Safety and Health

Food and Water

Too many people spend thousands of dollars on their "dream" trip only to have it ruined by invisible parasites and bacteria, common in third world countries, that can reek havoc on your health. Tanzania being relatively sparsely populated with humans, is a fairly "clean" country by most third world standards. Nevertheless, poor sanitation and cooking practices are probably the most common cause of failure on Kilimanjaro and misery on safari.

Although many people research the menu's that they will have while traveling, very few research the sanitation practices of the company preparing the menus. At African Environments, we consider this an important "behind the scenes" service we provide. Our cooks are well trained and experience and they have all had classes in the importance of proper hygiene. They are careful to disinfect all dishes and cooking utensils and all fresh vegetables that are served. This requires sending ample disinfectant on your trip and having plenty of assistant cooks available to help disinfect everything.

Even more important than food is your water source while traveling. Plenty of pure water keeps you healthy and moving toward the summit or enjoying the plains. As in America, all the surface water in Tanzania is likely to harbor parasites such as giardia or amoebas. We stock all of our trips, both mountain and safari, with expedition quality World Health Organization approved Katadyn water filters. These filters can produce up to 10 liters of crystal clear pure water in a minute. The cost of these filters is prohibitive for most safari and mountain operators so they resort to boiling water which is often not boiled to completion and uses a massive amount of fuel. There are a wide variety of "local" filtering systems available in Tanzania but none of these filters can take out all the parasites found in the water.

Vehicle Safety

Roads in Tanzania are generally unsafe as they are full of potholes, poorly lit and rarely marked with signs. We take safety of our clients and vehicles very seriously:

  • All of our vehicles are fitted with seat-belts for every passenger.
  • Vehicles are maintained after every safari and tires are changed regularly.
  • Safari vehicles are equipped with VHF radios and all camps have HF radios for communication with the Arusha base station.
  • Our drivers all have more than 15 years experience driving, most of them have more than 10 years experience with us.
  • All drivers have taken first aid courses and carry first aid kits. Most drivers were mechanics before they were drivers.

Mountain Safety

At 19,300 feet Kilimanjaro poses some serious potential health risks. Your climbing adventure should only be undertaken with the guidance and support of a company experienced and serious about high altitude climbing.

  • All our trip leaders are Wilderness First Responder certified - this is an 80 hour intensive American 1st aid course offered by the Wilderness Medical institute focusing on high altitude and wilderness medicine.
  • All trip leaders have the experience of more than 50 Kilimanjaro climbs under their belt, many have climbed internationally as well.
  • We provide all trip with trip leaders and enough assistant trip leaders to ensure ration of at least 1 guide per 3 client. In the event that a client is hiking slow or needs to be evacuated there is plenty of back up to meet their needs.
  • All trips are equipped with solar and battery powered HF radios and communicate twice daily with our Arusha base.
  • We carry supplemental oxygen and high altitude hyperbaric "Gamow" bags on all mountain climbs. These are for use in the event of acute altitude sickness.
  • We have recently worked with the National Outdoor Leadership School of the USA to perform an external review of our safety procedures and produce a crisis management protocol.
  • We provide equipment imported from America that is the most durable available for harsh high altitude conditions. Although our tents are not tall or spacious, they will keep you dry, warm and safe in a severe storm.
Healthy freshly prepared food is essential
Preparing clean water on Kili with an expedition quality Katadyne water filter
A safe well maintained vehicle and careful driver ensure your safety on the roads and off.
Guide using a solar powered HF radio
Refresher training on Oxygen use
Refresher training on using a Gamow bag
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