Preparing for your trip

Recommended Vaccinations and Preventive Medications 
The following vaccines may be recommended for your travel to East Africa. Discuss your travel plans and personal health with a health-care provider to determine which vaccines you will need.

• Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG). Transmission of hepatitis A virus can occur through direct person-to-person contact; through exposure to contaminated water, ice, or shellfish harvested in contaminated water; or from fruits, vegetables, or other foods that are eaten uncooked and that were contaminated during harvesting or subsequent handling.
• Hepatitis B, especially if you might be exposed to blood or body fluids (for example, health-care workers), have sexual contact with the local population, or be exposed through medical treatment. Hepatitis B vaccine is now recommended for all infants and for children ages 11-12 years who did not receive the series as infants.
• Malaria: your risk of malaria may be high in all countries in East Africa, including cities. See your health care provider for a prescription antimalarial drug.
• Meningococcal (meningitis) if you plan to visit countries in this region that experience epidemics of meningococcal disease during December through June.
• Rabies, pre-exposure vaccination, if you might have extensive unprotected outdoor exposure in rural areas, such as might occur during camping, hiking, or bicycling, or engaging in certain occupational activities.
• Typhoid vaccine. Typhoid fever can be contracted through contaminated drinking water or food, or by eating food or drinking beverages that have been handled by a person who is infected. Large outbreaks are most often related to fecal contamination of water supplies or foods sold by street vendors
• Yellow fever, a viral disease that occurs primarily in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America, is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The virus is also present in Panama and Trinidad and Tobago. Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for travelers to endemic areas and may be required to cross certain international borders (For country specific requirements, see Yellow Fever Vaccine Requirements and Information on Malaria Risk and Prophylaxis, by Country.). Vaccination should be given 10 days before travel and at 10 year intervals if there is on-going risk. · As needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria, measles, and a one-time dose of polio vaccine for adults.

Malaria
Malaria is always a serious disease and may be a deadly illness. Humans get malaria from the bite of a mosquito infected with the parasite. Your risk of malaria may be high in all countries in East Africa, including cities. All travelers to East Africa, including infants, children, and former residents of East Africa, may be at risk for malaria. Prevent this serious disease by seeing your health care provider for a prescription antimalarial drug and by protecting yourself against mosquito bites.
All travelers should consider taking one of the following drugs, in consultation with their health care provider:

• atovaquone/proguanil,
• doxycycline,
• mefloquine, or
• primaquine (in special circumstances). 
  

Yellow Fever
A certificate of yellow fever vaccination is required for entry into Tanzania when arriving from countries where yellow fever is present.
Food and Waterborne Diseases

Make sure your food and drinking water are safe. Food and waterborne diseases are the primary cause of illness in travelers. Travelers' diarrhea can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites, which are found throughout East Africa and can contaminate food or water. Infections may cause diarrhea and vomiting (E. coli, Salmonella, cholera, and parasites), fever (typhoid fever and toxoplasmosis), or liver damage (hepatitis).
To stay healthy,

• Wash your hands often with soap and water or, if hands are not visibly soiled, use a waterless, alcohol-based hand rub to remove potentially infectious materials from your skin and help prevent disease transmission.
• Drink only bottled or boiled water, or carbonated (bubbly) drinks in cans or bottles. Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice cubes. If this is not possible, learn how to make water safer to drink.
• Take your malaria prevention medication before, during, and after travel, as directed. (See your health care provider for a prescription.)
• Keep feet clean and dry, and do not go barefoot, even on beaches, to prevent fungal and parasitic infections.
• Always use latex condoms to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
• Protect yourself from mosquito insect bites:
• Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats when outdoors.
• Use insect repellents that contain DEET (N, N-diethylmethyltoluamide).
• Sleep under bed nets, preferably insecticide-treated ones, and if no screening or air conditioning is available: use a pyrethroid-containing spray in living and sleeping areas during evening and night-time hours.
  

Do not…

• Eat food purchased from street vendors or food that is not well cooked to reduce risk of infection (i.e., hepatitis A and typhoid fever).
• Drink beverages with ice.
• Use dairy products, unless you know they have been pasteurized.
• Swim in fresh water to avoid exposure to certain water-borne diseases such as schistosomiasis.
• Handle animals, especially monkeys, dogs, and cats, to avoid bites and serious diseases (including rabies and plague). Consider pre-exposure rabies vaccination if you might have extensive unprotected outdoor exposure in rural areas.
• Share needles for tattoos, body piercing or injections to prevent infections such as HIV and hepatitis B.

Avoid poultry farms, bird markets, and other places where live poultry is raised or kept.

You will need to divide your belongings into two bags. One bag with most of your clothing and equipment will be carried by a porter, while the other bag, a comfortable bay pack, you will carry with the items you need during the hiking day.
Duffel Bag: It is best that hikers have a waterproof duffel, or pack their clothing and equipment into waterproof bags inside a duffel bag.  Duffel bags are easier for porters to carry than backpacks, as they carry their load on their head.
ITEMS TO WEAR WHILE HIKING:

• Comfortable hiking boots
• Gaiters (especially for higher elevations)
• Walking socks
• Walking pants (trousers)/ & shorts
• Base Layer wicking shirt
• Comfortable underwear (wicks moisture)
• Warm hat or balaclava
• Neck buff or scarf
• Sun hat
• Warm gloves
• Sun glasses

Day Pack: You will want to have a comfortable day pack to carry the following items:

• Water bottle or platter-pus (2 – 3 litres)
• Water purification tablets or steri-pen
• Camera
• Warm up sweater / fleece
• Rain Jacket and pants, or poncho (yep, you may need to wear these)
• First Aid items: Band aids; blister pads; ankle bandage; lip salve; sun cream; personal medications; pain relievers for headaches and muscle soreness, altitude meds; hand sanitizer.
• Hiking Pole(s)

Duffel bag: Items to pack in your porter carried duffel:

• Good warm sleeping bag
• Sleeping Mat (we can provide this)
• Long thermal underwear (shirt & pants) for sleeping, and peak ascent
• 2nd pair hiking pants
• 2nd hiking shirt
• Spare socks & underwear
• T-shirt for camp
• Warm pants
• Warm shirt
• Running shoes for camp
• Headlamp & spare batteries (for night hiking on peak ascent it is best to have lamp that can be worn on your head)
• Wash kit: Toothbrush & paste; spare medications; handy tissues; bio- degradable soap (toilet paper is supplied)
• Travel towel & wash cloth
• Book; notebook; cards
• Spare camera batteries kept in container where they will not get too hot or cold

How to Train for Kilimanjaro
Altitude
There are a few elements that will determine your ability to summit on Kilimanjaro.  The first is your ability to acclimatize and hike at altitude.  Some people just do not do well at altitude and no amount of training will change this.  The best way to improve your ability to hike at altitude is to gradually acclimatize.  This can be achieved in several ways.   If you have opportunity to spend time in or hike in other areas of altitude prior to hiking Kilimanjaro this can help.  This includes planning a 4 – day pre-Kilimanjaro hike on Mt Meru, in Arusha National Park.  Choosing a route on Kilimanjaro that takes at least 7 days gives your body a better opportunity to acclimatize. An 8 – 9 day trips improve this acclimatization even further.

Many hikers take Diamox medication to help them acclimatize.  While this can significantly improve your bodies ability to uptake oxygen, it has a few side effects, such as increased urination, which often means waking at night to relive yourself.
Drinking plenty of water during your hike is imperative and helps with acclimatization and helps prevent dehydration.

Fitness
You should plan and put effort into a training plan for at least two months, incorporating some long hikes if possible.  Be sure to include both up and downhill hiking.  The trail is relatively simple, however there are some steep sections, with the hardest sections being a steep uphill on the summit day, followed by a very long downhill section, most of the way down the mountain.  You should especially train for this big downill day.