Started reading “Kilimanjaro – The Trekking Guide to Africa’s Highest Mountain“ this evening.

Did you know?

1. In 1889, the very first successful summit occurred and it took about six weeks in comparison to today when an average climber can do it in five or six days.
2. Kilimanjaro is one of the few places on earth that encompasses every ecological life zone.  It supports five major ecological zones;
   1. Rainforest / Tropical Jungle
   2. Heath
   3. Moorland
   4. Alpine Desert
   5. Arctic Summit / Glaciers
3. The temperatures on Mount Kilimanjaro drop significantly as you increase altitude.  The climb takes you from a tropical 21C to 30C at the base to a range of -18C to -26C at the summit, Uhuru Point.
4. Mount Kilimanjaro is actually a massive stratovolcano that was formed by repeated lava flow. It has three volcanic cones, two of which are extinct. The third
   cone, Kibo, is the highest point on the mountain and is dormant.
5. Around 10 people die each year trying to climb the mountain.