Mt. Kilimanjaro

Mt. Kilimanjaro is located in northeastern Tanzania in Africa. Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world and fourth most prominent mountain in the world. Its height is 5,895 meters (19,341 ft) from the base. Mt. Kilimanjaro is called the roof of Africa.

Mt. Kilimanjaro is one of the easier mountains to climb. As you do not use any specialized equipment while climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, it is more like hiking or trekking and does not require any technical mountaineering skills. Even though most people in decent physical condition can climb, it should not be taken very lightly. As it requires trekking at high altitude, you must not underestimate the effort required as it takes over six to nine days to reach the peak. You must acclimatize to the high altitude quickly enough.

Unfortunately, many casual tourists to Tanzania attempt to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro without adequate preparation and cause themselves trouble and be in difficult situation.

Even though Mt. Kilimanjaro is not a tactical climb, it is a very physically demanding climb. More people have died climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro than Mount Everest. Many people die of hypothermia. Climbers fall on steep portions of the mountain. Rock slides also kill some people. The altitude, low temperature and occasional high winds make climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro a difficult and dangerous trek, even though it is not as challenging as the Himalayas.

Travel Insurance for Mt. Kilimanjaro

When traveling to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, it is extremely important to purchase the travel insurance that covers your trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro. In fact, many tour companies require that you purchase an adequate travel insurance before you are allowed to participate. Unfortunately, most travel insurance plans exclude mountaineering from their base policy. Even if you buy optional 'hazardous sports rider' coverage that generally provides coverage for mountaineering, it provides coverage only up to altitude 4,500 meters and Mt. Kilimanjaro is 5,895 meters.

You should purchase a plan that, in addition to eligible medical expenses, also covers emergency medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. Those benefits are important as the standards of healthcare, safety and response in this part of the world are not at par with what you may be used to at home. Even though Tanzania has a relatively high standard of health care and emergency response and their search rescue procedures on the mountain are quite comprehensive, you may end up spending a lot of money out of your pocket without proper travel insurance.

Fortunately, USAway insurance provides coverage for altitudes up to 10,000 feet for mountaineering, and 20,000 feet (without the need for climbling equipment) for hiking/trekking when you add the Hazardous Sports Rider at purchase. The coverage is available for various policy maximums, ranging from $50,000 to $5,000,000 to suit your needs.

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  Mt. Kilimanjaro Travel Insurance

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DISCLAIMER: The information within this article is intended as a broad summary of benefits and services and is meant for informational purposes only. The information does not describe all scenarios, coverages or exclusions of any insurance plan. The benefits and services of an insurance plan are subject to change. This is not your policy/certificate of insurance. If there is any discrepancy between the information in this article and the language of your policy/certificate wording, the language of the policy/certificate wording will prevail.

The insurance plans available on this website are not specifically targeted towards the destination mentioned in this article. They can provide coverage while traveling away from home, according to the terms and conditions and geographic restrictions applicable to the specific plan.