Altitude acclimatisation and Altitude Sickness while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

Every year, thousands of people from all around the world come to Tanzania to climb the highest free-standing mountain on the African continent, Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters). Some of these mountain climbers return home without reaching the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. One of the major causes that cause people not to reach the highest mountain is poor altitude acclimatization.

What is high-altitude acclimatization?

High-altitude acclimatization refers to the physical changes that occur in your body as the altitude increase so that you continue feeling better and your body continue functioning well.

Why do some climbers experience feeling poorly, physically, as they ascend into higher altitudes?

As a general rule, “the higher we go, the lower the atmospheric pressure becomes”. When you are at lowlands, oxygen molecules in the air are so congested and therefore you don’t get problems in breathing. As you go higher and higher, the distance between oxygen molecules in the air we breathe spreads and therefore there is not enough pressure to “hold” these molecules together. As a result, with each breath you take, your body receives less oxygen than at the lower altitudes with which we are used to.

Oxygen is necessary for the proper functioning of the blood circulatory system, the brain and the muscles.

As you are going higher and higher, you start feeling a lack of oxygen, and the body begins to adapt to new conditions of low oxygen concentration. The body start to experience the following changes:

• The respiration rate increases. Our body start compensate for less oxygen in each breath by taking more frequent breaths, so that the amount of oxygen received in high altitude becomes the same as the amount of oxygen your body is used to.

• The parts of the lungs that are usually not used much by your body start to be used. These parts of lungs are always reserved especially for situations like this.

• The body starts to produce special enzymes that "squeeze" oxygen from the received hemoglobin and send it to the circulatory system, partially increasing the the supply of oxygen going to the lungs.

• The number of red blood cells in our blood increases rapidly. This allows the available oxygen molecules to be delivered to vital organs at a faster rate.

This is how your body will try to bring the oxygen level back to the level we need and we are used to. An experienced guide will measure your oxygen daily with a special device (an oximeter) to help your guide understand how well your body is adapting to the changes of altitude.

Mountain Sickness

If the body is experiencing some serious problems with acclimatization to the altitude, it is better to go down. As soon as you are down and the body has started receiving more oxygen, the body will begin to recover and to return to normal. If you are having problems with acclimatization but still you have remained at a high elevation, then over time, you may develop a very serious altitude sickness. This is an extremely dangerous condition that occurs in your body in the form of cerebral edema or pulmonary edema, or both. If the victim is not evacuated in time and has not been provided medical assistance, the complications can be deadly.

The main rules for successful acclimatization

Due to our recommendations, the vast majority of participants who climb Kilimanjaro successfully acclimatize to altitude. Some of these climbers do not feel anything at all, while others adapt the weather at the mountain with small discomfort in the first days of the climb. Having some discomfort is normal and that is the reason why mountain guides must perform regular health check ups to climbers. A climber may feel uncomfortable, but based on oximeter readings and other symptoms, he/she may be acclimatizing appropriately.

The following may indicate the onset of altitude sickness:

• Severe and persistent headache;

• Serious sleep disturbance or inability to fall asleep at night;

• Nausea and vomiting.

In order to successfully adapt to altitude, it is important to remember the following simple, but very important rules of acclimatization:

Choose routes that last at least six days. During acclimatization, many things are taking place in the human body, and in order to successfully adapt to altitude, the body will need two things, time and energy. As normal, you will ascend for five days until you reach at the top (this is how much time it takes to climb to the top of Kilimanjaro on six-day routes; the additional day is needed for the descent) is enough for most travelers. Climbers in the six-day climb will have more time to rest and recover than those who chose the five-day program to climb mount Kilimanjaro.

It is for this reason that most of trekking groups of mount Kilimanjaro are at least six-day routes. These days are great for both beginners and experienced climbers without high-altitude acclimatization.

Travelers who have not played sports or had an exercise for a very long time or just want to take the route at a more relaxed pace are advised to take routes that takes at least eight-day routes (which are seven days of climbing up Kilimanjaro, and an additional day for descent).

Also when climbing mount Kilimanjaro, make sure you drink a lot of water! Your body uses a lot of water when climbing a mountain, not only because of physical exertion, but also to perform the additional functions of respiration to adapt to the higher altitude. It is important to constantly restore back the supply of water in your body, and climbers on Kilimanjaro must drink at least 3-4 liters of water per day.

We recommend drinking a liter and a half during the transition from one camp to another camp and “finishing off” the rest upon arrival. And it is better to drink in small sips, but more often.

Eat well. The body needs a lot of energy to successfully acclimatize and for this reason, you need to eat well. Food for the climbers is prepared by the team of mountain chefs. They offer a variety of hot meals and drinks for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Unfortunately, sometimes if you are a new climber, you may find that your appetite disappears on the mountain. Even if the appetite disappears, your body will need energy, and you will have to force yourself to eat.

Walk high - sleep low. This is a well-known mountaineering saying that underlies the so-called “step” acclimatization. Indeed, the body adapts better if the daytime transition takes place at an altitude, and climbers sleep at a slightly lower elevation than which they trekked during the day. You do not need to worry about following this principle because the mountain guides will regularly take you to acclimatization points. You will climb to a higher point and then return to camp for a rest which is at the lower position

Take your time. The slower your climbing pace, the better is for the body. Ideally, you should walk two to three times slower on the slopes of Kilimanjaro than you would normally walk down the street at home.

If you follow these simple rules, and you will safely reach at the top of mount Kilimanjaro.

Welcome. Kilimanjaro is waiting for you.