Safety as priority

Introduction

Travel and Medical Insurance.

Before travelling, it is strongly recommended that you obtain comprehensive travel insurance which will cover all Tanzanian medical costs, including medical repatriation/evacuation, repatriation of remains and legal costs. You should check any exclusions and, in particular, that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake.
 

COVID 19

International passengers entering mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar are not required to present a COVID 19 vaccination certificate or negative COVID 19 test on arrival. Health officials may screen passengers for COVID 19 symptoms on arrival or randomly select passengers for rapid antigen testing.
 

General Travel Advice

In weighing up the decision to travel to Tanzania at this time, one should take into consideration the risk of restrictions being introduced during their travel and the impact which responding to COVID-19 may have on local health care systems over the course of their proposed visit.
 
 

Malaria

It is highly advisable to take precautions: Avoid mosquito bites by covering up with clothing such as long sleeves and long trousers, especially after sunset, using insect repellents on exposed skin and sleeping under a mosquito net

Malaria is a disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. You cannot be vaccinated against malaria. Malaria can be contracted throughout the year but the mosquito population is higher during the wetter months (April – June, November, early December). It is highly advisable to take precautions: Avoid mosquito bites by covering up with clothing such as long sleeves and long trousers, especially after sunset, using insect repellents on exposed skin and sleeping under a mosquito net. At higher elevations such as Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Mt Kilimanjaro, and Mt Meru there are no mosquitoes. In fact, on a Mt Kilimanjaro trek, your guide will instruct you not to take any anti-malarial tablets during the trek since the side effects can make altitude sickness difficult to diagnose. Taking the tablets can be resumed immediately after the trek.

Medication

Make sure you bring enough medication for your entire trip and for any unexpected delays. You may wish to also bring copies of your prescription in case you lose your medication. If wishhing to use Diamox for your Mt Kilimanjaro climb, you can buy this easily at any local pharmacy. It will be most likely much easier to obtain in the proper dosage here and most certainly at a less expensive price than in your country.

Mountain Safety

Mt Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain that can be climbed without technical skills or equipment. So in mountaineering it is referred to as a “walk up mountain”. But that does not mean that it is not difficult or should be taken lightly. It is because it is a “walk up mountain” that provides the challenge. At 5,895m (19,341 ft) elevation at the summit there is less than 50% of the oxygen available at sea level. Adjusting to the altitude is the challenge because it is possible to ascend faster than your body can adjust. Technical climbs progress far more slowly than walking, so the body has more time to adjust. This makes Mt Kilimanjaro more dangerous in regard to altitude related problems. It is important to go only with a well trained guide and with proper health monitoring of each person. KYAROAFRICA guides will monitor your vital measurments including respiration, pulse, blood oxygen saturation, blood pressure, body temperature and blood sugar to make sure that you are fit. Our guides are Wilderness First Responders (WFR), trained to pay attention to your respiration and just by engaging in a conversation with you along the way they are monitoring your condition. It is imperative that you are honest and open with your guide about your health. Before the trek, we need to know of any health conditions and medications that you are taking. Chances are very great, that your honesty will not disqualify you from climbing, but the guide will be giving special attention to any potential health threat. KYAROAFRICA has a 98% rate of success. We are not striving for everyone to summit. We are striving for 100% safety with the right number to summit.

Vaccinations

Check what vaccinations you may need for your trip at least eight weeks before you travel. We cannot advise you on vaccinations, but you can get information about vaccinations from your local GP or an International Health and Travel Centre.
 
Tanzania is not considered an “at risk” country for Yellow Fever. Kenya is considered an “at risk” country. A Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is only required if arriving from, or having transited through countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission, and will be inspected on arrival in Tanzania. For more information on yellow fever see: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/yellowfev/en/
 

Medical Care in Tanzania.

Quality medical care services are limited, especially outside major urban centers. But there is a high quality medical center in the town or Karatu (near Ngorongoro Conservation Area) run by American doctors. Some large lodges inside the Serengeti have medical doctors on staff that can treat emergencies for all tourists (not only those staying at that specific lodge). Medical help at the scene of an accident may be limited. In the case of serious accident or illness, evacuation by air ambulance may be required. Adequate insurance can be crucial in helping people get the medical attention required.
 
For Mt Kilimanjaro treks, in the most extreme cases, helicopter evacuation is available. Nearby hospitals are well experienced at treating altitude related sicknesses.

Oxygen.

All KYAROAFRICA climbs will have emergency oxygen available. We reserve the use of oxygen for emergencies. Our guides are very well experienced to know how and when to allocate the use of oxygen. Oxygen cylinders are a very important item but are one of the items often left out by companies looking to cut costs, especially if they are using guides that are not properly trained in administering the oxygen properly anyway.
 
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