Will altitude affect me on this trek?
Your trek begins at an altitude of 900 meters (2,950 feet) in Moshi, and will take you up to 5,895 metres (19,340 feet) at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Unless you’ve travelled to and slept around this altitude in the past there’s no reliable way to predict how well you’re going to cope. While most people experience some mild symptoms, these are usually limited to a few days while your body adjusts and acclimatises.
Generally, very few people on our trips are badly affected by altitude, as we make sure everyone takes it easy in the beginning and gets into the swing of things slowly.
There are some things you can do when you arrive like avoiding dehydration, eating light meals, get plenty of rest and don’t over exert yourself -all these things might assist with your acclimatisation. There’s also a medication, acetazolamide (Diamox) which you can take to help speed up acclimatisation, we strongly recommend that you discuss this with your doctor (see “Suggested Contents of Medical Kit” below).
While on the trek, if you do feel any adverse effects (headache, nausea or loss of appetite, dizziness/light headedness), please be sure to let your guide know so they can help take care of you. Often - paracetamol (acetaminophen), having something to eat and drink and resting up is all you need to do to alleviate the symptoms. along with drinking water and taking it easy.