Robin Melavalin/None. Backup leader: John Crist
Kilimanjaro Trek: The Crown of Africa
SUMMARY OF TRIP INFORMATION
Kilimanjaro Trek: The Crown of Africa
Leader Robin Melavalin
Co-leader None. Backup leader: John Crist
Kilimanjaro and Arusha, Tanzania
June 20 to July 2, 2013
Total # of days 13
Backpacking
Bicycling-Mountain
Bicycling-Road
Title of trip
Leadership
Location(s)
Dates
Type of trip
check all that apply
Camping
Cultural
Family
Hiking
Paddling-Canoeing
Paddling-Sea-Kayaking
Skiing-CrossCountry (Nordic)
Walks
Number of participants
(excluding leaders)
Advertised cost
Airfare range if not included
When should the trip notice be
published in AMC Outdoors?
Do you wish to have your trip
listed online before it is
published in AMC Outdoors?
Smaller trips and leader
subsidization
Minimum 9
Skiing-Downhill
(Alpine)
Other – please describe
Snorkeling
Maximum 15
$ 3620
Does it include airfare? Yes
No
$ 1500-2800
First Appearance: Month Nov
Year 2012
Last Appearance: Month March
Year 2013
Note: AMC Outdoors is only published in Jan., March, May, July, Sept., Nov.
Yes
No If yes, please list the approximate month and year when it should
be posted on line. Oct 2012
Is this proposal for a small group trip – i.e., less than 14 participants and 2
leaders or 7 participants and 1 leader? Yes
No
If yes, why is a small group proposed?
If a participant fee increase of more than 15% is proposed, please explain
why?
LEADER AND CO-LEADER INFORMATION
Leader name
Leader address
Leader email
Leader phone
Wilderness first aid training
CPR training
Prior leading experience
Trip one
Trip two
Robin Melavalin
11 Cuthbert Road, West Roxbury, MA 02132
Rmelavalin@rcn.com
Home 617 780 5362
Work 617 928 4624
WFA
AWFA
WFR
Expiration: May 2014
CPR
BLS
Expiration: May 2012, will renew
If this is your first Adventure Travel trip as a Leader you must be present at the AMCATC meeting at which the trip proposal is considered.
Please list the last three longer (5+ day) trips you have led for the AMC including
destination, type of trip, dates and number of participants. Feel free to list additional
trips you have led, particularly if they demonstrate experience related to the trip you
are proposing.
Kayak and Whale Watching in Baja Sur, Mexico, Feb 2012, 10 participants
Morocco Trek and Sights, Feb 2010, 10 participants

To lead an Adventure Travel trip you must have current CPR and WFA certifications at the time of your trip (or AWFA
for all backcountry trips). If you do not have the required level of certification at the time you submit your proposal or it
will expire before the date of your trip, you will need to make arrangements to recertify in a timely manner and you
should describe your plans to do so in a note.
Form Revised March 2012
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 1 of 6
Robin Melavalin/None. Backup leader: John Crist
Kilimanjaro Trek: The Crown of Africa
Trip three
Other related trip experience
Hut to Hut in the Bavarian Alps, June 2009, 10 participants
Led or co-led Morocco trek twice (2009 and 2010) and Bavarian Alps twice (2008 and
2009); have mentored two Adventure Travel co-leaders on their first leader
experience.
Co-leader name
Co-leader address
Co-leader email
Co-leader phone
Wilderness first aid training*
CPR training*
Prior leading experience
Backup leader: John Crist
321 Greens Loop, Cheshire, CT 06410
jjc4523@yahoo.com
Home 203 815 6505
Work
WFA
AWFA
WFR
Expiration:
CPR
BLS
Expiration:
If you are a new co-leader you must submit an application to be an Adventure Travel
leader or co-leader prior to submitting this application. Also, it is strongly
recommended that you be present at the AMC-ATC meeting at which the trip proposal
is considered.
Please list the last three longer (5+ day) trips you have led for the AMC including
destination, type of trip, dates and number of participants. Please indicate if you were
the leader or co-leader.
Trip one
Trip two
Trip three
Other related trip experience
Scouting
Have either of you led this trip
before or traveled to this area?
Languages
Does either the co-leader or
leader speak the local language?
Couples
Do the leader and co-leader
have a significant personal
relationship?
Private trips
Do either of you lead trips that
are private - not sponsored by
the AMC?
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below:
Leader is working with Erica Bloom,who has been there many times, re: trip planning,
logistics, participant screening and budgeting.
Co-leader: Yes
No
Leader: Yes
No
Not applicable:
Yes
No
If yes, please list who has agreed to be your back-up in case one or
both of you need to drop out. This is required for approval!
Yes
No
If yes, please note that you cannot advertise AMC and private
trips together unless there is a clear distinction between the two in any materials
you send out.
LOGISTICAL DETAILS OF TRIP
Summary
Please provide a description
of the trip and the activities
planned. If available please
include or attach an itinerary.
Accommodations
Please describe your plans for
accommodation(s)
Meals
Please describe your plans for
providing meals
Local Transportation
Please describe your plans for
local transportation
Permits or permissions
Form Revised March 2012
We will fly into Kilimanjaro Airport and be taken by our guide to Ilboru Safari Lodge
for a 2-night stay. There will be a group walk at the lodge and through the local village.
The group will then embark on an 8 day, 7-night trek to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro
(19,340ft/5,895m). At the conclusion of the trek there will be one night at the Ilboru
Safari Lodge. The next day we will depart for the USA.
The outfitter provides all accommodations. We begin with 2 nights in a lodge. On the
Kilimanjaro trek, we will stay in tent camps along the designated route. One night in a
lodge after the trek.
All meals are provided by the outfitter as part of the trip price.
Outfitter provides aiport shuttle to/from lodge and all ground transportation during the
trip.
Yes
No
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 2 of 6
Robin Melavalin/None. Backup leader: John Crist
Kilimanjaro Trek: The Crown of Africa
Does the trip require special
permits or permissions?
(required on many U.S.
federal lands and national
parks)
If yes, please describe below what you will need to do to obtain them:
This trip requires permits in the Kilimanjaro National Park. The outfitter will obtain
these permits; cost is included in the trip price.
If no, please describe the process you went through to find out that they were not
required:
Special equipment
Does the trip require special
equipment?
Special experience
Does the trip require special
skills on the part of the
participant?
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below what type of equipment and how you
will ensure that people know how to use it:
Pre-trip activities
Do you plan to get your group
together before the trip for an
activity or social event?
Conservation, education and
recreation
How will this AMC-AT trip
meet the mission of the AMC?
www.outdoors.org/about/
mission.cfm
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below what type of experience? Also describe
how you will ensure that the participant has this experience?
Recent, intermediate hiking experience and camping experience. Participants will be
screened via phone to assess their experience, fitness and how they responded to altitude
on previous trips, if any.
Yes
No
If yes, please describe below what you will do:
Leader will organize a day hike or overnight trip so people can meet and prepare, and
also so the leader can assess abilities and check gear.
In addition to the unique flora and fauna, participants will learn about the volcanic
geology and local cultures. Our porters and guides will be indigenous. The group will
also have the chance to learn about the many environmental impacts that local
communities and hikers make on the environment and how tour operators and the local
park administration deal with them. We will practice Leave No Trace principles for
forest and desert environments as the elevation changes.
TOUR OPERATOR AND GUIDE SERVICE INFORMATION
Will this trip require a tour
operator or guide service
during part, or the entire
trip?
Name of tour operator/guide
service
Tour operator website
Safety record
Please provide information
about their safety record.
Insurance
Form Revised March 2012
Yes
No
Please describe their services. If you are using a tour operator for the entire trip,
please describe why you will be using them rather than doing this trip on your own:
Yes, this trip requires an outfitter, and I have selected Serengeti Pride Safaris (SPS). For
safety and logistical reasons, it is imperative to use a reliable outfitter for this trip. Also,
the Tanzania government requires the use of guides and porters. This is a one-leader trip
because SPS provides all services, from when we arrive at the airport in Tanzania to our
departure, and if the AMC leader was incapacitated the outfitter could lead the group.
The SPS guide will be briefed on use of the AMC satellite phone and AMC emergency
contact phone numbers.
Serengeti Pride Safaris
www.serengetipridesafaris.com
Most SPS guides have Wilderness First Responder training through National Outdoors
Leadership School (NOLS) and have been participating on different seasonal
mountaineering trainings conducted by the Kilimanjaro national park management. A
key focus of this training is to enable SPS Leaders/ guides to identify AMS signs and
symptoms early enough to minimize risks and to undergo a appropriate evacuation plans
when needed. Lema Peter, a proprietor of SPS, was the guide who led the first AMC
president's society trip with Andy Fallender to Kilimanjaro. He also helped coordinate
the evacuation for the AMC tragedy on Kilimanjaro a few years ago. SPS was the
approved guide for the 2010 Erik Madsen Kili trip and the 2011 John Crist trip (was
cancelled). Most of the SPS guides, chefs, and porters are people Erika and Lema know
in person. Lema has been working with many of them for over 11 years. This crew is an
emergency support team that SPS trusts. SPS's safety equipment, risk management plan,
and very well experienced climbing team show that client safety is a priority.
Liability? Yes
No
Maximum amt: $ TBD
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 3 of 6
Kilimanjaro Trek: The Crown of Africa
Do they have liability
insurance?
Emergency response
Please describe the outfitters’
response plan in the case of an
emergency.
Robin Melavalin/None. Backup leader: John Crist
Are they willing to list AMC as an
Yes
No
additional insured?
Serengeti Pride Safaris Emergency Action Plan/accident scene management:
Prevention: The two biggest concerns in this category are illness (altitude or other) and
accidents (natural or vehicular). We try to prevent problems as much as possible. We
encourage our clients to choose our longer Kilimanjaro climb routes, thereby minimizing
risk of serious altitude illness by ascending gradually. This proposal is based on a route
used by previous AMC groups, the Lemosho (Shira) Western Breach route. This is an 8day/7-night route that is wonderful for acclimatizing. Our chefs are trained in mountain
cuisine and hygiene to minimize stomach bugs. We filter or boil drinking water, and
also have clients use their own disinfecting drops or tablets in their water bottles. We
also work closely with clients to identify and treat early on the first signs of any
problems, whether stomach bugs or altitude issues, so we try to resolve them and prevent
them from becoming a major issue. We offer helmets to wear during the day climbing
the Western Breach itself. We change routes if there is a specific safety concern about
any route at any time.
Our head guides all have many years of experience (100 times or so at the summit, or
more), WFR training and are trained to identify, respond to, and treat accidents or illness,
and to make early decisions to evacuate a client to definitive medical care if needed. We
carry Gamow (hyperbaric) chambers and oxygen in case of altitude illness requiring
treatment while preparing to evacuate off the mountain. We will provide membership in
either Flying Doctors or Knight support, local African organizations that provide air
ambulance services. There are hospitals available in Tanzania, although serious
problems may need evacuation to Nairobi, Kenya. The Kilimanjaro National Park
rangers help coordinate rescues/evacuations, but we have all resources available to do
this ourselves, and aim to have an evacuation finished before the rangers arrive. This
includes having staff in town that we can mobilize to start up the mountain to the
trailhead or even up the trails at the drop of a hat, if there is a problem on the mountain.
Helicopters can only get to certain areas of the mountain and in certain weather
conditions, so often evacuation has to be by trail and then by vehicle. We will have
radios and cell phones for emergency communication (cell phones are increasingly the
most effective method of communication from Kilimanjaro!). We can bring a satellite
phone on trail if the AMC group doesn't bring one.
RISK ASSESSMENT
Please assess the risks and hazards of your trip. Carefully consider each area of risk and how it may affect your trip.
Devise a plan to prevent each hazard and to respond to it if it becomes necessary. Please be very specific for each section
if applicable.
Trail conditions, river crossings, weather, wildlife (bears, snakes, etc.)
Climate/terrain
Potential hazards
Kilimanjaro presents issues for terrain, altitude and weather.
Response
SPS guides have years of wilderness experience, including extensive training in
emergency measures and high altitude medicine. The itinerary and pace strictly adhere to
the latest guidelines on maximum daily altitude gain. The staff does have medical
training and in extreme cases, helicopters can be used to fly people to the nearest
hospital. All participants will be urged to purchase additional evacuation insurance for
the trip.
Political concerns, crime, language translation, terrorism
Foreign Country
Potential hazards
Tanzania is a relatively stable country.
Response
The State Department travel advisories will be monitored closely. Also, SPS will
monitor any unrest and safety considerations. Travel insurance will be highly
encouraged for all participants. As for theft, petty crime does occur. Participants will be
advised not to bring valuables and to carry important documents, expensive camera
Form Revised March 2012
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 4 of 6
Robin Melavalin/None. Backup leader: John Crist
Kilimanjaro Trek: The Crown of Africa
Transportation
Potential hazards
Response
Participants
Potential hazards
Response
Other
Potential hazards
Response
equipment and money on them at all times. Tanzania's official languages are English
and Swahili.
Road conditions, drivers, insurance
Transportation to and from the airport and at start/end of the hike.
SPS will be providing all transportation and drivers. Participants and leaders will not
have to do any driving during the trip.
Level of fitness, screening concerns, experience with equipment or activity
Participants may get altitude sickness and may not be prepared physically for the
extreme altitudes.
Participants must be in excellent physical shape with recent intermediate hiking and
camping experience. Previous hiking experience at altitude is preferred. Porters carry all
our gear except daypacks.
Conditions unique to this type of trip
Tanzania is a developing country with many health concerns, such as unsafe drinking
water and diseases such as malaria.
Participants will be advised about required and recommended vaccinations and safe
drinking water practices. SPS will prepare its food to the highest standards and use the
cleanest hygiene practices possible. Participants will be encouraged to get all
medications and immunizations that are recommended by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN
Please describe your plans for dealing with emergencies. Give as much detail as possible and list any special
communications equipment you may need to ensure the safety of your participants. DO NOT LEAVE THIS BLANK
SPS has radios as well as cell phones for contact with the main office and emergency
Emergency communication
Phone contacts, language,
communication. SPS staff speaks English well. The leader will request use of the AMC
documentation, distance from
satellite phone. Evacuation can be quite a distance and may require helicopter or plane.
emergency services
SPS guides carry radio and cell phones. Robin will carry AMC satellite phone if it is
Emergency equipment
What sort of emergency first
available.
aid or communication
equipment (satellite phone,
two-way radios) do you plan
to use, if any?
SPS, in conjunction with Tanzania park service, would coordinate any evacuation. SPS
Evacuation
Please describe your plan for
includes a local evacuation company's services with all their treks. Evacuation could be
evacuation from the
to Arusha, or to Nairobi, Kenya if more extensive medical care is needed.
backcountry location if
applicable?
Arusha has clinics and hospitals. Serious or surgical cases might be evacuated to
Medical care
Please describe the medical
Nairobi, Kenya. SPS and their evacuation company would coordinate decisions as to
care available in the area(s)
where to take people, in conjunction with our AMC med evac. insurance provider once
where you will be traveling
in an area where such decisions can be made.
and list names and telephone
numbers for these facilities.
COST AND BUDGET DETAILS
Foreign currencies
For int’l trips list each foreign currency, the
current $US dollar exchange rate and what
contingencies you have if that rate changes. If
a tour operator or agent is being used, what
currency is the agent to be paid in?
Form Revised March 2012
1 USD = 1,547.61 TZS (Tanzania Shilling) on September 29, 2012
The Tour operator will be paid in USD. The trip is all-inclusive. There
are no other fees or costs in the TZS. A portion of the trip contingency
money will be carried in TZS for emergencies. Participants will be
responsible for own currency conversion for purchases and tipping.
Currency fluctuations will not affect the trip cost. The outfitter has not
changed prices in the past due to currency fluctuations.
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 5 of 6
Kilimanjaro Trek: The Crown of Africa
Deposits
What deposits will be required
by airlines, hotels, tour
operators, etc., and when?
Refunds
What is the latest date you can
cancel and still receive a full
refund of any deposits?
Participant deposit
What are the initial deposit and
your schedule of payments by
participants to you?
Cancellation policy
What will your cancellation
policy be for the participants?
Minimum numbers
Will you still run the trip if you
do not get the minimum number?
Reference web links:
AMC-ATC Home Page:
Forms:
Deadlines:
E-Mail Addresses:
Club House:
AMC-ATC Chair:
Form Revised March 2012
Robin Melavalin/None. Backup leader: John Crist
Outfitter requires $500 per person non-refundable booking deposit once we reach the
minimum number of participants. The balance is due 30 days prior to the trip
January 15, 2013 or when the minimum number of participants has been accepted,
whichever comes first, so we can pay the outfitter their required non-refundable
deposit.
$1000 with application. The balance is due in 2 additional payments: 1/2 January 21
and 1/2 February 21, 2013 (150 and 120 days before departure).
Once the $500 non-refundable deposit per person has been made to the outfitter, we
cannot return it to participants. A cancellation schedule will be provided to
participants before they make any payments.
Yes
No
If yes, please describe conditions:
Decision to run the trip with fewer than 10 participants will depend on whether the
outfitter can reduce costs and also the leader's ability at the time to pay the leader trip
costs in addition to flights.
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/application/
http://snebulos.mit.edu/orgs/amc/committee/proposals/
cyout@outdoors.org
amcatchair@comcast.net
Adventure Travel Trip Proposal Form, page 6 of 6