Mt Kilimanjaro Location – All You Need to Know Before Planning Your Trip

Mt Kilimanjaro location is in Tanzania, and it is Africa’s tallest mountain, at about 5,895 meters (19,340 feet). It is the largest free-standing mountain rise in the world, meaning it is not part of a mountain range.  Kilimanjaro has three cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. Kibo is the summit of the mountain and the tallest of the three volcanic formations.

While Mawenzi and Shira are extinct, Kibo is dormant and could possibly erupt again. Scientists estimate that the last time it erupted was 360,000 years ago. The highest point on Kibo’s crater rim is called Uhuru, the Swahili word for “freedom.” The mountain is also known for its snow-capped peak; however, scientists warn that the snow might disappear within the next 20 years or so.

Mt Kilimanjaro and its location is an icon, because it’s of the most famous mountains in the world. For the majority of the 20,000 people that are climbing it every year, it’s their Everest. So it’s a special experience to stand on the roof of Africa.

There are five totally different environments that you walk through on the way up. There is the tropical rainforest layer at the bottom in the foothills, this is where the locals live and where they grow things like bananas and coffee. Then there is a cloud forest, where there is still a lot of wildlife like birds and monkeys and deer. Then you break into an Alpine heath  landscape, where plant life is more scrubby and beyond that is a rocky almost lunar type landscape, with fewer plants. The last environment brings you onto snow and ice, with glaciers at over 5,000 metres.

Kilimajaro’s Routes

There are seven official trekking routes by which to ascend and descend Kilimanjaro. They are Lemosho, Lemosho Western-Breach, Machame, Marangu, Mweka, Rongai, Shira, and Umbwe. The Machame route can be completed in six or seven days. Lemosho in six to eight, and the Northern Circuit routes in seven or more days. The Lemosho Route can also be continued via the Western-Breach, summitting via the western side of the mountain. The Western-Breach is more secluded and avoids the 6-hour midnight ascent to the summit (like other routes). The Rongai is the easiest of the camping routes.The Marangu is also relatively easy, if frequently busy; accommodation is in shared huts. The Lemosho Western-Breach Route commences on the western side of Kilimanjaro at Lemosho and continues to the summit via the Western-Breach Route.

Dangers

Though the climb is not technically as challenging as the Himalayas or Andes, the high elevation, low temperature, and occasional high winds can make Mt Kilimanjaro location a difficult trek. Acclimatization is required, and even experienced and physically fit trekkers may suffer some degree of altitude sickness.

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Anna Claire Schellenberg on Unsplash
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