Is Climbing Kilimanjaro Dangerous?

If you tell your loved ones that you are climbing Kilimanjaro, most people become concerned for your safety.

“Don’t people die there?” they ask.

Percentage of Deaths

Although there are risks in climbing such a high mountain, your loved ones need not be so worried for you. Here’s why. Some 30,000 people climb Kilimanjaro every year, and the reported number of tourists deaths is about 10 fatalities per year. That is a only 0.03% chance of death; it’s practically zero. Put another way, there is only one death per 3,333 climbers.

How does this compare to other high peaks? Below is a graph showing the percentage of deaths to successful summits on notable mountains such as Everest, K2 and Annapurna, all of which as peaks taller than 8,000 meters in the Himalayan Mountain Range.



As you can see, some of these mountains have rates greater than 20%. That means for every five successful summits, there is one death. Everest has a 4% fatality rate.

Climbers on Everest

Altitude Sickness

Most people who die on Kilimanjaro succumb to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), also known as altitude sickness. While scary, this is a manageable risk. Typically the sickness gradually becomes worse, giving the stricken climber ample time to turn around. AMS subsides quickly when you go to a lower elevation.

A good Kilimanjaro operator will have experienced guides who are medically trained to help you manage AMS should it occur. You definitely want to do your research to find a quality guide. This decision may literally save your life.

The Kilimanjaro company that I recommend, Ultimate Kilimanjaro, is ultra focused on the safety of its clients. When I was on the mountain, it was apparent how carefully our guides watched us. They recorded our pulse rate, oxygen saturation levels, and listened to our lungs twice a day!

Ultimate Kilimanjaro health check

In addition they continuously asked how we felt and watched how we hiked. Because of this, our guides knew how people were feeling through the entire climb. They were very aware of the degree of AMS people have, if any, and when it is time to stop ascending.

Note that not all operators have this level of care and expertise. If you take a look at Ultimate Kilimanjaro’s safety practices below, you will see just how serious they approach the matter.


Ultimate Kilimanjaro’s Safety Practices

  • Our staff abides by the Standard Operating Procedures to prevent clients from exposure to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) while in the country.
  • Our guides are highly experienced in preventing, detecting, and treating altitude sickness because they handle over 1,000 climbers per year.
  • Health checks are conducted twice per day using a pulse oximeter to monitor your oxygen saturation and pulse rate.
  • We administer the Lake Louise Scoring System (LLSS) to help determine whether you have symptoms of altitude sickness and their severity.
  • Our guides are certified Wilderness First Responders (WFR). They have the tools to make critical medical and evacuation decisions on location.
  • We carry bottled oxygen on all climbs and can administer it to quickly treat climbers with moderate and serious altitude sickness.
  • On northern routes, our staff carries a portable stretcher to evacuate climbers who need to descend but are unable to walk on their own. (Wheeled stretchers provided by the park are available on other routes.)
  • Our guides can initiate helicopter evacuation through Kilimanjaro MedAir, a helicopter rescue operation.
  • Our staff carries a first aid kit to treat minor scrapes, cuts and blisters.

If you value your health and safety (who doesn’t?), I strongly recommend you climb with Ultimate Kilimanjaro. This company has the right protocols in place in case there is an emergency on Kilimanjaro. I felt safe 100% of the time and had complete trust in my guides.

Heart Conditions

Being at high elevations can put added stress on the heart. Patients with known severe cardiac diseases (including severe angina, heart failure, or valve disease) should not visit high altitudes. Changes in altitude can affect factors like blood pressure, potentially worsening existing heart conditions.

But what about those with lesser heart or respiratory conditions? It is debatable. Given the physical exertion of climbing, people with any heart or cardiovascular issues are at a greater risk while on the mountain. Unfortunately, some climbers die due to pre-existing heart conditions that were unknown to the climber, but exposed during the trek.

It is pretty important that everyone get checked out by their doctor before they come to Tanzania. Make sure you are healthy enough to do a high altitude trek.

Rockfall

Lastly, some get killed by rockfall. Though this appears to be a random event, there are some places where rockfall can be more frequent. So if you avoid these paths, you also eliminate most of this risk. Rockfall has killed people on the Western Breach more than at any other place. I don’t recommend using this route on the mountain for this reason.

The Bottom Line: Climbing Kilimanjaro is Safe

Taken together, you can see why Kilimanjaro is NOT very dangerous. Most of the dangers can be mitigated before your trip by selecting the right operator, selecting the right route, and by getting yourself checked out by a doctor.

To put this in perspective, compare Kilimanjaro’s death rate (1 in 3,333) to dying in car accident (1 in 491), dying from heart disease (1 in 174), and dying from firearms (1 in 355). Kilimanjaro is relatively safe, so if you have an interest in climbing, just do it!