Tanzania: Climbing to New Heights

Tanzania is one of the most developed East African countries. It is easy to get around in and tourism is very common here. It has beautiful landscapes from forests in the West to white sand beaches in the East. It also boasts Africa's tallest mountain - Mount Kilimanjaro.


The mountain is 5896m tall (Canada's tallest mountain, Mount Logan, is 5250m in height). Now that's pretty tall, but to put it into perspective, the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Everest is 8848m, (which I'm going to see in October!).
So you know that height is measured from the bottom to the top of something, like a chair might be 800 cm tall. But what about elevation? 




We all know that the Earth isn't flat. Standing on flat ground in Calgary can have you much higher than standing in Toronto even if you're standing on flat ground in both places. That's because Toronto is close to the Great Lakes, which are at an elevation of zero-we call this 'sea level.' So Toronto is at an elevation of 76 m. Calgary, being inland, close to the Rocky Mountains is at an elevation of 1 100 m. The land gradually gets higher and higher the closer you get to Calgary from Toronto.

So the tallest mountain in Alberta is Mount Columbia with a peak at an elevation of 3 747 m. If you wanted to climb to the top of it, you wouldn't need to climb 3 747 m. Because Calgary itself is already 1 100 m high from sea level. Plus, the land gets higher and higher as you drive into the mountains. Really, by the time you drive to the Mount Columbia trailhead, you have less than 2 000 m (or 2 km) to climb.

For those of you who were in my class three years ago, you might remember my pictures from a trip I took that summer to Jordan. I visited the Dead Sea with Miss Scheidegger. It is special because it's the Earth's lowest elevation on land. 


Now there's one more important thing I want to mention. When you travel to a high altitude, like the top of Kilimanjaro, Everest, or even cities like Potosi, which I visited last summer in Bolivia, you have to be careful of high-altitude sickness. The higher you go, the 'thinner' the air is, meaning there's less oxygen. This can make you feel light-headed or out of breath. Your heart might start beating really quickly to make sure your brain is getting enough oxygen. This can happen mildly to people from low-altitude cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Halifax if the are visiting Calgary and go for a hike in the mountains, even though they aren't that high. 

It can be more serious if you go to heights above 4000 m above sea level (nowhere in Canada, but I experienced it in Bolivia and will again in November in Nepal). Sometimes people get nauseous and vomit and have headaches because they increase their elevation too quickly. When hiking mountains like Kilimanjaro, it's important to take your time and spend an extra night or two on your way up to acclimatize, or get used to, the height. You can also take medication that will help.

So, I didn't climb Mount Kilimanjaro, but I did get a nice view of it!






I was a little disappointed after all the work we did with our sister school in Tanga to not visit. Tanga is on the coast between Moshi (where I stayed close to Mount Kilimanjaro) and Dar Es Salaam (the capital city). But I had to make sure I was in Zanibar Island in time for my reservation. And trust me, it was worth it! Beautiful white sand beaches, swimming, taking boat rides, snorkling, and the first real relaxation time. My pace has been fast, so it was much needed! 







Next, I'll fly across the Mozambique Strait to the incredible island of Madagascar! Rewatch the movie and send me tips!