Kilimanjaro is a giant stratovolcano and one of the largest volcanoes in the world. It is the highest mountain in Africa, rising to 5,895m (19 340 ft) in altitude and covers an area of about 355km2. Kilimanjaro is also the highest freestanding mountain in the world. It has three main volcanic peaks:  the oldest peak Shira (3,962m - 13 000 ft), Mawenzi (5,149m - 16 896 ft) and Kibo (5,895m - 19 340 ft). The crater of Kibo is 1.3km in diameter with a 350m deep ash pit in the centre.

Since 1912 the mountain has lost 82% of its ice cap and since 1962 - 55% of its remaining glaciers.Kibo still retains permanent ice and snow, but the mountain is forecast to lose its ice cap within 15 years.  Mawenzi also has patches of semi-permanent ice.

Different Zones on Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro takes you through 4 climate zones. Each zone varies in rainfall, temperature, flora and fauna. The zones are:

• Rain Forest - Because the forest zone receives much of the rainfall, it is the richest zone with high biological diversity. It is also home to most of the wildlife found on the slopes of Kilimanjaro.
• Heather and moorland – This zone is characterized by heath-like vegetation and abundant wild flowers. Two giant species, the lobelia and senecio, which can grow up to 3,60m (12ft) is found in this area.
• Alpine Zone - The alpine zone with semi-desert conditions are not favourable to plants besides lichens.
• Icefields & Summit - This area has beautiful glaciers, which can be seen miles away.

Routes on Kilimanjaro

Machame Route
The Machame route is also known as the "Whiskey route". It is a wilderness route, which combines spectacular views and scenery and good acclimatisation. With a gradual ascend through the forest you emerge to see wide views of the moorland on Shira plateau, rocky trails and scree with stunning scenery and beautiful ice formations along the way. The different kinds of vegetation found along the route make it the most scenic route. For all this reasons it is perhaps the best of the standard routes on the mountain. Overnights are spent camping in tents.

Marangu Route
Marangu is also known as the "Coca Cola" route. This is the most straightforward route on the mountain. The Marangu route takes you through the forests, moorlands and then across the Saddle (a high-altitude desert) to Kibo. The path to the summit is a zig-zag route up steep scree, which makes a slower ascend then on the other routes. Marangu is also the only route you ascend and descend with. It is also the only route providing huts.

Umbwe Route
This is the steepest route up Kilimanjaro. It is the hardest, but most spectacular and direct way to reach Uhuru Peak. It follows a forested ridge to the moorlands, and then traverses below the Southern Icefields to reach Barafu Camp, which is followed to the summit. It is quite taxing, primarily due to the relatively fast ascent to higher altitude, but the rewards are plentiful. Fewer people, pristine forest and shorter walking distances make it a great option for fit hikers. Overnights are spent camping in tents.

Rongai Route
This route is considered to be one of the easiest routes up the mountain. It is the only route starting from the Northern side of the mountain at a small village close to the Kenya border. The climbing conditions are drier on the Northern side of the mountain. The summit is reached via the Eastern side of Kibo and the descent is via the Marangu route. Overnights are spent camping in tents.

Lemosho Route
The Lemosho Route begins in a rainforest, on a magnificent forest trail, which are unspoiled and little used. The route leads onto the Western side of Shira plateau. This route offers the most varying terrain, with lots of opportunity to acclimatize along the way. The first two days include gently rolling trails across the ancient lava flows of the collapsed Shira Volcano with excellent views of Kilimanjaro’s summit. The Shira Plateau is very beautiful with good views of the Western Glaciers. Upon reaching the Shira Plateau, the route merges with the Machame route. Overnights are spent camping in tents.

Guides & Porters
Our guides are all registered with the National Park Board and speak English. Ratio of guides to client’s are 1: 4 and porters 2 to 3 (depends on route). The guides eXplore Plus uses are all permanently employed and are issued with a guide license by the National Parks. This license is obtained after several years of experience on the mountain, first as porters or cooks and then as assistant guides after which they attend courses in First Aid, Mountain Rescue, Flora and Fauna and History.

We recommend the following guideline on tips:
Guide:  US$15 per day from group
Assistant Guide: US$10 per day from group
Cook:  US$8 per day from group
Porters:  US$5 - 8 per day per hiker

Weight limits for porters
Remember that there is a weight limit of 15 kg (30 lbs) per climber. A soft gearbag is recommend, as the porters prefer to balance the loads on their heads and shoulders.

History
Although it was spoken of in the second century, Kilimanjaro was only "discovered" by the western world in 1848, when the German missionary Johannes Rebmann came within sight of the mountain, explored the area and traversed the lower slopes. He submitted his findings to the Royal Geographical Society, but his description of a snow capped mountain in eastern equatorial Africa was doubted by these "experts". During the following years there where a number of unsuccessful attempts by various explorers to conquer the summit and it was only on the 6 October 1889 that Dr. Hans Meyer, with Ludwig Purtscheller, managed to reach the summit. It took Meyer almost 6 weeks to reach the summit, 6 times as long as it takes the average climber today.

Fauna & Flora
There are about 130 species of trees on Kilimanjaro with the greatest diversity being between 1,800 and 2,000 meters. The start of the montane forest zone is the beautiful red flower with yellow in the shape of an inch-long tuba – the Kilimanjari Impatiens, which is endemic to Kilimanjaro. You will found them in the rain forest. Typical high African flora extends to 4370m (14000ft) in altitude which including groundsels and giant lobelias, over 7,6m (25ft) high! The most frequently mammals on the slopes Kilimanjaro were the tree hyrax and grey duiker, bushbuck, red duiker and buffalo, which occur in the moorlands. Three species of primates are found within the montane forests:  blue monkey, Western black and white Colobus monkeys and bushbabies. Although 179 highland bird species have been recorded on Kilimanjaro, the species in the upper zones are few in number. They include the occasional lammergeier, (mainly on the Shira ridge), hill chat and the scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird. White-necked raven is the most conspicuous bird species at higher altitude.

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