The highest mountain in Africa

At a glance

Area: 755 sq kms

Location: The park is 45km from Moshi and 60 km from Arusha.

Altitude: 1,830-5,896 m.

Vegetation: Kilimanjaro exhibits textbook vegetational zonation: lowland forest, heather moorland, montane desert and arctic summit.

Fauna: Blue monkey, black and white colobus, leopard, elephant, bushbuck, eland, buffalo and the rare Abbot’s duiker. 

Birds: Unusual birds include the infrequent lammergeyer, Hunter’s cisticola and the scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird, 

Activities: about 70,000 people climb the mountain every year. 

Overview

The majestic snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro  (5,896 metres above sea level) is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing peak in the world. Topped with one fifth of the ice in Africa, the ‘Shining Mountain’ is the Mecca of every amateur climber in the world and is easily conquered by nearly 70,000 people every year (58 people per day on the popular Marangu Route, also known as the ‘Coca Cola Route’). Set in its own 755 square-kilometre park, Kilimanjaro offers lowland forest, heather moorlands, montane desert and an arctic summit. Since its official opening in 1977, Kilimanjaro National Park has become one of Tanzania’s most visited parks.

Mount Kilimanjaro Facts

Fastest ascent: Bruno Brunod, 5 hours 38 minutes 40 seconds

Fastest ascent and descent: Simon Mtuy, 8 hours 27 minutes

Youngest person to summit: Keats Boyd, 7-years old

Oldest person to summit: Karl Haupt, 79 or Valtee Daniel, 87

First ascent: Kinyala Johannes Lauwo (1871-1996). Lauwo, a Marangu army scout, then served as guide to Hans Meyer, who named Johannes Notch after him. 

First paraplegic to summit assisted: Chris Waddell. 

The climate of Mount Kilimanjaro

The mountain’s climate is exceptionally hostile: for every 200m increase in altitude, the temperature on the mountain drops by 1 degree C, and near the top the temperature can be subzero at night. The effects of the sun, however, are harsh and the temperature can reach 40 degrees C or more during the day. Rainfall is at its maximum in the forest. Above 3000m the rainfall decreases and there is litte water. At the summit, oxygen is half that of sea level. 

The habitat

Effectively an ecological island, Kilimanjaro creates its own unique habitat, wherein many of the plants and animals are endemic. The lower reaches of the mountain are savanna, with montane forest above 1800m; the higher reaches change from forest to heath and moorland, then to highland desert, before finally becoming glaciers, ice and snow. The national park protects the area above 2700m, starting almost at the point where the forest ends. 

What to see

There are several routes up and around Kilimanjaro, and the same types of plant bird and animal will be seen at the same altitudes on each. The best route for wildlife is the Forest Trail, which commences near Marangu Gate. Three of the mountain’s larger primates – olive baboons and the arboreal back-and-white colobus and blue monkeys are, for instance, easily spotted in this area. The forest is home to many antelopes, though they are unlikely to be seen in the dense vegetation. One of the last large mammal species to be discovered in Africa (in 1920), the giant forest hog also lives in these montane forests, but is rarely seen. 

Above 3000m the forest is replaced by heathers and proteas; and displays a transition into heath and moorland, which contain giant lobelias and senecios (groundsels). Large mammals are few up here but small rodents prosper. Above 4000m the intense solar radiation, cold and lack of water make conditions tough for plants and animal alike with visible life largely reduced to lichens, mosses and everlastings. 

Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano

Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the largest stratovolcanoes in the world. Currently it is considered to be dormant (there have been no eruptions in living memory). Recent studies suggest the last eruptions on the mountain were between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago. Kilimanjaro is technically known as a composite volcano, made up of numerous layers of lava and tephra, piled up around the vents in the shape of a cone. Although it stands alone, the mountain is actually part of an east-west belt of volcanoes that stretch across Northern Tanzania. It has three main vents as well as several smaller parasitic cones. To the west side of the mountain is the peak Shira (3,962 m), of which only the southern and western rims remain. To the east is the peak of Mawenzi (5,149m), which is rugged and erosion-shattered. The highest point is Kibo (5, 891) on the southern rim of the outer crater, whilst between Kibo and Mawenzi is an area of tundra known as ‘The Saddle’. 

History

Contrary to popular belief, the mountain was never given as a gift by Queen Victoria to Kaiser Wilhelm II. Actually it became part of German East Africa in the 1880s and remained so until 1918 when, after World War I, the German colonies were handed over to the British Empire.  It is unknown where the name Kilimanjaro comes from, but a number of theories exist. By 1860, it had begun to be known as Kilimanjaro by European explorers, who reported that the name derived from the Swahili Kilima (hill or mountain) and Njaro (white). In the local language, Kichagga, the mountain was known as Kilmanare or Kileajao, which means ‘that which defeats the bird, leopard or caravan’: this name was used until the mid 1800s. When British-administered Tanganyika gained its independence in 1961, the peak was named ‘Uhuru Peak’, meaning ‘Freedom Peak’ in Swahili.

Climbing the mountain

The mountain can be climbed by many routes, but the most popular are Marangu, Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe and Machame. Of these, the slightly steeper Machame is considered to be the most scenic, and is usually done in 6-7 days. The Rongai route is considered to be the easiest route. Though the climb is technically very easy, the altitude and low temperature make this a difficult and dangerous trek. Acclimatization is essential, and significant numbers of climbers suffer from some degree of altitude sickness. About 10 climbers die from this each year, together with an unknown number of local porters. 

The vegetation of Mount Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro has a large variety of forest types over an altitudinal range of 3,000 m containing over 1,200 vascular plant species. Montane Ocotea forests occur on the wet southern slope. Cassipourea and Juniperus forests grow on the dry northern slope. Subalpine Erica forests at 4,100 m (13,451 ft) represent the highest elevation cloud forests in Africa. Unlike other Afro-alpine peaks, Kilimanjaro has no bamboo forests.

The glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro

Since 1912 when they were firs measured, Kilimanjaro’s glaciers have lost over 80% of their ice, which means that they will have disappeared completely by 2020 at the present rate. Amongst the factors to blame for this are the loss of forest cover on the mountain’s lower slopes (few trees means there is less moisture in the air, which means less precipitation, more solar rays to melt the ice and fester evaporation).