Not too long ago a group of ladies traveled with African Jungle Adventures Ltd to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania mainly for charity. All of them successfully reached the top and got a lot of money for the charity in doing this. Congratulations Fiona as well as your friends! I as well have 3 friends that have climbed it last year alone, even my brother mastered it a couple of years ago and its reputation appears to be constantly increasing.
Now, what exactly is interesting about climbing Mt Kilimanjaro?
To begin with, the Tanzanian landscape is just impressive.
Observing the sunrise at daybreak over Africa spread out just before you is one of those impressive moments in one’s life. Mt. Kilimanjaro stands out as the highest mountain in Africa at 20,000 feet as well as the highest possible free-standing mountain on the globe. Its comprised of 3 distinct volcanic peaks, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira The last 2 are extinct however Kibo is just dormant and might perhaps erupt again eventually. Standing in snow in the center of Africa is a nice wonderful experience. Even though it isn’t really the situation permanently as the snow cover is diminishing each year because of global warming and also might be wiped out within Twenty years’ time.
Second all the physically difficult tasks.
The hike normally takes about 10 to 12 days and then you climb for approximately nine of these. You hike through all kinds of landscapes on the excursion beginning with cultivated farmland, via a rainforest, then into heath plus moorland, prior to arriving at the alpine desert and eventually the arctic peak. It begins hot and continues to become extremely cold and this may be difficult in itself. Even so, spare an idea for Bernard Goosen from South Africa who has climbed Mt Kilimanjaro within a specially tailored wheelchair! Roughly 25,000 people make an effort to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro every year and approximately 66% are successful. Those who do not succeed have normally been troubled by awful altitude sickness. Even though it is a smart idea to try this hike after you have accomplished some form of aerobic training to ensure you take advantage of this trip.
Entrance to Mt Kilimanjaro National Park
Thirdly when you hike you support the locals
The Porters will carry all the camping equipment that you will need and direct you up the challenging parts of the hike. Normally a group of approximately 15 to 25 porters will go along with a small team and they’ll carry everything on your behalf. They travel ahead to put together camp every night ensuring that things are ready as well as in place by the point you find them. They will look after you very well.
Lastly, are you aware that nearly every climber that has arrived at the Uhuru Peak, which is the highest peak on Kibo’s crater edge, has documented a note within a book that is kept in a wooden box at the peak of the mountain? So that will probably be a truly interesting read!
Mount Kilimanjaro national park is believed to be home to a variety of different wildlife species like the large herds of elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and other small antelopes plus even primates. The park is neighboring several other national parks like Arusha National Park which is the best starting point for a safari in Tanzania and is also near Amboseli and Tsavo west national parks which are found in Kenya meaning its easy to connect to Kenya after hiking Mount Kilimanjaro
This particular park was gazetted as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987 and today it protects a lot of animals which was facing poaching by the local Chagga community.
Getting there
Mount Kilimanjaro National park is found in the eastern part of Arusha and it’s located an approximately 1hour drive from Arusha International Airport
What to do
Uhuru Peak on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro
The park is blessed with a variety of attractions and there are several things you can do in the park, for example, when it comes to hiking there are 6 normal hiking routes for the summit in addition to other tough hiking tracks.
There is also a day and night natural walk to the Shira Plateau and a nature walk to the lower forest
There is also a visit to the beautiful Chala Crater Lake on the southeastern slope of the mountain and you can do a little trout fishing
When to go
Finest as well as warmest conditions by December up to February, but dry and cooler around July up to September.
Accommodation
Several lodges plus campsites can be spotted outside the park within the small town of Marangu and also Moshi. You may also enjoy the huts as well as camping sites over the mountain.
