- CLIMBING TRIPS
- Mt. Kilimanjaro
- Kilimanjaro Routes
- Mt. Meru
- CLIMB PREPARATION
- QUESTIONS
- CLIMB ITINERARIES
Most people spend 5 and 8 days climbing Kilimanjaro. In 1993, a Brazilian, Mozart Catao established the speed record by going up and down in 17 hours 30 minutes. Several people broke the record already and the current record is 9 hours up and down.
Expert Climbs and Exciting Treks
Although Mount Kilimanjaro tops the list as Africa’s most famous and highest mountain, Tanzania boasts many other mountain ranges and attractive peaks. Most of the country’s mountains and volcanoes are located in the north and east of the country. They vary from the dramatic crater of Mt. Meru and active volcanos of Oldonyo Lengai to tamer options like the Usambara Mountains and the comparatively gentle slopes of the Crater Highlands.
Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro
It is the highest free-standing mountain in the world created by a dormant but not extinct volcano, rising dramatically from the African plains and reaching an altitude of 5,895 m. It can be climbed by various routes over a period of between five to ten days.
The various trails (Marangu, Machame, Mweka, Shira, Lemosho, Rongai and Umbwe) pass through lush, tropical rainforests to heather and trees; from valley and open moorland to a lunar landscape of alpine desert, finally reaching the arctic environment of the summit.
Mount Kilimanjaro stands 330 km south of the equator, on the northern boundary of Tanzania. Its location on an open plain close to the Indian Ocean, and its great size and height strongly influence the climate and thus its vegetation, animal life and climbing conditions. Its long axis lies in a northwest to southeast for 60km and at its widest part Kilimanjaro is 40km across.
More about climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro!
Mt. Meru
The dramatic crater of Mt Meru, located within Arusha National Park, is an unforgettable experience. Its lower slopes are covered in dense highland forest, where colobus monkeys play and buffalo graze concealed beneath the thick foliage. The extinct volcano’s extensive base give way to perfectly formed crater, and another internal crater with sharp, sheer cliffs. An ash cone forms a subsidiary peak and a Momela Lakes and Ngurdoto Crater are visible from Meru’s slopes.
Oldonyo Lengai
Overlooking Lake Natron and the bush land of Kenya to the north, Oldonyo Lengai, which means “the home of God” in Maasai, is an active volcano and one of Tanzania’s most spectacular and undiscovered climbs. The volcano erupts sporadically, sending small streams of grey lava down the crater rim and spitting hot ash high into the air. The climb undertaken overnight so hikers can experience sunrise over the Rift Valley escarpment, is highly challenging.
Usambara Mountains
The Usambara Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc chain in the north-eastern part of the country. Their western and eastern ranges are divided by 4 km wide valley of small villages and farms, and hiking trails cover the foothills and larger peaks. Day walks and overnight treks take visitors through some of the most concentrated areas of biodiversity in Africa. Bird watching is especially rewarding, and the views from the mountaintops stretch over the Maasai Steppe and, on a clear day, as far as the Indian Ocean.
Geology
Mount Kilimanjaro was born of the catastrophic movements in the earth’s crust that created the Great Rift Valley that runs from the Red Sea through Tanzania to southern Africa. The Rift Valley is an example of Constructive Margin, where new crust is exposed as two Continental plates pull away from each other. Around 25 million years ago East Africa was a huge flat plain that buckled and ruptured after the African and Eurasian Continental Plates rebounded off each other causing huge rifting and weak spots in the thinning crust that led to the formation of many volcanoes in the region. Where the original valley was deepest, the volcanic activity was greatest, eventually forming huge volcanoes of Ngorongoro on the Rift itself and a string of volcanoes to the east including Meru, Kenya and Kilimanjaro.
The Rift Valley is still active today, and Kilimanjaro is the result of comparatively recent volcanic activity. Originally consisting of three large vents, Shira, Kibo and Mawenzi, the formation of Kilimanjaro began approximately 750,000 years ago. Eventually the Shira cone collapsed and became extinct, followed by Mawenzi. The Kibo cone however remained active and about 360,000 years ago endured a massive eruption that released black lava across the Shira Caldera creating the saddle at the base of Mawenzi. Kibo eventually leveled out at 5,900 m and has been periodically covered with ice and glaciers. Around 100,000 years ago, a huge landslide created Barranco Wall on the south western edge of the crater and Kibo’s last eruption formed the Ash Pit, the Inner Crater and the perfect caldera.