Mount Kilimanjaro
A Wonderful Gift
A dormant volcano and the tallest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro in the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania is a popular trekking destination for mountain climbers and active travelers wishing to check its summit off their travel bucket list. However, despite its popularity, there are many Mt. Kilimanjaro facts you may be surprised to learn of when it comes to this legendary mountain. Read on to learn more!
Fascinating Facts about Mt. Kilimanjaro
Most of the world’s highest mountains are part of ranges. For example, Mount Everest is part of the Himalayan Mountain Range. Africa’s tallest peak, Kilimanjaro, is the world’s highest free standing mountain with its summit, named Uhuru Point, reaching 19,341 feet above sea level.
There are currently seven official routes to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. You must take one of these routes – it is not possible to create your own route. The routes are: Marangu, Machame, Umbwe, Lemosho, Shira, Northern Circuit, and Rongai. All routes begin within Kilimanjaro National Park.
Kilimanjaro is part of a group known as the “Seven Summits,” which include the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. This set of mountains is an oft-referred to moniker amongst serious mountaineers, as many consider conquering all “Seven Summits” the penultimate climbing goal. Climbing Kilimanjaro is actually one of the more attainable Seven Summit pursuits.
The quickest confirmed ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro occurred in 2001 when Italian Bruno Brunod summitted Uhuru Peak in 5 hours 38 minutes 40 seconds. The fastest roundtrip route took place in 2004, when local guide Simon Mtuy went up and down the mountain in 8 hours and 27 minutes.
The three volcanic cones of Mount Kilimanjaro are Mawenzi, Shira and Kibo. Mawenzi and Shira are extinct while Kibo, the highest peak, is merely dormant, which means it could erupt again. The most recent activity occurred two centuries ago, however, the last major eruption was 360,000 years ago.
Approximately 25,000 people attempt to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro every year, according to statistics from tour operators, and only about two-thirds are successful. Altitude-related problems, such as acute mountain sickness, is the most common reason climbers turn back and it has been deduced over time that the longer the route, the greater chance of summit.
According to the 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia, the name of the mountain was “Kilima-Njaro,” comprised of the Swahili word “Kilima” meaning “mountain” and the Chagga word “Njaro” meaning “whiteness.” German missionary Johann Ludwig Krapf wrote in 1860, “The Swahili of the coast call the snow-mountain Kilimanjaro, ‘mountain of greatness.’ It may also mean ‘mountain of caravans’ (jaro meaning ‘caravans’), a landmark for caravans seen everywhere from afar, but the inhabitants of Jagga call it Kibo, `snow.’”
Almost every climber to summit Kilimanjaro has chronicled his or her thoughts about the achievement in a book stored in a wooden box at the top of the peak.
Mount Kilimanjaro Climbing Routes and Packages
5 Days Mt Kilimanjaro Climbing: Marangu Route
8 Days Mt Kilimanjaro Climbing: Rongai Route
8 Day Mt Kilimanjaro Climbing: Lemosho Route
8 Days Mt. Kilimanjaro Trekking: Machame Route
7 Days Mt Kilimanjaro Climbing: Rongai Route
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6 Days Mt Kilimanjaro Climbing: Shira Route
6 Days Mt Kilimanjaro Climbing: Marangu Route
5 Days Mt Kilimanjaro Climbing: Marangu Route
5 Days Mt Kilimanjaro Climbing: Marangu Route
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