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Every year a small number of tourists die climbing Kilimanjaro. What action should one take to avoid altitude sickness?

To be fit and ready to climb is essential. When climbing take your assent slowly, this will be emphasized again and again as you climb - in Swahili pole-pole [slowly slowly]. Anyone is susceptible to altitude sickness and your guide will be on the lookout for any tale tale signs.

Before you climb the mountain, try to avoid an overnight in Moshi town. It is better to stay as close to the Kilimanjaro Park Gate as you can. As you sleep in the mountain village, your body is starting to acclimatize. If you can spend two nights before your climb all the better.

Acclimatization is the key. An extra day spent on your climb is a worthwhile. It is offered as an extra at a cost of usually US$120 per person. I would recommend spending this extra money; it increases your chance of success in reaching the top of the mountain. If you feel tired, if you are vomiting if you are passing blood tell your guide. These are all signs of altitude sickness. If you start to suffer then to get to a lower altitude as quickly as possible is the best advice. Do not hang on thinking you will be fine, get off the mountain as quickly as possible.

Once you have succeeded in climbing to the top and have taken your pictures then a quick decent is also advisable - there will be one night only on the mountain during your decent.

To recap, a pre-night close to the park-gate helps acclimatize. Spend an extra night on the mountain to help your body adjust; and most of all do not race up the mountain walk slowly and enjoy your climb.

All profits from http://www.betheladventre.co.uk go into the Patmos Community Initiative, which is a Non-Governmental Organization in Northern Tanzania - no. 11778. We are currently building a nursery school in Sokon One - Arusha. We offer and encourage voluntary positions vacations to our charitable projects. Swahili Language courses are available twice per year, in March and in November.

The Oregon Trail holds a unique place in the history of the
United States. Thousands of pioneers used the trail to populate
the middle and western parts of the country in the 19th century.

Oregon Trail

In the eighteen hundreds, the east coast of the United States
had become overcrowded and expensive. For relief, people looked
to the opportunities in the then limitless west. Over the next
100 years, hundreds of thousands of people undertook the six
month quest to find a better life. Tens of thousands died along
the route.

The Oregon Trail begins in Independence, Missouri and winds its
way to the Willamette River Valley in Oregon. Follow the trail
from beginning to end and you’ll pass through the states of
Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Idaho.

Tracking the Oregon Trail can take a month by car, so I am going
to highlight certain spots in this and further articles. Arrow
Rock, Missouri is as good a place as any to start.

Arrow Rock, Missouri

Although Independence, Missouri is technically the beginning of
the Oregon Trail, Arrow Rock is a better place to start. Arrow
Rock is a tiny town of maybe 100 people and remains much the way
it was during the hey day of the Oregon Trail. You’ll get a real
taste of the way things were by visiting the tavern and old
seminary. One of the odder attractions is the Calaboose.

Arrow Rock has the rather peculiar Calaboose Jail. Built of
stone, the jail is particular because it is built for only one
person. By one person, I mean no lobby, no office, no nothing,
just a stone structure with one wooden door.

To get a better understanding of Arrow Rock, make sure to visit
the Arrow Rock Historic Site center. For lodging, there are four
or five bed and breakfast options in the town. Campers can stay
at the Arrow Rock Historic Site camping grounds.

Visiting Arrow Rock is like stepping back into the Wild West.
Look to the west and you can get a feel for how the pioneers
felt as they started their long journey.