Rockfall Archives - Kilimanjaro Uncovered

Originally published: November 2016. Last updated: November 2018

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro can be a dangerous experience and there have been a few recorded deaths on Kilimanjaro. It can be even more dangerous if you are oblivious to the dangers that lead to death or coming close to it on Kilimanjaro. Much as the hostile conditions on the tallest mountain in Africa play a significant role, the human element contributes significantly, even when you travel with an ethical and fair treatment certified tour operator. A lack of prior planning and adequate preparation may be a recipe for disaster. As Benjamin Franklin once said, “Failure to plan is planning to fail.” Conversely, as Confucius is said to have concluded much earlier, “Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.”

I find there is a great lack of transparency regarding Kilimanjaro’s death rate and a lot of wrong, biased or outdated media reporting. On the one hand, few incidents are over-hyped and – in my humble opinion – presenting Kilimanjaro to be more dangerous than it really is (for us tourists; when prepared for properly). On the other hand, incidents of local mountain crew (mostly porters) seem to be under-reported.

I am creating this post hoping to provide fact-based information and analysis. For possible causes of death and danger, as well as how to avoid them, please read here.

I will also update this post with my assessment of known lethal incidents soon. Meanwhile, should you wish to share any information regarding incidents you are aware of, I would greatly appreciate if you could share it here. Thank you.