Mount Kilimanjaro is located in the northeastern part of Tanzania, in the national park of the same name. This is the highest peak in Africa, which is actually a dormant volcano. There are three cones here - Kibo, Mavensi, and Shira, Kibo is the highest and youngest peak, and Mavensi is the most ancient cone, its height is 5891.8 meters. Even though Mount Kilimanjaro is only three degrees from the equator, due to its height, the Kibo crater is covered with snow all year round. The name comes from the Swahili language and supposedly means "mountain that sparkles".
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| Mount Kilimanjaro |
Basic moments
If the Himalayas are called the "roof of the world", then Kilimanjaro is the "roof" of Africa. The largest mountains of this type are located in Hawaii, even more grandiose - on Mars. None of the Hawaiian monsters looks so spectacular (it's too early to compare with the Martian ones). Kilimanjaro is also considered the highest lone mountain on the planet.
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| Mount Kilimanjaro |
The arduous climb up the mountain is extremely tiring, but we recommend the climb to anyone looking for adventure. Experienced guides, accompanied by porters, take visitors to the top of the mountain along various routes; along the way, you can see various vegetation belts - forests, alpine meadows, semi-deserts, and wastelands. You can order such tours from Moshi or Arusha, their duration is 5-8 days. The journey ends when at the top you see the sunrise over the territories of Kenya and Tanzania.
You won't be able to overcome Kilimanjaro lightly. This mountain holds the world record for the number of high-altitude climatic zones that change as you climb. Accordingly, all the conquerors of Kilimanjaro are champions in the number and variety of equipment. All this, except for the stretched on your freezing body, it is better to entrust the porters. If you feel that the climb is too tough for you - it does not matter either. You can limit yourself to a photo session in the style of Hemingway: you, the savannah, and the mountain in the background.
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| Mount Kilimanjaro |
It is possible to climb Kilimanjaro from Kenya since the mountain is located on the border of Tanzania and Kenya. But by agreement between these countries, ascents are allowed only from Tanzania. On the Kenyan side, the necessary infrastructure is lacking and there are police posts to prevent unauthorized ascents.
Story
The first mention of these snow-capped mountains dates back to the 2nd century AD. e. They are marked on the geographical map of Ptolemy. But the date of discovery of Kilimanjaro is May 11, 1848, and the discoverer is the German pastor Johannes Rebman. In 1861, a height of 2500 m was conquered, in 1862 a mark of 4200 m was reached, in 1883, 1884, and 1887 - a mark of 5270 m; all these ascents were made by the Hungarian count Samuel Teleki. On October 5, 1889, the German traveler Hans Meyer, together with the Austrian climber Ludwig Purtsheller, reached the summit for the first time.
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| Mount Kilimanjaro |
In 1996, their fellow climber from the Chaga people, Mzee Lauwo (Lavo), was still alive in Maranguwhich must have been over 120 years old. Mawenzi was conquered only in 1912 by Ohler and Klute. In the book Life, Travel and Work in East Africa, you can find a description of how its author Charles New tried to conquer Kilimanjaro in 1861 in tropical shorts and a light shirt, while his 13 porters were completely naked. It is not surprising that they could not reach the summit, although they reached the edge of the snow. Kilimanjaro shares with our Elbrus the glory of being the only one of the highest peaks on the planet that have become a real battlefield: in the fall of 1914, the battles between the British and the Germans took place right on the slopes of the mountain in the vicinity of Marangu.