Kilimanjaro National Park.

Kilimanjaro National Park is located near Moshi inTanzania. It is centered on Mount Kilimanjaro and covers an area of 753 km². Mount Kilimanjaro is the highlight of this National Park and is indeed the main attraction. Mount Kilimanjaro is mystic. The folklore of Kilimanjaro tells of some man-eating spirits that dwelled in this snow capped mountain. The spirits seem to no longer frequent the Mountain because hardly anyone among the groups of ecstatic visitors that hike the mountain has ever been eaten by whatever sort of spirits.

Your mountaineering or trekking cv is not complete if you havent hiked this majestic beauty that is the world’s highest free standing snow-covered equitorial mountain and the highest mountain in Africa. What makes this beauty memorable is the fact that it rises in awe-inspiring isolation from the surrounding Indian Ocean coastal scrubland (whose altitude is almost 900 metres) to an authoritative 5,895 metres (19,336 feet). Yet it is one of the world’s most accessible high summits.

The ascent of the slopes is a scenic climatic vista, starting with the tropics and ending with the Arctic. Kilimanjaro soars above the Great Rift Valley and a climb up Mt Kili is not just an adrenaline packed activity but is particularly special. The Mt.Kilimanjaro panaroma comprises of the moorland and highland zones, Shira Plateau, Kibo and Mawenzi peak. There are six basic trekking routes to the summit and other more-demanding mountaineering routes. Day or overnight hikes are also offered to the Shira plateau, there are nature trails on the lower reaches and Trout fishing is allowed too. The clearest and warmest conditions are from December to February, while dry (and colder) conditions are from July-September.  

On the way up, the slopes lead to lush montane tropical forests (1850m – 2800m) populated by Buffalo, the endangered Abbot’s Duiker, Elephants, Leopard, Antelopes and Monkeys. There is cloud condensation just about this region. As a result it is mainly damp or drenched with rainfall. This atmosphere generates a fascinating collection of plant and tree life and clear rivers. There is heather and shrubs like Proteas due to the mist and dampness in the heath region just past the trees.

From around 3,200m, hiking gradient remains gentle, but the oxygen is thinner. Of course this slackens the pace because the muscles get less oxygen. The vegetation gently develops into prehistoric looking moorland vegetation, where a blanket of enormous heather covers the vegetation with thin plant stems interrupting the heather cover. The clear sky results in spells of intense sunshine unlike the montane tropical forests where the clouds obstruct sunshine. The nights in this region are cool and clear.

Above 4,000m, a dreamlike alpine desert with dramatic temperature fluctuations barely sustains a handful of hardy mosses and lichen. Then, finally, a winter wonderland of ice and snow with eternal ice and below freezing temperatures completes this dreamy voyage.

Further than 5000m, after Kibo Hut and past the Saddle, the setting is largely rock and ice fields as climbers push towards the summit. Even higher, beyond 4,000m, this sensation intensifies as the landscape develops into a more bizarre alpine desert, with sandy loose earth and intense weather conditions and temperature fluctuations so dramatic that barely any plant species survive other than everlasting flowers, mosses and lichens. Only the odd lichen survives beyond 5000m, after Kibo Huts and beyond the Saddle, where the landscape is predominantly rock and ice fields. Here, climbers experience the final steep push to the summit. Kibos crater at the summit is more or less round with an inner cone extending to 5,800m, (100m lower than the summit at Uhuru Peak). At the very centre is a cone that spews sulphurous-like hot smoke from its depths in spite of the frozen, snowy outskirts.

Those who get to Uhuru Point, the actual summit, or Gillman’s Point on the rim of the crater will have earned their climbing certificates and memories too. Be sure to visit the scenic Chala Crater Lake on the mountain’s southeastern slopes.

When you get to the top nothing beats the feeling of seeing clouds beneath you considering we always see them above us.

Climbs up Kilimanjaro can be organised from a variety of routes and with various options for accommodation. The two most popular being the Gentle Marangu Climb for reasonably fit people and the Picturesque Machambe climb for experienced mountaineers. 

A lot of tour operators ask that clients confer with a doctor before attempting to a climb. When ascending, climb slowly so as to acclimatise and avoid altitude sickness. Remember to Plan well.