KILIMANJARO HELICOPTER RESCUE

 A Kilimanjaro helicopter Rescue evacuation may be required when a climber gets ill or seriously injured on Mount Kilimanjaro. 

In the past, helicopter evacuations were rare on Kilimanjaro as no local operator and units would be deployed from major centers such as Nairobi, making for long delays. 

For emergency evacuation during the Kilimanjaro climb, we are working with KILI MEDAIR, who provide Kilimanjaro Helicopter Rescue operations, ensuring the safety of everyone on Mount Kilimanjaro. 

Kili MedAir is committed to ensuring your safety while enjoying a beautiful adventure at Mount Kilimanjaro for a reliable and efficient helicopter evacuation in any distress situation. For a successful helicopter evacuation on Mount Kilimanjaro, one should acquire travel insurance covering the medical Evacuation of 6000 meters above sea level. 

It would be best to have insurance that covers emergency evacuation 6,000 meters above Sea Level to use this service. When they evacuate you on the Mountain, all the costs are covered by your insurance.

We highly recommend that you get insurance with Evacuation coverage up to 6,000 meters above Sea Level in case of any emergency during the climb.

Let me know if the insurance will cover Evacuation 6,000 meters above Sea Level?

Kindly share the insurance policy number, email, and phone number with me if it covers.

We put your safety as our number one priority. Read more about Kilimanjaro altitude sickness in our in-depth guide.

Kilimanjaro Helicopter Rescue Landing Points

As this is a relatively new (established 2016, operational 2018) service, and not all mountain areas are conducive to helicopter landings, climbers may need to hike, or if someone can’t walk, stretchered to a landing area pick up. At writing, the highest landing area is at Kosovo Hut, 4900 meters.

Most rescues are conducted from Horombo or Barranco Huts. Ambulance rescue by road is available from the Shira Huts.

Kilimanjaro Helicopter Rescue Safety Protocols

Each year, dozens of helicopter rescues are conducted on Mount Kilimanjaro. Our staff is well trained in working with the pilots and medical personnel to ensure climbers are safely evacuated promptly should the need arise.

Having a helicopter rescue service on Kilimanjaro is reassuring for climbers, but it’s not an excuse to become complacent and neglect the proper safety protocols. As a last resort, it’s not a reason to take unnecessary risks.

As part of our daily health checks, we test your oxygen saturation and heart rate with a pulse oximeter and use the Lake Louise Scoring System to determine how well you adapt to the thin air.

Our guides carry supplementary oxygen on every Kilimanjaro climb, strictly for use in emergencies.

NB: Due to the weather on Kilimanjaro, it is essential to point out that even if you have insurance that covers the Helicopter Rescue, we can not be guaranteed that the Helicopter will land due to the clouds at Kilimanjaro Mountain. The probability of clouds on Kilimanjaro from around 10 am is very high, and the Helicopter to land will be impossible. 

At Kilimanjaro, the Helicopter cannot land more than 4900m above sea level.

Therefore, if you need an evacuation from the Mountain, our guide and Mountain Crew will do their best to make sure that they evacuate you to the lower altitude first, provide you with required first aid, and make other protocols for your Evacuation.