Kilimanjaro

Top of Africa

Kilimanjaro - Top of Africa

Kilimanjaro is a popular destination for adventure and active vacations, for hikers and mountaineers alike. The highest peak of the massif and thus the highest point in Africa is Kibo (Uhuru Peak) at 5895 meters. Since 1973 there is the Kilimanjaro National Park and in 1987 the landscape was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Here you can find our overview page with general information about the mountain and its region.

Kilimanjaro Trek - Summit of Africa

Meru & Kilimanjaro - Summit Trekking

Mt. Kenya & Safari & Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro - Region

Here you will find general information about Kilimanjaro, the Kilimanjaro Massif, and the region around Kilimanjaro.

Overview of this page:

 

  1. Kilimanjaro Name
  2. Geography: Kilimanjaro massif and summit
  3. Glacier: Eternal ice in Africa
  4. Kilimanjaro Water: Source of life
  5. Kilimanjaro Climate: When is the best weather?
  6. Flora of Kilimanjaro
  7. Fauna of Kilimanjaro
  8. History: The European discovery
  9. First ascent
  10. Routes

 

1. name

While some believe the name comes from the European pronunciation of the KiChagga phrase "We failed to climb it" the mixture of the Swahili word "Kilima" for "mountain" and the KiChagga word "Njaro" for the "white man" is generally accepted as the origin.

2. geography

The Kilimanjaro massif is volcanic in origin. It is located on the eastern rift shoulder of the East African Rift Valley system. In association with continental rift faults, there is usually volcanic activity, which can be explained by the upwelling of asthenospheric material (often mantle diapirs) and the resulting lithospheric thinning.

At the Kilimanjaro massif, which is about two to three million years old, the probably largest eruption took place about 360,000 years ago. The last eruption of Kibo is said to have occurred around 1700. Since then, volcanic activity has remained at a low level (fumaroles and solfataras), but is by no means extinct. At Reusch crater, the sulfur-like vapors testify to this.

About 350 km south of the equator, the Kilimanjaro massif is located in northeastern Tanzania, about 500 km northwest of the city of Dar es Salaam and close to the Kenyan border (Kenya's capital Nairobi is 200 km to the northwest). It is just under 560 km to the northwest to the center of Lake Victoria. While the 750 to 1000 m high terrain around the Kilimanjaro massif gradually descends to the Indian Ocean in the east after the 2463 m high Pare Mountains, it merges to the west and north into the mountain ranges and highlands of Tanzania and Kenya, and to the south into the Masai steppe. About 70 km southwest of the mountain range rises Mount Meru, 4562 meters high.

The summit plateau contains the 1.9 kilometer by 2.4 kilometer Kibo Crater. Within this lies the Reusch Crater (about 800 meters in diameter; up to 200 meters deep), and at its rim in turn lies a small crater, the Inner Cone (5835 meters). The highest point of the inner crater is 5885m. The highest point on Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak named after the Swahili word for freedom, is on the outer crater wheel at 5895m.

3. glaciers

Although the Kilimanjaro massif is located in the tropical hot regions of the earth, Kilimanjaro has glaciers. Recent glaciation on Kilimanjaro is limited to Kibo. Between 1912 and 2009, the ice cap shrank from 12 km² to 1.85 km², a loss of 85% of the area.On the summit plateau, the Northern and Southern Ice Fields formed the largest glaciers. The Eastern Ice Field with the Rebmann Glacier and the Furtwängler Glacier are hardly present anymore. The slope glaciers were primarily located on the southern slope of Kibo, and remnants of the once mighty glaciation could still be seen on the western flank.It remains unclear why no significant ash deposits from past eruptions were found in the ice layers of the Kilimanjaro glaciers. The eruption of 1700 is not considered scientifically proven, but comes from oral traditions of the Chagga people who settle on the mountain. Mountaineers currently repeatedly report a strong sulfur compound odor at the Reusch crater.

4. Waters

The Kilimanjaro massif is the source of numerous mountain streams that originate, for example, at the glaciated summit of Kibo and rush down the mountain slopes through the dense forests. They flow from the massif in all directions. Due to the steep slopes of the mountains, there are only small lakes on the Kilimanjaro massif. But at its southeast foot is Lake Chala (also called Lake Jala; 877 m; 4 km²) and a little further south is Lake Jipe (707 m; 46 km²). Both still waters are located on the border of Tanzania and Kenya. At the southwestern foot of the massif, already in the Arusha National Park, are the Momella Lakes.

5. Climate

The typical climate in the region around the Kilimanjaro massif follows a distinct annual cycle of precipitation with two rainy seasons (March to May, October to December) and two dry seasons, although the minor dry season (January and February) can also be precipitation-rich in some years. The average monthly temperature at the base of the mountain reaches more than 20 °C throughout the year. On the massif itself, the climate changes considerably, especially in the vertical direction, which is reflected in the succession of different vegetation zones. The lower areas (up to about 3000 m) are humid, often shrouded in clouds and covered by lush rainforest vegetation. With altitude, the vegetation becomes more sparse, and temperature and precipitation decrease. On the summit plateau of Kibo, the two rainy seasons are still distinct, but the annual rainfall is only one-tenth of that in the rainforest belt. The temperature rarely rises above freezing even in the afternoon hours. This makes the summit area a dry, icy environment.

6. Flora at Kilimanjaro

Giant lobelia grows up to about 4000 m height, giant senecia growth up to about 4500 m height. Below the glaciers, snowfields and frost deserts, there is partly lush sprouting grassland, which changes into shrubland. In the south the tree line reaches up to a maximum of 3500 m, on average it lies at 2700 to 3000 m above sea level. Due to the hot and humid climate a unique flora has developed in the hot and humid primeval forest, not only in the lower regions of the mountain world, in which innumerable plant species with magnificent growth flourish - they are mostly larger than elsewhere. The rainforest is located between 1400 and 3000 meters above sea level, with a maximum altitude of 3300 meters. In the surroundings of the mountain giant there are grass and tree savannas as well as swamps.The flora at the Kilimanjaro massif and in its surroundings includes among others:

  • Acacia
  • Tree heather 
  • Ferns
  • Erica shrubs - up to 10 m high
  • Conifers
  • Ragwort - 5 to 6 m high
  • Lianas
  • Lobelia
  • Mosses
  • Olive trees
  • Orchids
  • Palms
  • Giant Senecias
  • Junipers
  • Cedars

7. Fauna at Kilimanjaro

The mountain world of the Kilimanjaro massif and its surroundings harbors a fauna rich in species. This is mainly found in the forest belts and the surrounding savannah, mainly the Arusha National Park in Tanzania and the Tsavo and Amboseli National Parks in Kenya.

Examples of mammals:

  • Monkeys (anubis baboon, black and white stubby monkeys, and diademed monkey)
  • African striped grass mouse
  • Buffalo 
  • Bushbuck
  • Duiker
  • Elephant
  • Hyena
  • Leopard
  • Lion
  • Rhinoceros
  • Giant forest hog
  • Zebra

Examples of birds:

  • Ducks
  • Flamingos
  • Geese
  • Ibises
  • Cuckoos
  • Pelicans
  • Herons
  • Storks
  • Waterfowl
  • Migratory birds

8. History

Around 100 AD, the Greek astronomer and geographer Ptolemy reported a high mountain covered with snow in the middle of Africa. It was not until May 11, 1848, when a European, Johannes Rebmann, a German missionary, geographer, and linguist from Gerlingen, stood in front of Kilimanjaro and reported the overwhelming sight of the snowy mountain to Europe, that the mountain came to the attention of a wider public. While English geographers did not believe his report of the Schneeberg for decades due to its proximity to the equator, he received a medal of honor from the Geographical Society in Paris. However, Rebmann greatly miscalculated the altitude, which he stated to be about 3800 m without having measured it. During the colonial occupation by the German Empire in the period from 1885 to 1918, this mountain massif formed the highest mountain range of the empire. The first climber Hans Meyer renamed Kibo, at that time the highest German mountain, to Kaiser-Wilhelm-Spitze. The mountain huts built at that time were given German names such as Bismarck or Peters Hut. It was not until independence that the government of the Republic of Tanganyika became aware that the mountain peak of Kibo continued to be called Kaiser-Wilhelm-Spitze. In 1964, it was renamed Uhuru, which means freedom in Swahili.

9. First Ascent

On October 6, 1889, the Leipzig mountaineer, geographer and explorer Hans Meyer and the Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller made the first ascent. It was their third expedition after two failed first ascent attempts in 1887 and 1888 climbedAs local mountain guide served Muini Amani, who in each case ascended to the last bivouacs and there supplied Hand Meyer and Ludwig Purtscheller.

10. Routes on Kilimanjaro

There are many trails leading up the Kilimanjaro massif.

The main trails are:

  • Marangu Route - path of first ascent
  • Rongai or Kikelewa Route - starting point Nalemoru (2020 m)
  • Shira Route - starting point Londorossi (2250 m)
  • Lemosho Route - starting point Londorossi (2250 m)
  • Machame- Route - Starting point Machame (1800 m)
  • Umbwe Route - Starting point Umbwe (1700 m)
  • Mweka Route - Starting point Mweka (1700 m)

In the upper part of the climb to Kibo for hikers via:

  • Marangu Route / School Route - variants for the ascent from Kibo Hut (4800m)
  • Barafu Route - partial route from resp. via Barafu Hut (4600m)
  • Western-Breach-Route - steep partial route from resp. passing Lava Tower (4600m)

Furthermore, there are about 30 different climbing routes on Kibo(southern glacier, northern glacier, Breach-Wall-Pillar) and about 5 climbing routes on Mawenzi.