of water (our slogan should be “copious and clear” when peeing) and stay warm. The whole briefing was a bit surreal to be honest because there was a bunch of turkeys making lots of noise right outside the window :-) We also discussed the use of Diamox of course. As most of you probably are aware of this is a medicine that can help prevent AMS by helping the body metabolize more oxygen. I had brought with me 100 pills and we decided that we wanted to try it out to see if it would have any side effects. You don’t want to start taking it on the mountain for the first time and then discover that your body can’t take it.
In our little Diamox experiment we took a 250 mg pill each to check out which effect it would have on us. Matt and I didn’t have any side effects apart from the fact that we went to the toilet more (it is a diuretic) but it could also have something to do with the fact that we had already started drinking lots of water. I also noticed that it influenced my taste buds and the Coca Cola just didn’t taste right anymore. The girls experienced a tingling feeling in the fingers and around the mouth and nose. In other words: we didn’t experience any bad side effects. Leave a Comment
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Sun protection is important! We saw quite a few that had been a bit fried in the sun. Remember that Kilimanjaro is located at the equator. The sun is strong and it gets even stronger at higher altitude. Use a good quality sun cream with high SPF and wear a wide brimmed hat. Don’t forget to protect the lips.
The equatorial sun is extremely strong at least for a fair skinned Norwegian like me. There are different qualities when it comes to sun protection creams…I went for a brand called Vichy with SPF 30. Leave a Comment
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Drink water water water!!!! And go slowly up the mountain. It's not a race. When the guide says "poli poli" (slowly) take his advice seriously. These two things will greatly increase your chances of reaching the summit. Leave a Comment
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Choose the Rongai route as part of our Kilimanjaro expedition, the dust was unbearable. The dust was very fine and didn't take much to get airborn (it was dry season) so whenever a porter or porters passsed by us we were coughing dust for the next 15 minutes. My advice is to bring a dust mask and baby wipes for your face
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Do not hire a guide, or go with a companythat you 'find on the street' in Arusha. They will require money up front, and if they do turn up on the day, they will be unprofessiona and dangerous. The best way to find a company is through the Tanzania Tourist Board or one of the good travel books (Lonely planet, Fodor etc). they may be a bit more expensive, but they will get you there. Leave a Comment
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