Review by Barb & Ron Kroll

Travel Book Title:

Kilimanjaro: A trekking guide to Africa's highest mountain
(Trailblazer Publications) ISBN 1-873756658

Theme:

To climb Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, is the goal of many African explorers and tourists. No mountain climbing skill is required to reach the summit, because Kilimanjaro is basically a long walk (albeit at high altitude). Kilimanjaro: A trekking guide to Africa's highest mountain is a comprehensive planner's guide with details about routes, health precautions, hazards, geology, local villagers and the Chagga. Henry Stedman includes information about altitude sickness, maps and references.

Sample Items:

In the chapter on Safe Trekking, Kilimanjaro climbers find information on acute mountain sickness (AMS), the symptoms, how to avoid it, how to treat it and other potential health problems. Among the list of Swahili phrases listed in the appendix is the word for help - Saidia!

Notable Elements:

Side essays answer many questions and fill in information gaps, such as the importance of snow on top of Kilimanjaro to the villagers below. Glaciers are fast disappearing, but Kilimanjaro trekkers still need to wear sunglasses on the summit to avoid snowblindness.

Tone / Style:

Kilimanjaro: A trekking guide to Africa's highest mountain is a matter-of-fact, informative and comprehensive planning guide, which includes advice and warnings.

Visuals:

Photos and illustrations include 23 detailed Kilimanjaro trekking maps.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Part 1: Planning Your Trip
  • With a group or on your own?
  • Budgeting
  • When to go
  • Booking your trek
  • The crew
  • Getting to Kilimanjaro
  • Route options
  • What to take
  • Health precautions, inoculations and insurance
• Part 2: Tanzania
  • Facts about the country
  • Practical information for the visitor
• Part 3: Kilimanjaro
  • Geology
  • Climate
  • The history of Kilimanjaro
  • Flora and fauna
  • The people of Kilimanjaro: the Chagga
• Part 4: Flying to East Africa - Nairobi and Dar es Salaam
  • Dar es Salaam
  • Nairobi
• Part 5: Arusha, Moshi and Marangu
  • Kilimanjaro International Airport
  • Arusha
  • Moshi
  • Marangu
• Part 6: Minimum impact and safe trekking
  • Minimum impact trekking
  • Safe trekking
• Part 7: Trail guide and maps
  • The Marangu Route
  • The Machame Route
  • The Rongai Route
  • The Shira Plateau and Lemosho routes
  • Umbwe Route
  • The descent routes
• Part 8: The summit
  • What's at the top?
• Appendices
• Index

Author:

Henry Stedman

Claim to fame:

Henry Stedman is the author or co-author of half a dozen titles, including Trekking in the Dolomites, The Bradt Guide to Palestine and the Rough Guides to Indonesia and Southeast Asia. One quip from a friend (?) describes him as “living proof that almost anyone can climb Kilimanjaro.”

 
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