Mount Kilimanjaro
surprised me in so many ways.
Nothing can truly prepare you for such a rollercoaster of an experience
the emotions, the obstacles
and the realities of life in a wilderness extreme environment.
In this video, I hope to shed some light on a few invaluable
tips, tricks and surprises that I learned on the mountain.
Recently, I had the opportunity
to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with an amazing group of people.
Obviously, there are so many things to take into consideration when preparing
for your trip, but here are ten things that you may have overlooked.
Number one, every single camp is cold.
I expected the camps high up on Kilimanjaro to be cold, even icy.
But what I didn't really appreciate was just how cold every single camp would be.
Even our very first camp, which is in the rainforest zone
near the base of the mountain, was really cold.
Further, adding to the wrong expectation is the fact that you often
trekked the rainforest section of Kilimanjaro in a t shirt and shorts.
And the temperatures can be very hot and humid during the day when the sun sets,
however, even the lower camps become frigid.
Number two, you need the toilet often.
If this next topic makes you uncomfortable, it may be
Kilimanjaro isn't for you.
But I think you can handle it.
The truth is,
high altitude can affect your digestion and cause some uncomfortable side effects.
Like wanting and indeed producing more frequent bowel movements,
You also find that you need to pee a lot.
My first piece of advice is to go to the toilet just before
going to bed, so you don't need to go in the middle of the freezing dark night.
Maybe you also have that hot drink a little earlier.
Secondly, I advise going to the toilet just before leaving camp
for the day's hike.
This is because there are no toilets outside of camp.
On the trail you need to respect the park’s leave-no-trace policy,
which means carrying all use toilet paper
in a little baggie to dispose of in a rubbish bin at camp.
For the ladies,
I suggest getting a urinating device like a “shee-wee” to make going to the toilet,
when on the trail, less of a hassle,
a urinating device lets you pee
when standing up and removes the need for toilet paper.
Finally, here's a bonus fact drop for those of you who menstruate.
Even if your period is regular as clockwork,
you should bring your preferred supplies just in case.
High altitude is known to disrupt climbers menstrual cycles.
The very last thing
you need on a Kilimanjaro climb is to be caught unawares in this regard.
Number three, sleep is precious, but it can be hard.
After a long day on the move and oodles of fresh air, you want a good night's rest.
However, when you're high up on the mountain,
the thin air can make that difficult to achieve.
Some people experience insomnia.
Others have interrupted sleep and others get really vivid dreams.
This can lead to exhaustion and make your next days hike even harder.
I mention this because I want you to mentally prepare yourself for this.
Very often the struggle to fall asleep is because of the extreme cold.
Taking a hot water bottle to bed is a great way to stay warm through the night.
Most importantly, avoid sleeping pills.
They can cause you more harm than good
because sleeping pills suppress the respiratory system,
which is not something you want to do on
Kilimanjaro, where the air is already quite thin.
By the way,
For anyone
seeking a more comprehensive look and understanding of climbing Kilimanjaro,
we've dropped a link in the description to our Kilimanjaro PDF Guide.
It's completely free and provides a depth and detail
of knowledge that we simply cannot cover in a short video.
It looks at physical
preparation, critical safety advice, and even your packing list.
We've popped a link in the description for those of you interested.
We hope it helps.
Number four, water will freeze on summit night.
People warned me about this, and yet it was still somehow a fun surprise.
Temperatures go below freezing near the summit of Kilimanjaro.
The water
in the hose of your hydration pack will -trust me- freeze as you near the top.
So you need a strategy to ensure that you still have drinking water.
I recommend that you put your one liter water bottle inside a thermal sock
deep inside your backpack where it's the warmest.
Also, keep in mind that water freezes from the top down.
So it's a good idea to store your bottle upside
down in your bag. Just ensure your bottle has a very secure lid.
Everything you need to pack for this adventure, including your one
liter water bottle, is included and you'll follow Alice Kilimanjaro packing list.
The link to download this is included below in the description.
Number five: Your skin and lips take a beating.
It's really important to protect your skin on the mountain,
especially your lips, which are often overlooked
when it comes to protection from the wind and sun.
You want a high SPF
face cream and lip balm and a heavy duty moisturizer for at night.
Remember that high altitude makes the UV rays that much stronger.
So use your sunscreen and lip balm even if you don't feel like it.
The damage often shows up belatedly.
Cracked and bleeding skin and lip is not the souvenir you want
from your Kili’ time.
Number six, you'll need batteries, baby.
Having no electricity for seven plus days can be tricky,
but it's one of the things that make a trip like this so beautiful.
That being said, we do live in a world where we depend on electronic devices.
So if you plan on bringing a phone or perhaps a camera to document your trip,
you should be aware that you won't be able to charge them at all
once you begin the trek.
Not even the campsites have electricity.
Solar panels are great in theory, but they take up a lot of pack space
and take extremely long to charge. It's important
to have realistic expectations if you're going to go this route.
If you're trekking with a camera, I'd advise you to bring extra batteries
and to make sure they're fully charged before you head out.
Take careful note that the cold will also affect your battery's performance.
Often people ask us what portable chargers to bring along for the adventure.
Anything around 15 to 20k mAh
will charge your device a few times.
For example, the average phone is 2.5k mAh
So that means you could charge your phone around 6 to 8 times on a 15 to 20k mAh device.
If you have anything more to charge like a camera, 20 K is better.
Number seven, you feel ‘off’ high up on the mountain.
We're about 3600 meters now.
I’m starting to get a little bit of a headache.
It's important to know that you're likely to feel somewhat icky
near the top of Kilimanjaro.
This is the result of the extreme altitude.
In fact, virtually everyone climbing to the top of Kelly
will feel some side effects of the extreme altitude.
I recommend that you start visualizing yourself, pushing
through the discomfort from the moment you book your adventure.
Just keep an eye on it for the next couple of hours and then,
yeah, probably take some medicine
to combat that and obviously tell Chris and the guys I'm taking paracetamol
‘cause it's important to keep them updated with the new medication that we’ve been taking
and how it's heating as well.
When you're on the climb, speak to your guides about how you're feeling.
They're very experienced and will be able to help you determine
whether you're experiencing normal levels of itchiness or if it's full
blown altitude sickness, which is much more serious.
This itchiness could involve feeling nauseous, dizzy or headachy.
Poor sleep, which I mentioned earlier on, is also
one of the side effects of the altitude that can leave you feeling subpar.
So it's not about if you feel off on the mountain.
It's about hopefully only feeling a little off and being mentally prepared
to push through it.
Number eight. Words matter.
Use them. Campbell.
Jambo.
Jambo!
Jambo.
As humans, we love to hear languages spoken by people from distant lands.
If you take the opportunity to learn some Swahili while in Tanzania,
it can be extremely rewarding.
Speak a few phrases when you're there and watch how people's
faces light up when they see you making an effort.
I recommend using Duolingo or a similar language learning app
to help you practice some Swahili phrases before you head to Tanzania.
And here are three useful phrases to get you started.
Pole, pole = Slowly, Slowly
Asante sana = Thank you very much
Karibu sana = You're very welcome
Your team will love it.
Speaking of your team, this brings me to point number nine.
Number nine.
Learn about tipping beforehand.
Tipping your Kilimanjaro mountain crew isn't compulsory,
but it is very much customary. And expected.
At the end of your climb,
your group and crew will have what's known as a tipping ceremony.
This is a custom that includes song and dance
and the handing over of tips to show your gratitude towards
those who made sure that your trip was both safe and enjoyable.
If you haven't done
so already, we highly recommend checking out our blog post on Tipping,
which we link in the description. At Follow Alice we follow the guidelines
of the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project - KPAP for short -
when it comes to how to give tips as well as how much to tip.
Best to
take, our time
‘cause at midnight tonight,
we’re climbing the summit.
I need to save our energy
Well... Save my energy.
He’s alright. Does this all the time!
We’re off to the summit!
Number ten. summit nights takes inner strength.
Unsurprisingly, each day you hike during the day naturally.
But then why do people summit Kilimanjaro at night?
One of the reasons for starting your summit attempt
in the dead of night is that, as I mentioned earlier,
it's difficult to sleep at such high altitude due to your diminished oxygen intake.
Another reason is the amount of ground you have to cover in one day.
After a long climb to reach the summit, a little after sunrise.
You don't camp up there.
Instead, you immediately begin your trek back down.
And because they are trekkers a day behind you,
you'll be camping at base camp where you were the night before.
You can't just drop down to the nearest campsite either.
Instead, you must descend to a lower camp.
And this means plenty of downhill hiking.
Slowly does it! (Bonus tip)
Climbing Kilimanjaro isn't a race.
Take the advice of the experts and always go ‘pole, pole’.
which, as you learned earlier in this video, means
slowly, slowly in Swahili.
Yeah, I’m happy to see you back here.
Remember my point.
slowly, but for a long distance.
You’ll be
fine.
Don't bolt out of the holding pen on day one or in the mornings,
take things steadily.
Kilimanjaro is literally a marathon, not a sprint.
If you need to focus on
just putting one foot in front of the other,
as I had to do on summit night, then do that.
In summary,
it's important to believe in yourself, like before and during some at night,
but also to be sure to lean on your
mountain crew for the extra encouragement that you're surely going to need.
If you're struggling in any way, speak to your guide and ask for help.
Words matter, so use them.
And there you have it.
Forewarned is forearmed.
You now much better prepared to plan your Kilimanjaro climb,
knowing these important and perhaps overlooked facts about the adventure.
That's all from me today.
I hope you find it helpful.
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