Everything you need to know About Mount Kilimanjaro

Everything you need to know About Mount Kilimanjaro You may be drawn to climbing Kilimanjaro for a variety of reasons, but your experience will be more pleasurable the more you know about the mountain you are planning to climb.

The following are some of the facts you need to know about Kilimanjaro

Height and location

Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain and one of the most iconic peaks in the world, standing at an elevation of 5895 meters (19341 feet) above sea level.  It is a dormant volcanic mountain situated in the Northeastern parts of Tanzania near the border of Kenya east of the East African Rift valley.

Kilimanjaro is composed of three volcanic cones that is Kibo, Shira and Mawenzi. More than 360,000 years have passed since Kibo’s last significant volcanic outburst.

The ash hole that climbers can see from Uhuru peak today was created by Mount Kilimanjaro’s last volcanic activity, which took place 200 years ago

Due to climate change, Kilimanjaro has lost 82% of its ice cap since 1912 and 55% of its surviving glaciers since 1962

SUMMIT HISTORY OF MOUNT KILIMANJARO 

First summit Hans Meyer and Yohani Lauwo

In October 1889, German geologists Hans Meyer, native Lauwo, and Ludwig Purtscheller became the first individuals to reach the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro. It’s probable that locals had climbed the peak before, but it was never recorded.

Only two thirds of the 35,000 individuals who attempt to climb Kilimanjaro each year often succeed. Some climbers are forced to turn back mostly because of issues connected to altitude.

First woman to summit Sheila MacDonald

The first woman to summit Kilimanjaro was a Scottish lady who spent his childhood climbing Scottish peaks with her father. She reportedly visited family in Africa after climbing Mount Etna in Sicily. She set out on her expedition up Kilimanjaro with a group of adventurers. She continued to try to reach the summit even after her travel companions gave up, and on September 27, 1927, she reportedly succeeded

Fastest Ascent

Karl Egloff, a Swiss marathon runner who holds the record for fastest ascent of 6 hours 42 minutes, who in ran the Umbwe route in August 2014. However, the record for the women’s fastest ascent is held by Kristina Shou Madson from Denmark

The youngest and oldest people to climb

Coaltan Tanner, a young man from Albuquerque, now holds the record. He became fixated on climbing Everest when his parents read him a book about mountains. In the end, his parents agreed and let him to accompany them to Kilimanjaro. On the other hand, the record for the oldest man to reach the summit is held by Fred Distelhorst, from Vail, Colorado who, aged 88 years stood at Uhuru Peak on July 20th, 2017.

Routes to the Summit

Mount Kilimanjaro has seven approved routes, Mweka is the only path utilised for descent, From the south Marangu, Machame, Umbwe From the west Lemosho, Shira and from the north Rongai. The three primary base camps from which the summit attempt begins are reached by all of these routes. From the south Stella point east Gillma

Glaciers

The Kilimanjaro glaciers are thought to be 11,700 years old. Kibo’s entire summit was covered in glacial ice in the late 19th century, but this is obviously not the case today.

A study conducted by the European Geosciences Union found that up to 85% of the glacial ice vanished between 1912 and 2011. It is predicted that by 2060, Kibo will have no ice cap at all if current climate trends continue

Climate Zones on Kilimanjaro

In terms of the climate zones you traverse, it has been proposed that hiking from the base of the mountain to the summit is comparable to walking from the equator to the North Pole.

There are five major zones

Cultivation Zones (2500-5900 feet)

Originally rolling savanna grassland, the mountain’s lower slopes are now primarily farmed by small scale farmers and utilised as cattle grazing grounds.

Montane Rain Forests (5900-9200 feet)

A wide range of wildlife used to live in the humid rain forest, which gets the most rainfall. But due to the increase in tourism, you would hardly be able to see any animals apart from antelope and monkeys. However, the bird life is amazing

Moorland zone and Low Alpine Heath (9200-13000 feet)

Compared to the forest, it is considerably drier, and the temperatures are lower here. Heathers and large grasses make up the vegetation, the higher you go in this zone the more giant lobelias and senecios you will find

Alpine Desert (13000-16400 feet)

It becomes much bleaker as you ascend higher and leave the heath and moorland zone behind. It is a hostile place, much cooler at night and scorching hot during the day. Because there isn’t much precipitation in this area, the terrain is rocky and has little soil for growth.

Ice Cap Zone (16400-19340 feet) 
With glaciers further up, this area is primarily made up of rocks and volcanic scree. Since most precipitation falls as snow and is absorbed by porous rock, there isn’t much water. It’s cold and gloomy. But it’s amazing!

Africa’s Tallest Tree

For more than 20 years, Andreas Hemp of the University of Bayreuth in Germany has been researching the trees in some of Kilimanjaro’s isolated valleys, far from the climbing routes. However, until recently, they were only able to estimate the height of these trees due to restrictions in measuring equipment.

But thanks to laser instruments, it has been discovered that the Entandrophragma excelsum, Africa’s largest tree, is 81.5 meters tall. According to Hemp, the tree is roughly 600 years old. Researchers are urging that the valley where this specific tree was discovered should be protected.

Altitude and Oxygen

The oxygen content of the air is about half that of sea level at 19,340 feet. This is due to the fact that air pressure decreases with altitude. There is still 20.8% oxygen in the actual air. It is simply less available, not because there is less oxygen in the atmosphere.
Complications like acute mountain sickness, high altitude pulmonary edema, and high-altitude cerebral edema are brought on by this decreased air pressure and the decreased amount of oxygen that is available. See our acclimatization guide to learn more about how altitude

Here is some information about this magnificent mountain, including its geology and history. Some numbers, as well as well-known individuals.