Mt. Kilimanjaro facts

Location

Mount Kilimanjaro is completely within Tanzania, although it’s near the border of Kenya.

It’s 3 degrees, or about 340 km, south of the Equator.

Kilimanjaro is made up of three volcanic cones:

1. Kibo 19,340 feet (5,895 meters)
2. Mawenzi 16,896 feet (5,149 meters)
3. Shira 13,000 feet (3,962 meters)

Most of Kilimanjaro is located within the Kilimanjaro National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

History

Shira was first to become extinct, then Mawenzi, and now Kibo is the only one active. Kibo is a dormant active volcano, you can smell the strong sulphur that comes from the inner ash pit.

In 1889, German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountain climber Ludwig Purtscheller were the first to climb Kilimanjaro.

There are many disputed theories on the origin of the name, so it remains a mystery.

Trivia

While Kilimanjaro obviously doesn’t have the highest elevation of any mountain in the world, it is the tallest freestanding mountain rise in the world, rising 15,100 feet (4,600 meters) from its base.

Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa

Climbing Kilimanjaro

Around 25,000 people per year attempt to summit the top of Africa.

Uhuru peak is the highest summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. The highest peak on Mawenzi is Hans Meyer Point, which can only be reached by mountaineers.

Kilimanjaro contains an example of virtually every ecosystem on earth - glacier, snowfields, deserts, alpine moorland, savannah, and tropical jungle, all of which found on the mountain.

The city of Moshi is just over 30 km from the summit, and is the most common pre and post-trip base for climbers.

There are five common routes used to climb Kilimanjaro:

1. Marangu Route
2. Machame Route
3. Rongai Route
4. Lemosho Route
5. Mweka Route (usually used only to descend)

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