Mount Kilimanjaro National Park

Mount Kilimanjaro national park is found in Tanzania, located 300 kilometers south of the equator within the Kilimanjaro region. Mount Kilimanjaro National Park is located near the Moshi and can easily be accessed by either road or flight. Mount Kilimanjaro national park extends to about 652 square miles (1,668sq km) harboring the Montane forest that surrounds mountain Kilimanjaro

At 5,895 m, Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa. This volcanic massif stands in splendid isolation above the surrounding plains, with its snowy peak looming over the savannah. The mountain is encircled by mountain forest. Numerous mammals, many of them endangered species, live in the park. Mountain Kilimanjaro is denoted as the largest free standing volcanic mass in the world. Therefore, the mountain is one of the highest volcanoes in the world and has mainly three volcanic peaks; kibo, Mawenzi, and shira. It is hiked by several tourists who travel to Tanzania annually and is one of those daring places that any adventurer should visit at all costs. Mount Kilimanjaro is the easiest to climb of the Seven Summits; the “seven summits” include the tallest mountain from each of the seven continental regions.  Accordingly, Mount Kilimanjaro is the most frequently climbed mountain as well. Because of this high conservation and scenic value, the area was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987. In 2005, the inclusion of the entire montane forest that had been earlier part of the forest reserve saw the expansion of the total land area of the park. Currently, the park covers an area of approximately 1668 square kilometers. A visit to the area rewards you with a series of adrenaline activities within the Kilimanjaro Mountains.

A comprehensive guide to Mount Kilimanjaro National Park

Mount Kilimanjaro national park was established in 1973, currently the game park harbors the entire mountain above the tree line (2700 meters), comprising of the six corridors that stretch down through the Montane forest belt. Mount Kilimanjaro and the surrounding national park area is unique compared to most national parks because almost all ecosystems are accounted from the area between the base and summit. The summit provides for an arctic ecosystem with a trek up the mountain delivering visitors through cultivated land, rainforest, heath, moorland, and alpine desert.

The wildlife of the property is important to the experience of Kilimanjaro, a variety of animals can be found in the park. Above the timberline, the Kilimanjaro tree hyrax, the grey duiker, and rodents are frequently encountered. The bushbuck and red duiker appear above the timberline in places.  Cape buffaloes are found in the montane forest and occasionally in the moorland and grassland. Elephants can be found between the Namwai and Tarakia rivers and sometimes occur at higher elevations. In the montane forests, blue monkeys, eastern black and white colobuses, bushbabies, and leopards can be found. Pressures on elephant, buffalo and antelope, and logging in the Forest Reserve area, were noted as integrity concerns at the time of inscription. The park is connected to Amboseli National Park, however corridors to Arusha National Park and Tsavo National park have been encroached, impacting on wildlife migration.

Other frequently asked questions about Kilimanjaro National Park

What is Mount Kilimanjaro known for?

Mount Kilimanjaro National Park is home to Africa’s highest point, and one of the seven summits of the world. Mount Kilimanjaro is at height of 5,895 metres or 19,341 feet above sea level this makes it the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world with its three volcanic cones, Kibo – the summit

Is Mount Kilimanjaro in a National Park?

The answer to this is an absolute yes. Kilimanjaro National Park covers an area of 1,688 square kilometers and protects the largest free standing volcanic mass in the world and the highest mountain in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro.