Mountain Kilimanjaro
Mountain Kilimanjaro: Everything you need to know.
Famously known as the largest free-standing mountain rise in the world (meaning it’s not part of a mountain range), mountain Kilimanjaro is Africa’s tallest mountain. Erected at about 19,340 feet (5,895 meters), and it is located in Tanzania.
However much nobody knows how the mountain got its name, Kilimanjaro may come from a Swahili word kilima translating to “mountain” and the Kichagga word njaro translating to “whiteness” or “shining”. Due to its snow caped peak which it is famously known for, the local people who live in the footprints of Mountain Kilimanjaro like the Chagga and Maasai people are set to view it as the seat of God.
Unfortunately, the white snow which the mountain is named for may soon disappear due to the glaciers beginning to retreat over the last 100 years with some parts vanishing all together.
Satellite images studied by some scientists have made then realize that over 90 percent of Kilimanjaro’s ice has been lost since 1900. Studies still continue, to know the cause of this tragic melt.
Sunset at Kilimanjaro
History
As we already established earlier, the mountain got its name from a mixture of words from two languages, that is, kilima a Swahili word for mountain and njaro a Kichagga word for whiteness or shining.
This makes the people living there a very important part of the mountain’s history. For one, we have Yohana Kinyala Lauwo commonly known as Mzee Lauwo a member of the Chagga tribe who have lived on the slopes of Kilimanjaro for centuries guided a German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller to the summit in 1889.
At the age of 18 years only, Mzee Lauwo then became the first Tanzanian to reach the peak and Purtscheller and Meyer the first Europeans to the summit. Dying at the age of 125, Lauwo continued to guide climbers to Kilimanjaro’s summit for more than 50 years.
The mountain and its six surrounding forest corridors were named Kilimanjaro National Park in the year, 1973 which there after was named United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site in 1987.
Countless animals live in the area surrounding mountain Kilimanjaro and these measures are set to protect them and their unique environment
Summit
Mountain Kilimanjaro Top Safari Tours
Kilimanjaro Trekking routes
Kilimanjaro has five trekking routes each with its extraordinary scenery, experience and challenges. They all take different days to trek to the top offering climbers’ different excitements and memories and they are as follows
• Lemosho Route: This is the best route for acclimatization and stunning views. It takes about 7-8 days to trek which is the longest amongst all routes.
• Machame Route: This is the most popular and scenic route. It has a shorter time trekking (6-7) days compared to Lemosho, however, it is more challenging.
• Marangu Route: Commonly known as the Coca-Cola route, it’s the only route with hut accommodations taking 5-6 days trekking to the top.
• Rongai Route: Offering a quitter trek, rongai is the only route approaching from the north taking 6-7 days to the top.
• Northen Circuit Route: This route is the longest and most gradual ascent taking 9-10 days trekking to the top. Due to the gradual accent, it helps maximize the success rate.
• Umbwe Route: This route is best for experienced trekkers because it is steep and challenging. This would make it difficult for first time trekkers to make it successfully to the top. However, it only takes 5-6 days.
Hikers
Training and Preparations
Training to hike mountain Kilimanjaro is as much mental as it is physically demanding. However, the ability to trek between 5-10 miles a day which can be up to 9 days in case you have booked onto a long route is highly dependent on your physical ability.
With that mentioned, lets delve into some of the trainings and preparations you can do to make you both physically and mentally ready for a Kilimanjaro trek no matter which route you will be taking
• Aerobic Training: Also known as cardio, aerobic training uses oxygen to efficiently meet the energy demands of the exercise. These include activities like jogging, cycling, swimming and walking long distances.
These exercises help build the cardiovascular system essential in training for a Kilimanjaro climb. It is important to note that the slower you go, the best experience you will get.
Camping at Kilimanjaro
Mountain Kilimanjaro Most Common Attractions
African Fish Eagle
Bateleur Eagle
Ostrich
Banded mongoose
Waterbucks
Warthogs
Nile Crocodile
Thompsons’s Gazelle
Bat eared Fox
Wildebeest
• Strength training; While not trekking, a small 20-30 l day pack may seem little but after hours each day, the weight really starts to get to you. Light weight hiking and strength training helps you prepare your legs and, core and upper body.
For the legs, suggested exercises include front and reverse leg curls, lunges, squats and step aerobics. While sit ups, back and shoulder flies, swings and shoulder presses would be good for the upper body.
• Altitude acclimatization: This can be done by climbing lower heights to get your body used to hiking. Climbing shorter peaks with oxygen masks on like mount Meru or mountain Kenya right before a Kilimanjaro hike helps mimic the lower oxygen levels in higher altitudes in Kilimanjaro.
• Mental Preparation: While climbing mountain Kilimanjaro, your mental conditions play a very big role. Being a hectic and highly demanding activity, there are times you feel you want to give up and go back down but the only thing you can rely on will be a strong mind to keep you going.
Altitude sickness.
When your body is not used to a certain type of environment, it will experience abnormalities caused by that particular location. So, this applies to climbing higher altitudes like mountain Kilimanjaro, you will definitely get altitude sickness and these are some of the ways you can avoid them from intensifying;
• Choosing a longer route for better acclimation. This helps the body seem gradually get used to the change in altitude.
• Always eat well and stay hydrated at all times.
• Consulting a doctor on whether or not to take altitude meditation
• Take it slow, just like choosing a longer route, this helps the body gradually get used to the altitude and reduces the risk of altitude sickness
• Always follow the climb high, sleep low method
Group Hiking
Why climb Mountain Kilimanjaro
Just like any other challenging activity, summit at Uhuru Peak brings a great sense of accomplishment. It is a once in a lifetime achievement that brings back magnetic memories of the challenges and beautiful scenery you experienced.
You’ll trek through diverse ecosystems, from lush rainforests to alpine deserts, before reaching the icy summit at Uhuru peak.
The scene of conquering the world’s tallest free standing mountain, overcoming all the personal challenges and enjoying breathtaking landscapes and scenery make it an unforgettable adventure.
That alone is reason enough to climb Africa’s tallest and world’s tallest stand-alone mountain; mountain Kilimanjaro.
Hiking to the summit
Destination Gallery
How to get there.
There are majorly two ways to get to mountain Kilimanjaro as elaborated below;
By air: About 51.9 km away from Arusha the tourism capital of Tanzania is Kilimanjaro International airport in a small town called Moshi. It has daily arrivals and departures of international flights including KLM, Kenya airways, Air Dubai, Ethiopian airlines, emirates among other big airlines .
Choosing to take a flight from your home country to Kilimanjaro International airport is one of the ways to get to Mountain Kilimanjaro. can choose to take a flight directly from your country of origin to Kilimanjaro International airport.
Kindly note that the distance from the airport is 41km roughly 37 minutes’ drive to Mountain Kilimanjaro. So immediately after your landing, our driver guide shall pick you up for a land transfer to your trekking route.
Alternatively, if your flight lands in Nairobi Kenya, you can get to mountain Kilimanjaro by road , our Kenyan driver guide can pick you up from your hotel or airport and transfer you to the border where you will be picked up by our Tanzanian guide for a drive to the mountain.
Conclusion
A mountain Kilimanjaro hike is an activity that attracts both local and international climbers alike. Climbing to the summit, Uhuru peak alone is one of the greatest self-fulfilling accomplishments you will ever have on top of the beautiful scenery the area has to offer.
Ready to conquer Kilimanjaro, book your climb with Serengeti Mara Experts today and have a well-organized, safe and unforgettable journey today.
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