Hashimu Msuya

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is a lifetime experience. It is a wonderful experience to discover that this mountain is manageable, even though it looks hard. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

My favorite route is the eight-day Lemosho route because it lets trekkers enjoy the five ecological zones. This route allows trekkers to have enough acclimatization during the hike. It is also the route to see different flora, fauna, and spectacular mountain views from the second day onwards.

Easy Travel is the best choice for trekkers to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. It is the company that always gives top priority to the trekkers. Due to their unrivaled service, it is a ‘role model’ to other companies. It gives job opportunities to many sectors, from crew to office workers. It is life-changing for many people. They create happiness and a great sense of community. At Easy Travel, the company’s priority is safety, and the slogan is ‘life is number one, the mountain is number two.’ They have good quality equipment. The company grew, and the mountain guides are highly educated and skilled, and they always follow the Kilimanjaro National Park rules and regulations.

My favorite month of the year to climb Kilimanjaro is July because it is during the dry season. There is less chance of rainfall. This is the month when the weather is clear, increasing the chances for trekkers to reach the top.

My favorite part of Mount Kilimanjaro is the montane forest zone. Green pastures cover the area, attracting wild animals because of food availability. Also, I like the area where the national park allows the villagers to use fresh grass for their domestic animals to graze. This part is rich and fertile, suitable for all flora and fauna. The climate of the forest is favorable to the animals that live there because this is a wet belt throughout the year. Also, in this part, people can see the different flora, such as Impatiens Kilimanjarika, unique to Kilimanjaro.

A few things might surprise people. First, many trekkers climb Mount Kilimanjaro each year. The last statistics show that 48,000 trekkers climbed in the pre-COVID years. Secondly, the mountain is in an equatorial region but still has glaciers around the top, which many people are surprised to see. Many other attractions, such as caves and lava tubes, formed after lava cooling during ancient volcanic activity.

My favorite aspect of Tanzanian culture is that here in Tanzania, there are more than 120 tribes, and each tribe has its own culture and traditions. The Maasai is one of the tribes that still follow their culture and traditions. This is very impressive to me.

Jambo, which means ‘hello.’
Pole Pole, which means ‘slowly slowly.’
Mambo, which means ‘how are you?’

I am a descendant of the Pare tribe, and I am always happy to share knowledge about my tribe with our guests. In our tribe, we still follow traditional customs. We came from the same region, which is around the mountain area. I come from a place 1900m above sea level, and we live in a community that practices agriculture; every day, we manage the farm and the crops such as maize, bananas, and beans. In our culture, we did not previously treat education as a priority. I was born on a mountain, and I work on a mountain.

My advice on climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is to be physically fit. It is vital to do enough exercise before the climb to allow the body to be ready for the hike. Exercises I can recommend are jogging, running, and hiking.
Preparing your gear and equipment to protect yourself from any weather on the mountain is also essential. And always follow the golden mountain rules, which are 1) walk ‘slowly slowly,’ 2) drink enough water, 3) go high, and sleep low.

Trekkers should choose the most suitable itinerary because it will help them enjoy themselves on the trek. It is important to know the challenges you face with mountain sickness, such as Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), common to hikers. The symptoms may be a headache, nausea, or losing appetite, but these are easily resolved by drinking enough water, taking enough time to rest, and taking painkillers. There are two types of sickness, the accumulation of water in the lungs (called pulmonary edema) or water in the brain (called cerebral edema). Both these life-threatening diseases may cause death. The main solution is to descend quickly to a lower elevation and see a doctor. Both of these conditions occur on the mountain due to the failure of the body to adapt to the weather or the lack of oxygen on the mountain.

I have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro 105 times as a guide on all the different routes of Mount Kilimanjaro. These are the Marangu, Machame, Rongai, Lemosho, Umbwe, Shira, and Mweka routes.

There are challenges in climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, such as mountain sickness. People face tiredness or exhaustion because it is their first time climbing the mountain, some, perhaps without enough physical preparation. The bad weather on the mountain, such as strong winds, can make trekkers fail to reach the summit.

I can advise hikers to prevent altitude sickness in the following ways: Prepare well regarding equipment and gear, as this can help prevent the body from getting cold on the mountain. Choose a suitable itinerary, perhaps over 7 or 8 days compared to shorter ones of 4 to 6 days, to allow the body enough time to adapt to the high altitude. Also, acclimatize during the hike, which means you go high and sleep low. Drink enough water, at least 3 to 5 liters a day, for the proper hydration of your body. Walk slowly during your trek, ensuring your pace is suitable and appropriate for your health. Take enough time to rest when arriving at the camp.

Sometimes, trekkers get sick during the night and can become seriously or critically ill, which causes a challenge to able to organize a rescue at that time.

Sometimes trekkers do not share vital information with their crew and guide about the nature of their medical conditions, which can cause an issue during the trek at high elevations.