Mount Kilimanjaro
Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro National Park Africa’s highest mountain and one of the continent’s magnificent sights. There are three main volcanic peak cones, Kibo, the highest. Also, Mawenzi at 5,149 metres (16,893 ft) as well as Shira, the shortest at 4,005 metres. The name itself “Kilimanjaro” is a mystery wreathed in clouds. This means Mountain of Light, Mountain of Greatness or Mountain of Caravans. Therefore, above the gently rolling hills and plateaus of northern Tanzania rises the snowy peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro. So, the slopes and glaciers shimmering above the rising clouds. Kilimanjaro is located near the town of Moshi. The mountain’s ecosystems are strikingly beautiful as they are varied and diverse. On the lowland slopes, much of the mountain is farmland, with coffee, banana, and maize crops grown for subsistence and cash sale. A few larger coffee farms still exist on the lower slopes, but much of the area is outside the national park.
In the early twentieth century, Mount Kilimanjaro and the adjacent forests were declared a game reserve by the German colonial government. In 1921, it was designated a forest reserve. In 1973, the mountain above the tree line (about 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) was reclassified as a national park. The park was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1987. In 2005, the park was expanded to include the entire montane forest, which had been part of the Kilimanjaro Forest Reserve.
