[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fy0Tf8bHZ3O_9u0StiOoEQcOmR0SS-oxO4LEij5CUenA":3},{"_id":4,"_type":5,"relatedTrips":6,"slug":58,"content":59,"featuredImage":1533,"relatedJournalEntries":1583,"publishDate":1592,"title":1593,"excerpt":1594,"teamAuthor":1595},"fc04a849-0114-4bc0-be0f-e3b6184c732c","howTo",[7,29,42],{"duration":8,"price":9,"title":10,"pillType":11,"cardReviewRating":13,"country":14,"cardReviewCount":17,"slug":18,"_type":21,"location":22,"_id":23,"featuredImage":24},"10 days",2499,"Kilimanjaro Lemosho + Tanzania Short Safari (10 days)",[12],"new",4.9,{"country":15,"_id":16},"Tanzania","998c5f23-966d-4558-8b36-f341e88487c0",232,{"_type":19,"current":20},"slug","kilimanjaro-lemosho-tanzania-short-safari-10-days","trip","Kilimanjaro and Northern Tanzania","07ac380f-d90e-44f3-a390-0cf699a5103b",{"asset":25,"alt":28},{"_type":26,"_ref":27},"reference","image-3d14189a4cbcef0a74d4dd40cfb98341f12201c3-4715x3143-jpg","Elephant walking across the savannah with snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro in the background",{"_id":30,"title":31,"location":22,"price":32,"featuredImage":33,"country":37,"cardReviewCount":17,"slug":38,"cardReviewRating":13,"_type":21,"duration":40,"pillType":41},"ff62ccd1-6f9e-457f-b34d-08665b5227aa","Kilimanjaro Lemosho + Northern Circuit Safari (12 days)",3449,{"alt":34,"asset":35},"Herd of elephants walking across the savannah with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background",{"_ref":36,"_type":26},"image-dfe4781911cfeb67200f6a80f63b2d2facef1861-4368x2451-jpg",{"_id":16,"country":15},{"current":39,"_type":19},"kilimanjaro-lemosho-northern-circuit-safari-12-days","12 days",[12],{"country":43,"title":44,"cardReviewCount":45,"price":46,"slug":47,"_type":21,"location":49,"featuredImage":50,"_id":54,"pillType":55,"cardReviewRating":13,"duration":57},{"_id":16,"country":15},"Climb Mount Kilimanjaro - 7 day Lemosho Route",34,1759,{"current":48,"_type":19},"climb-mount-kilimanjaro-7-day-lemosho-route","Kilimanjaro",{"alt":51,"asset":52},"Two trekkers celebrating on Mount Kilimanjaro's Lemosho Route with stunning alpine scenery and mountain peaks in the background",{"_ref":53,"_type":26},"image-e7534351b090130f6e619842381aefcb31542b42-720x960-jpg","imported-trip-2611",[56],"best-seller","9 days (7 day route)","kilimanjaro-altitude-sickness",[60,71,100,108,116,122,141,150,180,188,196,201,230,238,246,254,262,281,286,305,313,332,342,354,362,370,378,386,394,399,407,415,423,431,439,451,459,467,472,491,510,540,548,556,564,572,577,596,613,621,639,702,707,715,723,741,749,789,807,815,823,831,839,857,862,892,900,909,917,925,944,952,960,968,973,981,989,997,1022,1030,1038,1057,1065,1073,1078,1086,1094,1112,1120,1128,1136,1144,1149,1157,1176,1184,1192,1200,1208,1216,1230,1235,1253,1261,1269,1287,1295,1312,1320,1329,1358,1366,1385,1393,1412,1420,1428,1436,1444,1452,1470,1478,1497,1505,1524],{"_key":61,"markDefs":62,"children":63,"_type":69,"style":70},"574f5cc8ee9a",[],[64],{"_type":65,"marks":66,"text":67,"_key":68},"span",[],"You can train for the distance. You can train for the cold, the 4am starts, and a week of sleeping on the floor of a tent. Nobody trains their way out of thin air, and that's the part keeping you awake at 11pm with a browser full of tabs.","49d10a5e06ce","block","normal",{"style":70,"_key":72,"markDefs":73,"children":78,"_type":69},"bb5c81872ba2",[74],{"_type":75,"href":76,"_key":77},"link","https:\u002F\u002Fjournals.sagepub.com\u002Fdoi\u002Fabs\u002F10.1089\u002Fham.2010.1003","5f4fb8faf2d8",[79,83,87,91,96],{"text":80,"_key":81,"_type":65,"marks":82},"One real number before anything else. A ","43ed659be771",[],{"_key":84,"_type":65,"marks":85,"text":86},"81ae5c9afa9a",[77],"Kilimanjaro field study by Jackson",{"marks":88,"text":89,"_key":90,"_type":65},[]," and colleagues, published in 2010, found acute mountain sickness in 3% of climbers at 2,743m and 47% of climbers at 4,730m. ","6936a547adae",{"_key":92,"_type":65,"marks":93,"text":95},"e284a3cfe41e",[94],"strong","Kilimanjaro altitude sickness",{"_key":97,"_type":65,"marks":98,"text":99},"574a3a0ef335",[]," is common, not rare. Any page telling you otherwise is selling you something.",{"_key":101,"markDefs":102,"children":103,"_type":69,"style":70},"d371ca9c08c2",[],[104],{"text":105,"_key":106,"_type":65,"marks":107},"That number isn't the whole story, and this is the bit nobody says plainly. Mild altitude sickness on a 5,895m mountain is an expected event, not a catastrophe. Guides manage it up there every single day. What matters is whether you catch it early, whether you say something, and what happens next.","e6624d05e1f6",[],{"children":109,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":114,"markDefs":115},[110],{"_key":111,"_type":65,"marks":112,"text":113},"0cbd48f62d2c",[],"We've written this for a UK reader, with sources you can check: what it actually feels like, who gets it, why route choice does more for you than anything else, whether Diamox is worth it and how you get hold of it here, and what really happens if you have to go down.","3fa58befea0a",[],{"_type":117,"alt":118,"_key":119,"asset":120},"image","trekkers head across a plain towards Kili","0da4305d23be",{"_type":26,"_ref":121},"image-0f90f9b3acaee8d10985436ea85c91223e80682a-1280x815-jpg",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":123,"markDefs":124,"children":128},"72047dc032d8",[125],{"_type":75,"href":126,"_key":127},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.calltoadventure.uk\u002Ftrip\u002Fclimb-mount-kilimanjaro-8-day-lemosho-route\u002F","b3dfa5dc7c84",[129,133,137],{"text":130,"_key":131,"_type":65,"marks":132},"The short version, if you only read one line: the more days you spend on the mountain, the less likely you are to get ill. That's what our ","5ecdd3a94562",[],{"text":134,"_key":135,"_type":65,"marks":136},"8-day Lemosho route","d639131f974b",[127],{"text":138,"_key":139,"_type":65,"marks":140}," is built around. The rest of this page explains why.","d0fc2c4ff824",[],{"children":142,"_type":69,"style":147,"_key":148,"markDefs":149},[143],{"marks":144,"text":145,"_key":146,"_type":65},[],"What Altitude Sickness Actually Is, and How Common It Is on Kilimanjaro","a8c4d29c93ce","h2","6977664fdcf2",[],{"_key":151,"markDefs":152,"children":159,"_type":69,"style":70},"a36f3e6a1cc8",[153,156],{"href":154,"_key":155,"_type":75},"https:\u002F\u002Ffollowalice.com\u002Fknowledge\u002Fkilimanjaro-altitude-sickness","38f27c49739f",{"href":157,"_key":158,"_type":75},"https:\u002F\u002Faltezzatravel.com\u002Farticles\u002Fdiamox-kilimanjaro","c5c1b9c3f76c",[160,164,168,172,176],{"_type":65,"marks":161,"text":162,"_key":163},[],"Search this and the first two answers you get will not agree. ","db28bb567497",{"_type":65,"marks":165,"text":166,"_key":167},[155],"Follow Alice","f749555521bf",{"marks":169,"text":170,"_key":171,"_type":65},[]," states that \"over 75% of climbers experience mild symptoms above 3,000 meters\". ","97fd32b2cf0b",{"text":173,"_key":174,"_type":65,"marks":175},"Altezza Travel","ef6b2f2feeef",[158],{"text":177,"_key":178,"_type":65,"marks":179}," says the CDC puts the risk on routes like Kilimanjaro at 30 to 40%. Same mountain, more than twice the risk, and neither page shows you the study behind its number.","984f99e8dbd0",[],{"children":181,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":186,"markDefs":187},[182],{"marks":183,"text":184,"_key":185,"_type":65},[],"Both are quoting something real, and the gap between them is not carelessness. It is the single most important thing to understand about altitude statistics: the number you get depends entirely on where somebody drew the line for a case.","64beca97dba5","66e3258bfb71",[],{"_key":189,"markDefs":190,"children":191,"_type":69,"style":70},"cc1639d9e664",[],[192],{"_type":65,"marks":193,"text":194,"_key":195},[],"Start with the mechanism, because it takes two sentences. The air at Uhuru Peak is still 21% oxygen, exactly as it is at Gatwick. What falls is barometric pressure, so at 5,895m each breath delivers roughly half the oxygen molecules it would at sea level, and acclimatisation is your body scrambling to catch up over days rather than hours.","6f4ae1256844",{"_type":117,"alt":197,"_key":198,"asset":199},"four trekkers happily pose in front of the summit","c4bf4ef9dd0d",{"_ref":200,"_type":26},"image-2b02eb4f5894412fa6b12879e5cf7ddecc2b7257-960x720-jpg",{"style":70,"_key":202,"markDefs":203,"children":209,"_type":69},"365ec1138fa7",[204,207],{"_type":75,"href":205,"_key":206},"https:\u002F\u002Fjournals.sagepub.com\u002Fdoi\u002F10.1580\u002F1080-6032-020.004.0311","10c5e0ef4467",{"_type":75,"href":76,"_key":208},"44fe54f205e4",[210,214,218,222,226],{"text":211,"_key":212,"_type":65,"marks":213},"Here are the actual studies. Figures around the 75% mark trace to ","0fab41abc4a8",[],{"marks":215,"text":216,"_key":217,"_type":65},[206],"Davies and colleagues","2b71796a3669",{"_key":219,"_type":65,"marks":220,"text":221},"ccb2efcd76b9",[],", published in Wilderness & Environmental Medicine in 2009, who followed 181 trekkers on fast four and five-day Marangu itineraries and recorded 77% AMS incidence using a low diagnostic threshold. Real finding, but it describes the fastest common route on the mountain and counts every mild headache. Jackson and colleagues, in ",{"_type":65,"marks":223,"text":224,"_key":225},[208],"High Altitude Medicine & Biology","4cecbf140307",{"_type":65,"marks":227,"text":228,"_key":229},[]," in 2010, measured across mixed routes and found incidence climbing from 3% at 2,743m to 47% at 4,730m. The 30 to 40% range is a rounded CDC risk-category estimate for treks of this type rather than a Kilimanjaro result.","d7f3e5ff148c",{"style":70,"_key":231,"markDefs":232,"children":233,"_type":69},"266005464821",[],[234],{"text":235,"_key":236,"_type":65,"marks":237},"No single flat percentage is honest, and that is the useful conclusion. Your odds depend on how fast you go up and how high you sleep. Speed is the one you control.","4c997fb3e9e7",[],{"_key":239,"markDefs":240,"children":241,"_type":69,"style":70},"22e70ed51c65",[],[242],{"marks":243,"text":244,"_key":245,"_type":65},[],"Almost everything inside those figures is mild AMS: a headache, nausea, no appetite, a rotten night's sleep. The serious end differs in kind, not just degree.","4c33e19c5824",{"_key":247,"markDefs":248,"children":249,"_type":69,"style":70},"90a60b124579",[],[250],{"_type":65,"marks":251,"text":252,"_key":253},[],"HAPE is fluid in the lungs and shows as breathlessness at rest. HACE is fluid on the brain and shows as confusion and loss of coordination. Both are life-threatening medical emergencies, and both are treated by going down immediately. We could not find a reliable published incidence rate for either on Kilimanjaro specifically, so we're not going to invent one.","ebcb120708e1",{"markDefs":255,"children":256,"_type":69,"style":147,"_key":261},[],[257],{"_key":258,"_type":65,"marks":259,"text":260},"d64082ba1a48",[],"What Altitude Sickness Feels Like, and the Four-Symptom Check You Can Run in Your Tent","117bc4b758f0",{"style":70,"_key":263,"markDefs":264,"children":268,"_type":69},"b624d9da4f73",[265],{"_key":266,"_type":75,"href":267},"868489b4dea7","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.salon.com\u002F2015\u002F07\u002F25\u002Fmy_terrifying_kilimanjaro_climb_how_i_expanded_my_limits_but_almost_lost_my_mind\u002F",[269,273,277],{"text":270,"_key":271,"_type":65,"marks":272},"\"My head felt like it was pinned between the pavement and the wheel of a semi-trailer.\" That is a trekker ","61b5500be8d4",[],{"text":274,"_key":275,"_type":65,"marks":276},"writing in Salon in 2015","a9a3d0ca1eef",[266],{"_key":278,"_type":65,"marks":279,"text":280},"6125a18b380d",[]," about her own climb. She adds the detail that matters more than the drama: \"Tylenol didn't put a dent in the headache, and lying down only made the situation worse.\"",{"_type":117,"alt":282,"_key":283,"asset":284},"tents in the clouds","6bacef1b6d82",{"_type":26,"_ref":285},"image-3dfbc915b6d887a1c9d94a0ae42211e911e9b7d3-2560x1707-jpg",{"markDefs":287,"children":291,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":304},[288],{"_type":75,"href":289,"_key":290},"https:\u002F\u002Fthetravelwomen.com\u002Fclimbing-mount-kilimanjaro-with-asthma-and-altitude-sickness\u002F","ff1d400d9d75",[292,296,300],{"text":293,"_key":294,"_type":65,"marks":295},"Another trekker, ","8cdaac401589",[],{"_key":297,"_type":65,"marks":298,"text":299},"35c628ab108b",[290],"writing for The Travel Women",{"_type":65,"marks":301,"text":302,"_key":303},[],", describes a cycle rather than one bad night: \"My headache returned with such vengeful force. It robbed me of my ability to eat.\"","be2a24d5b7f3","e2bf6fdf26bc",{"_key":306,"markDefs":307,"children":308,"_type":69,"style":70},"9c9678fcb46c",[],[309],{"_type":65,"marks":310,"text":311,"_key":312},[],"Take the practical point. An altitude headache doesn't respond to your usual painkiller, and it arrives with company: nausea, no appetite, a light-headed, faintly drunk feeling.","a15fd7e7ebfc",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":314,"markDefs":315,"children":319},"f86b97164534",[316],{"href":317,"_key":318,"_type":75},"https:\u002F\u002Fjournals.sagepub.com\u002Fdoi\u002F10.1089\u002Fham.2017.0164","eba53e9372cd",[320,324,328],{"marks":321,"text":322,"_key":323,"_type":65},[],"That's what the ","47fb15eabe69",{"_key":325,"_type":65,"marks":326,"text":327},"65899681d853",[318],"2018 Lake Louise score",{"_type":65,"marks":329,"text":330,"_key":331},[]," is for. Published in High Altitude Medicine & Biology, it rates four things from 0 to 3:","326c1a238367",{"markDefs":333,"children":334,"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":340,"listItem":341},[],[335],{"_type":65,"marks":336,"text":337,"_key":338},[94],"Headache","733e14c1f34c",1,"f6a27400e6bb","bullet",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":343,"listItem":341,"markDefs":344,"children":345,"level":339},"b376f7e6b4d7",[],[346,350],{"_type":65,"marks":347,"text":348,"_key":349},[94],"Gastrointestinal symptoms","ec7ca58cf854",{"_type":65,"marks":351,"text":352,"_key":353},[]," (nausea, vomiting, appetite loss)","7a2f593ff017",{"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":355,"listItem":341,"markDefs":356,"children":357},"4ad41b08ec0b",[],[358],{"text":359,"_key":360,"_type":65,"marks":361},"Fatigue or weakness","d9d0835c206e",[94],{"children":363,"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":368,"listItem":341,"markDefs":369},[364],{"_type":65,"marks":365,"text":366,"_key":367},[94],"Dizziness or light-headedness","ee4f42faa321","17bcfacd54d9",[],{"markDefs":371,"children":372,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":377},[],[373],{"_type":65,"marks":374,"text":375,"_key":376},[],"Run it on yourself every evening at camp. It takes about twenty seconds.","e0e428e9e7e9","2a8f4ca49620",{"_key":379,"markDefs":380,"children":381,"_type":69,"style":70},"a33fa6419099",[],[382],{"_type":65,"marks":383,"text":384,"_key":385},[],"A total of 3 or more, with a headache present, means AMS. Roughly, 3 to 5 is mild, 6 to 9 moderate, 10 to 12 severe. The 2018 revision also dropped sleep disturbance, because it tracked poorly against everything else, so any page still marking down your bad night is running the 1991 version. There is a separate functional score too, from 0 (no effect) to 3 (symptoms requiring evacuation), and that's what should drive a hold-or-descend call.","279e7873889c",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":387,"markDefs":388,"children":389},"b75a95d670ed",[],[390],{"marks":391,"text":392,"_key":393,"_type":65},[],"One correction worth making, because getting it wrong is dangerous. AMS usually builds over hours, which is precisely why a scoring system exists. Sudden dramatic collapse is more characteristic of HACE. Wait for something obvious to happen and you'll talk yourself out of a headache that is quietly getting worse.","19f33d8b97d7",{"asset":395,"_type":117,"alt":397,"_key":398},{"_ref":396,"_type":26},"image-118d52b8b6d274912129a955dfa7901865daa81c-4608x3072-jpg","huts in the shadow of kili","8ff67133b169",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":400,"markDefs":401,"children":402},"20c08664eb13",[],[403],{"text":404,"_key":405,"_type":65,"marks":406},"Three things are tell-your-guide-now, not wait-and-see:","efbc99a08549",[],{"_key":408,"listItem":341,"markDefs":409,"children":410,"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70},"d950e42325d8",[],[411],{"text":412,"_key":413,"_type":65,"marks":414},"Breathlessness at rest, or a wet, bubbling cough","3b406f3a2873",[],{"_key":416,"listItem":341,"markDefs":417,"children":418,"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70},"883929273da8",[],[419],{"marks":420,"text":421,"_key":422,"_type":65},[],"Loss of coordination, stumbling, or confusion in you or anyone near you","6b869084f286",{"listItem":341,"markDefs":424,"children":425,"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":430},[],[426],{"marks":427,"text":428,"_key":429,"_type":65},[],"Any symptom that gets worse while you are resting at the same altitude","df9a2983671f","eac414bb0614",{"style":70,"_key":432,"markDefs":433,"children":434,"_type":69},"cc94b003a7c9",[],[435],{"text":436,"_key":437,"_type":65,"marks":438},"Underneath all of that sits one rule, and it is worth learning in your own words before you go:","3df991707ab5",[],{"_key":440,"markDefs":441,"children":442,"_type":69,"style":70},"542e7204cb4e",[],[443,447],{"_key":444,"_type":65,"marks":445,"text":446},"dbe66df603b0",[94],"I do not go higher while my symptoms are getting worse. If resting at the same altitude doesn't fix them, I go down.",{"_key":448,"_type":65,"marks":449,"text":450},"bc9d29917079",[]," Descent is the treatment. Not a punishment, not a last resort, and not something to negotiate at 4,600m in the dark.",{"markDefs":452,"children":453,"_type":69,"style":147,"_key":458},[],[454],{"marks":455,"text":456,"_key":457,"_type":65},[],"Who Actually Gets Altitude Sickness: Fitness, Age, and Plain Bad Luck","598cccdac64e","dd510fd088a1",{"_key":460,"markDefs":461,"children":462,"_type":69,"style":70},"b79f61e43e89",[],[463],{"marks":464,"text":465,"_key":466,"_type":65},[],"The person most likely to be walked back down is not the 65-year-old at the back. It's the fit bloke in his twenties who feels great on day two and says so, loudly.","cd76da00fa84",{"_type":117,"alt":468,"_key":469,"asset":470},"outside the tents, ready to walk","429924ccbacc",{"_ref":471,"_type":26},"image-80985d55d6a81a33516a4fc4a395d59fbf866c91-960x772-jpg",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":473,"markDefs":474,"children":478},"049f1958a161",[475],{"_type":75,"href":476,"_key":477},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Fbooks\u002FNBK620901\u002Ftable\u002Faltitude.tab2\u002F","153119df37bb",[479,483,487],{"_type":65,"marks":480,"text":481,"_key":482},[],"The established risk framework does not use fitness at all. The ","8936319521b4",{"marks":484,"text":485,"_key":486,"_type":65},[477],"WMS and CDC risk-category table","a6b02721588a",{"_type":65,"marks":488,"text":489,"_key":490},[]," in the 2026 CDC Yellow Book sorts trekkers by three things: previous AMS history, initial sleeping altitude, and ascent rate. That is the list. Fitness makes the walking easier and makes precisely nothing about the air different.","9456edb63b9e",{"_key":492,"markDefs":493,"children":497,"_type":69,"style":70},"779cd0a57787",[494],{"href":495,"_key":496,"_type":75},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.tripadvisor.com\u002FShowUserReviews-g293750-d459953-r410244028-Mount_Kilimanjaro-Kilimanjaro_National_Park_Kilimanjaro_Region.html","c151cbd28c50",[498,502,506],{"_type":65,"marks":499,"text":500,"_key":501},[],"A TripAdvisor reviewer was ","17222c00ae15",{"marks":503,"text":504,"_key":505,"_type":65},[496],"stretchered off the Lemosho route","1d04719570d9",{"text":507,"_key":508,"_type":65,"marks":509}," in July 2016 with bad mountain sickness, having started the climb, by his own account, in excellent physical condition.","3c5f8f741d22",[],{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":511,"markDefs":512,"children":519},"bbd12389caff",[513,516],{"_type":75,"href":514,"_key":515},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.climbmountkilimanjaro.com\u002Folder-climbers-on-kilimanjaro-facts-advice-and-tips\u002F","917ed7ba1ca0",{"_type":75,"href":517,"_key":518},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.lekenadventure.com\u002Fkilimanjaro-success-rate-by-age\u002F","1185550076f4",[520,524,528,532,536],{"_type":65,"marks":521,"text":522,"_key":523},[],"Age is more surprising. One operator ","a5076f38ef81",{"text":525,"_key":526,"_type":65,"marks":527},"reports that over 40%","a88b6d55a4b5",[515],{"_type":65,"marks":529,"text":530,"_key":531},[]," of their Kilimanjaro clients are 40 or older and 19% are 50 or older. ","5d2d7b21d838",{"_type":65,"marks":533,"text":534,"_key":535},[518],"Another puts it bluntly","80e29d5372fb",{"marks":537,"text":538,"_key":539,"_type":65},[],": \"Older climbers often do better here. Why? They tend to walk slower, allowing their bodies to adjust. Younger hikers sometimes rush and get sick.\" Both are operator-published and unaudited, so treat them as a pattern rather than a finding.","13ced01c8014",{"markDefs":541,"children":542,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":547},[],[543],{"text":544,"_key":545,"_type":65,"marks":546},"The transferable lesson isn't about age at all. The protective factor is pace, and pace is a choice. The 28-year-old marathon runner should be walking like the 62-year-old, not overtaking her.","02f9a200111a",[],"bac7f9ffbf43",{"_key":549,"markDefs":550,"children":551,"_type":69,"style":70},"8265c6c03576",[],[552],{"_type":65,"marks":553,"text":554,"_key":555},[],"Our own guest guidance says it about as honestly as it can be said: altitude sickness can affect anyone regardless of fitness, age, or previous experience, and there is no reliable way to predict who will get it. If you can't predict it, you plan for it. That's what the next three sections are about.","9ea29ebbdf9c",{"_key":557,"markDefs":558,"children":559,"_type":69,"style":147},"5d534aa79764",[],[560],{"text":561,"_key":562,"_type":65,"marks":563},"How to Avoid Altitude Sickness on Kilimanjaro: Why Route Choice Beats Everything Else","cbb1aff884f1",[],{"_key":565,"markDefs":566,"children":567,"_type":69,"style":70},"dbc02b0e8102",[],[568],{"_type":65,"marks":569,"text":570,"_key":571},[],"One decision does more against Kilimanjaro altitude sickness than any gadget or supplement, and more than any training plan you will realistically do, and you make it from your sofa months before you fly.","d262c65fe7ac",{"_key":573,"asset":574,"_type":117,"alt":576},"7e0ed4b494b3",{"_type":26,"_ref":575},"image-411a7125e8ada53dc0f5e8e7ce2b60cc102b128b-1600x1067-webp","landscape photo of kilimanjaro",{"style":70,"_key":578,"markDefs":579,"children":583,"_type":69},"1c4fc67824b7",[580],{"_type":75,"href":581,"_key":582},"https:\u002F\u002Fjournals.sagepub.com\u002Fdoi\u002F10.1016\u002Fj.wem.2023.05.013","76ce49a5ea1d",[584,588,592],{"_key":585,"_type":65,"marks":586,"text":587},"a72634fc0f73",[],"The ",{"marks":589,"text":590,"_key":591,"_type":65},[582],"2024 Wilderness Medical Society guideline","eae8b1cc4d18",{"text":593,"_key":594,"_type":65,"marks":595}," (Luks, Hackett, and colleagues) sets it out: above 3,000m, your sleeping altitude should not rise by more than roughly 500m a day, with a rest day every three to four days. Where terrain will not allow that daily, the trip average should stay under it. The panel is explicit that ascent rate is the primary lever, and that medication is an adjunct to a sound itinerary, never a substitute for one.","c61be5afdba0",[],{"style":70,"_key":597,"markDefs":598,"children":601,"_type":69},"9301a815f18a",[599],{"_type":75,"href":126,"_key":600},"c6ecceec3b1c",[602,606,609],{"text":603,"_key":604,"_type":65,"marks":605},"You can watch that guideline at work on a real itinerary. On our ","b153050f661d",[],{"_key":607,"_type":65,"marks":608,"text":134},"e786a84ecb81",[600],{"_type":65,"marks":610,"text":611,"_key":612},[],", you sleep at 2,750m, then 3,500m, then 3,850m. Be honest about that first jump: 2,750m to 3,500m is 750m, which is over the guideline's number. Most of the nights that follow sit inside it, and the trip average stays below 500m, which is exactly the allowance the WMS panel makes where terrain will not permit a daily 500m gain.","107ed65dcb52",{"children":614,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":619,"markDefs":620},[615],{"marks":616,"text":617,"_key":618,"_type":65},[],"Day five then climbs to Lava Tower at 4,630m and brings you back down to sleep at Barranco, 3,900m. That is climb high, sleep low doing its job: you take the altitude stimulus in daylight and bank the recovery overnight.","fd6bba316819","443f390514dc",[],{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":622,"markDefs":623,"children":626},"f69a0e971d44",[624],{"_key":625,"_type":75,"href":76},"ln46efd268a0",[627,631,635],{"marks":628,"text":629,"_key":630,"_type":65},[],"One extra day isn't a magic trick, though, and we would rather tell you that than sell you a day. ","a06017d71ba9",{"_type":65,"marks":632,"text":633,"_key":634},[625],"Jackson found a single rest day","a06017d71ba9L0",{"text":636,"_key":637,"_type":65,"marks":638}," at 3,700m made no statistically significant difference to AMS on an itinerary that was already too fast. So longer has to mean meaningfully longer, and you should choose on the acclimatisation profile rather than on the route tables online, which trace back to early-2000s park data nobody audits.","a06017d71ba9R0",[],{"style":70,"_key":640,"markDefs":641,"children":657,"_type":69},"aae660ea6bd2",[642,645,648,651,654],{"_type":75,"href":643,"_key":644},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.calltoadventure.uk\u002Ftrip\u002Fclimb-mount-kilimanjaro-7-day-lemosho-route","d5fe95a3be84",{"_type":75,"href":646,"_key":647},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.calltoadventure.uk\u002Ftrip\u002Fkilimanjaro-7-day-machame-route","2107128a1fa1",{"_key":649,"_type":75,"href":650},"4875ecd521df","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.calltoadventure.uk\u002Ftrip\u002Fkilimanjaro-6-day-machame-route",{"_key":652,"_type":75,"href":653},"203e8ca91206","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.calltoadventure.uk\u002Ftrip\u002Fclimb-mount-kilimanjaro-6-day-marangu-route",{"_type":75,"href":655,"_key":656},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.calltoadventure.uk\u002Fjournal\u002Fhow-tos\u002Fhow-long-climb-kilimanjaro","7a274ef8b229",[658,662,666,670,674,678,682,686,690,694,698],{"_type":65,"marks":659,"text":660,"_key":661},[],"The UIAA recommends at least seven days on the mountain, met by our ","7f70606486e7",{"_type":65,"marks":663,"text":664,"_key":665},[644],"7-day Lemosho route","0d674325adda",{"_type":65,"marks":667,"text":668,"_key":669},[]," and ","44d5b223bce0",{"_key":671,"_type":65,"marks":672,"text":673},"57e64efab11a",[647],"7-day Machame route",{"_key":675,"_type":65,"marks":676,"text":677},"812e46f3107b",[],". Six-day itineraries sit at the higher-risk end of the ascent-rate evidence, which is worth knowing before you choose one. The ",{"_key":679,"_type":65,"marks":680,"text":681},"3f3fe4b1d8a5",[649],"6-day Machame",{"_key":683,"_type":65,"marks":684,"text":685},"b425b5323175",[]," compresses the same gain into fewer nights, and the ",{"_key":687,"_type":65,"marks":688,"text":689},"51d4d7514694",[652],"6-day Marangu",{"_type":65,"marks":691,"text":692,"_key":693},[]," uses a rest day at Horombo (3,720m) rather than climb high, sleep low. For the profiles side by side, see ","13a01bbbfad7",{"marks":695,"text":696,"_key":697,"_type":65},[656],"how the routes compare on length","4235be04cf47",{"marks":699,"text":700,"_key":701,"_type":65},[],".","141f3f29ff69",{"_type":117,"alt":703,"_key":704,"asset":705},"kilimanjaro barafu camp","1bf924b12eb0",{"_type":26,"_ref":706},"image-f18f048424971e312f2809a057dffb5d232e27c7-960x640-jpg",{"style":147,"_key":708,"markDefs":709,"children":710,"_type":69},"9aba03ccc90d",[],[711],{"_type":65,"marks":712,"text":713,"_key":714},[],"What Diamox Does, and What It Cannot Do","6a703febd87e",{"children":716,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":721,"markDefs":722},[717],{"text":718,"_key":719,"_type":65,"marks":720},"Every forum thread on Diamox eventually produces the same objection: surely it just masks the symptoms, so you climb on while something worse builds underneath. Good question, and for once the answer is reassuring.","a2caeccaa45c",[],"5cd289e52971",[],{"children":724,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":738,"markDefs":739},[725,729,734],{"marks":726,"text":727,"_key":728,"_type":65},[],"Acetazolamide does not work on symptoms. It drives bicarbonate excretion and stimulates ventilation, so you breathe more and acclimatise faster, which is the actual physiology of getting used to altitude. That is categorically different from paracetamol or ibuprofen, which quieten a signal while whatever caused it carries on. It differs again from dexamethasone, which per the ","2442d0959a78",{"_key":730,"_type":65,"marks":731,"text":733},"2442d0959a78L0",[732],"ln927fd5e1df","2024 WMS guideline",{"marks":735,"text":736,"_key":737,"_type":65},[]," relieves symptoms without helping you acclimatise, and can cause rebound AMS if stopped at altitude.","2442d0959a78R0","5bf49018ee49",[740],{"href":581,"_key":732,"_type":75},{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":742,"markDefs":743,"children":744},"3fc9889628f4",[],[745],{"_key":746,"_type":65,"marks":747,"text":748},"15e642e2cb7e",[],"So no, it does not mask AMS. You still report every symptom honestly.",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":750,"markDefs":751,"children":760},"069a0e7eb480",[752,755,758],{"_key":753,"_type":75,"href":754},"b4591d92c12f","https:\u002F\u002Fjournals.sagepub.com\u002Fdoi\u002Fabs\u002F10.1089\u002Fham.2006.7.17",{"href":756,"_key":757,"_type":75},"https:\u002F\u002Fgpnotebook.com\u002Fpages\u002Fneurology\u002Faltitude-sickness\u002Fprophylactic-preventative-measures-against-development-of-mountain-sickness","lnf833f6acff",{"href":581,"_key":759,"_type":75},"lna634de6ceb",[761,765,769,773,777,781,785],{"_type":65,"marks":762,"text":763,"_key":764},[],"Now the numbers, since almost nobody publishes them. An NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service review, ","b6a62d0f889f",{"marks":766,"text":767,"_key":768,"_type":65},[757],"summarised for UK prescribers","b6a62d0f889fL0",{"marks":770,"text":771,"_key":772,"_type":65},[]," in April 2022, found acetazolamide reduced AMS risk versus placebo by a factor of 0.47, roughly a halving. The ","b6a62d0f889fR0",{"_type":65,"marks":774,"text":775,"_key":776},[759],"WMS 2024 prophylactic dose","b6a62d0f889fR0L1",{"_type":65,"marks":778,"text":779,"_key":780},[]," is 125mg every 12 hours, rated a strong recommendation on high-quality evidence. The guideline also says 250mg twice daily can be considered for higher-risk profiles, but only up to 5,000m, and Uhuru Peak is 5,895m. Which dose applies to a Kilimanjaro climb is therefore a prescriber's call, not a self-assessment. The ","b6a62d0f889fR0R1",{"text":782,"_key":783,"_type":65,"marks":784},"PACE trial","405d6e9d0873",[753],{"_type":65,"marks":786,"text":787,"_key":788},[]," found 125mg twice daily no better than 375mg twice daily, so more is not better.","74b1a18d7a82",{"markDefs":790,"children":793,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":806},[791],{"href":76,"_key":792,"_type":75},"ln461567b2ec",[794,798,802],{"_type":65,"marks":795,"text":796,"_key":797},[],"It has a hard limit too. As covered above, ","92dcf3e7950b",{"text":799,"_key":800,"_type":65,"marks":801},"Jackson found no measurable benefit","92dcf3e7950bL0",[792],{"_type":65,"marks":803,"text":804,"_key":805},[]," from acetazolamide at fast ascent rates on Kilimanjaro. The drug works alongside a sensible itinerary, not instead of one.","92dcf3e7950bR0","964721dbff9f",{"style":70,"_key":808,"markDefs":809,"children":810,"_type":69},"e5c210a627cb",[],[811],{"_type":65,"marks":812,"text":813,"_key":814},[],"Side effects have a character, not just a name. Pins and needles in fingers and toes, needing to wee constantly, food and fizzy drinks tasting flat, some appetite loss. They are dose-related, they stop when the drug stops, and they can be mistaken for early AMS if you have never taken it before.","55654a107a26",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":816,"markDefs":817,"children":818},"3545731c562a",[],[819],{"_type":65,"marks":820,"text":821,"_key":822},[],"None of that is a recommendation to take it or avoid it. That conversation belongs with your GP or a travel clinic, which is where the next section goes.","1d4a81efa04b",{"children":824,"_type":69,"style":147,"_key":829,"markDefs":830},[825],{"text":826,"_key":827,"_type":65,"marks":828},"How to Actually Get Diamox in the UK Before a Kilimanjaro Climb","0ec69e27457e",[],"527796a344f5",[],{"markDefs":832,"children":833,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":838},[],[834],{"text":835,"_key":836,"_type":65,"marks":837},"Every page on this subject tells you to talk to your doctor. Not one of the ones we read warns you that your doctor may have no idea what you are asking for.","115afa9842ca",[],"28d4acdb0bea",{"children":840,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":854,"markDefs":855},[841,845,850],{"_type":65,"marks":842,"text":843,"_key":844},[],"Acetazolamide is not licensed in the UK for preventing altitude sickness. ","15054ca161c3",{"marks":846,"text":848,"_key":849,"_type":65},[847],"91be1034ab6d","NHS-facing guidance","e72acf316b55",{"text":851,"_key":852,"_type":65,"marks":853}," (GPnotebook, drawing on the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service, April 2022) calls 125mg twice daily for AMS prophylaxis off-label. That does not mean unsafe or unusual. It means the UK marketing authorisation does not cover this use, so the decision rests on the prescriber's judgement, which is also why a GP can quite reasonably say no.","b0ccfe8461ab",[],"50685f8e221d",[856],{"_type":75,"href":756,"_key":847},{"_type":117,"alt":858,"_key":859,"asset":860},"trekkers head to the summit","4fe5c0f84780",{"_type":26,"_ref":861},"image-3eb90d9b6f9a5752593cb19629290065de6d9e6f-4608x3072-jpg",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":863,"markDefs":864,"children":871},"0d4e45a12e1e",[865,868],{"href":866,"_key":867,"_type":75},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ukclimbing.com\u002Fforums\u002Fhill_talk\u002Fhelp_with_getting_diamox_and_my_gp-511333","8b71c9061d9d",{"_type":75,"href":869,"_key":870},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.tripadvisor.com\u002FShowTopic-g294314-i3023-k10859456-Where_how_to_get_Diamox_Acetazolamide_in_UK-Cusco_Cusco_Region.html","f25785890e71",[872,876,880,884,888],{"text":873,"_key":874,"_type":65,"marks":875},"UK trekkers describe exactly that. On ","6ff4685b3f10",[],{"marks":877,"text":878,"_key":879,"_type":65},[867],"UKClimbing, a poster relayed","5f6a64422606",{"_type":65,"marks":881,"text":882,"_key":883},[]," a GP friend's view that it \"isn't licensed for that use, so it will depend how comfortable your doctor is in prescribing it off license\". On ","f00624902413",{"text":885,"_key":886,"_type":65,"marks":887},"TripAdvisor, a traveller reported","a0a22ad8a9be",[870],{"text":889,"_key":890,"_type":65,"marks":891}," a GP who \"had no idea about it as a treatment for altitude sickness\" and refused. From the same thread, a tip no competitor mentions: practice nurses \"often have more knowledge re travel requirements than GPs\".","ddd0c32b9c36",[],{"_key":893,"markDefs":894,"children":895,"_type":69,"style":70},"d04a4f15ac01",[],[896],{"text":897,"_key":898,"_type":65,"marks":899},"So, in order:","762681317456",[],{"listItem":901,"markDefs":902,"children":903,"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":908},"number",[],[904],{"text":905,"_key":906,"_type":65,"marks":907},"Ask your own GP first. Some prescribe it without fuss.","f984d05e2309",[],"38f393df12b5",{"markDefs":910,"children":911,"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":916,"listItem":901},[],[912],{"_type":65,"marks":913,"text":914,"_key":915},[],"If they are unsure, ask the practice nurse.","0c42c8f5006e","69caa063ab44",{"listItem":901,"markDefs":918,"children":919,"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":924},[],[920],{"_type":65,"marks":921,"text":922,"_key":923},[],"A private travel clinic costs more but gives dose advice in time.","ecdac5fedc54","ec68d15fbe8a",{"style":70,"_key":926,"listItem":901,"markDefs":927,"children":931,"level":339,"_type":69},"19c0d0b141b9",[928],{"_type":75,"href":929,"_key":930},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.doctorfox.co.uk\u002Faltitude-sickness\u002Facetazolamide-diamox.html","6fef242761d4",[932,936,940],{"marks":933,"text":934,"_key":935,"_type":65},[],"An online pharmacy consultation is the cheaper fallback. Acetazolamide 250mg runs just under £29 for 28 tablets at prescribers such as ","4a30afd0400b",{"_key":937,"_type":65,"marks":938,"text":939},"35efd79eec93",[930],"Dr Fox",{"_type":65,"marks":941,"text":942,"_key":943},[]," or The Independent Pharmacy, behind a mandatory consultation. Standard prophylaxis is half a tablet twice daily, so a pack covers a fortnight.","3663c437b8db",{"_key":945,"markDefs":946,"children":947,"_type":69,"style":70},"c2ba9eacc2ed",[],[948],{"_type":65,"marks":949,"text":950,"_key":951},[],"Then do what almost nobody does. Trial your dose at home two to four days before you fly, so you learn how you react while you can still change plan, not at 3,500m in the dark.","0b9260d5e4f7",{"style":70,"_key":953,"markDefs":954,"children":955,"_type":69},"c9f77a7b0e71",[],[956],{"_type":65,"marks":957,"text":958,"_key":959},[],"If you take regular medication, or have any sulfonamide allergy history, that is a prescriber conversation, not a website form.","b64d8bf74ca1",{"style":147,"_key":961,"markDefs":962,"children":963,"_type":69},"460777fd722f",[],[964],{"_type":65,"marks":965,"text":966,"_key":967},[],"Summit Night: The Highest-Risk Hours of the Whole Climb","644595431278",{"_type":117,"alt":969,"_key":970,"asset":971},"sunrise on kili","c511295e0f02",{"_ref":972,"_type":26},"image-edc23cfcee470879dbab738bfee691d4e2439f5a-2560x1707-jpg",{"markDefs":974,"children":975,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":980},[],[976],{"text":977,"_key":978,"_type":65,"marks":979},"Everything before this is a walk. Summit night isn't, and nobody describes it honestly beforehand.","ffca9afd99fc",[],"a38a0a22705e",{"children":982,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":987,"markDefs":988},[983],{"_type":65,"marks":984,"text":985,"_key":986},[],"The numbers, from our 8-day Lemosho itinerary. You leave Barafu at 4,700m around midnight, climb to Uhuru at 5,895m, then descend to Mweka at 3,090m. Ten to fourteen hours. Close to 1,200m of gain in one push, after a week of walking, on almost no sleep, in the coldest hours of the night, with a torch beam for a view.","732c245a834b","1691b748d353",[],{"_key":990,"markDefs":991,"children":992,"_type":69,"style":70},"c90dc65d953c",[],[993],{"text":994,"_key":995,"_type":65,"marks":996},"It's the steepest single gain of the trip, which is why symptoms that felt manageable at camp escalate here.","6fc88e4151fd",[],{"_key":998,"markDefs":999,"children":1005,"_type":69,"style":70},"d2e3ee8ab037",[1000,1003],{"_type":75,"href":1001,"_key":1002},"https:\u002F\u002Fgolong.substack.com\u002Fp\u002Fi-summited-kilimanjaro-with-a-body","c7c96d42d92a",{"_type":75,"href":267,"_key":1004},"lnsalon02",[1006,1010,1014,1018],{"marks":1007,"text":1008,"_key":1009,"_type":65},[1002],"One trekker on Substack","57b8929911a3",{"_key":1011,"_type":65,"marks":1012,"text":1013},"0070909ab5db",[],": \"I didn't feel my best on day 6 at midnight standing at 15,500 feet with nothing in my system and no sleep.\" Her heart rate \"hit the low 190s\". ",{"_type":65,"marks":1015,"text":1016,"_key":1017},[1004],"Salon records the emotional low","0070909ab5dbL0",{"text":1019,"_key":1020,"_type":65,"marks":1021}," rather than the physical one: \"I found myself teary-eyed and dreamy, and wondering about my decision to climb the big mountain.\"","0070909ab5dbR0",[],{"children":1023,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1028,"markDefs":1029},[1024],{"text":1025,"_key":1026,"_type":65,"marks":1027},"Feeling wrecked and tearful at 5,000m in the dark isn't an emergency. It's normal, and it passes.","4cfd83f63bdd",[],"b51db809b91a",[],{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1031,"markDefs":1032,"children":1033},"7d3fd0162fa9",[],[1034],{"marks":1035,"text":1036,"_key":1037,"_type":65},[],"That reassurance has edges, though, and they matter more than the reassurance does. Exhausted, tearful, off your food, heart going like a washing machine: normal. Breathless while you're standing still, stumbling, or confused: not normal. Any one of those three means you tell your guide now and you turn round.","65a18ed5b859",{"style":70,"_key":1039,"markDefs":1040,"children":1044,"_type":69},"353a21a4ed8b",[1041],{"_type":75,"href":1042,"_key":1043},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002Fbooks\u002FNBK620901\u002F","970bed979315",[1045,1049,1053],{"marks":1046,"text":1047,"_key":1048,"_type":65},[],"Altitude medicine treats this night as its own problem. The ","c044c1362e2b",{"_type":65,"marks":1050,"text":1051,"_key":1052},[1043],"CDC Yellow Book 2026","782b698873e8",{"text":1054,"_key":1055,"_type":65,"marks":1056}," notes an increasing trend of dexamethasone used specifically for summit day on peaks including Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua, covering abrupt-onset risk on the hardest push. That's context, not a suggestion, and a prescriber's conversation.","30c896d4c8f6",[],{"style":70,"_key":1058,"markDefs":1059,"children":1060,"_type":69},"1cc7c031d357",[],[1061],{"_type":65,"marks":1062,"text":1063,"_key":1064},[],"The practical version is duller and matters more. Eat and drink when you don't want to. Keep the pace insultingly slow. Tell your guide how you feel on the way up, not at Stella Point.","46366b68a2ae",{"_key":1066,"markDefs":1067,"children":1068,"_type":69,"style":70},"e0cefea23e60",[],[1069],{"_key":1070,"_type":65,"marks":1071,"text":1072},"15c2ddc9122b",[],"It's one night. It ends.",{"asset":1074,"_type":117,"alt":1076,"_key":1077},{"_ref":1075,"_type":26},"image-01c79241c1e19f863c0e183168d27114a0f71e92-960x640-jpg","reaching the summit at night","6cc4a45a1561",{"markDefs":1079,"children":1080,"_type":69,"style":147,"_key":1085},[],[1081],{"_type":65,"marks":1082,"text":1083,"_key":1084},[],"What Actually Happens If You Get Altitude Sickness on the Mountain","8f99120d0852","b12bc8d9b28d",{"_key":1087,"markDefs":1088,"children":1089,"_type":69,"style":70},"a6285467bb06",[],[1090],{"text":1091,"_key":1092,"_type":65,"marks":1093},"The question you have not typed into Google yet: does everyone else carry on without me, and do I end up in a Moshi hotel on my own feeling like an idiot?","ba287d6f41c1",[],{"children":1095,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1109,"markDefs":1110},[1096,1100,1105],{"marks":1097,"text":1098,"_key":1099,"_type":65},[],"Start with what descent is. It is the definitive treatment for Kilimanjaro altitude sickness, rated by the ","108722a7fa5b",{"_type":65,"marks":1101,"text":1103,"_key":1104},[1102],"lne89065b05d","WMS 2024 guideline","108722a7fa5bL0",{"_key":1106,"_type":65,"marks":1107,"text":1108},"108722a7fa5bR0",[]," as a strong recommendation on high-quality evidence. For AMS or HACE, that means dropping 300 to 1,000m. For HAPE, at least 1,000m with minimal exertion, plus supplemental oxygen where available.","1a80bf183eac",[1111],{"_key":1102,"_type":75,"href":581},{"children":1113,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1118,"markDefs":1119},[1114],{"_type":65,"marks":1115,"text":1116,"_key":1117},[],"For most mild cases you are not going home. You go down a bit, often a few hundred metres and a night lower, and operators report people feeling much better within hours. That last part is an operator claim rather than published evidence, and we would rather label it than dress it up.","ddb38da28380","cc06fe763296",[],{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1121,"markDefs":1122,"children":1123},"9d6e9d0ec0f2",[],[1124],{"text":1125,"_key":1126,"_type":65,"marks":1127},"You are not walked down alone. Our operator's own route programme puts it plainly: if a climber decides they cannot continue, or a guide judges it unsafe for them to go on, \"they will be accompanied to the nearest campsite or hut\", and the guides know the shortcuts to get there. Nobody is sent down with a porter and a torch.","38787b2558eb",[],{"style":70,"_key":1129,"markDefs":1130,"children":1131,"_type":69},"df55e51dcc5a",[],[1132],{"_type":65,"marks":1133,"text":1134,"_key":1135},[],"The staffing behind that is the part most people never think to ask about. On our Kilimanjaro climbs the usual ratio is three local staff per climber, and four per climber on smaller groups. That team includes an English-speaking guide or guides, a cook, and porters. Groups are usually a maximum of 12 unless you book privately. A team that size is why one person needing to descend does not end the trip for everyone else.","88d1501630e1",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1137,"markDefs":1138,"children":1139},"88a45345a11c",[],[1140],{"text":1141,"_key":1142,"_type":65,"marks":1143},"The rest of what we can state from our own sources: our guides are first-aid trained, they carry a pulse oximeter and check climbers daily, and if someone shows signs of serious AMS the guide arranges descent and that call is non-negotiable. Park rescue fees are included on every one of our Kilimanjaro trips.","98eb258b7d2b",[],{"_type":117,"alt":1145,"_key":1146,"asset":1147},"celebrations at the top","6b20d3bf618a",{"_ref":1148,"_type":26},"image-2422e5696381c6a42b0b5cfffc47b7b899205f3d-768x960-jpg",{"style":70,"_key":1150,"markDefs":1151,"children":1152,"_type":69},"c45d2cb87632",[],[1153],{"_type":65,"marks":1154,"text":1155,"_key":1156},[],"Put together, there's a clear evacuation protocol if anyone needs it, and it is worth knowing what it consists of rather than taking the phrase on trust. The guide makes the call and it is not up for debate. You are accompanied down to the nearest camp or hut by the fastest route the guides know. Serious cases keep descending, because losing altitude is the treatment. Where a helicopter is needed, the guide team starts the rescue and you are moved to the nearest landing zone for a flight to Moshi or Arusha. Park rescue fees are already in your trip price.","57901f29f27f",{"markDefs":1158,"children":1162,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1175},[1159],{"href":1160,"_key":1161,"_type":75},"https:\u002F\u002Fultimateexpeditions.com\u002Fportable-stretcher-on-kilimanjaro\u002F","5e3c42e338ff",[1163,1167,1171],{"marks":1164,"text":1165,"_key":1166,"_type":65},[],"If you genuinely cannot walk, the answer is less high-tech than you imagine. ","9eafbde5a80c",{"marks":1168,"text":1169,"_key":1170,"_type":65},[1161],"Fixed one-wheeled rescue stretchers","ba621e171e26",{"_type":65,"marks":1172,"text":1173,"_key":1174},[]," exist but cover only a small area of the park. Away from those, porters carry a portable stretcher by its hand grips and walk you down. No source gives reliable timings or distances, and we are not going to estimate them.","c4c329de8869","652b5c14d3b2",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1177,"markDefs":1178,"children":1179},"04244ba5acaa",[],[1180],{"_type":65,"marks":1181,"text":1182,"_key":1183},[],"Then the money, and this is the bit to get right before you book anything. Our booking terms require comprehensive travel and evacuation insurance covering high-altitude trekking, helicopter evacuation and repatriation, and you have to show proof of it before a climbing permit is issued. Turn up without compliant cover and you do not enter the park, and there is no refund. Read the altitude limit in the policy wording rather than the marketing page, and buy above Kilimanjaro's 5,895m rather than level with it.","6975b2d47357",{"children":1185,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1190,"markDefs":1191},[1186],{"_key":1187,"_type":65,"marks":1188,"text":1189},"02a5273e7be3",[],"Two honest limits on what a helicopter can do for you. It depends on weather and daylight and cannot reach every point on every route, and the cost of the flight sits with your insurer, not with us. Rescue fees included in your trip price are the national park's fee, which is not the same thing as an air ambulance.","e4b2b996154e",[],{"children":1193,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1198,"markDefs":1199},[1194],{"_key":1195,"_type":65,"marks":1196,"text":1197},"4be253b0d22b",[],"One more thing worth knowing rather than discovering. Under our booking terms, the guides have absolute authority over safety decisions, including turning you back, and those decisions are final and do not entitle you to a refund. That sounds harsh written down. It is the same rule that means nobody on the mountain has a commercial reason to let you keep climbing when you should not.","9844f18fd198",[],{"_type":69,"style":147,"_key":1201,"markDefs":1202,"children":1203},"2d751cc2c923",[],[1204],{"_key":1205,"_type":65,"marks":1206,"text":1207},"4a4a71e1dde8",[],"The Decision to Turn Back Is Yours, and You Should Make It Before You Fly",{"children":1209,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1214,"markDefs":1215},[1210],{"text":1211,"_key":1212,"_type":65,"marks":1213},"An uncomfortable thing to read on a page written by a company that sells this climb. Every operator publishing altitude advice, us included, wants your booking. Your guide's job is to get you up safely. But yours is the only judgement that's with you every minute up there, and it's the one that degrades as you climb.","f29dc730349e",[],"b401bc498f40",[],{"style":70,"_key":1217,"markDefs":1218,"children":1221,"_type":69},"a9a05449ea0d",[1219],{"href":267,"_key":1220,"_type":75},"lnsalon03",[1222,1226],{"_key":1223,"_type":65,"marks":1224,"text":1225},"836af2e7829aL0",[1220],"The Salon trekker again",{"_key":1227,"_type":65,"marks":1228,"text":1229},"836af2e7829a",[],", looking back: \"Ambition had blinded me to the truth. I was vulnerable, and there was no way to avoid it.\"",{"alt":1231,"_key":1232,"asset":1233,"_type":117},"scenic view off kili","4ef534ce1adb",{"_type":26,"_ref":1234},"image-0d8623bbc26ea78e05e2570fedfbfb74061bf2db-1280x852-jpg",{"style":70,"_key":1236,"markDefs":1237,"children":1240,"_type":69},"a234e6868967",[1238],{"href":495,"_key":1239,"_type":75},"lntripadv02",[1241,1245,1249],{"_type":65,"marks":1242,"text":1243,"_key":1244},[],"Trekkers land in two camps, and neither extreme is right. One pre-committed that only a guide physically pulling her off would stop her. The ","8c0b9d36f25f",{"marks":1246,"text":1247,"_key":1248,"_type":65},[1239],"stretchered TripAdvisor reviewer","8c0b9d36f25fL0",{"_type":65,"marks":1250,"text":1251,"_key":1252},[]," went the other way: \"Do not trust your guide \u002F porter with a judgment call about your condition.\" Decide your rules at home, in daylight, with full oxygen in your brain, then hand them to your guide on day one.","8c0b9d36f25fR0",{"children":1254,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1259,"markDefs":1260},[1255],{"text":1256,"_key":1257,"_type":65,"marks":1258},"Three worth making:","e8465b10a777",[],"cd305ed70cf7",[],{"children":1262,"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1267,"listItem":341,"markDefs":1268},[1263],{"_key":1264,"_type":65,"marks":1265,"text":1266},"5e337fd1767a",[],"I report every symptom the day I feel it, even if it costs me the summit.","09e8e1188951",[],{"children":1270,"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1284,"listItem":341,"markDefs":1285},[1271,1275,1280],{"text":1272,"_key":1273,"_type":65,"marks":1274},"If my ","99f610d1f2fa",[],{"_key":1276,"_type":65,"marks":1277,"text":1279},"99f610d1f2faL0",[1278],"lna9cdc5b3b3","Lake Louise self-check",{"marks":1281,"text":1282,"_key":1283,"_type":65},[]," hits 3 or more with a headache, I tell someone rather than swallowing a paracetamol and going quiet.","99f610d1f2faR0","8d0ea30d964a",[1286],{"_type":75,"href":317,"_key":1278},{"children":1288,"level":339,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1293,"listItem":341,"markDefs":1294},[1289],{"marks":1290,"text":1291,"_key":1292,"_type":65},[],"If a guide tells me to go down, I go down without negotiating.","67b5562c270f","969b915f03cb",[],{"children":1296,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1309,"markDefs":1310},[1297,1301,1306],{"_key":1298,"_type":65,"marks":1299,"text":1300},"873c1f79acbf",[],"Those three sentences will do more for you than any drug or gadget in your pack. Turning round at 5,400m isn't a failed trip, and the people who get into trouble are almost never the ones who spoke up early. The decisions that most improve your odds get made long before the gate, and the biggest is ",{"_type":65,"marks":1302,"text":1304,"_key":1305},[1303],"9ffc1da663f3","how many days you give yourself on the mountain","c297ea51bb3d",{"_type":65,"marks":1307,"text":700,"_key":1308},[],"c74be753ad67","087754465947",[1311],{"_type":75,"href":126,"_key":1303},{"style":147,"_key":1313,"markDefs":1314,"children":1315,"_type":69},"c3ba068434a9",[],[1316],{"_type":65,"marks":1317,"text":1318,"_key":1319},[],"Kilimanjaro Altitude Sickness: Common Questions","aaab821b5402",{"_key":1321,"markDefs":1322,"children":1323,"_type":69,"style":1328},"8be7872be623",[],[1324],{"marks":1325,"text":1326,"_key":1327,"_type":65},[],"I got altitude sickness in Peru. Does that mean I will get it on Kilimanjaro?","e0575d91e01e","h3",{"style":70,"_key":1330,"markDefs":1331,"children":1337,"_type":69},"30b5613bb890",[1332,1335],{"_key":1333,"_type":75,"href":1334},"ff2b8efa8be2","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.tripadvisor.com\u002FShowTopic-g293750-i11370-k3788068-Once_altitude_sick_always_altitude_sick-Kilimanjaro_National_Park_Kilimanjaro_Region.html",{"_type":75,"href":476,"_key":1336},"ln7c5ad2b009",[1338,1342,1346,1350,1354],{"marks":1339,"text":1340,"_key":1341,"_type":65},[],"Not necessarily. Prior AMS history is one of the three factors in the ","40711c26db5c",{"_key":1343,"_type":65,"marks":1344,"text":1345},"40711c26db5cL0",[1336],"WMS and CDC risk table",{"_key":1347,"_type":65,"marks":1348,"text":1349},"40711c26db5cR0",[],", so tell a prescriber, but it is not a verdict. Peer consensus on ",{"text":1351,"_key":1352,"_type":65,"marks":1353},"the TripAdvisor Kilimanjaro forum","747c1305194d",[1333],{"_key":1355,"_type":65,"marks":1356,"text":1357},"d392598dbb50",[]," agrees: \"It can affect anyone at anytime, even those that have climbed before.\" Route length and pace matter more.",{"children":1359,"_type":69,"style":1328,"_key":1364,"markDefs":1365},[1360],{"_key":1361,"_type":65,"marks":1362,"text":1363},"9bc4b7040349",[],"Can I climb Kilimanjaro with asthma?","3ba6c4490d86",[],{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1367,"markDefs":1368,"children":1372},"a4adce3a66b4",[1369],{"_type":75,"href":1370,"_key":1371},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.tripadvisor.com\u002FShowTopic-g293750-i11370-k7407592-Asthma_and_Altitude_Coat_recommendations-Kilimanjaro_National_Park_Kilimanjaro_Region.html","95471f735602",[1373,1377,1381],{"_type":65,"marks":1374,"text":1375,"_key":1376},[],"People do, routinely. On a ","96f5933de164",{"marks":1378,"text":1379,"_key":1380,"_type":65},[1371],"TripAdvisor asthma thread","38cf047269fd",{"_type":65,"marks":1382,"text":1383,"_key":1384},[],", one trekker with exercise-induced asthma summited without using her inhaler, crediting going \"very slow\". Another, on the 8-day Lemosho, had symptoms from day four and still \"walked down the summit under my own power\". Warm the air you breathe with a buff from day one, and clear the trip with your GP.","6ef7aee4f74b",{"children":1386,"_type":69,"style":1328,"_key":1391,"markDefs":1392},[1387],{"_type":65,"marks":1388,"text":1389,"_key":1390},[],"Can I take Diamox if I am allergic to sulfa drugs, or on other medication?","bbc3f9b94a93","0039f0287ecd",[],{"style":70,"_key":1394,"markDefs":1395,"children":1399,"_type":69},"f6cfc267f637",[1396],{"_type":75,"href":1397,"_key":1398},"https:\u002F\u002Fjournals.sagepub.com\u002Fdoi\u002Ffull\u002F10.1089\u002Fham.2010.1051","f32984e2bd2c",[1400,1404,1408],{"text":1401,"_key":1402,"_type":65,"marks":1403},"A prescriber's call, and more nuanced than the internet suggests. Acetazolamide is a sulfonamide derivative, but ","d5a3dfddbcdc",[],{"_type":65,"marks":1405,"text":1406,"_key":1407},[1398],"Kelly and Hackett","dcc9061dc8e5",{"_key":1409,"_type":65,"marks":1410,"text":1411},"afc8b0374706",[]," (2010, High Altitude Medicine & Biology) found cross-reactivity with antibiotic sulfonamides is far lower than assumed, because the classes differ chemically. UK guidance still advises caution with severe sulfonamide allergy, kidney or liver disease, and interactions including aspirin and lithium. Ask your GP.",{"markDefs":1413,"children":1414,"_type":69,"style":1328,"_key":1419},[],[1415],{"_type":65,"marks":1416,"text":1417,"_key":1418},[],"How long does Diamox take to work, and when should I start it?","4e30edaf51c1","0b23eb29b962",{"markDefs":1421,"children":1422,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1427},[],[1423],{"_type":65,"marks":1424,"text":1425,"_key":1426},[],"Allow 24 to 48 hours, so it needs starting before you need it, not on the day. Peer advice from the same forum thread: \"Diamox can make a big difference, but it can take 24-48 hours to kick in.\" Agree your start date with your GP or travel clinic, and trial the dose at home two to four days before flying.","d3eefef99d43","5c67f652c1b5",{"_type":69,"style":1328,"_key":1429,"markDefs":1430,"children":1431},"8857e8c9792c",[],[1432],{"_type":65,"marks":1433,"text":1434,"_key":1435},[],"How much water should I actually drink on Kilimanjaro?","f82497cb8319",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1437,"markDefs":1438,"children":1439},"44493712515f",[],[1440],{"_type":65,"marks":1441,"text":1442,"_key":1443},[],"Drink to thirst rather than to a fixed litre target. Other pages quote three litres, four litres, and four to five litres with no source between them, and none mention that over-drinking can cause exercise-associated hyponatraemia. That presents with headache, nausea, fatigue, and confusion, so it mimics the altitude sickness you were drinking to avoid.","bb140dfead53",{"children":1445,"_type":69,"style":1328,"_key":1450,"markDefs":1451},[1446],{"_type":65,"marks":1447,"text":1448,"_key":1449},[],"Does ibuprofen help with altitude sickness, or is it just masking it?","6e09582fce2d","d28e9862d3dd",[],{"markDefs":1453,"children":1456,"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1469},[1454],{"_key":1455,"_type":75,"href":1042},"ln6c73dae795",[1457,1461,1465],{"_type":65,"marks":1458,"text":1459,"_key":1460},[],"Both, and the dose is the catch. The ","73b5ade928d9",{"_key":1462,"_type":65,"marks":1463,"text":1464},"73b5ade928d9L0",[1455],"CDC Yellow Book's prevention evidence",{"text":1466,"_key":1467,"_type":65,"marks":1468}," used 600mg every eight hours, which is 1,800mg a day, above the 1,200mg UK over-the-counter maximum. That makes it a prescriber conversation, not a self-serve one. It is also weaker than acetazolamide, and as a painkiller it can quieten a headache that is AMS getting worse. Report the symptom anyway.","73b5ade928d9R0",[],"b1af8dbaaf2a",{"_key":1471,"markDefs":1472,"children":1473,"_type":69,"style":1328},"883909d1145b",[],[1474],{"marks":1475,"text":1476,"_key":1477,"_type":65},[],"Will a pulse oximeter reading tell me whether I should keep climbing?","5d19846e4a77",{"_key":1479,"markDefs":1480,"children":1484,"_type":69,"style":70},"37d5fa5cd908",[1481],{"_type":75,"href":1482,"_key":1483},"https:\u002F\u002Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\u002F25027753\u002F","92aa10720975",[1485,1489,1493],{"marks":1486,"text":1487,"_key":1488,"_type":65},[],"Not on its own. A single SpO2 reading is a poor discriminator for mild to moderate AMS, though sustained low readings predict the serious end well. ","5ce05ef5089b",{"_type":65,"marks":1490,"text":1491,"_key":1492},[1483],"Karinen and colleagues","44d00d6fd7b4",{"_type":65,"marks":1494,"text":1495,"_key":1496},[]," found SpO2 at or below 84% at 3,647m predicted moderate to severe AMS with 86.7% sensitivity. Treat it as one input alongside your symptoms, not a pass or fail gate.","d58703b9c837",{"markDefs":1498,"children":1499,"_type":69,"style":1328,"_key":1504},[],[1500],{"_type":65,"marks":1501,"text":1502,"_key":1503},[],"Does altitude training in the UK work before a Kilimanjaro trip?","b68388d91523","fddf9523447a",{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1506,"markDefs":1507,"children":1511},"38861d70a963",[1508],{"_type":75,"href":1509,"_key":1510},"https:\u002F\u002Facademic.oup.com\u002Fjtm\u002Farticle\u002F33\u002F3\u002Ftaag009\u002F8444430","53c1100bd9de",[1512,1516,1520],{"text":1513,"_key":1514,"_type":65,"marks":1515},"It works, but the dose is large. A ","62985531286f",[],{"_key":1517,"_type":65,"marks":1518,"text":1519},"9d70c82d8789",[1510],"2026 review in the Journal of Travel Medicine",{"_type":65,"marks":1521,"text":1522,"_key":1523},[]," estimates roughly 200 hours of progressive simulated-altitude exposure can nearly eliminate AMS risk above 3,500m, with around 75 hours giving roughly a 50% reduction. That is a serious commitment, which is why extra days on the mountain stay the better-value lever.","dcc3b6500f68",{"_key":1525,"markDefs":1526,"children":1527,"_type":69,"style":70},"22e5c5ed65bf",[],[1528],{"text":1529,"_key":1530,"_type":65,"marks":1531},"This article is information, not medical advice. Decisions about medication, and about whether this climb is right for you, belong with your GP or a travel clinic.","22f95ec7d5d0",[1532],"em",{"asset":1534,"alt":1582},{"_id":1535,"uploadId":1536,"_updatedAt":1537,"mimeType":1538,"sha1hash":1539,"_rev":1540,"_type":1541,"assetId":1539,"metadata":1542,"url":1577,"_createdAt":1537,"originalFilename":1578,"extension":1579,"path":1580,"size":1581},"image-1390072f384e5dccc6525b93dad7e417a8846801-1280x853-jpg","NYJU4BsZP8SPRMuNWbVPbqaBSQjgCrSY","2025-07-05T14:34:13Z","image\u002Fjpeg","1390072f384e5dccc6525b93dad7e417a8846801","gwEYttVu4IZzzez2WJxgQJ","sanity.imageAsset",{"dimensions":1543,"isOpaque":1548,"blurHash":1549,"_type":1550,"palette":1551,"hasAlpha":1575,"lqip":1576},{"width":1544,"aspectRatio":1545,"height":1546,"_type":1547},1280,1.5005861664712778,853,"sanity.imageDimensions",true,"VgFP,8R5Rjofj?Y8RPoeWBfP00oJt7WBj[wJxZRkt6fk","sanity.imageMetadata",{"vibrant":1552,"dominant":1557,"_type":1560,"darkMuted":1561,"muted":1564,"lightVibrant":1565,"darkVibrant":1569,"lightMuted":1572},{"background":1553,"_type":1554,"foreground":1555,"title":1555,"population":1556},"#048acc","sanity.imagePaletteSwatch","#fff",0.81,{"population":1558,"background":1559,"_type":1554,"foreground":1555,"title":1555},1.56,"#5792a7","sanity.imagePalette",{"population":1562,"background":1563,"_type":1554,"foreground":1555,"title":1555},0.14,"#4b4542",{"population":1558,"background":1559,"_type":1554,"foreground":1555,"title":1555},{"background":1566,"_type":1554,"foreground":1567,"title":1555,"population":1568},"#84c4ec","#000",0,{"population":1570,"background":1571,"_type":1554,"foreground":1555,"title":1555},0.05,"#043484",{"_type":1554,"foreground":1567,"title":1567,"population":1573,"background":1574},0.04,"#daccba",false,"data:image\u002Fjpeg;base64,\u002F9j\u002F2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj\u002F2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj\u002FwAARCAANABQDASIAAhEBAxEB\u002F8QAGAAAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgBAgb\u002FxAAhEAACAgEEAgMAAAAAAAAAAAABAwIEAAUGETEHEhNBUf\u002FEABYBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIEBf\u002FEAB0RAAICAQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABBAVSERQVQoH\u002F2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA\u002FAI03xHbmYgtrgn6981FPxGyvD2dNZ4\u002FJADFNfvLcL5xkzV7hlHohhHGWZvbczUlTNc1CSz3EuPGX8nJyM11EZvVpv0cGW0NCon4Ld+ktoHJjNoBGGJNZ1C5ZdJti05jJdylMknDBv5GQlVxV0R\u002F\u002F2Q==","https:\u002F\u002Fcdn.sanity.io\u002Fimages\u002Ff5ovd1ei\u002Fproduction\u002F1390072f384e5dccc6525b93dad7e417a8846801-1280x853.jpg","Climb Mount Kilimanjaro - Scenic view of group of poelpe on edge.jpeg","jpg","images\u002Ff5ovd1ei\u002Fproduction\u002F1390072f384e5dccc6525b93dad7e417a8846801-1280x853.jpg",66751,"silhouettes of people in the clouds on Kilimanjaro",[1584],{"featuredImage":1585,"_id":1587,"_type":5,"publishDate":1588,"title":1589,"slug":1590},{"_type":117,"asset":1586},{"_ref":27,"_type":26},"3b3c5d52-5f6c-4c4e-a94c-7d92b04e8fd5","2026-06-04T00:00:00.000Z","How Long Does It Take to Climb Kilimanjaro?",{"current":1591,"_type":19},"how-long-climb-kilimanjaro","2026-08-06T09:57:00.000Z","Kilimanjaro altitude sickness: symptoms, prevention & acclimatisation","How likely Kilimanjaro altitude sickness really is, what it feels like, how route choice and Diamox change your odds, and what happens if you have to go down.",{"profileImage":1596,"_id":1609,"name":1610,"jobTitle":1611,"description":1612},{"alt":1597,"image":1598},"George Beesley | Adventurer & Founder of Call To Adventure",{"hotspot":1599,"asset":1605,"crop":1607},{"x":1600,"y":1601,"height":1602,"_type":1603,"width":1604},0.502778692605899,0.48929537565950804,0.41937115974893524,"sanity.imageHotspot",0.23714687704075704,{"_ref":1606,"_type":26},"image-5ec064fed15f0cbb5d09b1418af985111e49c139-1600x899-webp",{"bottom":1568,"_type":1608,"right":1568,"top":1568,"left":1568},"sanity.imageCrop","5ee566b9-2b8b-4140-a3d4-51b273c5b675","George Beesley","Adventure Lover & Founder of Call To Adventure",[1613],{"_type":69,"style":70,"_key":1614,"markDefs":1615,"children":1616},"a743c20b276f",[],[1617],{"_type":65,"marks":1618,"text":1619,"_key":1620},[],"George just bloody loves a bit of adventure! Imagine someone who not only hikes up mountains for breakfast but also bikes across continents. Got a case of wanderlust? This guy's been to over 50 countries and comes back with stories that'll make your grandma want to go bungee jumping.","84c8b169b0fd"]