Kilimanjaro National Park
Kilimanjaro National Park

Best known for : Mt Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa. It means mountain of Light or Mountain of Greatness. It is also one of the largest single freestanding mountains in the world and is unique in being so close to the equator and yet having yearlong ice glaciers, and boasts the largest alpine desert of all the glaciated mountains in East Africa. There is so much more to Kili than just her summit. A journey up her slopes takes you on a climatic world tour from the tropics to the Arctic. The grassy slopes turn to lush rainforest, inhabited by elephant, leopard, buffalo and antelope. Above the tree line is heath and moorland, dominated by giant heathers, and then surreal alpine desert and finally the regal beauty befitting the top of the continent, smattered by ice and snow.

Location : Found in the north east of Tanzania near the border with Kenya, Mt Kilimanjaro is 330 kilometres south of the equator. The nearest largest town is Moshi. The National Park takes in the area above 2,700 metres on the mountain. The National Park also includes 6 corridors or climbing routes through the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve, namely Marangu, Mweka, Umbwe, Machame, Shira and Rongai – see Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro for more details.

Size : Mt Kilimanjaro National Park covers an area of 756 square kilometres.

Wildlife : The mountain forest area is home to animals including elephant, buffalo, leopard, eland, Blue monkey, and Black and White Colobus monkeys. Above the “tree line” the most frequently encountered animals are the Grey duiker and eland, and bushbuck and Red duiker have also been found in places. The buffalo also venture into the moorlands and grasslands at times.

Environment and Vegetation : At an altitude of 5,895 m above sea level Kilimanjaro is composed of one extinct volcano – Shira (3,962 m); and two dormant volcanoes – Mawenzi (5,149 m) and Kibo (5,894 m). The base of the mountain measures 50 x 80 kilometres. Having a snow-capped summit and being located so close to the equator make Mt Kilimanjaro a unique spectacle..

Kilimanjaro National Park
Kilimanjaro National Park
Kilimanjaro National Park
Kilimanjaro National Park

One can broadly describing the vegetation types from lowest to highest points as follows: montane forest, moorland, upper moor, alpine bogs, and alpine desert towards the peaks.

Climate and when to go : Mt Kilimanjaro allows you to experience a variation of Equatorial to Arctic climatic conditions when climbing it. Prevailing trade winds influence the mountains’ climate bringing the heaviest rainfall to the southeast forested slopes from March to May, and the shorter rains from November to December. The driest months are from August to October.

Because the winds are predominantly from the southeast, the northern slopes receive far less rainfall. Both the rainfall and the temperature decrease with altitude up to the summit where there is permanent ice and below freezing temperatures. See Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro for more details.

The clearest and warmest conditions are from December – February, but also dry (and colder) from July – September.

Activities : Hiking and climbing the Mountain, which can be accomplished by any normal, fit person. It takes 5-6 days to complete ascent and descent, and is usually accomplished with the help of guides and porters. For more information on the climb, see Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro.

How to get there : By air: Airlines and charter flights fly directly into Kilimanjaro International Airport.

By road: The Mt Kilimanjaro National Park headquarters are situated at Marangu and is accessible by a tar road: 48 kilometres from Moshi, 128 kilometres from Arusha and 90 kilometres from Kilimanjaro International Airport.
 
Accomodation in/around Kilimanjaro National Park
 
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