An African Safari Trip to Kilimanjaro National Park Tanzania

An African safari trip to Kilimanjaro national park Tanzania Do you fancy engaging in an African safari? Are you puzzled of where exactly to go? Well […]

An African safari trip to Kilimanjaro national park Tanzania

Do you fancy engaging in an African safari? Are you puzzled of where exactly to go? Well sit back and grab a cup of coffee as I present to you an Africa trip odyssey journey to the highest mountain on the African continent mt. Kilimanjaro as we visit Kilimanjaro National Park Tanzania.

zebras in the front image of mt Kilimanjaro

Safari Trip to Kilimanjaro National Park Tanzania

Our safari Tanzania takes us to Kilimanjaro National Park Tanzania which is located in Tanzania found in the eastern region of the African continent along geographical o-ordinates of 3^o04’S 37⁰22’E. Kilimanjaro National Park is found in the north eastern direction of Tanzania, it is bordered by Kenya Tanzania in the north, other towns like Mkuu, Engare Nairobi and Machame border the park in the east west and south respectively. Kilimanjaro National Park covers an area of about 1688sqkm including Africa’s highest mountain.

How was mt Kilimanjaro formed?

A tour Tanzania puts you on a collision course with mountain Kilimanjaro which is a strato volcano mountain that is believed to have been formed around 3million years ago. Kilimanjaro mountain has three summit peaks and these are Kibo which is the highest peak at 5896m or 19341ft, Mawenzi the 2^nd highest peak at 5149m or 16893ft and shira is the lowest at 4005m or 13140ft. Kibo summit peak is still a dormant volcano which can erupt again but the Mawenzi and Shira are extinct volcanoes. Summit peak Shira erupted between 2.5-1.9million years ago and now its top is occupied by a caldera or crater that has greatly reduced by erosive forces. Before its eruption, peak Shira is believed to have had an altitude between 4900-5200m or 16000-17000ft.

What else does east Africa have to offer for mountaineers?

East Africa is not only blessed with mt. Kilimanjaro alone put its also home on the second highest mountain on the continent which mountain Kenya which can be seen on a Kenya safari trip to mt. Kenya national park Kenya and the third highest mountain on the Africa plains Rwenzori mountain which can be visited during a Uganda safari trip to Rwenzori Mountain National Park.

Hiking mountain Kilimanjaro

Kilimanjaro mountain in the backdrop

A hiking safari up to the top of mountain Kilimanjaro can be done following any of the 7 trekking routes that have been developed on the mountain. The trekking routes are Lemosho, Lemosho, Western Breach, Machame, Marangu, Mweka, Rongai, Shira and Umbwe. Many of these routes can be ascended and descended in about 6-10 days depending on the level of your physical fitness. The easiest route is the Longai route with various camping units along the way up and down.

More wildlife encounters from Tanzania

Enjoy a Tanzania wildlife safari game through the Kilimanjaro National Park Tanzania and have an ultimate Tanzania wildlife tour experience as you get to meet east africa’s finest beasts like the elephants, cape buffaloes leopards and primates like the black and white colobus monkeys. Kilimanjaro National Park Tanzania is any birders paradise as it gives an ultimate Tanzania birding safari experience as it plays a habitat for 705 bird species like violet turaco, narina trogon, schalow’s turaco, hartlaub turaco and many others. You can choose to extend your Tanzania wildlie tour with a visit to other prime Tanzania tour destinations like Serengeti National Park Tanzania,Lake Manyara National Park Tanzania, Tarangire National Park,Ngorongoro Conservation Area Tanzania And Ruaha National Park Tanzania and Selous Game Reserve Tanzania.

Cable Cars on Mountain Kilimajaro!!

Africa’s highest point

Earlier this year, the deputy minister for conservation and tourism had announced of Tanzania government’s grand plan to introduce cable cars on mountain Kilimanjaro as we way of attracting new market segment of tourism to make a Tanzania hiking safari to Kilimanjaro as the cable cars would make it easy to do a hiking safari on the Kilimanjaro as well as reduce the number of days spent while climbing this over 5000m mountain above sea level.

Reaction of the tourism world to the minister’s announcement

This announcement sparked an angry reaction from a larger part of the tourism world as many of the stakeholders this would greatly affect negatively the Kilimanjaro mountain in eco system as well as the local communities in many ways.

An online petition against the project on the key World heritage site, attracting nearly 400,000 protesters around the World who ask the Tanzania to keep Mount Kilimanjaro ‘cable car-free’.

One of the numerous mountaineering enthusiasts named Gale who is against this move points out that the oldest person to hike Kilimanjaro was 86 years old and says that the mountain is well within the capabilities of “older” visitors. He further continues to note “I climbed last month at 53 years old and it was an amazing experience putting one foot in front of the other and living on the mountain, there is no thrill in taking a taxi to the top of a mountain”

Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) CEO, Sirili Akko, said he thinks there is a need to commission a study which would guide the government on opportunity cost of missing out specific market niche it is targeting for cable car – elders and disabled – against irreparable environmental damage and negative publicity.