Kilimanjaro National Park
This park is one of the most beautiful natural parks in all of
East Africa.
Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in the whole
continent, it is 5,895 meters high and is not part of any
mountain range.
The Kilimanjaro is composed by three craters: the oldest, Shira,
to the west with an altitude of 3,962 meters, the Mawenzi, to the
east with an altitude of 5,149 meters and, among the first two,
Kibo, which is the most recent and still shows signs of activity,
in the form of fumaroles.
Between Kibo and Mawenzi we find a
territory of about 3,600 hectares, called "the saddle of the
winds", which is the largest tundra area in Africa.
The top
of the volcano is covered by a perennial glacier: the Rebmann
Glacier.
Pecularities of Kilimanjaro National Park:
- Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, in kiswahili it means: "mountain of light or mountain of greatness";
- it is the only mountain in the world so close to the equator that has a glacier on top;
- climbing the mountain represents a climatic journey that starts from the tropics to reach the arctic: the grassy slopes turn into lush rainforests up to become, near the top, a surreal alpine desert, where ice and snow reign;
- extraordinary sunrises and sunsets;
- breathtaking landscapes;
- the only place where you can find snow in Africa;
- wild animals on the slopes of the mountain;
- Kilimanjaro is a world heritage site (UNESCO heritage).
What to do
Bird watching, climbing, parachuting and paragliding, walking safaris, camping.
Position
The park is in the north of the country, not far from the border
with Kenya. The nearest city is Arusha.
Kilimanjaro covers an area of 756 km².
There are six
tracks to climb the mountain: Marangu, Mweka, Umbwe, Machame,
Shira and Rongai.
Getting There
It is 128 km from Arusha and about an hour's drive from Kilimanjaro airport.
When to Go
The period of the Great Rains is from March to May, that of the
Little Rains from November and December.
The driest months
are from August to October.
With altitude the temperatures
gradually decrease, up to reach the glacier that we find on the
top of Kilimanjaro.
The clearest and warmest period is from
December to February, the driest and coldest from July to
September.
Where to Stay
Mountain huts and campsites.
Several hotels and campsites
outside the park in the village of Marangu and in the city of Moshi.
