Mount Kilimanjaro stands on featureless part of the East African plateau, on the Tanzanian side of the Kenya border near Moshi, side by side with the smaller Mount Meru. These mountains are extinct volcanoes, with Kilimanjaro actually being the agglomeration of three distinct volcanoes, Kibo (5896m/ 19,340 ft), Mwenzi (5,149 / 16,896 ft) and Shira (3,962m / 13,000 ft). whose violent creation is geologically associated with the creation of the Great Rift Valley, 100km to the West.
The East African mountains have created a micro-climate around themselves and the rain-shadow created to their Southand East supplies the beautiful and superbly fertile land in which the towns of Moshi and Arusha are situated, full of banana groves and coffee plantations. Kilimanjaro National Park comprises all of the mountain above the tree line and six forest corridors that stretch through the forest belt.
Origin of the name 'Kilimanjaro', hence Mount Kilimanjaro There are many explanations for how the Mount Kilimanjaro got its name and no one can agree what is the truth. "Mountain of Greatness", Mountain of Whiteness", "Mountain of Caravans", are all names derived from the Swahili and Chagga dialects.
From what we little know on the subject, it is thought it might have something to do with the Swahili word 'kilima', which means 'top of the hill'. There is also a claim that the word "kilemakyaro" exists in the Chagga language, meaning "impossible journey". But the truth is that no one really knows and is a good discussion point of where the name Mount Kilimanjaro came from..
Mount Kilimanjaro History In the second century AD, Ptolemy, the Greek astronomer and cartographer, wrote of mysterious lands to the south of modern day Somalia that contained "man-eating barbarians" and a "great snow mountain". This knowledge he must have gained from the Phoenicians, who had circumnavigated Africa by this date. Ptolemy's account stands as the first documented reports of Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro.
The next thousand years, however, brings no mention of this great African mountain - Kilimanjaro. As the coast of East Africa rose in prominence as a trading route after the establishment of Arab rule in the sixth century, the main hub of activity centered around the island of Zanzibar and the immediate mainland known at the time as Zinj. The Arabs had at their disposal, an almost unlimited supply of ivory, gold rhinoceros horn and a far more lucrative and mobile commodity, slaves. The great slave caravans that ventured far into the interior would have passed close by to the mountain to collect water from the permanent streams but it was the Chinese traders of the twelfth century that were next to record observations of a great mountain west of Zanzibar.
Kilimanjaro was to remain a mountain of myth and superstition throughout the centuries - one of the great secrets of interior of 'the dark continent'. It was the desire to find the source of the Nile that drove British explorers and geographers to first head inland towards the mysterious mountain around 1840 onwards. Up until then Kilimanjaro had been tall tale told by the Arab traders of Zanzibar. No one really believed that there was a snow-capped mountain on the equator.
On 16th October 1847, Rebmann a missionary, with the help of eight tribesmen and Bwana Kheri, a caravan leader, set off for the mountain of Kasigau, where they hoped to establish the first of mission posts. The journey went well and they returned to Mombasa on the 27th of the same month. Along the way they had heard the stories of the great mountain "Kilimansharo", whose head was above the clouds and "topped with silver", around whose feet lived the mountain's people, the fearsome Jagga (now Chagga). Krapf immediately sought permission from the governor of Mombasa for an expedition to Jagga. His official reason was to find areas suitable for mission stations, but the legendary mountain was becoming of increasing interest to the two missionaries. Disregarding warnings about the 'spirits of the mountain', on the 27th April 1848, Rebmann and Bwana Kheri set off for Jagga and within just two weeks was standing on the great steppe of East Africa within sight of Kilimanjaro ... the first European to set eyes on the mountain. There really were snowfields on the African equator. In April 1849, Rebmann's observations were published in the Church Missionary Intelligenciers and although not properly substantiated until twelve years later, it remains the first confirmed report of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The first of Mount Kilimanjaro ascent in 1889 In 1887, Professor Hans Meyer, a German geographer, made his first attempt upon the summit of Kibo. Accompanied by Baron Von Eberstein, Meyer was eventually defeated by a combination of thick snow, 30m ice walls and his partner's altitude sickness.
After an aborted expedition in 1888, Meyer returned the following year accompanied by the famous Alpinist, Ludwig Purtscheller and a well organised support group determined to scale the peak. The climbers came prepared with state of the art equipment and established a base camp on the moorland from where porters ferried fresh supplies of food from Marangu. Daunted by the precipitous ice cliffs of the northern crater rim and the extensive ice flows to the south, the two climbers agreed that the best chance of success lay by tackling the less severe incline of the south eastern slope of the Kilimanjaro mountain. From their advance camp at 4300m the two climbers set off at 01.00hrs and reached the lower slopes of the glacier at about 10.00hrs.
Although the glacier was not as steep or high as the walls encountered on Meyer's previous attempt, its incline never went below 35 degrees and ice steps had to be cut. Progress was slow but after 2 hours the men reached the upper limits of the glacier where the incline decreased. A further 2 hours of painful trekking through waist high snow and over deep weathered ice grooves found the climbers at the rim of the crater with the summit in sight. However time and strength were running out and the summit was still another 150m above them, so they returned to advance camp to try again after three days. This time the route was clearly marked and the previously cut ice steps had held their shape. The rim of the Mount Kilimanjaro was reached in 6 hours and at exactly 10.30hrs Meyer became the first recorded person to set foot on the highest point in Africa.
Although Meyer and Purtscheller laid the trail for further ascents on Kilimanjaro, there was not an instant queue of would-be climbers. It wasn't until 1912, over 20 years later, when a path from Marangu was established and the first huts at Mandera and Horombo were built by Dr. E Forster for the newly formed German Kilimanjaro Mountain Club, that activity began in earnest.
Mount Kilimanjaro was born of the catastrophic movements in the Earth's crust that created the Great Rift Valley that runs from the Red Sea through Tanzania to Southern Africa. Around 25 million years ago East Africa was a huge flat plain that buckled and ruptured after the African and Eurasian Continental Plates rebounded off each other causing huge rifting and weak spots in the thinning crust that led to the formation of many volcanoes in the region. Where the original valley was deepest, the volcanic activity was greatest eventually forming the huge volcanoes of Ngorongoro Crater on the Rift itself and a string of volcanoes to the East including Meru, Kenya and Kilimanjaro. Ecology Mount Kilimanjaro has five major zones and the activity within each of these is controlled by the five factors of altitude, rainfall, temperature, flora and fauna. Each zone occupies an area approximately 1000m in altitude and is subject to a corresponding decrease in rainfall, temperature and life from the forest upwards.
Mount Kilimanjaro is a perfectly shaped volcano still active rising sheer from the plains. At 5895m it is the highest in Africa and is snow capped. Mount Kilimanjaro can be climbed any time of the year but there is usually a lot more rain during April, May and November. At the lower levels, you will pass through cultivated farmlands rising through tropical rain forest onto alpine meadows and finally the barren landscape leading to the snow and ice capped summit. The lower levels also offer the chance to view a wide variety of animals, birds and fauna in their natural habitat.
There are five major Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing routes through the forest and moor land areas before joining the south circuit path between 3500m and 4500m they are Kilimanjaro Machame route, Mount Kilimanjaro Marangu route, Kilimanjaro Climbing Lemosho Route, Kilimanjaro Rongai Route and Climbing Kilimanjaro Umbwe route.
From Mount Kilimanjaro south circuit path various walking (trekking), scrambling, and technical climbing trails take you the last1200m or so to the summit. Most people however take the final leg of the Kilimanjaro Marangu route unless you are a technical climber in which case the summit may be reached via Rebman glacier, decken glacier or heim glacier amongst others. The final trekking Kilimanjaro ascent to the summit starts normally at about 2.00 am from Kibo hut so that it is reached before dawn to watch the sunrise and gaze out over the vast expanses of African bush land from the roof of Africa - Mount Kilimanjaro.
Mount Kilimanjaro National Park is the area above 2,700 meters on the mountain. Kilimanjaro National Park includes the moorland and highland zones, Shira Plateau, Kibo and Mawenzi peaks. In addition, the Kilimanjaro Park has six corridors or rights of way through the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve. The Forest Reserve, which is also a Game Reserve, was established in 1921 the Park was established in 1973 and officially opened in 1977.
Mount Kilimanjaro facts and figures *The highest peak in Africa *The highest freestanding peak in the world *The highest 'walkable' mountain in the world
Kilimanjaro Protection *1921 : forest reserve established *1973 : park established *Park HQ Opened : 1977 (by President Nyerere) *Unesco World Heritage : 1989
Mount Kilimanjaro location *Northern Tanzania : East Africa *2 50' / 3 20'S : 37 00 / 37 35'E
Kilimanjaro areas *Park : 756 sq km / 75,353ha *Forest reserve : 929 sq km / 92,906ha
Mount Kilimanjaro altitudes *Marangu Gate : 1,830m
Kilimanjaro Summit : 5,895m -25C to 10C
Kilimanjaro rainfall at altitudes *Forest Belt : 1800m : 2300mm *Mandara Hut : 2740m : 1300mm *Horobo Hut : 3718m: 525mm *Kibo Hut : 4630m : 200mm
Kilimanjaro temperatures *Generally falls 1C with every 200m increase in altitude *Marangu Gate : 10C to 30C
Affectionately known as the "Coca-Cola route", Marangu is by far the most popular route to the summit of Kilimanjaro. This could partly be as a result of the fact that the Marangu is the least expensive route, but more so, perhaps the fact that it is possible to do the Marangu route in 5 days, thereby getting to the summit one day earlier than on the Machame route. This is not always the best way due to a shorter acclimatisation period. The Marangu route does however offer you the option of spending an extra acclimatisation day on the mountain. This extends the route to a 6-day march, greatly increasing your chances of success. Hut accommodation on the Marangu route forms one of the main differences, compared to the other routes. It offers you the relative luxury of being able to sleep in huts along the entire route. Mineral water, soft drinks, chocolates and beers are also sold at all the camps on this route. All your equipment and supplies are portered and a cook prepares all your meals.
For the 5-day route, simply exclude the additional acclimatisation day at Horombo hut - day 3 on the itinerary below.
The drive from Moshi to the Kilimanjaro National Park gate, takes about 50 minutes. The journey passes through the village of Marangu, which is located on the lower slopes of the mountain. Once you reach the park gate, all hikers are requested to sign in at the Park office and make their final preparations for the climb. Porters will be seen arranging and loading their packs, containing the food, water, cooking gas as well as most of your equipment. Make sure that you have all your daypack items (containing at least drinking water, your lunch pack and extra clothing) with you as the porters ascend a lot quicker than the hikers. Our guides will be available to assist with any additional information or needs you might have. You now leave the Park gate and ascend on a cleared ridge trail through the rain forest. The forest, suffused with mist and dripping with beards of moss, is also where most of Kilimanjaro's animals are found. (An alternative and more scenic parallel forest trail, branches off to the left a few minutes after the gate. This trail follows the edge of a stream through the undergrowth and offers you the option to rejoin the main trail either, after 1½ hours hiking, or 1 hour before Mandara hut.)
Your first night stop, Mandara hut, is a group of wooden A-framed huts in a forest clearing. Each hut features 6-8 sleeping bunks with solar generated lighting. The total capacity of the camp is 60 climbers. Water is piped into the camp from springs above and there are flush toilets behind the main hut.
From Mandara hut the trail passes through a short stretch of forest, then skirts the base of the Maundi Crater and then emerges into the transition from rain forest to moorland. It is well worth a short detour to scramble up the rim of the Maundi Crater for your first really impressive view of the Kibo Crater. On a clear day, Kibo will glimmer in the distance, showing off her majestic glaciers in the morning sun. Once you are in the open moorland you will get the chance to see some of Kilimanjaro's most spectacular plants - the endemic giant lobelia which grows up to 3 m in height and the giant groundsel (Senecia Kilimanjari), which can reach heights of 5m! After about 6 hours from here you reach the Horombo hut, where you will have hot washing water, rest an evening meal and overnight.
Day 3: Horombo hut (3720m) - Acclimatisation day
Horombo hut is a village of huts perched on a small plateau, with buildings similar to Mandara, but with a total capacity of 120 climbers! Normally bustling with hikers, guides, porters and with an atmosphere of adventure and excitement. You will meet both ascending and descending hikers here. This extra day and night at Horombo is for additional acclimatisation. A hike towards the Mawenzi hut, passing the Zebra Rocks on the way (about 3 hours up and 1.5 hours down), is strongly recommended. This hike will further assist with the process of acclimatisation. Remember to drink enough water and move slowly! All meals for the day are provided at the hut. Retire to bed early and get a last good night's rest.
After breakfast you now continue your ascent into the Alpine desert habitat. From Horombo there are two trails to the "Saddle" (which refers to the area located between the peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo). There is an upper route (right hand fork) and lower route (left hand fork) to choose from. The upper route (right hand fork) will be very familiar, as you will have climbed most of it the previous day towards Mawenzi hut. It is very stony and eroded.
The recommended lower route (left hand fork) is much easier and nearly an hour and it also passes the last watering point at 4130m. You will have to fill your water bottles with all the water you will need until your return to Horombo hut in two night's time (unless you are willing to buy Mineral water at Kibo hut). Once again remember to slow down and drink enough water!! Situated in the barren Alpine desert is Horombo hut, a stone build block house which has bunk beds for 60 climbers, but no streams with water nearby. It is however possible to buy mineral water and soft drinks at the camp office.
There are platform toilets behind the hut. The summit is now a further 1195m up and you will make your final ascent the same night. Prepare your equipment, ski-stick and thermal clothing for your summit bid. This should include the replacement of your headlamp and camera batteries and make sure you have a spare set available as well. To prevent freezing it will be wise to carry your water in a thermal flask. Go to bed at round about 19h00 and try to get as much rest and sleep as possible.
Day 5: SUMMIT ATTEMPT, Kibo hut (4700m) - Uhuru Peak (5895m) - Horombo hut (3720m)
Hiking time: 8 hours to Uhuru - 6 hours to descend to Horombo | Distance: 6 km's ascent - 21 km's descent | Habitat: Stone scree and ice-capped summit
You will rise around 23h30, and after some tea and biscuits you shuffle off into the night, and this is where the going really gets tough. The first section of the trail consists of a rocky path to the Hans Meyer Cave (5150m), also a good resting spot. The path then zigzags up to Gillman's point (5 681m), which is located on the crater rim. This section is very steep with a lot of stone scree, requiring a great physical and mental effort. Probably the most demanding section of the entire route. Do the Kili shuffle and move slowly.
From Gillman’s Point you will normally encounter snow all the way up to Uhuru peak (5895m), the highest point in Africa. Total exhilaration and satisfaction - you made it. Weather conditions on the summit will determine how long you will be able to spend, taking photographs, before the 3 hour descent back to Kibo hut. After a short rest you gather all your gear you left behind for the ascent and head down to Horombo hut (3 hours) for your overnight. The return to Horombo hut will seem surprisingly fast compared to the ascent. The total time spent walking on this day is around 14 hours, so be prepared for a very tough day.
Later in the evening you enjoy your last dinner (with soft drinks and beer for sale at the camp office) on the mountain and a well-earned sleep, filled with memories and stirring emotions.
Day 6: Horombo hut (3720m) - Marangu Gate (1980m)
Hiking time: 6 hours | Distance: About 27 km's
After breakfast you continue your descent (6 hours), passing the Mandara hut, down to the Marangu gate. At Marangu gate you sign your name and details in a register. This is also where successful climbers receive their summit certificates. Those climbers who reached Gillman's Point (5685m) are issued with green certificates and those who reached Uhuru Peak (5895m), receive gold certificates. You now drive back to Arusha for a long over due hot shower, dinner and celebrations!! Overnight at Jacaranda Hotel.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
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