Mount Kilimanjaro

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Kilimanjaro National Park (1987). Africa'S Highest Peak At 5,895 M (Uhuru Peak) And The World'S Tallest Free Standing Mountain, Climbed By Trekking Through Rainforest, Moorland, Alpine Desert And Glaciers. Climbs Of 6 To 9 Days With A Licensed Operator, Guides And Porters Are Required By The National Park. · Moshi, Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa at 5,895 m (Uhuru Peak) and the tallest free-standing mountain on Earth, rising alone from the plains near Moshi in northern Tanzania. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inside Kilimanjaro National Park, and you can walk to the top without ropes or climbing skill. The trek passes through five zones: farmland, rainforest, moorland, alpine desert and the frozen summit. The honest picture is that it is EXPENSIVE and physically hard. A climb costs roughly USD 2,000-3,500 per person with a decent operator, a licensed guide and porters are compulsory, and altitude sickness stops a large share of climbers. Success is roughly 60-85 percent, higher on longer routes. The ice cap has lost about 85 percent of its size since 1912 and may vanish by mid-century. Most people base themselves in Moshi or Arusha and fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport, about 45 minutes from Moshi. Go slowly, take at least 7 days, choose your operator with care, and book several months early.

Free-standing volcano of 5,895 m near Moshi in northern Tanzania, climbed from gates on the Machame, Marangu, Lemosho, Rongai, Umbwe and Northern Circuit routes inside Kilimanjaro National Park, Moshi, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

The park is open all year, and climbers register at the gate on the day they start. Summit nights begin around midnight. Gates and offices keep DAYTIME hours, so check with your operator. Climbing without a licensed guide is NOT allowed, and there is no walk-in entry for independent trekkers.

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