What are the causes of altitude sickness?
Pressure and oxygen level in the air decline rapidly with altitude. For example on top of Kilimanjaro, at 5895 metres, the oxygen in the atmosphere is half that found at sea level. To compensate, the body activates several mechanisms like hyper ventilation, it will produce more red blood cells, the blood will thicken and so on. If you clim too fast the body has no time to set these mechanisms, the altitude sickness symptoms will then appear. The key is to give time to your body and garanty a good acclimatization. That’s why we decided to climb Kilimanjaro in 7 days instead of 6, increasing our chances to reach the summit.
