Kilimanjaro
Africa's highest summit, 5,895 metres of snow and scree above the plains, with Moshi at its foot and a long-haul runway half an hour away.
- Arrival
- Kilimanjaro International · JRO
- To the town
- About 30 km in a straight line from JRO to Moshi
- Private jets
- Into JRO, a 3,600-metre runway
- Best time
- December to January · June to October
The city
Three volcanoes, one summit.
Kilimanjaro has three volcanic cones: Shira in the west, Mawenzi in the east, and Kibo between them, whose rim holds Uhuru Peak at 5,895 metres. The mountain stands 4,877 metres above the plains around it. On the way up the ground changes five times, from the lower slopes through montane forest, heath and moorland and alpine desert to the summit and its retreating glaciers, and UNESCO has listed the national park since 1987.
Moshi, on the southern slopes, is the town of the climb. Eight official routes lead up or down, among them Marangu, Machame, Lemosho, Rongai and the Northern Circuit, and an ascent takes five to nine days. The clearest weather comes in the two dry seasons, June to October and December to January; April alone brings more than 300 mm of rain to the town.
- Uhuru Peak The highest point in Africa, at 5,895 metres on Kibo, the central of the three cones.
- Mawenzi The second of the three volcanic peaks, a jagged outline to the east of Kibo.
- Marangu Gate Where trekkers on the Marangu route leave the road and walk into the montane forest.
Arriving
A long runway below the snows.
Kilimanjaro International sits on the plain between Moshi and Arusha, about thirty kilometres west of Moshi in a straight line.
- Kigali 1 h 25
- Addis Ababa 2 h 10
- Kuwait City 5 h 15
- Cape Town 5 h 25
- Frankfurt 8 h 45 long-range jet
When to go
December to January, and June to October.
Figures are for Moshi, at the foot of the mountain, where highs run from 25 to 32 °C through the year. The mountain's wet seasons are March to May, wettest in April, and a briefer one in November. June to October and December to January are the drier windows, and the usual seasons for the climb.
- 31° J 47
- 32° F 42
- 32° M 119
- 29° A 327
- 27° M 174
- 26° J 41
- 25° J 31
- 26° A 21
- 28° S 20
- 30° O 41
- 30° N 88
- 31° D 63
Elsewhere in Tanzania
More reasons to come.
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