Kilimanjaro Preparations

PRE-DEPARTURE
PREPARATIONS

This page discusses topics you need to take care of prior to your departure to Africa.

Table of Contents
When to Go	Suggestions on the best time to climb Kilimanjaro.
Vaccinations	Injections and pills recommended by my physician.
Entry Reqs	Items you need to enter Africa.
Health Reqs	Details on your physical health before you to attempt to climb Kilimanjaro.
Equipment	Lists everything I took up the mountain.
Links	Summary of all links used on this page.
HOME	Back to my Kilimanjaro Home Page.

WHEN TO GO

Climbing Kilimanjaro can be accomplished at any time during the year. In this part of the world, they do not experience the extremes of Summer and Winter. Rather, they experience rainy seasons and dry seasons.

The first rainy season occurs from late March to early June and is known as the long rains. The second rainy season occurs from late October to early January and is known as the short rains. The driest months occur in February, March, July, August, and September.

Despite all the planning you do, there is always a chance of rain. During the rainy seasons, the chances are even greater. I planned my climb for late March and hoped that there would be an extended dry season this year. I was extremely fortunate to have excellent weather the entire trip. There was one short rainstorm which occurred 10 minutes after we arrived at Mandara Hut, which was our stopping point for the day.

The best advice I can give is to plan your climb during the dry months and hope for the best (good weather), but prepare for the worst.

TOC	When to Go	Vaccinations	Entry Reqs	Health Reqs	Equipment	Links	HOME

VACCINATIONS AND IMMUNIZATIONS

Consult your health care provider for information on overseas vaccination requirements. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a travel information web site which provides detailed information about diseases and vaccinations. My provider recommended the following:

Disease	Immunization	Effectiveness
Malaria	Mefloquin (1 Tablet per week)	Unknown
Typhoid Fever	Oral Vaccine (4 pills)	5 years
Meningococcal Meningitis	Menamune (1 Injection)	1 year
Yellow Fever	Live Vaccine (1 Injection)	10 years
Cholera	(1 Injection)	3-6 months
Hepatitis	Gamma Globulin (1 Injection)	3 months

Make sure your immunizations for Tetanus and Polio are up-to-date.

TOC	When to Go	Vaccinations	Entry Reqs	Health Reqs	Equipment	Links	HOME

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Entry requirements today are probably the same as those I experienced in March 1994. Basically, to enter Kenya or Tanzania, you must:

have a valid passport,
have an entry visa stamped into your passport,
meet all health requirements (if any).

Since entry requirements can change at any time, you should try to find the latest conditions from a reliable source such as your travel agent. Kilimanjaro Adventure Travel has a site which keeps data on current Kenya entry requirements and Tanzania entry requirements.

To obtain a passport, visit your local post office. They can tell you what needs to be done as far as forms and fees are concerned.

To obtain a visa, you can have your travel agent take care of the arrangements, have a visa service take care of the arrangements, or make a visa appointment with the appropriate embassy (Washington DC or New York).

When you pass through the Kenya/Tanzania border while on safari with a reputable tour company, the tour guide/driver will normally handle all the passport arrangements (exit and entry stamps). If you do not have an entry visa, the tour driver can still get your passport stamped for a fee (bribe?). In 1994, this fee was $10 USD.

TOC	When to Go	Vaccinations	Entry Reqs	Health Reqs	Equipment	Links	HOME

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS

To climb Kilimanjaro:

You need to be in decent physical condition.
You must not have heart or lung problems.
You need healthy knees and ankles.
Take your time and know your physical limitations.

Consult your personal physician if:

You are taking any kind of medication.
You have any other health problems.

You will be hiking on surfaces with varying angles which may put lots of stress on your ankles and knees. Also, when descending, the knees take quite a pounding. When climbing Kilimanjaro, take a very slow pace to allow your body to acclimatize to the altitude. The type of person who usually fails to reach the top is the young male who tends to push himself too far too fast.

Note for beginners and novice adventurers: Climbing Kilimanjaro is NOT an easy task and you should psychologically prepare for a very rough time.

TOC	When to Go	Vaccinations	Entry Reqs	Health Reqs	Equipment	Links	HOME

EQUIPMENT TO BRING

The following table lists the items I packed into a duffle bag or carried in my day pack. To keep things from getting wet, all small items were sealed in plastic Ziploc bags and all clothes (except jacket) were stored in a garbage bag. Nothing I took on this tour was bought locally.

Day Pack Sun Glasses Sun Hat Water Bottle 1st Aid Kit Kleenex Rain Coat Rain Pants Camera	Miscellaneous Sleeping Bag * Pillow Case Water Filter Flashlight Swiss Army Knife US Currency (for tips) Local Currency (for drinks) Notebook		Warm Clothes Heavy Jacket Sweat Shirt Sweat Pants Thermal U/W Gloves Warm Hat Wool Socks
First Aid Moleskin Bandaids 1st Aid Cream Lip Balm Sun Screen	Groom Liquid Soap Hair Brush Hand Towel Hand Lotion Toilet Paper	Clothes Long Pants Shorts T-shirts Underwear Hiking Boots	Medical Immodium AD Mefloquin Aspirin Throat Lozenges Water Purification