|
Mount
Kilimanjaro
Africa's Rooftop
Kilimanjaro is the world's highest free
standing, snow-covered equatorial mountain. Now
charted and climbed; stories of her resident
man-eating spirits are relegated to the realms
of folklore.
But Mount Kilimanjaro continues to preserve a
mysticism that defies all recent knowledge of
her slopes. Images of the towering snow-covered
cone rising majestically from fertile green
foothills have become a powerful motif of
Tanzania's extraordinary extremes. Few could
deny a very distinct sense of awe when the cloud
clears to reveal a glimpse of the towering
peaks, shining bright in the equatorial sun.
A Towering Life
Force
Kilimanjaro represents a powerful life force for
the local Chagga people and all those who have
made their lives around this mountain, providing
rich volcanic soils for agriculture and an
endless source of pure spring waters.
Climbing
Kilimanjaro
One of the most amazing aspects of the mountain
in the present day is the accessibility of its
peak to climbers with no mountain climbing
equipment or real previous experience of scaling
such heights. Kilimanjaro is the highest
mountain that regular tourists can climb,
although it remains a considerable feat of human
endurance!
The breathable oxygen at the top is less than
half the amount than is common at sea level, and
climbers cover at least eighty kilometres on
nothing but their own two feet over the five
days it takes to reach the top and return.
Preserving the
Mountain
The number of climbers has escalated to over a
thousand a year during the last century, quite a
development since Hans Meyer made history as the
first European to scale the highest point of
Kilimanjaro in 1889. The increasing numbers each
year have made it necessary for the National
Park to insist that all climbs are pre-booked,
and passes are no longer issued at the last
minute at the park gate.
Overall Fitness
Required
Although it is possible to simply trek a route
to the pinnacle of Kibo without relying on
professional climbing equipment, it remains a
hard and serious endeavour that requires a level
of physical fitness, stamina and a realistic
awareness of the potentially damaging effects of
high altitudes.
Many tour operators request that clients consult
a doctor before attempting to scale the
mountain, and have a physical check-up for
overall fitness.
Planning your
Kilimanjaro Climb
Kili climbs can be arranged for a variety of
different routes and with various options for
accommodation. It is really well worth spending
time in the planning stages to get accustomed to
the change of altitude and high conditions
namely:- Marangu,
Machame,
Umbwe,
Rongai. |
|
|