Kilimanjaro Tips – The Sun. 

As the air gets thinner the sun gets stronger at altitude!! 

Protection from the sun and to help prevent heat stroke a hat, buff, long sleeved shirt and sun cream is a must.

Shivering, sweating, headaches at altitude or in a sun drenched beach is no fun.

We can help reduce this by taking a few precautions.

Hat – the best hat is the type  with a brim all the way round. This will help keep the back of your neck, the top of your head and your ears protected from the sun.  

We don’t want to cook the brain!!  
The back of the neck is critical, as most of the blood flow to the brain passes here and if the blood is heated the brain does some weird things. 

Buff or Neck scarf – one of the most simple and effective pieces of kit guy can buy. It doubles as a hat, neck scarf to keep the sun at bay or to keep you warm, a sweat band and a nice wrist band! 
Sun lotion – 5,000meters up  is not the best place to get sun burn, so a high factor sun cream / block is required, 30-50. Also bring some lip balm too as your lips will dry and start cracking, Vaseline is a good option too. 
Long sleeve tops – a long sleeve top can be an advantage to help further protect the body from the sun. There are lots of choices on the market, and you’re need a too with a high UV factor. 
Sun glasses – to reduce the glare from the sun at altitude sun glasses are a must. Some wear glacier glasses which are Cat.4 rated and some wear good quality sun glasses like Bloc with a rating of Cat 3. Although Bloc do a range of Cat 4. Rated lenses. Without sunglasses you run the real risk of sun blindness, which is very painful.