Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is a lifetime challenge and an ultimate test of your stamina, determination and fortitude. You should be ready to walk unusually long distances through the pristine wildlife, spend nights under the blue sky in tents and virtually live in the wilderness. Our expert guides will lead your way through the wild trails of Kilimanjaro all the way to the top, taking care of all expedition arrangements.
Yet, there is something that is far more important - physiological adaptation of your body to the abnormal altitudes of Kilimanjaro. The most state-of-the-art equipment and the most accomplished guides will not be able to make your dream coming true if the onslaught of Acute Mountain Sickness happens. Understanding the principles of high-altitude acclimatization is very important in mountain climbing especially for beginners. In this article, you will find information on why is it important for climbers to acclimatize.
Understanding high-altitude acclimatization
In short, to acclimatize to the altitudes of Kilimanjaro means to develop certain physiological adaptations of your body to survive in the decompressed environment with abnormally low levels of oxygen. Such adaptation is the most important issue in mountaineering, and it is directly impacted by your fitness, good equipment, adequate supplies and professional crew. Essentially, all these arrangements are made to simplify the process of adaptation to the abnormal altitudes. We will discuss it further in greater detail.
What is abnormal with high altitudes?
Before we start explaining how the process of altitude adaptation (acclimatization) works, you are probably interested in what is really abnormal at the slopes of Kilimanjaro, and what impacts do this abnormality exercise on the climbers.
As we know from elementary physics, the higher we go, the lower barometric pressure becomes. For example, at sea level it is approximately 760 mmHg, while at Uhuru Peak (5,895 m) a barometer will show something between 350-352 mmHg, meaning that the density of air shall be reduced twofold. As a result, there will be substantially less pressure that keeps the molecules of oxygen together. To put it simply, the distance between them increases, and therefore, a fewer number of oxygen molecules is inhaled with each breath, what leads to well-known discomfort symptoms.