Kilimanjaro. Alex Stewart
Origin of the mountain’s name
Exploration
Kilimanjaro National Park
Natural history
Geology and volcanology
Glacial recession
Climate
Animal and plant life
Acclimatisation trek
Route X Mount Meru Momela Route
CLIMBING KILIMANJARO
Ascent routes
Route A Marangu Route
Route B Machame Route
Route C Umbwe Route
Route D Lemosho Route
Route E Shira Route
Route F Rongai Route
Circuit paths
Route G Southern Circuit Path
Route H Northern Circuit Path
Summit ascent routes
Route I Normal/Marangu Route
Route J Barafu Route
Route K Western Breach Route
The summit
Descent routes
Route L Marangu Route
Route M Mweka Route
Appendix A Accommodation
Appendix B Useful contacts
Appendix C Further reading
Appendix D Language glossary
ROUTES COMPARISON TABLE
An aerial view of Kilimanjaro reveals a tangle of paths snaking their way across the slopes of the mountain. These paths are interconnected and in the course of a complete climb you will use an ascent route, a summit ascent route and a descent route, with the latter determined by the former. In total, there are six ascent paths that climb across the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro. Working your way clockwise around the mountain from the north-east, these are the Rongai Route (Route F), Marangu Route (Route A), Umbwe Route (Route C), Machame Route (Route B), Lemosho Route (Route D) and Shira Route (Route E). At around 4000m these trails all merge with a circular route that runs around Kibo cone, called either the Northern or Southern Circuit Path (Routes H and G respectively), depending on which side of the mountain you are on. Having joined this circuit path, you are faced with three ascent routes to the crater rim: the Normal/Marangu Route (Route I) from Kibo Huts to Stella Point, the Barafu Route (Route J) from Barafu to Gillman’s Point and the Western Breach (Route K) from Arrow Glacier to the crater floor. If you used the Rongai Route or Marangu Route you will climb to the crater via the Normal/Marangu Route. If you used the other paths then you will have a choice of climbing either the longer but easier Barafu Route, or the shorter but more difficult Western Breach. From each arrival point on the crater there is then a short section of trail to the actual summit at Uhuru Peak. Having reached the Roof of Africa, your return journey is pre-determined by the ascent path that you used. If you came up the mountain on the Rongai Route or Marangu Route, you will return via the Marangu Route (Route L). If you ascended by any of the other routes, you will use a dedicated descent path called the Mweka Route (Route M), which falls off the southern side of the mountain below Barafu Hut.
Porter passing through the cloudforest (Machame Route) (photo: Jlwarehouse/Shutterstock)
INTRODUCTION
The aspect presented by this prodigious mountain is one of unparalleled grandeur, sublimity, majesty, and glory. It is doubtful if there be another such sight in this wide world.
Charles New, Life, Wanderings, and Labours in Eastern Africa
East Africa is most often perceived as a flat, arid savannah. Famous for its wildlife safaris and coastal resorts, it is also an extraordinary destination for lovers of mountains, trekking and climbing. Although the history of walking in East Africa is relatively young, the area is rich in potential and the continent’s high mountains are among the last secret places of the region.
Africa’s mountains stand as solitary peaks above the surrounding plains rather than amid a range of similar mountains. The single greatest attraction is, of course, Mount Kilimanjaro. Although there are many higher mountains in the world, Kilimanjaro is one of the highest volcanoes and the highest free-standing mountain on the planet, making it a powerful visual symbol and a quintessential African image. Rolf Edberg was moved to write that ‘Its might is strangely weightless. At a distance, the mountain can seem ethereal. When the sun is low and the clouds light, the mountain with its white shimmering cap seems at times to be floating in space. At such moments, Kilimanjaro seems almost supernatural in its beauty.’
For a lot of trekkers arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport, the first stop for many on their way to the mountain, it can be quite a shock to be confronted by this new image of Africa. The massive bulk of the country’s highest peak dominates the surrounding savannah, looming over it like a colossus. Walking on the high mountains of East Africa banishes the notion that the continent is only covered in stereotypical tawny grasslands. As a result of its tremendous height and its location on the equator, Kilimanjaro’s slopes are home to lush tropics, temperate climes and alpine moorland, as well as barren high-alpine desert and permanently snow-capped summits.
The rounded, glacier-clad dome of Kibo (one of the three main volcanic cones that make up Kilimanjaro) is home to Uhuru Peak, the mountain’s summit, while the shattered, jagged spires of Mawenzi, Kilimanjaro’s second summit, rear up across the blasted, desolate saddle. At 5895m, Uhuru Peak is the highest point on the African continent and, consequently, one of the coveted Seven Summits. Yet it is possible to reach the Roof of Africa without any technical climbing ability. Would-be mountaineers hoping to top one of the Seven Summits naturally gravitate towards Kilimanjaro. With its readily accessible, non-technical slopes, abundance of porters and relatively mild weather, the climb to the summit is considered a moderately easy ascent in mountaineering circles. Climbers with a decent level of fitness, positive attitude and a body that acclimatises to altitude reasonably well have a good chance of success: nowhere else on earth is it possible to scale a mountain of such height without crampons, ice axes and a healthy fear of losing a few fingers to frost bite.
Yet surprisingly