FAQ Climbs

What health and safety precautions does SENE takes?

SENE delivers the highest quality safety measures on Kilimanjaro.  We undertake the following practices on all climbs to help you safely enjoy your time on Kilimanjaro:

oxymeter climb• We use a pulse oximeter to monitor your oxygen saturation and heart rate twice daily (more often if necessary).  This medical instrument allows your guide to accurately determine how your body is adapting to the higher altitude.

• We listen to your lungs with a stethoscope to assess if there is any fluid on the lungs, a sign of HAPE.

• We monitor your fluid intake (and output!) to ensure proper hydration.

• We carry portable oxygen tanks – used only to aid climbers on descent when suffering from severe AMS. With proper acclimatization and pacing supplemental oxygen is not needed to reach the summit.

• We carry a portable hyperbaric chamber (Gamow bag) and have a system in place for immediate evacuation off the mountain.

• Our guides carry a first aid kit that includes adhesive bandages, gauze pads, gauze roller bandage, adhesive tape, wound cleaning agent, scissors, tweezers, latex gloves, elastic wraps, Panadol (analgesic), stethoscope, thermometer.

• Our guides have communication via cell phone and radio with each other, with our office in Moshi, and with the Kilimanjaro National Park Authority rangers.

Emergency Medical Training

All our guides are trained in Wilderness First Aid and High Altitude First Aid.  During the climbing low season in April SENE guides and staff are given refresher first aid courses taught by Tanzania-based Savanna Medics.

Simon himself is trained as a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) by the high altitude experts, Crested Butte Outdoors in Colorado, USA.  The WFR course with certification by Wilderness Medical Associates is the gold-standard of medical training for outdoor educators, expedition medics, and guide companies working in remote regions of the world.

Simon teaches and instills these skills and knowledge in all those who guide for SENE, reinforcing that SENE’s primary responsibility as mountain guides on Kilimanjaro is the safety of our clients and crew.