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Kilimanjaro, The Key Facts
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• Mount
Kilimanjaro is located in Northern
Tanzania, three
degrees south of the Equator, in East Africa
• Kilimanjaro is the highest
free-standing mountain in the
world
• Kilimanjaro is the highest
mountain in Africa, peaking at
19,340 ft (5,895 m)
• Kilimanjaro is one of the seven
highest and most sought-
after peaks in the world
• Kilimanjaro is as high as you can
go without having technical
mountaineering skills and without oxygen tanks
• Kilimanjaro represents the most
glamorous, the most
accessible and the most effortless mountain climb on earth
• Kilimanjaro has 3 distinct
ecological zones: lush rainforest,
heather/ open moorland and alpine desert
• Kilimanjaro has 6 non-technical
routes for climbers:
Marangu (5 days), Machame (7 days), Shira & Lemosho
(9 days), Rongai (5 days) and Umbwe (6 days)
• Kilimanjaro has 5 camping routes (Machame,
Shira,
Rongai, Umbwe & Lemosho) and one route (Marangu) where
accommodation is in mountain huts and tents.
• Kilimanjaro visitor numbers have
increased from 11,000 in
the mid
1990s to 35,000-plus in the year
2000 . Of these, the
vast majority
climbed by the Marangu Route, with
Machame
Route becoming more and more
popular yearly. |
Kilimanjaro
Route Highlights:
THE MARANGU ROUTE is most convenient
in terms of access, most comfortable in
terms of facilities and allegedly the
easiest of the available routes. It is also
the most popular, with an the majority climbers using this route.
The advantages of this trail are that it is
cheaper, easier to arrange and has a longer
approach and slighter inclines, thus making
it attractive to inexperienced climbers.
THE MACHAME ROUTE is the second most
accessible trailhead and one of the most
scenic routes, with sweeping views across
the Masai Steppe to Mount Meru and over the
impressive Barranco Valley. It is infinitely
quieter than the Marangu Route.
The advantages of the Machame route are its
accessibility (the trailhead is on the
western side of the mountain and close to a
good tarmac road), the descent by a
different trail (Mweka) which allows
climbers to see more of the mountain and
avoid upcoming trekkers, and the option to
take the Western Breach route from Shira
camp onwards.
THE SHIRA ROUTE differs from others
in that there are several variations both in
the starting days of the climb and in the
final days of the summit. Shira is one of
the 3 peaks of Kilimanjaro (the others are
Kibo & Mawenzi) and the Plateau allows for
acclimatization walks and even technical
climbs of the Shira Needles before
continuing the ascent.
The positive aspect here are exclusivity and
maximum opportunities for acclimatization.
As well, the last camp is the highest of all
camps on the mountain and a short two hours
from the summit, so that with a slow
approach, climbers who have reached this
camp will almost certainly summit
successfully and without sickness.
THE RONGAI ROUTE, with its position
in the rain shadow of Kilimanjaro, has a
completely different landscape from other
routes and, being drier and more open, it
allows for spectacular views over Tsavo and
Amboseli parks.
The only drawbacks are that the trailhead is
near the Kenyan border on the northern side
of the mountain which loses time and pushes
up costs; and the descent via Marangu Route
detracts somewhat from the wilderness feel
of the ascent.
The advantages of this route are its very
gentle ascent with daily long walks on
moderate gradients, unique scenery and its
being the last remaining ‘Wilderness Route’
(the remote trailhead with its increase in
prices effectively excludes all budget
travelers and operators).
THE UMBWE ROUTE is generally
considered too steep for most climbers,
making it very much a little- used route.
However, this is a perfect trail for
already-acclimatized and very fit trekkers;
possibly those who have already climbed Mt.Meru
or Mt Kenya.
Umbwe-Western breach is an exclusive but
very tough way to tackle Kilimanjaro. The
secret of this route is easy access (very
close to Moshi town and the main road) and
the fact that this route is unexploited,
little-used and therefore an attraction to
seasoned climbers who are not fazed by the
sheer steepness of days one and two with
their resultant severe altitude gain.
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